By Teemu Virtanen
Every Visma Ski Classics season brings in new teams and fresh skiers from different countries. But at the same time many legendary teams cease to exits as has happened to Team LeasePlan and Team Coop, and now a successful gang of Norwegian ski heroes have no team as Team BN Bank bids adieu. Petter Eliassen has found a new home within the ranks of Team Ragde Eiendom, and both Morten Eide Pedersen and Simen Østensen shouldn’t have any problems finding suitable teams to represent. The BN Bank captain Øystein Pettersen, who had a great season being on the podium twice, will not be as active as he has been in the past, but he promises to do some races and focus on those wholeheartedly.
Since Team BN Bank is no longer with us, it would be make sense to devote this Weekend Classic archive article to the team and go back in time to Levi, Finland, and more precisely to the after-party of the Season VII and let Mr. Pølsa do the talking. Here is a long interview with him conducted in the spring of 2017, and this article is split into two parts. You can read the first part today, and tomorrow will get to enjoy the second part. Take a ride with the court jester Øystein Pettersen and many of the issues he talks about in this interview are still very valid and right to the point.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THREE THINGS TO DESCRIBE TEAM BN BANK: A SAUSAGE, A BARREL OF LAUGHS AND A MAN WHO KICKS A BALL
The long season of Visma Ski Classics is over and the gala night of the seventh season has just ended. Ylläs-Levi, the final event of the prestigious long distance ski series, took place earlier in the day, and what a race it was. Beautiful scenery, sunny weather and Lappish hospitality greeted all skiers including the pro athletes of the aforementioned classics tour. Everyone seems to be in a happy mood after the race, and I am talking to skiers who all agree that the race in Finland shall be ranked on the top of their lists.
As I am standing in the middle of the after-party venue, Areena in Levi, and enjoying my time with the Visma Ski Classics gang, I can feel the sensation of relief as everything has gone well, some may even say against all odds. As the race director, I can say that it was quite an undertaking for everyone involved, but we pulled it off. So, we all certainly deserve some pats on our shoulders. At the moment, I am not necessarily getting any patting but chatting with a lively person who has a funny nickname: Sausage (Pølsa). Øystein Pettersen is his real name and he also admits that Ylläs-Levi was a success and that he would certainly come back next year.
However, the race that day is not our primary discussion topic as the always talkative Norwegian has some great ideas to share. We talk about Visma Ski Classics, the status of cross-country skiing in general and how to make our beloved sport even bigger. He also tells me that Team LeasePlan will exist no more and Petter Eliassen may not be racing anymore. At that time, those were shocking news but today we all are aware of those facts. One of the most successful teams pulling out or the undisputed king of the sport retiring were not the only news he discloses that night. He really has an ace in his sleeve; his Team BN Bank will have a new recruit come the winter 2018 and that superstar has nothing to do with skiing. “Pølsa” really throws a curveball and tells me that the Norwegian ex-football player John Arne Riise will ski for this team, and he really means that Mr. Riise will SKI!
That is the way to go, and I silently admire Øystein’s courage to take a step that no one has dared to do in Visma Ski Classics. Of course, using celebrities in TV shows, commercials and endorsements is nothing new, and you do not have to be a rocket scientist to realize the value and potential of such moves. But we have not seen a true professional from another sport stepping into the competitive arena of long distance skiing, competitive being the key word here. Many celebrities have participated in various endurance events and thus exposing those events and themselves therein to wider audiences.
We all remember when Pippa Middleton graced Vasaloppet with her presence in 2012. Her participation created media frenzy like no other. It remains to be seen if Mr. Riise can do the same for the entire Visma Ski Classics series, but media exposure he will get for sure. And not just him, but his team, Visma Ski Classics and the entire sport – and for that we have to salute Øystein Pettersen, the man with whom I spent some time at the after-party in Levi and whom I can now reach when he is spending some valuable time fishing with his family. The family that he loves the most, even more than skiing.
I am happy to share our most recent conversation with you all, and you will certainly find out that the man that they call “the sausage” or “the joker” is much more than his nicknames. Here is Mr. Øystein Pettersen, the whole hotdog with all the works.
Your team BN Bank did really well last year - what is your take on the successful season?
“The first year racing as Team BN Bank was special. First, it was the first year we were personally responsible for everything . That was a great challenge and we learned a lot. Secondly, both Simen Østensen and I tried to recover and come back to racing after a tough year with poor health. We managed to get in the best possible shape, considering the state we were in when we started in May 2016. Thirdly, the overall results for the team were good. Not great, but good. In the beginning, Morten Eide Pedersen was, by far, our strongest guy and his good performances saved us as a team. In the second half of the winter, Simen showed what he is capable of and as for me, I was happy with most of my performances. We all did our best, had fun and left all out there in the field, but we can improve.”
How is your team looking like this season? What are your goals and primary agenda for the winter 2018?
“Well, so far we have had no injuries, no sicknesses and no drama. We have all been able to train as planned and things are going well. Both Kanalrennet and Kragerø - Gautefall showed us that we are among the strongest skiers out there, and it gives us great confidence in the upcoming races and training periods. Our goal for the season is to develop as skiers, as team members and as friends. We want to fight for the overall jersey and we want to be the team everyone wants to beat. Luckily, there are many strong competitors, and all we focus on is laying everything we got out on the field everyday. Our agenda stands; we are not here to take part, we are here to take over.”
How is your own training going so far and what are your personal goals for the next season?
“My own training is going well. July is difficult as I have to juggle between spending quality time with my family, training hard and finding time to rest. Today, I did intervals at 06.30 in the morning. Busy days, but it is still a long way to the winter. My goal is to give everything I’ve got in every race. I know how good I am, and I leave it to the others to judge my performances. I will always give 100%!”
You have a different approach to the sport as you want to make it more mainstream - you hired a famous football (soccer) player John Arne Riise - what do you want to achieve with that move?
“John Arne Riise is a new member in the team, and I am very proud to have such an athlete in Team BN Bank. There are several reasons for him joining the team. First and foremost, it is because I truly believe he can make me and my teammates better skiers. Not because he is a good skier himself, but because there is so much we can learn from an athlete who has played 8 years for Liverpool, won the Champions League, played the most games for the National Team, seen the ups and downs in his career, known how media can play a part in shaping people’s perception of public figures, and so on. He inspires me a lot, and I love that people are now paying attention to us. Not everybody likes the fact that we picked up Riise, and we respect that, but we want to show people that their doubts are without reason. Secondly, it draws a lot of attention. Both for our team, for Visma Ski Classics and for cross-country skiing in general. This is a good move for everyone who loves this sport as much as we do. Thirdly, we have a project going on, and I will tell you about it later.”
How is he training for the season and what is his main goal? How well does he fit into your team where everyone else is a pro skier?
“He is doing his very best to get fit for the next season. I would lie if I said that he is in good shape now, but he is in good spirit. I am as excited as you are to see how he will perform! A guy who has spent all his life being on a team has no problem fitting into our small group. The question should be what he thinks about us, the three individual skiers, as his teammates.”
The second part of the interview comes out tomorrow. Stay tuned for more of Øystein Pettersen and his gang - and you'll get hear some very personal things as well!
