By Teemu Virtanen
The cross-country ski season kicked off in Sweden and Norway this weekend, and in Finland it continued with the second Suomen Cup stage.
Many Pro Team athletes decided to test the current shape against standard distance skiers, and they managed to perform well considering that these races were merely hard training sessions for them as there is still about a month before the Visma Ski Classics premiere in Orsa.
In Gällivare, Sweden, the season premiere had three days of events. The sprint race took place on Friday, the 15/10 km classic race on Saturday and 15/10 km free technique (skating) race on Sunday. Linn Sömskar’s, Team Eksjöhus, performances were certainly encouraging as she finished 3rd in the sprint and 6th in the 10 km classic and skating races. In the classic race, she was 1:12 minutes behind the winner Frida Karlsson, who was victorious on both days. On Sunday, Sömskar’s gap to victory was 1:31 min. Team Ramudden’s Lina Korsgren had a good on Saturday when she finished 10th in the 10 km classic race.
In the men’s 15 km classic race in Gällivare, last year’s season premiere winner Max Novak, Team Ramudden, was steadfast on winning again, and he started the race really well. He was close to the top until he fell down and lost about 50 seconds. That obviously killed his chances to be on the podium, and he finished 22nd.
Despite Novak’s mishap, Pro Team athletes were well presented as Team Eksjöhus’ Eric Rosjö fought his way to the podium by being third, 21 seconds behind the winner Leo Johansson. Johannes Eklöf from Team Ramudden kept good pace as well and took home 16th place in the race. On Sunday's skating race, Rosjö was the best Visma Ski Classics athlete with his 11th place, 1:04 minutes behind the winner Johansson.
In Norway, Beistostølen was the scene for the country’s ski season opening weekend. Much like in Gällivare, the schedule was the same. The sprint competition was supposed to be held on Friday, but gusty winds canceled the event. The 15/10 km classic and skating events on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, took place as planned.
On Saturday, Astrid Øyre Slind, Team Koteng Eidissen, showed that her comeback to shape has succeeded. She was 7th in the race while Emilie Fleten, Team XPND Fuel, was 22nd. Slind was also on fire on Sunday as she finished 6th in the 10 km skating race, and Fleten was 22nd again. On Saturday, Slind was 1:46 min behind the winner Therese Johaug, who won on both days, and on Sunday 1:20 min.
In the men’s 15 km classic race, two Visma Ski Classics athletes managed to be in the top 20: Morten Eide Pedersen, Team Eksjöhus, 14th, and Kasper Stadaas, Team Ragde Charge, 16th. Pedersen had a gap of 1:30 min to the winner Hans Christer Holund. Stadaas was the best Pro Team skater on Sunday's race with his 28th place.
In Finland, Suomen Cup (Finland Cup) had its second stage in Taivalkoski, and some Pro Team athletes participated in the women’s 9 km classic and the men’s 15 km classic races on Sunday. In the women’s race, Anni Kainulainen, Team Kaskipuu, did well and finished 15th while her teammate Rebecca Immonen was 23rd. Kainulainen was 2:09 min behind the winner Krista Pärmäkoski. In the men’s race, Team Kaskipuu’s director Kari Varis had the best result of Visma Ski Classics athletes and finished 16th. The race winner Ristomatti Hakola was about 2:35 minutes faster than Varis.
