The Swedish Pro Team had seven skiers among the top eight in this year’s most important long-distance skiing race. Here, skiers, the Pro Team Director, and the Waxing Manager talk about Sunday’s big Vasaloppet success for the Lager 157 Ski Team.

Last Sunday was the time for the big test. It was time for this year’s most important race, the 100th edition of Vasaloppet. The importance of the event is expected to practically all Ski Classics Pro Teams, but those who state it most clearly are the Lager 157 Ski Team.

“There’s no doubt about it. Vasaloppet is the most important day of the year for us. We build our entire team for this. It’s “longest and toughest” (even though this year the 100km Janteloppet has been added to the Ski Classics calendar), and that’s what suits us best,” says Pro Team Director Anton Järnberg to Langd.se, who was however quite surprised when two of his skiers (Torleif Syrstad and Alvar Myhlback) were in the four-man group that broke away at the top of the first hill:

“It was a crazy thing. But I began to understand quite quickly that it could last.”

How crucial is it that skiers from three strong teams break away? 

“It’s crucial. We gave Alvar and Torleif the chance; ‘Ragde’ gave Hoel the chance, and the same with ‘Eksjöhus’ and Ødegaarden. Then they did extremely well,” says Järnberg.

If I had predicted four skiers from your men’s team as this year’s Vasaloppet winners, I still wouldn’t have included Torleif Syrstad. What do you think of his performance? 

“Haha, maybe that’s the case. But that’s a strength of our team. We are very extensive. And what Torleif has done was really nice. He works full-time and has made a ‘part-time commitment’ to skiing this season. But he has done incredibly well when he has been with us at camps. So, what he did today (Sunday) is not completely surprising; he was solid. The same goes for Alvar; he is something beyond everyone else, and he managed to deliver with the pressure he has had on him. That he is up there and gets on the podium is not surprising at all. He has been extremely strong lately.”

The plus degrees at Vasaloppet last weekend provided challenging conditions. It’s always hard to compare how different teams have succeeded with the waxing, but it’s clear that the Lager 157 Ski Team had really good skis.

Waxing Manager Marcus Laggar:

“It feels absolutely fantastic that we did so well. Getting to the finish in Mora and seeing the joy in the skiers’ eyes means so much and makes it worth all the hours spent on this.”

How early do you feel that ‘today we got it right’ regarding skis? 

“I would say last Saturday night; then I knew that if there’s no change in the weather, we are very much on point. And when we went up to the start on Sunday morning and felt how our equipment was performing, I felt that we had at least done absolutely everything we could. It’s so incredibly nice that we get to do this as a team,” says Laggar.

Last year’s winner, Emil Persson, had a somewhat different role this year as his teammates broke away right from the first hill:

“I struggled from the start, but I think I grew into the race. Then, it became a very comfortable journey when we could let the others work. And it’s nice to see what Torleif did today (Sunday). He’s well worth a victory,” says Emil Persson.

It was a super Vasaloppet day for the Lager 157 Ski Team. Torleif Syrstad won, and Alvar Myhlback finished third. Additionally, Emil Persson was fifth, Runar Skaug Mathiesen was sixth, and Oskar Kardin was eighth.

On the women’s side, Karolina Hedenström was fourth and Linnea Johansson eighth.

Karolina Hedenström’s strong finish brought her up as the best Swedish woman in this year’s most important race:

“It’s hard to put into words what Vasaloppet means to us. This is what we work for all year, both in the long and short term. That we then succeed is so nice. Now we will have the afternoon off, then it probably starts again tomorrow with thoughts on next year’s Vasaloppet,” Hedenström smiles when we meet her in the finish area after Sunday’s Vasaloppet.