This Swedish Pro Team started in 2019 as a small squad with only three athletes. For Ski Classics Season XVI, the Pro Team is stronger than ever and aims to fight for podiums and bib competitions, individually and as a team.
Team Engcon is a Pro Team founded by the Ski Classics Legend Jerry Ahrlin, a former long-distance skier with great merits, with six Ski Classics wins, such as three Marcialonga victories and second place at Vasaloppet.
"Team Engcon started in 2019 as a small team with only three athletes. Today, Team Engcon is a great Pro Team with both merited and experienced athletes and upcoming and future champions," says the Pro Team Director Jorgen Ulvang.
For the upcoming Ski Classics Season XVI, Team Engcon presented a roster of both emerging talents and experienced Pro Team athletes hailing from Sweden and Norway, bringing eight Pro Team athletes, three women and five men: Ida Dahl (1996), Hanna Lodin (1999), Anikken Gjerde Alnaes (1994) Eddie Edstrom (1995), Ole Jorgen Bruvoll (1995), Torleif Syrstad (1994), Johan Tjelle (1994), and Amund Hoel (1997).
This Pro Team is extremely strong, and there are many potential podium skiers, and winners as well, within the team. Ida Dahl did not have a great season last winter, but she was the queen of the sport in Season XIV with her Champion title. She has also been second twice in the Champion competition. If she has overcome her challenges and returns to great form, she will be fighting for the number one spot once again.
Hanna Lodin and Anniken Gjerde Alnaes will certainly fight for podium places if everything goes well for them. Lodin was in the top-10 in every race, except three, last season, and she managed to be 5th twice. Alnaes is a former Sprint competition winner, and she is no stranger to being on the podium as she has been there four times in her skiing career.
The men do not pale in comparison with their female counterparts. Torleif Syrstad became last year's Vasaloppet winner with his superior performance. He repeated the feat at Janteloppet, the season Grand Finale. With this new team supporting him, he can be a tough one to beat.
Amund Hoel was a bit uneven last season, but both Vasaloppet and Marcialonga went well for him as he finished 15th and 17th, respectively. He was also 10th at Gronklitt ITT. His teammate Ole Jorgen Bruvoll fared even better as he finished among the 10 best male skiers four times, and the podium was not beyond his reach since he was 4th twice.
Eddie Edstrom and Johan Tjelle are also strong top-10 candidates in the upcoming season. Edstrom performed well at Vasaloppet and Birkebeinerrennet, 16th and 14th places respectively, and Tjelle was breathing down his teammate's neck with his 20th and 15th finishing positions in the respective races. Additionally, he managed to be in the top-10 twice last season, and he was 11th at Marcialonga and 3 Zinnen Ski-Marathon.
