Marcialonga’s seventh event in Visma Ski Classics and the first Grand Classics event Season XII took place today in Italy. Ida Dahl, Team Ramudden, and Ermil Vokuev, Russian Winter Team, won the 70 km race in grand style.
In the men’s race, which started at 8:00 CET, the action started early with Jan Šrail, Vltava Fund Ski Team, setting the pace for the first few kilometers. With 63km to go, Ermil Vokuev, Russian Winter Team, hit the front before the first climbs, stretching the field, and got a gap that later proved to be decisive, quickly gaining 16 seconds after 1km and growing to the Sprint point.
At Canazei, the first sprint checkpoint at the 18.4km mark, we saw the breakaway skier Ermil Vokuev, Russian Winter Team, crossing first, 1 minute ahead of the main group. Stian Berg, Team Kaffebryggeriet, crossed in second, and Emil Persson, Lager 157 Ski Team, in third position.
With 33km at the Climb checkpoint L’Infinita, Vokuev crossed first, 2 minutes and 20 seconds in front of the chasing group. Behind, the battle for the points was tight, and Magnus Vesterheim, Team Kaffebryggeriet, crossed second, with Tord Asle Gjerdalen, Team XPND Fuel, in third.
With 20km to go, the gap was stable at around 2 minutes, and it seemed that the chasing group was hesitating to start the hard work to bring Vokuev back.
The second and last Sprint checkpoint was contested in Lago di Tesero at the 55.3km mark, with breakaway man Ermil Vokuev, Russian Winter Team, taking maximum points. At 2 minutes and 10 seconds behind, Stian Berg, Team Kaffebryggeriet, crossed in second, followed by Marcus Johansson, Lager 157 Ski Team.
From there, with 11km to go, the main chasing group started to react, stretching the field and trying to gain time on the leader.
When the skiers reached the tunnel before the final climb, the gap was still around 2 minutes, but Vokuev kept strong up the famous Cascata Hill.
Behind, the fight was fierce, and the chase group was reduced even more mid-uphill.
In the end, Ermil Vokuev, Russian Winter Team, with an epic and supreme solo breakaway that lasted almost the entire race, won Marcialonga and the first Grand Classics Season XII. Second place, in a tight photo-finish, went to Kasper Stadaas, Team Ragde Charge, 44.9 seconds back. Maxim Vylegzhanin, Russian Winter Team, completed the podium third.
The fastest Pro Tour skier up Cascata Hill and the one who got maximum points at the last Climb checkpoint was Maxim Vylegzhanin, Russian Winter Team, with a time of 8:41.6. Kasper Stadaas, Team Ragde Charge, was second, 0.3 seconds behind, followed by Tord Asle Gjerdalen, Team XPND Fuel, 0.8 seconds back.
In the women’s race, which started 5 minutes after the men, at 8:05 CET, a fast pace was set from the gun and formed a leading group of about 13 skiers early on.
At the first Sprint point in Canazei, Anniken Gjerde Alnes, Team Ragde Charge, crossed first, followed by Britta Johansson Norgren, Lager 157 Ski Team, and Lina Korsgren, Team Ramudden.
With 33km at L’Infinita, the battle for the Climb points saw Ida Dahl, Team Ramudden, crossing first, with Astrid Øyre Slind, Team Koteng Eidissen, in second, and Britta Johansson Norgren, Lager 157 Ski Team, in third.
Right after the Climb, on the fast downhill, Ida Dahl, Team Ramudden, and Astrid Øyre Slind, Team Koteng Eidissen got a gap that later showed to be decisive, forcing Britta Johansson Norgren to chase, with Lina Korsgren just following.
At Lago di Tesero Sprint the gap kept growing. Ida Dahl, Team Ramudden, took the points, followed by Astrid Øyre Slind, Team Koteng Eidissen, and Britta Johansson Norgren, Lager 157 Ski Team in third, 2 minutes and 20 seconds back.
From there, the women’s race was about two skiers in the end. Ida Dahl was first into the start of Cascata, closely followed by Astrid Øyre Slind, with Lina Korsgren 2 minutes behind and Britta Johansson Norgren in a small group of chasers, another minute back.
Mid uphill, Ida Dahl, Team Ramudden, attacked and never looked back. She just flew up Cascata and won Marcialonga and the first Grand Classics Season XII in a superior style, 30.9 seconds ahead of Astrid Øyre Slind, Team Koteng Eidissen. Lina Korsgren, Team Ramudden, was third, 3 minutes behind.
The fastest Pro Tour women up Cascata Hill at the last Climb checkpoint was Ida Dahl, Team Ramudden, with a time of 10:58.0, followed by Britta Johansson Norgren, Lager 157 Ski Team, 23 seconds behind, and Astrid Øyre Slind, Team Koteng Eidissen, 30.6 seconds back.
Marcialonga’s results can be found here.
Next up in the Visma Ski Classics is Jizerská50. The 50-kilometer classic long-distance race takes place in Bedrichov, Czech Republic, on February 13, 2022.
