Today, the first race of the weekend in Livigno – Pro Team Tempo at the Cross-Country Stadium
Lager 157 Ski Team won ahead of Team Koteng and the stellar Team Ragde Eiendom
Italian teams: 16th SottoZero Gold Team and 22nd Team Trentino Robinson
Tomorrow 30th ‘Sgambeda’, on Sunday Livigno Prologue Visma Ski Classics
The Visma Ski Classics season kicked off today in Livigno with the Pro Team Tempo. Britta Johansson Norgren, the champion of the Lager 157 Ski Team, was the first to cross the finish line – just like last year – and crowned her teammates’ good performance. Ragde Eiendom Team would have won without women.
Ragde Eiendom Team is the strongest team of the Visma Ski Classics this year and has very strong athletes, including the reigning champion Petter Eliassen (best time 33:49.8), Tord Asle Gjerdalen, two world gold medals and three times winner of Marcialonga, Oskar Kardin and Captain Anders Aukland, who boasts a world gold and an Olympic gold medal: Livigno is perfect as opener of the season, the race course is amazing; on Sunday it won’t be easy, he said after the race.
Their female teammates Emilie Fleten and Thea Krokan Murud were not at the level of Norgren, and so Team Ragde raced to a third place finish. Second place to the team Koteng (Hoelgaard, Jespersen, Syrstad, Slind, Gjeitnes), while the winning team Lager 157 Ski Team was composed by Marcus Johansson, Emil Persson, Andreas Holmberg, Britta Johansson Norgren and Elin Mohlin, who helped Norgren in the first part of the race.
It was an interval start race. Each (men’s) Pro Team started in reverse order depending on the standings; the final time of the third male athlete to cross the finish line was used for the ranking. The women started with the gaps from the total time obtained by the men, and the first woman to cross the finish line of the pursuit determined the final result of this Pro Team Tempo.
The course was very beautiful and the snow fell even immediately after the race. Congratulations to Livigno. But this is not new for Livigno, and not even for the athletes who now consider the ‘Little Tibet’ as a second home given their frequent trainings at altitude.
Britta Johansson Norgren was very satisfied and we ask her if she prefers a team victory than an individual win: "I couldn't wait to start, it's not so easy, Astrid (Slind – ed.) was just behind me in the first part of the race and it was hard. The team did a really good job today. I always prefer to win for the team than for myself".
As regards the Italian teams, the SottoZero Gold Team finished 16th (Brigadoi - Ferrari - Varesco - Corradini) and Team Trentino Robinson 22nd (Panzhinskiy - Panisi - Busin - Caminada - Donzallaz). This 'duel' - between the two Italian teams - will continue throughout the whole season, giving more thrill to the Visma Ski Classics challenge.
Tomorrow, the amateurs will celebrate together the thirtieth anniversary of ‘Sgambeda’ in free technique. A mix of cross-country skiers, including skiers from Livigno, champions and former champions who do not want to miss the event, will take part in the race. Among them there will be the Swiss Toni Livers, the Spanish Diego Ruiz, the French Jean-Marc Gaillard, two Olympic bronze medals and a world bronze medal, and Jay Renaud, the world’s rollerski champion Matteo Tanel, who took part in today’s race too, and Marianna Longa, former Italian cross-country skier, just to name a few.
On Sunday the Visma Ski Classics skiers will take part in the 35 km CT ‘Livigno Prologue’, the first real individual competition of the season. It will be a great race.
Download TV pictures:
Pro Team Prologue 15 km CT:
1 Lager 157 Ski Team 1:12:23.1; 2 Team Koteng 1:13:04.1; 3 Team Ragde Eiendom 1:13:45.0; 4 Team Ramudden 1:15:19.6; 5 eD system Bauer Team 1:15:06.6; 6 E-Liberty Ski Team 1:15:55.4; 7 Team Serneke 1:16:06.1; 8 Team ParkettPartner Sjusjøen 1:15:50.1; 9 Russian Winter 1:15:56.0; 10 Team Igne 1:17:17.2
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