This German Pro Team has been within Ski Classics for a long time and continues to be a pivotal part of the Tour. The only top 10 caliber skier on the team is Thomas Bing, who has said that winning Vasaloppet would be a dream come true. However, the team members, two from Switzerland, one from Austria, and six from Germany possess a lot of passion, enthusiasm, and love for the sport.

The aforementioned Bing finished 11th at Vasaloppet last season and the year before, and he is the National Champion in the 10 km classic race. He has participated in many World Cup races and completed two other Pro Tour races last winter: Jizerská50, where he finished 15th, and Ylläs-Levi, 28th.

Tobias Dargatz was an active participant in the Pro Tour last winter, with six stages under his belt. His best result, 70th, came from Prato Piazza Mountain Challenge. The Austrian member on the team, Matthias Fugger, was less active than his teammate, but he finished a couple of local races and the La Venosta Time Trial, where he was the 82nd fastest skier on the top of the mountain.

Adrian Bosshart from Switzerland started in three races on the Pro Tour but finished two. His best day happened to be in the Czech Republic, where he managed to ski the 50-kilometer Jizerska Padesatka as the 83rd-best athlete. Philipp Unger was a bit closer to the top in his four attempts to shine in Ski Classics. His greatest achievement also took place at Jizerska Padesatka, where he finished 55th.

There are four female athletes on the team, and the most experienced one is Karin Weltert. This Swiss skier is 46 years old but still going strong. She did four Pro Tour stages and finished among the 40 best ladies in three of them. Melina Schöttes is the youngest of the bunch, 24, but she did not race on snow last season. She took part in some rollerski races in Norway, but she was a no-show when the winter came.

Laura Stichling and Franziska Müller kept themselves quite busy last winter. The former finished five Pro Tour events while the latter did only one, but she was a podium skier in many Central-European long-distance ski races. Laura was a top 30 skier on a good day, and Franziska finished 25th at Pustertaler Ski Marathon,  the only Pro Tour race she did.

These eager beavers do their best to promote cross-country skiing in their region, and they spread the good gospel with ease. They will not score many points in Season XIV, but they will remind us of the fact that Germany, and Central Europe for that matter, is still a Nordic skiing nation.

xc.ski.de A | N Skimarathon Team

• Country: Germany
• Pro Team Director: Sabine Freimuth
• Pro Team Ranking: 25

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