The Norwegian skiing legend Tord Asle Gjerdalen will likely be seen in only a few Ski Classics events this season.

Vasaloppet record-holder 41-year-old Tord Asle Gjerdalen has taken time to consider his approach to this season. He visited the Czech Republic to discuss with his previous season’s sponsor and deliberate his potential competition schedule in Ski Classics. However, the outcome was different from what he initially expected.

“Last season, my sponsor was the same as Stanislav Rezac’s, but we were in different teams. Now, we plan to compete in four monument races together. However, we do not have a full team in Ski Classics,” Gjerdalen told Langrenn.com.

He added that the “…new rules requiring three female competitors and athletes from different countries made the situation difficult for us. Many competitors who could have joined our team moved to other teams that needed them. Additionally, the registration deadline had already passed.”

This means Gjerdalen and Rezac will begin their season with Marcialonga, followed by Jizerská50, Vasaloppet, and Birkebeinerrennet.

“I believe I can still perform well. I prefer to focus on my own opportunities rather than serve as a ‘helper’ in a larger team,” he mentioned to Langrenn.com.

Balancing Family Life and Ski Classics Ambitions

“However, I have two jobs alongside training, and my family and children require their time. The days are quite full,” says Gjerdalen, who has a medical degree.

When Gjerdalen finds time from his busy schedule, he works as a coach at the Norwegian club Kjelsås IL, where he coaches his son and his teammates. The skier says he enjoys his coaching work.

However, he does not work in skiing or sports in his day job.

“My other job involves developing algorithm solutions. I have no plans to specialize as a surgeon or a medicine doctor. But who knows what I might decide? Perhaps in a few years, I’ll be working as a general practitioner at a health center. Nothing is impossible,” says Tord.

Marcialonga Expert

“I don’t know if there will be other races this winter, but it’s possible. Right now, it’s not possible to compete for the overall points in Ski Classics, but I’m focusing on the four major races”, he states.

Marcialonga is a very familiar event for Gjerdalen, and he says the race suits him perfectly. He has won the race three times and considers it one of the most enjoyable long-distance skiing events.

However, he holds a record in Vasaloppet. In 2021, he won with a time of 3:28:18.4, equivalent to an average speed of 25.92 km/h.

Gjerdalen is also highly successful in cross-country skiing: he has two World Championship relay golds and two individual World Championship bronzes.

Additionally, he won the Norwegian Championship in 2008 and 2009. He has a total of 111 World Cup starts behind him.

Now, he teams up with the Czech Stanislav Rezac, who has been in the skiing world even longer than Gjerdalen.

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