This French Pro Team has two athletes from Switzerland, one from Sweden, and seven from France. The skiers on the team are experienced and have gained good merits over the years.

Arnaud Du Pasquier completed nine Pro Tour stages last winter and stayed firmly among the best 60 skiers in every race, except at Vasaloppet, where he was just outside of that group by crossing the finish line as the 61st fastest racer. This Swiss skier’s best races were at the end of the season, as he finished 22nd at Årefjällsloppet and 24th at Reistadløpet.

Antoine Auger was able to take part in six Pro Tour stages and kept the same pace as Arnaud, and he was also a solid top 50-60 skier. Tartu Maraton’s 37th place was his best result of the season, but the Individual Prologue, Prato Piazza Mountain Challenge, and Vasaloppet went well, too. Respectively, he finished 40th, 44th, and 50th in those races.

Thomas Joly had a great winter, and this 24-year-old skier pushed himself into the top 20 four times. Birkebeinerrennet’s 8th place was certainly his season highlight, and the dryland season has shown that he can even raise the bar next winter. He finished 3rd at Alliansloppet and 11th at Klarälvsloppet this year. The Youth competition could be his for the taking.

Paul Combey performed much like his teammates and was close to the top 50 group in most races. La Venosta Time Trial suited him well, and he finished 26th in that uphill race. Vasaloppet, on the other hand, was nothing to write home about for him since 150 skiers got to be in Mora before him.

For Matis Leray, Vasaloppet was also a tricky race to handle, as he finished 130th. Another lousy day took place in Orsa, Sweden, at the season-opening event, the Individual Prologue, where his final position was 89th. The other Pro Tour stages went quite well, and he was in and out of the top 50 with some really great highlights, such as La Venosta Time Trial’s 16th place and Marcialonga’s 28th place.

Brice Milici is a 22-year-old skier who is finding his way to the Pro Tour arena. He took part in Marcialonga last winter and climbed up to Cavalese as the 115th fastest skier in total. Additionally, he completed two other long-distance events in France. Much like Brice, Jeremy Royer, 23, is a Ski Classics rookie, but he finished one race last season with a great result: Engadin La Diagonela and 36th place. These young athletes will have a bright future ahead of them if their hard training and dedication pay off.

Of the three female athletes on the team, Hedda Bångman from Sweden was the one who succeeded in scoring valuable points. She completed eight stages on the Pro Tour, and the 21st places at Marcialonga and Birkebeinerrennet were her lowest positions in the result lists. Once, she hit the proverbial jackpot and penetrated into the top 10, which happened at Årefjällsloppet, after which she went home in ninth place.

Solene Faivre just turned 22 this fall, and her experience in Ski Classics is still quite limited. However, this Swiss skier traveled to Italy and enjoyed the beautiful scenery that Marcialonga can offer. She finished 39th in the race while her teammate Jennifer Lambert had almost a full season, with only Jizerská50 and Vasaloppet missing, and she managed to be in the top 30 five times. Her 21st place at La Venosta Time Trial was the one where she was the closest to the top-20 club.

This Pro Team has great experienced skiers and hopefully young rising stars as well. They will fight hard to keep their current position in the Pro Team competition, but each year, the field gets more competitive. Thomas July can become the team star, and he is certainly aiming to be a regular face in the top-10 club. If the rest of the gang manages to take a step forward, this team will do “serious damage” to the battlefield of Ski Classics.

Team Nordic Expérience

• Country: France
• Pro Team Director: Maxime Grenard
• Pro Team Ranking: 9

Athletes: