This Norwegian Pro Team consists of six athletes and is led by Petter Soleng Skinstad. There is talent and determination on this team and some exotic flavor in the form of Spanish talent and expertise.

The team leader, Skinstad, is a solid point collector on the Pro Tour and finished 47th in the Champion competition. He completed eight events, and his best result was 25th at Årefjällsloppet. He finished in the top 60 in every race except Ylläs-Levi. This summer, he performed really well at Alliansloppet by rollerskiing to 21st place.

Mårten Soleng Skinstad has yet to follow in his older brother’s footsteps in Ski Classics, as last season he started only at the Pro Team Tempo, with Team Coop finishing in the 14th place, and the Individual Prologue, where he finished in the 52nd position. During Season XI, Mårten started at Marcialonga and Tåssåsen Criterium 64, finishing in the 56th and 71st place, respectively. He is also frequent on the traditional cross-country skiing scene; last season, he participated in many Scandinavian Cup races and the Norwegian National Championships, where he finished 28th at the classic sprint in Harstad and 59th at the skiathlon race in Lygna.

Øyvind Tormod Wennersberg finished four Pro Tour events, and at Ylläs-Levi, he was closest to the top 100 with his 108th position. Fred Anders Solbakken, so far, finished 15 Pro Tour events, and at Reistadløpet, he was twice top 50. In 2017 he finished in 37th place, and in 2018 he secured the 47th position.

Ski Classics is still an unconquered arena for the two female athletes on the team, Caroline Madsen and Marta Cester. They are both avid skiers with good results in many traditional distance races. Caroline managed to be 9th in the skiathlon race at the Norwegian National Championships last winter, while Marta was on the podium, 3rd, in the 7,5 km classic race and finished fourth in the 10 km skating race at the Spanish National Championships. This Spaniard has also tested her endurance capacity in some long-distance races, including Engadin Ski Marathon, where she finished 15th in the 42 km skating race, and Marxa Beret, where she won the 42 km classic race.

This team relies too much on its leader’s overall performance, and Petter needs good skiers around him for support. The two women on the team could be quite strong if they chose to do more long-distance skiing. Most likely, this gang of varied skiers will not climb much higher in the Pro Team competition next season, but the team captain is definitely eyeing some top 30 results in Season XIV.

Team Coop

• Country: Norway
• Pro Team Director: Kristin Tomasson
• Pro Team Ranking: 26

Athletes: