This Swedish Pro Team consists of skiers from Sweden, Norway, Finland, and France. Team Eksjohus secured the 1st position in the Pro Team ranking during Season XV and now looks forward to being the best Pro Team in the world again.
Team Eksjohus has ten Pro Team athletes, four women and six men, ready to fight for points, podium places, and color bibs this winter. For Season XVI, the squad counts on its experienced roster of five athletes from Norway, three from Sweden, one from Finland, and one from France: Magni Smedas (1995), Kati Roivas (1994), Louise Lindstrom (2000), Sofie Elebro Lind (1993), Morten Eide Pedersen (1987), Eirik Sverdrup Augdal (1995), Thomas Odegaarden (1998), Axel Jutterstrom (1998), Vebjorn Moen (1998), and Jeremy Royer (1999).
This international team has experience, talent, and a winning mentality. The women in the team fight for victories and podium places in every race. Magni Smedas started her racing season after the holiday break, but she quickly became one of the leading ladies in the game. She won four races and was second twice (Marcialonga and Vasaloppet).
Kati Roivas broke through last season by becoming a stable podium skier with her seven top-three positions, which made her the second best in the Champion competition after Emilie Fleten. She also won the prestigious Tjejvasan as the first Finn in history.
Sofie Elebro Lind finished fourth in the Champion competition, and she got seven top-six places, of which one was a podium place (3rd at La Venosta Criterium). She was possibly a bit overshadowed by her more successful teammates, but she is a strong skier who wants to secure her position as the top player in Ski Classics.
Louise Lindstrom is currently the least-known female skier in the team, but she can be a great addition to the squad. She was fifth at Gronklitt ITT, which shows that she has potential that can grow as she becomes more experienced.
The men in the team have podium capacity and bucketloads of experience. Morten Eide Pedersen has been an integral part of Ski Classics ever since its inception. His last podium place is from 2021 when he finished second at Tassasen Criterium 64. He has three victories at Jizerska50, but that was some time ago. This soon-to-be 37-year-old skier is still one of the top athletes in the circuit as he fought his way into the top six best male skiers in four races and finished ninth in the Champion competition.
Eirik Sverdrup Augdal was a bit higher in the Champion competition than his teammate Pedersen as he finished seventh. He was on the podium twice and in the top-10 seven times. If he manages to raise the bar this season, he can become a solid podium performer.
Axel Jutterstrom was the second-best male skier in the team with his sixth place in the Champion competition. He was very consistent throughout the season by finishing in the top-10 in nine races. He was on the podium once at La Venosta ITT where he was second. Together with Augdal, Jutterstrom may become a frequent visitor on the podium in Season XVI.
Thomas Odegaarden was the best male skier in this team with his fourth place in the Champion competition. He was on the podium twice, at La Venosta ITT and Engadin La Diagonela, and he pushed himself into the top-10 gang 10 times last season. Much like his teammates, he will be a top dog in Ski Classics threatening the dominance of Team Ragde Charge in the men's category.
Vebjorn Moen and Jeremy Royer are not as visible as their more famous teammates, but they have important roles to play. The former fights for sprint competition points for the team, and he got a great result at Reistadlopet where he finished 16th. The latter is a French skier who finished in and out of the top-20 in most races. His best day took place at Gronklitt Classic where only 14 male skiers crossed the finish line in front of him.
It is no wonder that this Pro Team is the best right now. There are great female and male skiers in the team, and they are more than capable of top performances. It should be expected that they remain in the spotlight in Season XVI, and they will be fighting for bib titles in many categories.
