This Sunday’s Tartu Maraton in Estonia is the ninth stage in the Visma Ski Classics Season XII. The women start at 8:50 CET, and the men get into action at 9:00 CET. Looking at the start list, here are the favorites.

The 63-kilometer race comes back to the Pro Tour in Season XII and starts in the Estonian winter capital Otepää. The undulating course goes south until after the only Climb checkpoint of the day at the 17km mark and then turns north to reach the Sprint competition at the 46km mark and finish in the small town of Elva.

Expect many battles on the finish line, the last part of the course is flat and provides an excellent opportunity for the strongest sprinters on the Pro Tour.

Andreas Nygaard, Team Ragde Charge, winner of Jizerská50 and new Champion competition leader, will wear the yellow bib tomorrow. After showing a high-speed finish last weekend in the Czech Republic, he is one of the favorites.

Team Ramudden Pro Tour skiers Max Novak and Johannes Eklöf, second place at the Champion competition, are solid names for the top spots at Tartu Maraton and can get good results. Emil Persson, Lager 157 Ski Team, is another strong sprinter and can be back at the top of the podium tomorrow morning.

Another potential candidate for the win is Ermil Vokuev, Russian Winter Team, who had an impressive win at Marcialonga and finished fourth last weekend. Kasper Stadaas, Team Ragde Charge, is back from sinusitis, and the Tartu Maraton finish fits him perfectly.

In addition, we can anticipate some great performances and a good fight for top places from Tord Asle Gjerdalen, Team XPND Fuel, and Stian Hoelgaard, Team Curira, to name a few of the top Pro Tour skiers.

Jizerská50’s winner Ida Dahl, Team Ramudden, is a favorite to win the race on Sunday due to her impressive performance in the women’s field this season.

Dahl is one of the favorites, but there are at least three more potential podium skiers. We can mention Astrid Øyre Slind, Team Koteng Eidissen, Lina Korsgren, Team Ramudden, and Britta Johansson Norgren, Lager 157 Ski Team, who are looking forward to winning a Pro Tour stage again.

Keep attention to the strong Norwegian trio of Emilie Fleten, Team XPND Fuel, Anikken Gjerde Alnes, Team Ragde Charge, and Thea Krokan Murud, Lager 157 Ski Team. They can surprise and step on the podium if they are on a good day.

TARTU MARATON – FACTS

• Location: Otepää, Estonia
• Date: Sunday, February 20
• Start Time: Women 8:50 CET / Men 9:00 CET
• Distance: 63km Classic Technique
• Place: Start – Otepää / Finish – Elva 
• Highest Peak: 211m
• Total Climbing: 779m
• Active Years: 63 (48th Edition)
• Visma Ski Classics Sprint: Palu – 46km 
• Visma Ski Classics Climb: Harimägi – 17km
• Website: Tartu Maraton 

Tartu Maraton program, start lists, and live streaming on SC Play can be found here.

TARTU MARATON – MAPS

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