Gjerdalen and Norgren Win Kaiser Maximilian Lauf
A newsletter from Visma Ski Classics, the long distance ski championship. Press Photos by Magnus Östh Gjerdalen and Norgren win Kaiser Maximilian Lauf A cat and mouse game in the women’s race between Britta Johansson Norgren, Lager 157 Ski Team, and Masako Ishida, Team Koteng, and a surprise breakaway in the men’s race defined the day . The third Visma Ski Classics race, and the first one in Visma Alp Trophy, took place in Seefeld, Austria, as Kaiser Maximilian Lauf, 60 km, welcomed pro skiers after the long holiday break. The conditions were perfect for racing, and the athletes were able to bask in the sunshine as they negotiated their way through a challenging course. In the women’s race, Johansson Norgren and Ishida broke away right after the bang and continued their play of back and forth almost to the end. Norgren got a gap in the Leutasch valley, and Ishida got caught up by the chasing group of three; Sara Lindborg, Team Serneke, Karin Vikhagen Gjeitnes, Team Santander, and Lina Korsgren, Åre Ski Team. After leaving the valley, Ishida managed to catch Johansson Norgren again in the long climbs due to her diagonal striding. The last downhill section proved to be crucial to Lindborg as she was able to pass Ishida in the final kilometers. “It was my plan to go full speed from the beginning,” the happy winner Johansson Norgren admitted. “I knew Ishida will go fast in the climbs, but I felt strong from the beginning. It was really hard skiing alone in the valley, and when Ishida caught me up, I wasn’t sure if I could win the race.
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