Anikken Gjerde Alnæs is on the way to her third Ski Classics season and is full of motivation both for herself and the team, not least her new teammate Jenny Larsson (26). “I have been alone as a girl in the team for two years now. I have a fantastic team, and the guys are absolutely great, but I need to train with, who I can go with at the right intensity and with whom I can ski team tactics,” she says.

Langrenn.com spoke to the 28-year-old who has just extended her contract with Team Ragde Charge. This year, Alnæs will be one of two women on the Pro Team. Earlier this spring, the Swedish long-distance skiing talent Jenny Larsson signed with the Aukland brothers team, while Marit Bjørgen ended her long-distance skiing career after two seasons on the team. 

What ambitions and expectations do you have for the coming season, and what do you think about the situation in the long-distance series when both Britta Johansson Norgren and Lina Korsgren have retired?  

“The throne is vacant now.”

Now that the two queens have retired, will there be a gap on the women’s side in Ski Classics? 

“There is no doubt that there are two great skiers who retired, and they leave a gap. But it is up to us to make it as exciting as they have done.”

Is the Yellow bib you are looking for?

No. I have not performed well enough for it yet. But I think Jenny (Larsson), who is new to Team Ragde Charge this year, has more podium places if she comes back nicely from the injury. So I think it is possible for the team to take it.

What ambitions do you have for the 2022/23 season? 

“I really want the Sprint bib.”

Is it realistic?

“Yes. I have had progression and evolved after each season. But I’m not quite there yet.” 

What does it take to fulfill your ambitions? 

“I have to be at a higher level in terms of capacity so that I can ski with lower lactate levels. So far, I have had very high lactate values, especially at altitude. Then it is challenging to recover after a race. So I’m going to train that.”

Who do you consider to be the strongest competitors?  

“Astrid Øyre Slind is strong. She is almost unbeatable when she does things right, so she is a favorite for the yellow bib. But the level among the girls is higher than ever. Emilie Fleten is probably looking for more than she has gotten so far.” 

In addition, Alnæs is happy to see that there are more new skiers from traditional cross-country skiing next season. 

“I am very excited about Magni Smedås. It’s fun that she tries her hand at long-distance skiing. I think it’s something she’s mastering, and she’s going to be even stronger than what we’ve seen. And what does Linn Svahn do? It is exciting when skiers from traditional cross-country skiing also want to compete in long-distance skiing.” 

Living for the team spirit 

The team community, the ability to cooperate, and the will to make each other better and sacrifice their ambitions for the team best are some of the elements Alnæs is inspired and motivated by long-distance skiing.

Alnæs is now looking forward to taking part in this dimension of long-distance skiing and its own competitions. It’s something she’s been dreaming about for a long time. 

“I have been alone as a girl in the team for two years now. I have a fantastic team, and the guys are absolutely great, but I need to train with them, with whom I can work together at the right intensity and with whom I can ski team tactics,” she says and elaborates further: 

“I will do everything I can for her to achieve her goals. I get so happy when I hear from the team managers, Jørgen (Aukland) and Magnar (Dalen), that the team guys have done well because of the team collaboration. It is incredibly inspiring, and we still have it to our advantage on the girls’ side.” 

Alnæs also hopes that the team community will help to raise them another notch. 

“We are quite similar. Both Jenny and I are relatively explosive, so if we learn to play on it, become good at speeding up, calming down, speeding up again, and taking advantage of the benefits it can give us, I think we can achieve a lot” she says.

How will it be in Team Ragde Charge without Marit Bjørgen?  

“Marit has a lot of experience but is at the same time humble and nice, and you know where the level is when Marit joins the session. It’s inspiring. But I have felt a lot alone as the only regular girl on the team, and even though I have received good matching from Marit, the social is an important piece that I feel has been missing for me at times. Now I get it, and it’s going to be fun with Jenny. Just having her on the team gives me a lot of motivation.” 

You have been in the top 10 in sprint in the World Cup, and your only podium place this winter was second place in the sprint at the Norwegian Cup opening at Gålå. There you beat skiers who were in the World Cup in Lillehammer the following week. Do you long for a return to traditional cross-country skiing and the World Cup? 

“There are several of the persons around me who wonder if I will not continue to bet on the World Cup and sprint cross-country skiing. Even my own team manager Jørgen Aukland.”

But for Anikken Gjerde Alnæs, it is irrelevant. 

“I thrive in Ski Classics, and I get every opportunity to do what I want and develop in Team Ragde Charge. It’s about taking the next step. I’ve never been near a podium because I’ve not been good enough yet. But I see I’m taking steps, and that’s an important reason why I do not feel finished with Ski Classics.”