Fourth place in the race for the Yellow bib but still very confident: “I have beaten them in every race this year.” Andreas Nygaard is focusing on the major races this year, while also naming his teammate as the new captain for Jizerská50.

Andreas Nygaard has it all

Marcialonga winner Andreas Nygaard has 20 victories in Ski Classics. The most recent was at Marcialonga with the help of Mathias Aas Rolid.

Nygaard has won the yellow bib three times: Season IX (18/19), X (19/20), and XII (21/22).

Despite missing La Venosta ITT, Andreas Nygaard is still in a strong position in the battle for the yellow bib. He says he is primarily focusing on the biggest races.

“I focus on the biggest races, but if you perform well in those, I think you might still have a chance. But I believe you have to race in all the events”, says Nygaard to Langd.se.

“The Ox from Burfjord” is now fourth overall. He confidently states that he has beaten both the current leader and third place in the races he has competed against.

Also Read: Mathias Aas Rolid on his support role: “Create hell”

“I think I have beaten Max in every race I’ve competed against him this year. But it’s still him who has the yellow bib. And the same goes for Ole Jørgen Bruvoll. I have beaten him in every race I’ve raced against him”, he continues.

Nygaard explains that you need to compete in every race, including the individual time trials (ITT), to win the Yellow bib.

“You need to race in all the events, and you must do the individual races against the clock. And that’s not my favorite; I focus on the four biggest races”, Nygaard says.

Marcialonga, Jizerská50, Vasaloppet, and Birkebeinerrennet. Andreas Nygaard did well in Marcialonga after out-sprinting Novak. He has previously won Jizerská50 three times. If he wins all four, he will claim a Grand Slam and 100.000 euros. No one has done that before. On Sunday, it will be up to the Norwegian to prove whether he can succeed in at least the first part of the races.

Mostly a Bonus

Nygaard says the overall standings aren’t his main goal but will serve as a bonus.

“So yes, the yellow bib will just be a bonus for me, I think. As long as I can win races, I’m very, very happy. And now I have won one, and the season has already been a success”, he clarifies.

Nygaard skipping the win at Jizerská?

Ahead of Jizerská, Nygaard shares interesting information about the team’s tactics.

“The last I heard was that because Mathias (Aas Rolid) was so strong and sacrificed himself at Marcialonga, he will be the captain this weekend,” says Nygaard.

It’s hard to assess the seriousness in Nygaard’s voice during our Live Sessions conversation. Is he saying he’s no longer aiming for the major races?

All-In for Mathias Aas Rolid

He also mentions that they have brought in a friend of Rolid’s who will exclusively serve as a helper.

“We’ve brought in a good friend of Mathias to the team, Mikael Gunnulfsen, who will come in as a 100% domestique.”

Domestique is a term from cycling, referring to a rider whose role is to support another rider’s victory.

Gunnulfsen raced Jizerská two years ago and finished fifth. He also has previous Ski Classics experience. In season IX (2018/2019), he won Reistadløpet. He also has two other podium finishes, one at La Diagonela in 2022 and another at Reistadløpet the same year.

For this year’s Jizerská50, Team Ragde Charge has a new plan.

“The goal is to get Mathias over the first hill, then it’s full focus on him. We hope he can make it to the podium or even win the race,” says Nygaard.

Are you interested in Ski Classics and long-distance skiing? Click HERE and read more about it.