Six of the nine skiers who made up Team Ragde Charge’s squad last winter are out for the next season. This is a consequence of the team’s owners, Anders and Jørgen Aukland, having a clear vision for the team and, therefore, a conscious decision.

“The most important thing for us is to win ski races and make our mark, preferably the three biggest ones: Marcialonga, Vasaloppet, and Birken,” says Jørgen Aukland to Langrenn.com.

The three Ragde skiers who took the overall podium in last winter’s Ski Classics, Johan Hoel, Kasper Stadaas, and Andreas Nygaard, respectively, had a total of eight wins and six-second places, including two triple wins. 

“The three have dominated the men’s class this winter. No other team has managed two triple wins in the same season, and we might have taken even more podiums if Andreas hadn’t been injured from January to March,” says Aukland, adding: 

“But we didn’t win Marcialonga and Vasaloppet, two of our main goals, and we’re still hungry.” 

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Cutting and sharpening the team

Aukland explains that this goal means that the team must make some choices. 

“In order to meet the goals we and our sponsors have, we are dependent on having skiers who can do that, and we see that it costs to have good skiers on the team. So, we can’t have too many skiers; we have to have great chemistry between them, and we have to have skiers who are not too far apart in terms of level,” he says. 

The bottom line is that Team Ragde Charge will cut six skiers from the squad next season. These are Torgeir Sulen Hovland, Karstein Johaug, Anikken Gjerde Alnæs, and Jenny Larsson, as well as youth athletes Oskar Opstad Vike and Solveig Støverud Lie. 

Also Read: Jenny Larsson joins Lager 157 Ski Team

“For the youth skiers, it’s about returning to traditional cross-country skiing. They get to participate in whatever gatherings they want and go long-distance skiing when and if it fits into the program, but they don’t become part of the regular Pro Team.”

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Two new key skiers

While Aukland is cutting six skiers, the team has recruited two new key athletes. 

Stina Nilsson is one of them. After six successful years in cross-country skiing, during which she won both Olympic gold and World Championship medals, Nilsson switched to biathlon ahead of the 2020/21 season but did not achieve great results there. Last week, it became clear that the Swedish ski star is ready for long-distance skiing and has signed a two-year contract with Team Ragde Charge.

Read More: Stina Nilsson joins the Ski Classics circuit

“Stina Nilsson is thrilling. And when we interviewed her, we were even more impressed. There were several things we noticed, but mostly that she has a nice balance between calmness and confidence on the one hand and interest and curiosity on the other,” says Aukland, adding:

“But there was a ‘tug-of-war’ for her. Three teams vied for her, so we’re pleased she chose us.” 

In addition to Nilsson, the team is negotiating with another female skier. This means the squad for 2024/25 will consist of four men and two or three women. 

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De-prioritizing the Pro Team competition and the Sprint bib

The focus on individual victories and the Yellow bib means that Team Ragde Charge is giving lower priority to the Ski Classics Pro Team competition. 

“If we were to collect as many points as possible in the team competition, we’d have to rig our team completely differently to do well there,” says Aukland, and elaborates: 

He points out that under the actual rules of the Pro Team competition, a team must include skiers from countries outside Norway and Sweden, have one or more youth skiers, and enter as many athletes as possible in each race. The team must also consist of at least four athletes, including two women and two men, to hold a license as a Pro Team.

“We go to the start to win ski races, not to have as many skiers as possible who can score points. For us as a team, winning is the most important thing,” says Aukland. 

The ambition to win as many races as possible, preferably all the most prestigious ones, also means that the team is de-prioritizing the Green Sprint bib. It has been a focus for Anikken Gjerde Alnæs. After four years with the Pro Team, she is leaving Team Ragde Charge.

Read More: Another Pro Team athlete leaves Team Ragde Charge