The calendar for the season 2021/22 has 14 races in 12 different locations in the following countries: Sweden, Italy, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Norway and Finland. The race distances vary from short tempo races, 9-11 km, to extremely long ones, 90-100 km. Six of the events are longer than 63 km, and the two with the distance of about 50 km have a challenging course. This means that the Pro Team athletes from 35 Pro Teams are not going have an easy ride this winter season.

By today, 276 athletes have registered for Visma Ski Classics, and there are 91 female skiers and 185 male skiers in total. Norway has the greatest number of registered athletes with 94. Sweden takes the second place with 55 skiers while Finland has increased its numbers and is now in third place with 33 athletes. The Czech Republic has 19 registered athletes, Germany 17, Switzerland 13, Italy 12, Russia 10, France 8, and Austria and Estonia both have 5. Additionally, there are athletes coming from more exotic countries in terms of Nordic skiing such as the UK, the USA, China and Spain. 

When looking at these Pro Teams and their athletes, it is not an easy feat to predict possible Champions and dark horses. There are many new names in the game, and a lot of young talented athletes who could break through this winter. However, the usual suspects are as strong as they’ve always been based on their performances in roller-ski races this summer and fall. On the Pro XC Skiing magazine, which you can order online at https://www.vismaskiclassics.com/shop/, you can read about the potential favorites in each category and form your own opinion.

The Champion competition is always an open game, but last season’s winners Lina Korsgren, Team Ramudden, and Emil Persson, Lager 157 Ski Team, are again the highest bets. In the men’s competition, Andreas Nygaard, Team Ragde Charge, will certainly be back in top form and fight for his third Champion title. Tord Asle Gjerdalen, Team XPND Fuel, has always been among the top three Pro Team athletes ever since his debut season in 2015. He is now the captain of a smaller team, but his Vasaloppet victory proved that he could still win races. His former teammate Oskar Kardin, Team Ragde Charge, had his best season last winter by finishing third in the overall results, and he hungers for more.

These three are the biggest favorites in the men’s field to be crowned the king of Visma Ski Classics, but we should not count out a few possible contenders such as Max Novak, Team Ramudden, who was superior on roller-skis earlier this year, Morten Eide Pedersen, Team Eksjöhus, who is always a constant force fighting for podium places, and Ermil Vokuev, Russian Winter Team, who knows how to win races, but he won’t be able to participate in all of the events, which prevents him from fighting for the yellow jersey. Stian Hoelgaard is an even performer with his five-consecutive Vasaloppet podium places (2016-20), but he needs to find the winning spirit and take home his first victory.

Additionally, there are many other athletes who have a chance to win individual races, such as Martin Johnsrud Sundy, Team Koteng Eidissen, and his teammate Chris Andre Jespersen, Eric Rosjö, Team Eksjöhus, and many more, but these athletes won’t necessarily be able to fight for the Champion title.

In the women’s field, Lina will meet a tough fight this winter as there are many rivals who want to dethrone her. Astrid Øyre Slind, Team Koteng Eidissen, is back with a vengeance, and she performed extremely well in roller-ski races this fall while Linn Sömskar, Team Eksjöjus, kept a good pace in the early season ski races she did in November and December. Emilie Fleten, Team XPND Fuel, has the capacity and will to be the number one, and she is one of the strongest favorites to beat Lina. Marit Bjørgen, Team Ragde Charge, will be a podium candidate in every race she takes part in, but she won’t grace us with her presence in all of them.

Then, Ida Dahl, Team Ramudden, could be a contender, but she has suffered from injuries, and it remains to be seen if she has recovered in time. Her teammate Jenny Larsson, the La Diagonela winner, has not been a friend of Lady Luck, and her hand injury seems to take forever to heal. Most likely, she won’t be able to race until later this season. Britta Johansson Norgren, Lager 157 Ski Team, had a challenging season last winter with her injuries caused by the cold weather at La Diagonela, but she has trained well over the summer and fall. She will fight tooth-and-nail for the Champion title. Finally, a possible name to shuffle the deck in Visma Ski Classics could be Hanna Falk, Lager 157 Ski Team, whose transition from sprint skiing to long distances has gone extremely well.

In the Pro Team competition, the fight will be extremely fierce between these six teams: Team Ramudden, the current leader, Lager 157 Ski Team, second, Team Ragde Charge, third, Russian Winter Team, fourth, Team Koteng Eidissen, fifth, and Team Eksjöhus, 31^st. The last team here is an interesting case as it is brand new, and there are many strong skiers in its ranks such as Morten Eide Pedersen, Eric Rosjö, Axel Jutterström and Linn Sömskar who all have shown what they are capable of. The gang is led by the three-time Vasaloppet winner Oskar Svärd who knows how to steer his ship to greatness. There are some other Pro Teams that have strengthen their roster for the upcoming season, and we will see more of them, but there is a slim chance that they are not going to be among the best six Pro Teams this winter.

As mentioned above, there are also other competition categories in Visma Ski Classics such as the sprint, climb, youth, and the Visma Grand Classics trophy. Most of the athletes named in this article are also favorites in these categories, and you can check them out on the Pro XC Skiing magazine.

To summarize, Season XII will be bigger, better, and more action-packed than ever before. Visma Ski Classics has always been a great arena for head-to-head battles, splendid action and thrilling drama, and this winter will certainly come up with more of these elements. The Pro Tour has grown and evolved into a well-oiled circuit where Pro Team athletes, their teams, race organizers and recreational skiers embrace each other and fulfill their calling, which is to love long distance skiing passionately and with joy in their hearts. So, get ready for this unprecedented winter season that will remain a great chapter in our history books for years to come.