Last Sunday, Hanna Lodin secured her first podium finish in Ski Classics after previously achieving fifth place at best. Now, the Team Engcon skier reacts to Stina Nilsson’s tactical choices in Jizerská50.

Sunday’s Ski Classics race in the Czech Republic featured a spectacular finish, with three Swedish skiers in a five-woman group fighting for victory. After the race, many were surprised by Stina Nilsson’s result in Jizerská50.

At the front, Anikken Gjerde Alnæs and Jenny Larsson battled for the win, with Larsson ultimately losing out to the incredibly strong Norwegian. The sprint for third place was tight, but not as intense as the battle for first.

Lodin finished third, Emilie Fleten was fourth, and Stina Nilsson surprisingly ended in fifth place in this year’s Jizerska 50.

TV viewers saw Nilsson further back in the pack, waiting to unleash her sprint in the final stretch.

“Stina hasn’t usually been the most willing to take the lead. She prefers to rely on her sprint. But I was surprised that she took the lead so much in the last 4-5 kilometers,” says competitor Hanna Lodin after the race.

Lodin – the new sprint cannon in Ski Classics?

Before the final sprint, Nilsson fell back in the group and couldn’t recover. Some speculated that her skis performed poorly on the home stretch, but if that were true, it should have affected the entire group.

“I was surprised that Stina stayed further back in the pack. I don’t know if that’s where she lost her podium spot or if something else happened,” Lodin speculates.

But you managed to beat her in the final sprint. How did that feel?

“I wasn’t entirely expecting that. I entered the final stretch in fifth place but saw that I was gaining on Emilie and Stina”, she says to Langd.se.

“I think they were so focused on their own battle for the podium that they didn’t expect me to be part of the sprint fight. So that was a bit fun”, Lodin concludes.

This weekend, the Ski Classics Pro Tour continues with a double race weekend in Orsa Grönklitt. First up is Grönklitt Criterium 61 in Orsa, followed by Grönklitt ITT on Sunday.

Read more on ProXCskiing.com.