Jag skriver som jag tidigare nämnt artiklar på Visma Ski Classics hemsida i sommar. Texten nedan, eller kanske stolparna rättare sagt, publicerades i förra veckan.

Oskar Kardin new star in Team Serneke?

Lots of things are happening among the Visma Ski Classics teams. Here are some facts and gossip regarding the team rosters.

Text and photo: Erik Wickström

New Visma Ski Classics teams are created. Old teams are resigning. And athletes switch teams. See below for some of the changes for next season.

–       The two-time Vasaloppet winner Laila Kveli didn’t race last winter, since she and Jerry Ahrlin got a baby in March. For several years, Kveli raced for Team Santander, but this winter she will represent Team Tynell. Jerry did the same transfer last year. He said he has done his last Vasaloppet, but he is still in Team Tynell’s roster. We will see if he will race.

–       Team Exspirit has been part of Ski Classics since the first season in 2011, but now the team will retire. They were always 2nd or 3rd in the team competition and in many ways, Team Exspirit has been part of the development of Ski Classics. From 2013 to 2015 they had Coop as a title sponsor. The athletes from the team will spread out: Seraina Boner might ski the world cup, since she is now part of the Swiss national team. Daniel Richardsson will go back to the Swedish national team. Anders Södergren will retire. Morten Eide Pedersen will continue to ski at a professional level, but in what way is not yet disclosed.

–       Team Santander won’t make any changes in their team, except from that Jørgen Aukland will switch from skier to sports director.

Oskar Kardin vann Åre Swix Open 2015

–       Team Serneke is one of the most exciting team among the new ones. Sara Lindborg from Team Skistart.com will be one of the skiers. The gossip says that Oskar Kardin and Julia Svan also will race for the team. Kardin had a great season last year where he started off by winning the long distance race Åre Swix Open, after outsprinting Johan Kjølstad, Jørgen Brink etc. Kardin is young and not yet so experienced with long distance skiing. He has great potential and the word says that he might be a future star in Visma Ski Classics. Svan was 3rd in Tjejvasan this winter, after a few years with health problem. Prior to that she skied very well as a junior. Her dad Gunde Svan has several Olympic gold medals in XC skiing. However, it is not confirmed that Kardin and Svan will ski for Team Serneke.

–       Team Skistart.com, Outnorth Ski Team and Team Udéns will no longer have ski teams. Some parts of the management and the skiers from those teams will go to Team Serneke.

–       Jørgen Brink will step aside Lager 157 Ski Team. Instead he will conquer Visma Ski Classics with an own, small team. Lager 157 Ski Team will fill the gap from the three-time Vasaloppet winner with Jimmie Johnsson from Team Exspirit. Johnsson had a great season in 2012, when he was 2nd in Jizerska and 3rd in Tartu marathon (at that time part of Ski Classics). Now he is looking forward to get back to that level. Oscar Persson from Outnorth Ski Team is another interesting recruit for Lager 157 Ski Team. Persson was 16th in Kaiser Maximilian Lauf and 13th in Birkebeinerrennet last season. He might be able to win the pink youth bib.

–       Team SkiProAm, the team with only girls, has recruited Evelina Bångman och Eva Johansson. They will lose Solfrid Braathen, who retires as an elite skier.

–       Lots of things are moving around in Team LeasePlan. Read about that in this article here at vismaskiclassics.com: http://www.vismaskiclassics.com/news/best-season-ever-team-leaseplan

–       Øystein “Pølsa” Pettersen, who raced for Team United Bakeries (TUB), will start up a new team that we will race for. Other than that TUB looks a lot like last year.

–       Team Like2Skike from Germany is now called Team Forever Nordic. They have also done an interesting recruitment: Thomas Gifstad. It is as far as we know the first Scandinavian to sign a German team. Thomas is a young talent with potential for top positions. He demonstrated this last season by finishing 5th in the Alliansloppet and 6th in the Visma Ski Classics “Youth” standings. He was also in the leading group of the Vasaloppet for a long time and won an intermediate sprint.