A year ago, Alvar Myhlback, Lager 157 Ski Team, became the youngest skier ever at Vasaloppet. He made a good impression and finished eight. Now, the Pro Team athlete aims higher.

“The goal is for the team to win. Then, from my side, I want to fight for the podium places,” says Myhlback.

A year ago, 16-year-old Alvar Myhlback needed to apply for authorization to start Vasaloppet.

After 90km, he had been a very important teammate for his Pro Team, Lager 157 Ski Team, and Emil Persson, the fastest man across the finish line.

And a few seconds later, Alvar crossed the finish line in 8th place:

“I learned a lot at Vasaloppet last year. And I would say that I learned a lot from all the races I did in Ski Classics. They are long races, and there are many things that you have to do right in order not to ruin the day,” says Myhlback, who this year, unlike last season, has done a lot of traditional cross-country skiing races.

Myhlback made his debut in the World Cup, and at the Junior World Championships in Planica, he took home two gold medals (relay and the 10km races).

Just two weeks ago, he was back in Ski Classics again, and on Sunday’s Grönklitt ITT made it to the podium in Ski Classics for the first time, with a second place and just over five seconds behind the winner Kasper Stadaas:

“It was a fantastic race. I wasn’t prepared for it to go so well. I have often been tired the day after a tough race (Grönklitt Classic, a 60km long race on Saturday). But then the body responded well. This is really good news ahead of Vasaloppet.”

What have you been doing in the weeks after the competitions in Orsa?

 “There has been a focus on long training sessions and only double poling.”

There will likely be warm and wet conditions on Sunday. What do you think the ‘longer working hours’ means for you compared to last year?

“I don’t know, I’ve never done it before. But I often feel during the long sessions in the summer that I get stronger the longer the sessions are, so I think it’s ‘the longer, the better,’ but I don’t know. We’ll see on Sunday,” concludes Myhlback. !!!

Read More: All you need to know ahead of the 100th edition of Vasaloppet

Vasaloppet Season XIV – Video Highlights

Vasaloppet – Ski Classics Pro Tour Event 11

• Date: March 3, 2024
• Distance: 90km Classic Technique
• Place: Sälen-Mora, Sweden
• Start Time: Women & Men 8:00 CET
• Number of SC Climbs: 1
  • First Hill: 3km
• Number of SC Sprints: 2
  • Smågan: 11km
  • Evertsberg: 47km 
• Website: Vasaloppet 
• SC Play: Vasaloppet 

Vasaloppet program, start lists, live timing, and live streaming on SC Play can be found HERE and HERE