Norwegian Pro Team signs 23-year-old French athlete. Now, the young man from Méribel hopes for the breakthrough of his life.

The Norwegian Pro Team has consistently formed athletes for the most prominent Pro Teams. Now, they’ve brought in another raw gem: It was recently confirmed that the Norwegian Pro Team, Team Næringsbanken Stora Enso, has signed a contract with a 23-year-old French athlete for the upcoming Season XVII.

The Frenchman has just completed his first training camp with his new Pro Team and says the move represents a significant step forward on several levels.

“For me, Lillehammer is like a mecca for cross-country skiing and an amazing place to train,” says Bastien Laurent to NordicMag.

“Here I have teammates who are very strong, but it’s exciting because it’s a new mix. The training camp was really tough, but it gave me a clear picture of where I stand and which areas I need to improve.”

So far, Laurent’s best Ski Classics Pro Tour result is 48th place. Now, he hopes to break into the top 30.

“My goal for the season remains the same: to get as close to the lead groups as possible. But I hope I can crack the top 30 at least once this coming winter, if everything goes well,” he says.

Laurent will compete in his first races in the Norwegian Pro Team’s suit already this summer. First up is the new HautDoubsLoppet roller ski race in France on July 27. The Blink Festival will follow this in Sandnes in early August, Toppidrettsveka in Trondheim from August 22 to 24, and Klarälvsloppet in Sweden in September.

23 and already a veteran

The young man from Méribel is no rookie in the Ski Classics circuit. Bastien Laurent already has three seasons under his belt in the prestigious long-distance series, having raced for the French Pro Team Team Nordic Expérience.

There, Laurent was teammates with Thomas Joly and Jeremy Royer, who both moved on to bigger Pro Teams in Ski Classics.

• Joly joined Team Næringsbanken Stora Enso ahead of the 2023/2024 season and later transferred to Team Ramudden last winter.
• Royer moved to Team Eksjöhus last year.

Both have made significant strides since leaving the French Pro Team.

Now, Laurent becomes the third athlete from that Pro Team to advance to a higher-level squad. He says the transfer is not only a step up but also a natural continuation of a process that began last year.

“I had the chance to join two or three training camps with them (Team Næringsbanken Stora Enso) last summer, and I was part of their training camp in Spain last fall. So, after the season ended, this felt like a very natural step,” he says.

Also Read: “If the skiers leave the team, we have succeeded”

A springboard to bigger teams

Team Næringsbanken Stora Enso is one of the longest-running Pro Teams in Ski Classics. Since its founding in 2015, it has grown into a veritable talent factory in the long-distance ski world.

Both former and current athletes speak highly of the Lillehammer-based squad, praising both its environment and the foundation it provides for further development.

For Pro Team Director Arnt Nyborg, athletes must thrive and grow within the team. For him, that matters as much as having the strongest names on paper.

“As a coach and Pro Team Director, it’s just as important for me to have young athletes who thrive and develop in a good environment as it is to sign the biggest stars,” Nyborg tells ProXCskiing.com’s sister site Langrenn.com.

However, he admits to having mixed feelings when athletes move on.

“We’ve lived with it for several years now – athletes we recruit go on to bigger teams. But we’ve also realized that we’re a mid-level team in terms of resources. The five or six biggest teams have budgets almost three times larger than ours,” says Nyborg, and continues:

“On the one hand, it’s a recognition that we have a solid setup that allows athletes to develop. But at the same time, it’s a bit bittersweet that we don’t have the resources to keep them.”

During Season XV, Arnt Nyborg received the prestigious award for the Best Pro Team Director of the season.

Also Read: Best Pro Team Director Season XVI – Arnt Nyborg

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