“The first uphill in Vasaloppet is really important! Right from the start, we are going at a furious pace. If you are not at the leading group on the top of it, you could soon be facing critical moments,” says 28-year-old Viktor Mäenpää.

Isac Holmström, who was 34th and the best Finn a year ago, emphasizes the same.

“Last year, I was in the lead group at the top of the hill. After that, I got everything working,” says Isac Holmström, 27, who will compete in his tenth Vasaloppet on Sunday.  

The 90-kilometer classic from Sälen to Mora has always been special for Holmström. He cites his roots as the reason. In Åland, Vasaloppet is “the thing” for skiers. It is the same for his family back home in Jomala.

For Viktor Mäenpää, this year’s event is his eighth. His personal best came in 2020 when he placed 24th. Otherwise, it is a race that has caused some trouble as well.

“Vasaloppet is the ultimate Ski Classics event. It takes well over three hours, even for the top skiers, which is exceptional. Everything, including the fueling, has to work until the end,” says Viktor Mäenpää.

He adds that it is not the most suitable for him. Overall, the long course is relatively flat and very fast. There is no resting in the forests of Dalarna.

“I am lightly built, and in Vasaloppet, those with powerhouse qualities often do well. Even heavier skiers can be good at it,” says Mäenpää. You can and should use your weight to your advantage.  

In 2020, when he had great success, it snowed a lot during the race. This suited Mäenpää. That year, the speed was not overly high during the race, and the team’s skis were top-notch.

Holmström: “I produce energy well on a flat terrain.”

While Team Mäenpää’s top skier has stayed healthy this winter, Team Edux’s Holmström has had a more complicated season. There have been several bouts of illness, but with the advent of Vasaloppet, things are looking good.  

“I am quite big and strong, and Vasaloppet suits me. I produce energy well on flats. Vasaloppet is like the World Championships of long-distance skiing, and I am always very motivated for it,” says Isac Holmström.

His transition from a good football player to an aspiring skier happened only in adulthood.

“That goal started to become clearer when I came to the capital region of Finland to study at Aalto University. And I got new ideas for training when I got to know Jonas Lindell during competitions. He inspired me to train at different intensities and do different intervals,” says Holmström.

“However, 80 percent of the training is still basic training.” 

Holmström sees the late start to his top career as a positive thing. It is precisely because of this that his motivation has remained at its peak, and, as a football player, he has built a well-rounded athletic base. Now he looks forward to Sunday’s challenging, tough sections, such as the hills at Risberg and Evertsberg.

“I am also hugely fascinated by the demanding process before a race like this. Finding the perfect ski, the right wax, everything, the whole arc up to the performance itself. And the stressed importance of the fueling plan. Last year, I had 18 feeding stations. And the whole concept worked.” 

The engineer’s mindset is probably part of this problem-solving ambition. That’s what Holmström himself thinks. Both Viktor Mäenpää and Isac Holmström are engineers. Mäenpää works part-time for a Swedish construction group in Luleå, while Holmström, who lives in Vaasa, works on projects for a construction company in Ostrobothnia.

“In Vasaloppet, movement trajectories become quite monotonous already after the first uphill. You do not even realize what a beating your muscles are taking,” says Viktor Mäenpää.

Finally, Mäenpää’s summary of the problem: “You have to be able to produce so much power with each push that you do not have to do so many.”

The Season XIV of Ski Classics Pro Tour consists of 14 events on 10 event weekends in 6 different countries. 

Ski Classics Pro Tour Season XIV (2022/2023)

•  Event 1: December 10, 2022 – Bad Gastein PTT, Bad Gastein, Austria, 15km
• Event 2: December 11, 2022 – Bad Gastein Criterium, Bad Gastein, Austria, 35km
• Event 3: December 17, 2022 – La Venosta Criterium, Val Venosta, Italy, 36km 
• Event 4: January 14, 2023 – Pustertaler Ski Marathon, Sexten, Italy, 62km
• Event 5: January 15, 2023 – Prato Piazza Mountain Challenge, Niederdorf, Italy, 32km
• Event 6: January 21, 2023 – Engadin La Diagonela, Engadin Valley, Switzerland, 48km 
• Event 7: January 29, 2023 – Marcialonga, Trentino, Italy, 70km
• Event 8: February 12, 2023 – Jizerská50, Bedrichov, Czech Republic, 50km
• Event 9: February 18, 2023 – Grönklitt Criterium, Orsa Grönklitt, Sweden, 50km
• Event 10: February 19, 2023 – Grönklitt ITT, Orsa Grönklitt, Sweden, 12km
• Event 11: March 5, 2023 – Vasaloppet, Sälen-Mora, Sweden, 90km
• Event 12: March 18, 2023 – Birkebeinerrennet, Rena-Lillehammer, Norway, 54km
• Event 13: April 1, 2023 – Reistadløpet, Setermoen-Bardufoss, Norway, 40km
• Event 14: April 2, 2023 – Summit 2 Senja, Bardufoss-Finnsnes, Norway, 67km

More information about the Ski Classics Pro Tour you can find at skiclassics.com.