Anikken Gjerde Alnæs finished outside the podium after losing the sprint for third place at Klarälvsloppet on Sunday morning. The 29-year-old from Team Ragde Charge was part of a quintet in the lead from the first sprint (27 kilometers into the race) of the 90-kilometer roller ski race that started in Uddeholm and finished at Karlstad, Sweden. 

With less than ten kilometers to the finish, Jenny Larson, Alnæs’ teammate, moved up. Only last year’s winner, Ida Dahl, Team Engcon, could follow, and it quickly became clear that the other three women would fight for the final podium place. In the end, Alnæs lost it by a narrow margin after a solid sprint against Hanna Lodin, Team Engcon.

Alnæs has no problem granting Larsson the victory and is quite happy with her performance, but she admits that fourth place was bitter. 

“I’m never happy with losing a sprint. I wanted that podium place, but it didn’t work out,” she says. 

Alnæs and her teammate Jenny Larsson, who won the race, came directly from a week-long training camp. And after what Alnæs saw in the days leading up to the race, she wasn’t surprised that Larsson took the win. 

“Jenny was the strongest of us in the team today and has been the most energetic of us throughout the week,” says Alnæs to Langrenn.com, and added: 

“The tactic was to ski and work together as a team today. We got a good result. It was clear early on that Jenny was the strongest. So, I was ready that if she moved, I would let her go. It’s fun that we girls can also race more as a team like the guys have done for a long time,” says Alnæs. 

“It was team against team, Ragde against Engcon, and it was really cool.”

Read More: Jenny Larsson dominates Challengers event Klarälvsloppet 2023

Klarälvsloppet – Women’s Top 5

1. Jenny Larsson, Team Ragde Charge, 3:53:08.9
2. Ida Dahl, Team Engcon, +0.3
3. Hanna Lodin, Team Engcon, +47.7
4. Anikken Gjerde Alnæs, Team Ragde Charge, +48.8
5. Linnea Johansson, Lager 157 Ski Team, +50.3

Complete results can be found HERE.

The article continues below.

Important race before the season opener

Despite the fourth place, Alnæs has gained confidence and experience from Klarälvsloppet and essential answers she will take with her in her training and the final part of her preparations for the season. 

“Ninety kilometers has not been my strong point, but I can handle the distance today. I take that I didn’t go on with nutritional issues, as I usually do in Vasaloppet. So, it shows that I have a good base and have succeeded in creating a good nutrition plan,” she says. 

Alnæs explains that having a good nutrition plan is crucial for success in long-distance races, not least the longest ones. It’s a project she’s constantly working on perfecting. 

“I haven’t really made any changes, but I’ve become much better at following it. It’s all about getting enough nutrition and taking the time to get it when it counts. I haven’t always been as good at that. A concrete example: When I go out for a sprint, as I did in the first sprint prize today, it’s important for me to take a gel as soon as possible after the sprint to replenish the energy I’ve used up. I managed to do that today,” she says, and continues: 

“Even though it’s much tougher to race Vasaloppet than this race, this is incredibly good training for Vasaloppet. It’s the same distance; we’re out for about the same amount of time, and I can see that I can handle it now without going on any nutritional issues.”  

Into the training bubble

For Alnæs, Klarälvsloppet was her last roller ski race before the winter season. She is now entering a training bubble until the national season opener in mid-November. 

“The team and I have done most of the big roller ski races this season, and I started to feel that the air was coming out of the balloon after Alliansloppet at the end of August. So now it will be good to get into a period where I can concentrate on just training, eating, and sleeping,” she says. 

“I’ve made some choices this year that I’ve wanted to do for a long time and went to altitude for 15 days in September. This means I’ll start the hard training a little later than usual and lack a bit of top speed compared to others, but I’m not worried about that.”

Anikken Gjerde Alnæs is now looking forward to the team’s last major training camp before the start of the season: a couple of weeks in Mallorca from October 17. 

“The camp in Mallorca is the toughest gathering we have all year, and I plan to do some ski races before the first Ski Classics weekend in Bad Gastein in December. I’ll be ready by then.” 

See here the full calendar for Ski Classics Season XV (2023/24).