Birkebeinerrennet

Birkebeinerrennet, the 12th stage in the Ski Classics Pro Tour, and the final Grand Classics event, Season XV, took place today in Norway. With superior performances, Andreas Nygaard, Team Ragde Charge, and Magni Smedås, Team Eksjöhus, won the 54km long-distance race from Rena to Lillehammer.

Read More: Nygaard and Smedås dominate Birkebeinerrennet 2024 

INTERVIEWS

Interview with Magni Smedås, Team Eksjöhus (1^st place)

Interview with Emilie Fleten, Team Ramudden (2^nd place)

Interview with Kati Roivas, Team Eksjöhus (3^rd place)

BIRKEBEINERRENNET – WOMEN’S RACE

In the women’s race, which started at 8:00 CET, the speed was high from the start, with Team Eksjöhus, with Magni Smedås and Kati Roivas at the front, setting the pace and stretching the field right away.

Soon, a small group was formed, containing some of the favorites for the day: Emilie Fleten, Team Ramudden, Silje Øyre Slind, Team Aker Dæhlie, and the Team Eksjöhus duo Magni Smedås and Kati Roivas.

A few kilometers later, with about 48.5km to go, Fleten increased the pace and left her rivals behind. 

At Skramstad, 8.8km into the race, Emilie Fleten crossed first, leading the race alone. The closest chasing group contained Smedås, Roivas, and Øyre Slind 21 seconds back.

With about 40km to go, Fleten was working well alone, heading to Raudfjellet with the first chasers’ group 42 seconds behind.

At Raudfjellet, the first Climb checkpoint of the day and an Iconic Climb, 19.7km into the race, Emilie Fleten crossed first, getting the maximum points, followed by Kati Roivas, Magni Smedås, and Silje Øyre Slind, 26 seconds behind and closing the gap to the leader. 

After the climb and towards the base of the second hill, with about 28km to go, the chasers caught the leader and formed a solid group of four skiers. At the Kvarstad checkpoint, the four skiers crossed within 1.7 seconds, with Øyre Slind first followed by Fleten, Smedås, and Roivas.

A few kilometers before Midtfjellet, Fleten and Smedås increased the pace and left their rivals behind. Soon, the gap between the leaders and Roivas grew to 18 seconds and 34 seconds over Øyre Slind.

Just before Midtfjellet, Smedås increased the pace and gained a gap. At Midtfjellet, the second Climb of the day, 34.3km into the race, Magni Smedås crossed first, followed by Emilie Fleten in second, 8 seconds back, and Kati Roivas in third, 48.2 seconds behind. 

With about 10km to go, Smedås got a gap over Fleten and never looked back. With 4km to go, Magni increased the gap to 37 seconds to Emilie, and that lead proved to be enough for the finish. 

In the end, Magni Smedås, Team Eksjöhus, timed her breakaway perfectly to win this year’s Birkebeinerrennet with a total time of 2:47:09.0.

Emilie Fleten, Team Ramudden, took second place, 1:07.6 behind. Kati Roivas, Team Eksjöhus, completed the podium in third place, 2:28.5 behind the winner.

Birkebeinerrennet – Top 3 Women

1. Magni Smedås, Team Eksjöhus, 2:47:09.0
2. Emilie Fleten, Team Ramudden, +1:07.6
3. Kati Roivas, Team Eksjöhus, +2:28.5

 Birkebeinerrennet program, start lists, live timing, and SC Play can be found HERE

Birkebeinerrennet Season XV – Video Highlights

If you have missed Birkebeinerrennet’s live stream on SC Play, you can re-watch it below:

BIRKEBEINERRENNET – WATCH HERE ON SC PLAY!

The SC Play app is available to download for iOS, Android, and Apple TV. You can watch on your television, mobile device, and computer. SC Play is a part of The Ski Community and accessible for all members on news sites ProXCskiing.com, Langd.se, Langrenn.com, and Maastohiihto.com. 

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Next up is Reistadløpet on April 6 and Summit 2 Senja on April 7. The events mark the 13th and 14th Ski Classics stages of Ski Classics Season XV.

The Season XV of Ski Classics Pro Tour consists of 15 events on 11 event weekends in 6 different countries. 

SKI CLASSICS PRO TOUR SEASON XV (2023/2024)

• Event 1: December 9, 2023 – Bad Gastein PTT, Austria, 13km
• Event 2: December 10, 2023 – Bad Gastein Criterium, Austria, 36km
• Event 3: December 16, 2023 – La Venosta Criterium, Italy, 37km 
• Event 4: December 17, 2023 – La Venosta ITT, Italy, 10km
• Event 5: January 13, 2024 – 3 Zinnen Ski Marathon, Italy, 62km
• Event 6: January 20, 2024 – Engadin La Diagonela, Switzerland, 55km
• Event 7: January 28, 2024 – Marcialonga, Italy, 70km
• Event 8: February 11, 2024 – Jizerská50, Czech Republic, 50km
• Event 9: February 17, 2024 – Grönklitt Classic, Sweden, 60km
• Event 10: February 18, 2024 – Grönklitt ITT, Sweden, 13km
• Event 11: March 3, 2024 – Vasaloppet, Sweden, 90km
• Event 12: March 17, 2024 – Birkebeinerrennet, Norway, 54km
• Event 13: April 6, 2024 – Reistadløpet, Norway, 50km
• Event 14: April 7, 2024 – Summit 2 Senja, Norway, 60km
• Event 15: April 13, 2024 – Ski Classics Grand Finale – Janteloppet, Norway, 100km

More information about the Ski Classics Pro Tour can be found at skiclassics.com