Tore Bjoerseth Berdahl and his United Bakeries buddies are reloading for Birkebeinerrennet (NOR) with a lot to revenge after Vasaloppet.
While the Madshus marathon racers claimed three of the top five spots and put four racers among the top 10, including one podium finish for Stanislav Rezac (CZE) of the Silvini Madshus Team, the crew is more than ready for 54 kilometers of sweet revenge in the mountains between Rena and Lillehammer (NOR) on Saturday, March 21.
“Of course we had hoped to completely plaster the podium at Vasaloppet. The team spirit among us on United Bakeries is great, as always. We will be back,” Tore Bjoerseth Berdal says.
“Vasaloppet was a very tough effort. Everyone skied really hard from the get-go all the way to the finish line,” Berdal says of the 90 sloppy-wet kilometers from Sälen to Mora on March 8, admitting he had higher ambitions than 10th place.
Berdal, who earned his first Ski Classics victory in February when he won Koenig Ludwiglauf in Germany and posted a strong fifth place in Marcialonga in January, feels like he has taken a giant step forward this season.
“I’m just medium content with my race at Vasaloppet. I had hoped to stay with the lead pack all the way to the finish and fight for the victory,” he says.
Never underestimate rest
Berdal has spent the time to Birkebeinerrennet wisely.
“First, I took a few days to recover from the Vasa, and after that, I have simply been focusing on dialing in my peak for the race on Saturday,” Berdal says, pointing out that being well rested and charged is the most important part of his Birkebeiner prep.
“There isn’t really a ton you can do about your fitness at this point. But I’m certain that stepping onto the start line feeling tired is the worst strategy,” Berdal says.
“Never underestimate the power of a rested racer looking for revenge.”
“We wanted to fight for the overall in Vasaloppet, but we’ll be back for the victory in Lillehammer. As for Vasaloppet, I just need to train even harder and come back stronger next season,” he adds with a grin.
A lot at stake
Team United Bakeries is in second place in the overall Ski Classics team competition. Berdal is in sixth place overall in the 2015 Ski Classics, and his teammate Oeystein Pettersen is in third overall. Pettersen is also in second place in the sprint competition, only five points behind first place. There are two preems in Birkebeinerrennet: At Skramstad (9km) and at Kvarstad (27km).
Birkebeinerrennet is the eighth event in the 2015 Ski Classics. The elite women start at 0745 (Central European Time) and the elite men start at 0800.
Watch the live streaming of the event
The final event is Aarefjaellsloppet (SWE) on March 29. Follow Birkebeinerrennet live