This Czech Pro Team is known for being the one with Stanislav Řezáč, one of the greatest legends of the sport whose career highlights are almost second-to-none.

Řezáč is also a member of the Ski Classics Hall of Fame club with 14 stage victories. He will turn 50 next spring, but he is still going strong. Last season, he finished almost all Pro Tour stages and was able to be in the top 30 in six races. Tartu Maraton was an excellent race for him as he finished 10th.

There are three Finns on this team, and Heli Heiskanen has represented this unit for a few years now. Heli has been the most successful Finnish female skier in Ski Classics for years, and she finished 8th in the Champion competition last season. She was in the top 15 eight times, three times in the top 10 with Marcialonga’s 9th place, Jizerska50’s 9th place, and Vasaloppet’s 10th place.

Heikki Korpela is a skier who has lived in Norway and trained with some of the best skiers there. So far, he has focused on standard distances, but Ylläs-Levi went well for him, 20th, and he is now ready to see if the rewards of success can be reaped in long distances as well. He also finished Birkebeinerrennet as the 33rd best skier, and at the Finnish National Championships, he crossed the finish line as the 13th fastest skier in the 50 km classic race.

Josefina Book is a new face in Ski Classics, but she participated at the FIS U23 World Championships, where the sprint competition’s 28th place was her best. She is also the Finnish Junior National Champion in the sprint competition. She is one of the future prospects in her homeland.

The remaining four athletes are local skiers. Michal Vank took part in five Pro Tour stages last winter, and the course at Jizerská50 suited him best as he finished 58th there. Pavel Sehnal finished three events, but he is a devoted recreational skier, while Jana Jetmarová has shown no action on the FIS site since 2015. Klára Moravcová raced actively in 2021 when she finished in the top 20 three times on the Pro Tour. Anna Sixtová raced in 2020 and 2020. Last season she finished in two Pro Tour events, Toblach-Cortina, 29th, and Jizerská50, 31st.

This team solely relies on one legend and a couple of Finns to do the job. They will score some points, and this team will fight fiercely for the mantle of the best Czech Pro Team in the game. Řezáč keeps going and will do well in Season XIV, but his glory days are very much over. He can still be close to the top, but to be on the podium is a bit too much to ask for, but the top 10 club is still within his reach if everything works in his favor.

Slavia Pojišťovna Sport Team Z.S.

• Country: Czech Republic
• Pro Team Director: Nicole Mertinová
• Pro Team Ranking: 12

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