Bjørgen was in good form and hoped to take up the fight with the best Pro Tour athletes on Sunday.

“I was looking forward to this, so it’s unfortunate, but I’ll cheer from the couch and hope to be back in Jizerzka in 14 days,” says Bjørgen to Langrenn.com.

Team Ragde Charge, led by Magnar Dalen and the Aukland brothers, will have two absences for Marcialonga, Marit Bjørgen, and Oskar Kardin, who was hit by a car while skiing training earlier this week.

Jørgen Aukland is still optimistic about Marcialonga.

“Of course, we would have had Marit and Oskar at the start, but we still have a strong and very motivated team. Kasper Stadaas’ victory last weekend gave us a huge boost,” says Aukland.

The Covid-19 has hit quite a few long-distance skiers. Mikael Gunnulfsen, Team Koteng Eidissen, and Klas Nilsson, Team Curira, are the most recent casualties.

Next up in the Visma Ski Classics is Marcialonga. The 70-kilometer classic race takes place in Italy on January 30, 2022.

As a member of ProXCskiing.com, you get full access to all content on the site and live streaming of Visma Ski Classics Pro Tour events with English comments.

When you become part of one of the world’s leading XC ski communities, you will receive many exclusive offers all year round.

Register HERE as a Member or free Subscriber!