After just one season with the Ski Classics team led by the Aukland brothers, it’s over and done for the support skier who sacrificed himself weekend after weekend. Rolid helped secure Team Ragde Charge’s most important victory of the winter.

Mathias Aas Rolid is one of two well-known names now finished with Team Ragde Charge.

“We’ve been in dialogue about a new contract, but we didn’t come to an agreement this time. For us, development is important, and therefore we have to make some tough choices,” said team manager Jørgen Aukland to Langrenn.com the Friday before the Easter holiday.

Shocked by the dismissal and the process

Rolid himself is shocked, disappointed, and hurt. He had no idea what was coming, feels pushed out, and describes the process as poor.

The 29-year-old from Heming received the contract offer during the Ski Classics finals weekend, just days after Aukland signed a two-year deal with Norwegian national team veteran Håvard Solås Taugbøl.

“All the signals I got throughout the season were that they wanted me to stay on, especially after Marcialonga. But after the Bardufoss weekend, I was offered a contract that no one in Norway would have signed,” Rolid told Langrenn.com.

Two days later, Aukland announced the signing of Mikael Gunnulfsen. And just over a week after that, team manager Jørgen Aukland officially stated that Rolid was done with the team.

Read More: Two top athletes leave Team Ragde Charge

Wanted to continue

Rolid is clear that he wanted to stay with the team and felt that he was wanted.

“I know the other athletes and Magnar Dalen wanted me to stay. And I think they’ll have a hard time finding someone who can fill the role I had in the way I did. The chemistry I had with Andreas was extremely good,” Rolid said.

When long-distance king Andreas Nygaard won Marcialonga this winter, it was the result of top-tier teamwork. In brutal conditions with rain and slow snow, Rolid set things up perfectly for the team captain.

The fact that Rolid himself managed to take fourth place after skiing alone in the lead for 30 kilometers is nothing short of a small miracle.

Was Willing to Go the Extra Mile

Over the course of the winter, Rolid and Nygaard developed a unique partnership and close friendship. Rolid made a strong contribution to the team, thoroughly enjoyed being part of it, and all the signals he received throughout the season suggested he would continue.

That’s precisely why he was also willing to go the extra mile to find a solution for the coming season.

“I was willing to make quite a big compromise, and I hoped it would work out, because I really care about (sport director) Magnar Dalen and the other guys. And I know they’re upset about how this has turned out,” Mathias Aas Rolid told Langrenn.com.

That’s why being dropped feels especially tough.

“Jørgen (Aukland) probably thinks the other two are better skiers than Kasper and me. But I feel like I’ve been pushed out.”

Read More: National team profile head-hunted by Ski Classics top Pro Team