Rarely has the battle for the overall victory in Ski Classics been as special as it was this winter. What really happened to the man who was in top form from December to March and seemed to have the yellow jersey in the bag before Vasaloppet?

The powerhouse from the Aukland brothers’ Team Ragde Charge seemingly dominated Ski Classics this winter. From the season opener in December until Vasaloppet in March, Kasper Stadaas stood on the podium in six out of eight races, winning four of them, and never finishing worse than fifth.

But then everything suddenly changed: the 30-year-old barely managed to finish in the top 20 at Vasaloppet and Birken and seemed to completely fall apart.

Heading into the double race weekend in Troms at the start of April, featuring two of the season’s most challenging races and only three races left in total, Stadaas’ lead in the battle for the yellow jersey had shrunk to just one point ahead of teammate Johan Hoel. Two days later, the gap widened to 129 points in Hoel’s favor.

And although Stadaas managed to claw back 10 points on his teammate at the Janteloppet in Hafjell the following weekend, Hoel ultimately secured the yellow overall jersey with 2066 points, while Stadaas finished second with 1947 points in the overall standings for Ski Classics Season XV.

Read more: Summer Challengers: Who is on top heading into Season XVI

What really went on here?

Langrenn.com had a chat with the man who held the yellow jersey for 17 of the 18 weeks of this winter’s Ski Classics.

You were winning race after race from December to March. Johan Hoel wins one race in April and takes the jersey. What exactly happened in the latter part of the season?

“I had two insanely dark days this winter: Vasaloppet and Birkebeinerrennet…” says Stadaas, and adds:

“And then (Ski Classics manager) David Nilsson put in a lot of brutally hard uphill races at the end of the season, the kind that favor people with “grip wax” and machines like Johan Hoel. It’s a brutal way to end the season for skiers like me.”

How do you feel about losing the yellow jersey?

“It was just a matter of chance. You have to be humble about the fact that margins are small, and it takes an insane amount of consistency to stay that good. You need to be healthy, fit, and have balance in life. Getting sick when you’re in the shape of your life, ten days before Vasaloppet, was tough. It’s hard to win races under those circumstances.”

But despite illness and lack of energy, Stadaas still showed up to race at Vasaloppet, finishing 17th. He never fully recovered before Birkebeinerrennet but pushed through to finish 19th.

And that’s where he essentially lost the overall jersey. Despite making a serious training effort over Easter and delivering near career-best performances in the final three races of the season, it wasn’t enough.

“I’m really proud of the work I put in over Easter. I trained like crazy and showed up at Reistadløpet in the best shape I could, and finishing sixth in that race, I never would have believed it. I’m insanely happy with that. I have an Achilles’ heel when it comes to long, long uphill climbs…” says Stadaas.

What do you take away from the season as a whole?

“It was an amazing season with many highlights. And looking back, I can say that life would be boring without some ups and downs. But I’m an extremely sore loser, and the fact that I didn’t win any of the big races, the Grand Classics, leaves a bit of a sting, especially since I didn’t win the yellow jersey either.”

What are you going to do to avoid something similar next season?

“The way I see it, there are two options: Either sit back and live off past achievements or put in some serious work and keep developing.”

You’re going for the latter?

“It looks that way, especially when everyone else is training so hard.”

Speaking of good training: Who do you think will be your toughest competitors next season?

“I expect newly in-love Emil Persson will have a lot to prove. He won nine races last winter and none this year. Young Amund Riege is a beast. And then there are those young French guys, Thomas Joly and Jeremy Royer. If they’re not just living off baguettes and pain au chocolat, I think they could be really dangerous.”

Are there any new young skiers you’re excited to see this winter season?

“We’ll see. (Alvar) Myhlback is probably old news by now. When you finish third in Vasaloppet, you’re established. It’s crazy that we have to compete against a 17-18-year-old. We even had to use alcohol-free bubbles on the podium when he won. But that’s what makes Ski Classics so fun: you can have people aged 20 and others aged 35+ fighting for the same podium.”

Inducted into Hall of Fame

Even though Stadaas didn’t win the yellow overall jersey this winter, he still achieved legendary status and was inducted into the Ski Classics Hall of Fame, an honor awarded to skiers who have won at least five Ski Classics races.

“I became a legend, I did. So now I can read all the member articles on Langrenn.com for life. That was the goal.” he jokes.

Read more: Kasper Stadaas becomes a Ski Classics Legend