This was supposed to be the season he won Marcialonga. The long-distance ski Legend started 2024 in rising form, right on schedule.

Andreas Nygaard won the pre-season races at home, and he won the season’s first longer event in the Ski Classics, the 63-kilometer long 3 Zinnen Ski Marathon in mid-January, in a show of strength.

But then, a couple of weeks before the 70-kilometer race Marcialonga, Nygaard fell during training. He injured his shoulder so severely that the medical advice was to complete rest for 15 days.

This advice did not sit well with the Pro Team athlete’s plans and ambitions for Marcialonga. He did not follow it, even though the veteran adjusted his program as best he could to save his dream of finally winning the prestigious long-distance race in Northern Italy.

The 33-year-old from Team Ragde Charge was undecided until the start whether he should race at all. The result was 26th place, two and a half minutes behind the winner, Runar Skaug Mathisen, and a couple of places ahead of Petter Northug.

“It was extremely disappointing. Marcialonga was a disaster,” Nygaard dryly notes.

Thus, the veteran still holds second place in 2019 as his best performance in Marcialonga. Now, he is chasing his third victory in Vasaloppet. But over a month after his fall during training, and just a couple of weeks before Vasaloppet, he is still affected by the injury.

“It’s getting better. I cannot do all the things I want to, but fortunately, there are many things I can do that are useful for long-distance skiing,” Nygaard says bravely.

But both his tone and body language reveal that the situation is gnawing at him.

How much has this injury set you back, and where do you stand now? “It’s hard to say. My aerobic capacity is good, and I have a solid foundation, but I feel that something is missing,” Nygaard says with barely concealed frustration.

“But the things that make you win ski races, I cannot do. And to win ski races at this level, you need to train everything. Not just the things I can do.”

What specifically are you thinking of?

“I cannot do race-specific training like working on intervals and sprints, and that’s usually what it comes down to for winning long-distance races,” Nygaard says.

Ahead of the season, Andreas Nygaard said this about his ambitions:

“Vasaloppet is probably the race with the most prestige and where the most money is involved, so of course, it’s incredibly important. But I have never won Marcialonga. I’ve finished second, but never won it. Over the years, that race has become an important highlight for me, so I have a big goal to succeed in Marcialonga.”

Now, Andreas Nygaard is registered for Orsa Grönklitt this weekend, the last Ski Classics Pro Tour events before Vasaloppet.

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 16, 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