Grand soleil et -17°C pour la 40e édition de la König Ludwig Lauf. Environ 2000 fondeurs étaient au départ pour effectuer une distance de 50km en style classique. On retrouvait au départ tous les spécialistes des longues distances.
La victoire s'est jouée au sprint entre le Tchèque Rezac et le Suédois Ahrlin qui ont été départagé à la photo finish avec avantage pour Rezac. Le podium est complété par le récent vainqueur de la Marcialonga Joergen Aukland.
Coté féminin la Suédoise Nystroem réussit le doublé Marcialonga König Ludwig Lauf, elle s'impose devant Jenny Hansson et la Suissesse Seraina Boner.
Rezac et Nystroem sont les leaders actuels du classement FIS Marathon Cup avant la prochaine étape qui sera la Transjurassienne.
Les réactions :
Stanislav Rezac (CZE):
"I am really happy for this victory. It was a hard race and it was a tough finish, but I knew that I am strong enough to fight for the victory. Most of the time, the pace of the race was not too high – everybody was waiting for the last kilometres to push as hard as possible. I placed myself in front in time for the last hundreds of metres. In the end, luck was on my side as my foot was in front of Jerry's for only a couple of centimetres. To be the leader in the FIS Marathon Cup is for sure another good motivation to keep pushing hard in the next races!"
Jerry Ahrlin (SWE):
"I felt much better today than in the Marcialonga, even though I still have some problems with my back. I really need some treatment in the next days, but as I won't go to La Transjurassienne, it should be fine for the Tartu Maraton. I was two times fourth here and I really hoped to do better today, therefore I am really happy. Even though, only a couple of centimetres parted me from the victory, so I am also a little bit angry. The race was still quite hard – I had a double layer on the upper body, a windstopper on my legs and some special stuff in my shoes to keep warm during the race. We were a large group and the speed was mostly not too high. Only in the last four kilometres everyone started to push really hard."
Joergen Aukland (NOR):
"We decided this morning to use no wax and it was very hard to ski during the first six kilometres, but then it got better. We were a big group and the pace was not too fast and it was not until the second loop that we started pushing a bit harder. In the last 3 – 4km, the race got faster and faster. I knew that Stanislav and Jerry would be very strong and I tried everything to stay with them. I am pretty happy that I could finish third as a podium place was definitely my goal today! It was however, pretty cold! I had lots of layers on, tow pairs of gloves and so on. But my glasses got so foggy that I had to put them off, but then I got problems with my eyes. I hope it's not too bad."
Susanne Nyström (SWE):
"I came away quite well in the start and I pushed hard in the first uphill. We all three, Jenny, Seraina and me, we were together and helped each other. But I knew that I had to take the steep uphill to the castle very slowly as if you ski it too fast, it can destroy your whole race. I didn't want to risk that, so I let Seraina go and she quickly got a 30s lead. But Jenny and me, we worked together and caught her quite soon. We naturally connect very well as we ski together all the time. But we came into the finish together with several men and it was pretty hard to get a clear line into the finish. For me, the cold was not a problem – I am used to these temperatures."
Jenny Hansson (SWE):
"I am pretty happy! Susanne and me, we worked again very well together – like in the Marcialonga. And that Seraina got onto the podium as well is just great. That really shows our team spirit at the moment. It's so much fun to race and ski...I guess that's the reason behind our success at the moment."
Seraina Boner (SUI):
"I still have some problems with my back, but it's a lot better now. I am really happy to be back in racing, but I guess due to the long break, I didn't have enough energy left to push hard right to the end. I got a lead after chateâu Linderhof, but Susanne and Jenny caught me soon again. However, it's so nice to be on the podium with the team mates – I am really happy!"
Photos : Nordic Focus
