This weekend, December 9 and 10, is time for the Ski Classics kick-off. The Bad Gastein Pro Team Tempo and Bad Gastein Criterium are Season XV’s first and second events in Bad Gastein, Austria. Here are all the facts you need to know ahead of the weekend.

On Saturday, December 9, Ski Classics Season XV will get a great start to a thrilling season with the Bad Gastein Pro Team Tempo, as the Pro Teams and their athletes have a chance to present their new race suits, sponsors, and introduce their recruits, showing what they are capable of. 

PRO TEAM TEMPO – Teamwork to reach the top of the podium

The Pro Team Tempo is organized as an interval start competition with block starts, one Pro Team is starting at a time, where the best teams in the Pro Team ranking are spread out over the field. The gap between the blocks is 4 minutes.

The entire Pro Team is presented at the start, whereby only the male athletes start first and finish after 6.3km. When the second male athlete of a Pro Team crosses the finish line, all female athletes of the same team start into their competition for another 6.3km. The finishing time of the 2nd ranked female of the Pro Team will count for the classification. 

BAD GASTEIN PRO TEAM TEMPO – MAP & PROFILE

BAD GASTEIN PRO TEAM TEMPO – FACTS

• Location: Sportgastein, Austria
• Date: Saturday, December 9, 2023
• Start Time: 9:30 CET 
• Distance: 13km Classic
• SC Play: Bad Gastein Pro Team Tempo

Bad Gastein Pro Team Tempo program, start lists, timing, and live streaming on SC Play can be found here.

On Sunday, December 10, the season continues with the second event in Season XV, the Bad Gastein Criterium, a 36km long-distance race offering stunning scenery in the vicinity of the Tauern Alps. 

BAD GASTEIN CRITERIUM 

The Sunday Bad Gastein Criterium is a mass-start race to be completed in several laps and a challenging course. The Sprint and Climb competitions start here with several chances to collect valuable points for the season. Champion competition points with 200 points to the winner will be handed out.

BAD GASTEIN CRITERIUM – MAP & PROFILE

BAD GASTEIN CRITERIUM – FACTS

• Location: Sportgastein, Austria
• Date: Sunday, December 10, 2023
• Start Time: 9:10 CET (Women) / 11:15 CET (Men)
• Distance: 36km Classic
• Number of SC Sprints: 2
• Sprint 1: 6.6km
• Sprint 2: 13.6km
• Number of SC Climbs: 2
• Climb 1: 21km
• Climb 2: 28.6km
• SC Play: Bad Gastein Criterium

Bad Gastein Criterium program, start lists, live timing and live streaming on SC Play can be found here.

The prologue weekend in Bad Gastein, Austria, is an excellent kick-off for the Ski Classics Season XV, with two thrilling events in the Alps.

SKI CLASSICS FANTASY

The SC Fantasy League for Season XV is now up and running. Join the excitement of Ski Classics managing your own Fantasy Team. Win prizes throughout the season and chase the Fantasy champion title of Season XV. 

How to Play

1. Go to SC Fantasy via https://fantasy.skiclassics.com/
2. Login with your existing Fantasy account or create a new one.
3. Read through “HOW TO PLAY” 
4. Go to “Team Selection” and start to spend your 40.000 Fantasy dollars. 
5. Don’t forget to mark one of your athletes as a Team Captain!
6. Optional: Create your own League and invite your friends.
7. Have fun, and may the best Fantasy Team Director win!

ALL TV CHANNELS SEASON XV

The start of Season XV is finally closing in. Bad Gastein Pro Team Tempo is only a few days away, starting the Pro Tour on Saturday, December 9. 

Here is an overview of where you can watch Ski Classics this season.

• SVT – Sweden
• NRK / VG (Bad Gastein and 3 Zinnen Ski Marathon) – Norway
• Czech TV – Czech Republic
• TVP – Poland
• Warner Bros Discovery – Finland
• RTTR – Italy
• Servus TV – Austria, Germany, Switzerland
• beIN Sports – Australia, Canada, Turkey, USA
• SC PLAY – all countries (English commentary)

The Season XV of Ski Classics Pro Tour consists of 15 events on 11 event weekends in 6 different countries. 

Ski Classics Pro Tour Season XV (2023/2024)

• Event 1: December 9, 2023 – Bad Gastein PTT, Austria, 13km
• Event 2: December 10, 2023 – Bad Gastein Criterium, Austria, 36km
• Event 3: December 16, 2023 – La Venosta Criterium, Italy, 36km 
• Event 4: December 17, 2023 – La Venosta ITT, Italy, 10km
• Event 5: January 13, 2024 – 3 Zinnen Ski Marathon, Italy, 62km
• Event 6: January 20, 2024 – Engadin La Diagonela, Switzerland, 56km
• Event 7: January 28, 2024 – Marcialonga, Italy, 70km
• Event 8: February 11, 2024 – Jizerská50, Czech Republic, 50km
• Event 9: February 17, 2024 – Grönklitt Classic, Sweden, 60km
• Event 10: February 18, 2024 – Grönklitt ITT, Sweden, 13km
• Event 11: March 3, 2024 – Vasaloppet, Sweden, 90km
• Event 12: March 16, 2024 – Birkebeinerrennet, Norway, 54km
• Event 13: April 6, 2024 – Reistadløpet, Norway, 50km
• Event 14: April 7, 2024 – Summit 2 Senja, Norway, 60km
• Event 15: April 13, 2024 – Ski Classics Grand Finale – Janteloppet, Norway, 100km

More information about the Ski Classics Pro Tour can be found at skiclassics.com

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