Britta Johansson Norgren, Lager 157 Ski Team, and Tord Asle Gjerdalen, Team XPND Fuel, made history winning the 100th Visma Ski Classics event and first-ever Pro Tour individual time trial.
A fierce battle between Pro Tour athletes and traditional cross-country skiers marked the 10-kilometer uphill race at Val Venosta, Italy.
La Venosta Time Trial took on a new format, being organized as a time trial with individual starts. The gap between the skiers was 1 minute, with the women starting from 8:00 CET and the men from 9:30 CET.
Johansson Norgren and Gjerdalen showed their form throughout the entire race
In the women’s competition, Britta Johansson Norgren, Lager 157 Ski Team, crushed the competition.
At the 2.4km mark, Johansson Norgren crossed in the second position, 7.8 seconds behind Ida Dahl, Team Ramudden. At the 6.5km split, Britta was second again, only 0.9 seconds behind Dahl.
At the finish, Britta Johansson Norgren reversed the deficit and won La Venosta Time Trial with a time of 31 minutes and 46.1 seconds, 19.4 seconds ahead of Ida Dahl, Team Ramudden, in second place. The third position went to Lina Korsgren, Team Ramudden, finishing 1 minute and 32 seconds behind the winner.
In the men’s field, Tord Asle Gjerdalen, Team XPND Fuel, was the fastest at all splits times.
At the 2.4km mark, Gjerdalen was 3.9 seconds ahead of Max Novak, Team Ramudden. At the 6.5km split, Tord extended his lead and was 14.9 seconds ahead of Martin Løvstrøm Nyenget, Team Eksjöhus, and 22.4 seconds ahead of Max Novak, Team Ramudden.
At the finish, Tord Asle Gjerdalen, Team XPND Fuel, won with a solid margin with a total time of 27 minutes and 44.2 seconds, followed by Martin Løvstrøm Nyenget, Team Eksjöhus, 19 seconds behind. Ermil Vokuev, Russian Winter Team, finished in the third position, 37.1 seconds from the winner.
Complete results can be found HERE.
Next up in the Visma Ski Classics is Engadin La Diagonela. The 55-kilometer classic race takes place in Switzerland, on January 22, 2022.
