He started with a strong season, but back problems meant that Johan Hoel was forced to take a break in the middle of the season. But he returned strong and returned to the podium and victory in the Climb competition.

After a solid start to the season, there was silence for a long time about Team Ragde Charge’s Johan Hoel. A back problem prevented him from starting in several races, but this may have helped him toward the end of the season.

“I was not healthy until Jizerská50. But after I returned, I’ve been in good shape for the rest of the season. This, at the same time as the form for many others, varied a lot. My top form came at the end. It may have been decisive.”

After missing several races, the final weekend with Reistadløpet and Summit 2 Senja was decisive for whether Hoel could take home the Climb bib of Season XIV.

“Looking at the course profile, Summit 2 Senja looked easy up to the final climb. But it was tough, and the field was much more spread than I thought in advance.”

In the final race, Johan Hoel finished second, beaten only by Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget, Team Eksjöhus.

“I quickly noticed I had a good day and could save energy. A bit into the race, my pole broke. Luckily I got a new one from Joar (Thele) pretty quickly. It was decisive for me.”

Hoel had put himself in a striking position to take home the Climb bib overall, and when he passed the last climb of the season, he secured victory in that class in a fight against Emil Persson. And it is noteworthy that it has been the duo at the forefront of the Climb bib battle throughout the season since the Premiere in Bad Gastein.

“Before the final weekend, our goal was that I would secure victory in the Climb bib and that Andreas Nygaard would retain second place overall.

That was also the outcome. Hoel took his fifth-second place in the Ski Classics and finished in seventh place overall despite several missed events.

Was the Climb bib a goal for this season?

“I mentioned it, but it wasn’t a specific goal. It was only after the first competition that I saw that I had a chance. Then it became natural to continue chasing climbing points,” he says and continues:

“I’ve always been pretty good at going uphill. It’s also something I’ve focused on recently after stepping away from traditional skiing. It takes time to build good capacity on the uphills, and that’s something I want to continue to work on. Getting good uphill is a lot about double poling technique, strength, and spending time getting good at just that.”

What have you learned this season?

“It is important to appreciate that the body works. During this season, I have experienced that.”

What will be the main goal next season?

“The natural goal will be to take my first victory. With three second places this season and two from previous seasons, that is the obvious main goal. Then we’ll see if I invest in defending the Climb bib,” says Johan Hoel, who has a contract with Team Ragde Charge for two more seasons.

The Season XIV of Ski Classics Pro Tour consisted of 14 events on 10 event weekends in 6 different countries. 

Ski Classics Pro Tour Season XIV (2022/2023)

• Event 1: December 10, 2022 – Bad Gastein PTT, Bad Gastein, Austria, 15km
• Event 2: December 11, 2022 – Bad Gastein Criterium, Bad Gastein, Austria, 35km
• Event 3: December 17, 2022 – La Venosta Criterium, Val Venosta, Italy, 36km 
• Event 4: January 14, 2023 – Pustertaler Ski Marathon, Sexten, Italy, 62km
• Event 5: January 15, 2023 – Prato Piazza Mountain Challenge, Niederdorf, Italy, 32km
• Event 6: January 21, 2023 – Engadin La Diagonela, Engadin Valley, Switzerland, 48km 
• Event 7: January 29, 2023 – Marcialonga, Trentino, Italy, 70km
• Event 8: February 12, 2023 – Jizerská50, Bedřichov, Czech Republic, 50km
• Event 9: February 18, 2023 – Grönklitt Criterium, Orsa Grönklitt, Sweden, 50km
• Event 10: February 19, 2023 – Grönklitt ITT, Orsa Grönklitt, Sweden, 12km
• Event 11: March 5, 2023 – Vasaloppet, Sälen-Mora, Sweden, 90km
• Event 12: March 18, 2023 – Birkebeinerrennet, Rena-Lillehammer, Norway, 54km
• Event 13: April 1, 2023 – Reistadløpet, Setermoen-Bardufoss, Norway, 40km
• Event 14: April 2, 2023 – Summit 2 Senja, Bardufoss- Finnsnes, Norway, 67km

More information about the Ski Classics Pro Tour you can find at skiclassics.com.