Although Team Ragde Charge is fielding the maximum number of skiers allowed in the Visma Ski Classics Pro Team event, and all Ragde skiers are expected to be in top shape, none of them is a shoo-in for the victory. 

“I was much more confident that we would fight for the victory in Vasaloppet,” says Ragde Charge team director Jørgen Aukland, prior to the Birkebeiner race this weekend. 

The course profile is part of the problem for Team Ragde Charge. The Birkebeinerrennet is much hillier than Vasaloppet and opens with 17 kilometers of uphill immediately after the start. This means that  Ragde Charge gets less profit from team tactics. 

At the same time, the course profile means that skiers from traditional cross-country skiing have less of a disadvantage in Birkebeinerrennet than other long-distance races. 

“The Birkie is one of the long races that most closely resembles a normal 50km. The race is determined by capacity more than tactics, so it is a race where skiers can come straight from the World Cup and win. In Vasaloppet you can come straight from the World Cup and be at the very top, but you need the specific long-distance base training to win,” Aukland explains.

This year, there will also be a lot more World Cup skiers in Birkebeinerrennet, because the FIS cross-country World Cup final that was scheduled to take place in Russia this weekend is canceled. 

How important is the Birkie?
“Very important. Along with Vasaloppet and Marcialonga, the Birkie is the most important race of the season. Vasaloppet is the largest. Marcialonga with the brutal uphill finish and all the commotion around the race is the most spectacular. But the Birkie is a big race with a strong tradition and is very important in Norway. 

What is your team lineup for the Birkie? 

“We are fielding a full team, ten skiers. On the women’s side, we have Anniken Gjerde Alnæs, Marit Bjørgen and Therese Johaug. The seven guys are Kasper Stadaas, Joar Thele, Johan Hoel, Karstein Johaug, Anders Aukland, Oskar Kardin, Andreas Nygaard and Kasper Stadaas.” 

What are your expectations for your skiers in the Birkie?
“With so many strong World Cup racers on the start list this year, the podium is a lot more open than usual. But we have a full team and athletes who are in shape, so we hope to fight for the victory.” 

Who are your team captains for the Birkie?
“Nobody. It is a race where the strongest wins. But at Vasaloppet, Johan Hoel and Karstein Johaug proved that they are in shape, and the Birkie course actually suits them better, so we are excited to see what they can achieve in Birken.” 

Aukland is more concerned about the overall leader in Visma Ski Classics Andreas Nygaard. 

What do you think about Vasaloppet winner Andreas Nygaard?
“We are curious to see whether Andreas has had kind of a ‘mental burnout’ after winning Vasaloppet, which was his main goal for the entire season. But Andreas is also a skier who often races really well at the end of the season,” says Aukland.

However, Nygaard is hardly a favorite to win the Birkie, on paper. 

“He weighs 90 kilos and there are a lot of uphills in the Birkie, but Andreas has won Birken before, and if he is “on” he is capable of doing it again. And if Andreas is in shape, he is difficult to beat no matter what kind of terrain and course profile it is,” says Aukland. 

How can you use team tactics at Birken?
“At the Birkie, team tactics are much less relevant. But if we have several skiers in the lead group when we approach the finish, we can apply team tactics to somewhat control the speed and development in the race,” says Aukland, and continues: 

“I expect that the World Cup skiers will take off ‘bat outta hell’ from the start, so the biggest challenge for our skiers will be to keep up with them through the first part of the race. The Birkie starts off with 17 kilometers of continuous uphill. But if Andreas and Kasper are in the lead on Dølfjellet, they will also be fighting for the victory in the finish,” says Aukland. 

Who do you consider to be the scariest competitors?
“Didrik Tønseth and Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget are clearly the strongest challengers among the World Cup skiers. They have done well in long races earlier this winter, and Nyenget just won the brutal 50km in Holmenkollen. But there will probably be several other strong guys from all-round cross-country skiing this year as well,” says Aukland, and continues: 

“Among the professional long-distance skiers, there are also several strong competitors. Emil Persson showed that he’s in shape at Vasaloppet, where he finished second. Johannes Eklöf is also strong, and Mikael Gunnulfsen is in good shape these days. Additionally, I expect that Gunnulfsen will handle the distance in the Birkie better than Vasaloppet.” 

Check out all the Birkie facts, stats, and details

Can snag two of the top three spots for the women
On the women’s side, the team’s situation is completely different. With Therese Johaug on the roster, Team Ragde Charge is the pre-race favorite for the victory.  

The last time Johaug raced the Birkie, she broke the course record. That was in 2015: Johaug won by two and a half minutes to the next skier in her first-ever attempt at the brutal event. Johaug polished off the course in 2 hours, 41 minutes, and 46 seconds, crushing the previous course record by more than ten minutes. Based on her results so far this season, Johaug is in the shape of her life. 

Additionally, Aukland is excited to see what Marit Bjørgen can accomplish on Saturday. Her Vasaloppet performance a week and a half ago was not her most impressive.

“Marit was disappointed after Vasaloppet. She had hoped to race better,” says Aukland. 

But only six days later, Bjørgen won the 50km Holmenkollmarsjen in Oslo. And heading into the Birkie, Aukland is optimistic.

“Marit got some good answers last weekend, and the Birkie is a course that suits her better than the Vasaloppet, so I think she can fight for the podium on Saturday. But with Therese on the start list, it will be brutal from the get-go, and Marit has to keep up with lead for the first 15 kilometers to have a shot at the podium,” he says. 

Finally, Anniken Gjerde Alnæs is back on the start line after being out with illness for a while.

Alnæs has been among the top 10 in six of the seven events she has raced since Christmas. Aukland believes that she can pull off a PR in the Birkie this year. The last time she raced the event, she was 24th. 

“Anniken did well at Jizerska 50 in the Czech Republic, which is one of the long-distance races most similar to the Birkie. If she has a good day, I believe she can be among the top six or seven on Saturday,” Ragde Charge team director Jørgen Aukland says. 

BIRKEBEINERRENNET 

• Date: Saturday, March 19
• Place: Rena-Lillehammer, Norway
• Distance: 54km Classic Technique
• Start Times: 7:45 CET Men / 8:00 CET Women

Next up in the Visma Ski Classics is Birkebeinerrennet. The 54-kilometer classic race takes place in Norway on March 19, 2022.