Last winter, during Season XIV, Morten Eide Pedersen made history as the first Pro Team athlete to start 100 individual Ski Classics Pro Tour events. In this article, Morten talks about reaching the magical number, working with coach Marthe Kristoffersen and thoughts about Emil Persson’s domination.

In 2011, Morten Eide Pedersen did his first competition in Ski Classics at the German event König Ludwig Lauf. The Norwegian Pro Team athlete completed the race in 1h40m16s, finishing in fourteenth place.

Since then, Eide Pedersen has been the most diligent participant in Ski Classic’s history. Last winter, at Jizerská50 in the Czech Republic, he made history as the first ever to reach 100 individual race starts in Ski Classics Pro Tour events.

Read More: 100 Pro Tour events and counting: Morten Eide Pedersen reaches milestone in Ski Classics

The magical number was celebrated in a race he won three times: 2015, 2017, and 2018.

How do you feel about being the first to start 100 Pro Tour events?

“It shows that I’ve been around for a while. And it’s nice to have that ‘first to 100.’ But I’ll be honest and say that it would have been nicer to have that statistic, with the most successes, in terms of victories or podium places,” says Eide Pedersen when Langd.se met him at the Team Eksjöhus training camp in Eksjö a couple of weeks ago.

How has the competition changed since you started competing in Ski Classics?

“The magnitude has become bigger. It is tougher to break into the top 10. And precisely that makes what Emil Persson did last winter (with nine victories) incredibly impressive. To stand out so much in the increasingly tight competition is very well done,” praises Eide Pedersen.

What makes him so difficult to beat?

“He has become a complete skier. A few years ago, you could ski hard on the hills, but now he can win in every way. Then he has the sprinting qualities, and he is the fastest. When you know that, you can have peace of mind when it comes to sprints; knowing that you will win nine out of ten sprints, it is obvious that you have done everything right. He has the talent, but he is also extremely dedicated to what he does.”

Morten Eide Pedersen solidly started the last season. He was in the top six in four of the first six Pro Tour events. In Marcialonga, he was the one who increased the pace in the last climb (Cascata), and in the end, he finished in fourth place:

“I’m happy with the start of the season, but when I didn’t get to step on the podium during the season, I’m not happy overall. I will train as much as I have done in recent years, but when I do rest, I will make sure to really rest.”

A considerable change for Team Eksjöhus in the coming season is that Marthe Kristoffersen now coaches the team’s skiers:

“Marthe and I have been good friends for several years. I am very pleased that she will be a coach for us in Team Eksjöhus. I know what she stands for and how she goes into things with all her energy. She will be a huge asset for the team,” says Morten Eide Pedersen.