Toppidrettsvekka’s long-distance race in Trondheim, Norway, on Thursday evening and Alliansloppet in Trollhättan, Sweden, on Saturday. These are the races that last winter’s Ski Classics second overall Ida Dahl and third overall Max Novak chose. They also round off the weekend by starting at the Alliansloppet’s 15-kilometer race.

The coming weekend promises a giant clash in the rollerskiing scene. The World Cup in Latvia, Toppidrettsvecka in Norway, and Trollhättan Action Week with Alliansloppet, Sweden, are all arranged in parallel.

A full calendar weekend means long-distance skiers are forced to choose some competitions over others.

Ida Dahl and Eddie Edström, both from Team Engcon, as well as Max Novak, Team Aker Dæhlie, have chosen to race Thursday evening’s 54km long-distance race at Jøsnøya, just west of Trondheim, before traveling to Sweden on Friday to compete at Alliansloppet, a Ski Classics Challengers event, on Saturday, and the individual classic race on Sunday:

“It is sad that the competitions coincide; it feels like it will be tough to double, but I have hopes of doing a good race,” says Team Engcon’s Ida Dahl, who finished second overall in last winter’s Ski Classics.

A couple of weeks ago, Dahl went to Lysebotn Opp during Blinkfestivalen:

“It didn’t go well at all. I trained a lot during the summer and felt tired, so after that, I took it easy for a while, and now the feeling has been much better. So now I want to join in and challenge for the victory,” says Dahl.

Max Novak has chosen to race the same setup. He comes to the start having won both Blink Classics and Vaajmarathon. But just over a week ago, he was defeated by Alvar Myhlback at Tanumsloppet.

Now the goal is set on trying to defend the victory at Alliansloppet, but first, Toppidrottsvekka’s long race:

“It will be a tough weekend. I have booked a massage in Trollhättan on Friday afternoon. I hope to make it so that my body is a little recovered by Saturday. It’s interesting to see how it works with competitions so close,” says Novak (who now has just launched a vlog that you can see here).

Here is the setup chosen by Novak, Dahl, and Edström:

August 25, Toppidrettsveka 54km classic style (mass start)

• 18:20 – Start women and men

August 27, Alliansloppet, 48km classic style (mass start)

• 11:45 – 48km Start Men’s Elite
• 11:55 – 48km Start Ladies Elite

August 28, Alliansloppet, 15km classic style (individual start)

• 11:30 — Start men
• 13:00 — Start women