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To work as a Pro Team and collect points in all categories have become more and more important for each year.
The Pro Team competition is a prestigious one to win, showing that the Pro Team has performed well in several of the individual competitions.
This is the review of our expected top Pro Teams for season IX, written by Erik Wickström:
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TEAM RAGDE EIENDOM
Norway
Since the start of Visma Ski Classics in 2011, Team Ragde Eiendom (previously Team Xtra Personell, Team Centric and Team Santander) has won the team competition every year except in 2014. Last year they lost lots of points when Kari Vikhagen Gjeitnes got injured. Now they have an additional athlete on the women’s side, Sofie Elebro, who also can collect points in the youth category. On the men’s side the team is the same except from the recruit Joar Thele. It looks difficult to beat this team.
LAGER 157 SKI TEAM
Sweden
After several years with only small changes, things are moving around in Lager 157 Ski Team. Fredrik Byström has retired and the duo Jimmie Johnsson and Oscar Persson has left the team. Instead they have recruited Elin Mohlin, Emil Persson and Andreas Holmberg. The latter was second in Kaiser Maximilian Lauf last winter. Elin Mohlin has won a team sprint in the World Cup and she has a bronze medal from the World Championships in rollerski. But other than a sixth place in Tjejvasan, she has limited experience of long-distance skiing.
ED SYSTEM BAUER TEAM
Czech Republic
Lukas Bauer’s team has never been on the podium in the Pro Team competition, but we think it could happen this winter! Ed System Bauer Team (previously Bauer Ski Team) was only 175 points behind Team Koteng in third place. If Chernousov will last the whole season he will get more points than last year. Smutna needs to ski as good as she usually does and Alexis Jeannerod needs to continue his promising improvements. If they do that they can beat Team Koteng.
TEAM KOTENG
Norway
With different names, Team Koteng has been around for a long time. In 2014 they won the team competition, but last two years they have been in third place. Of course they aim higher. To be able to reach all the way to the top they need to rely on Astrid Øyre Slind, Masako Ishida, John Kristian Dahl, Chris Jespersen, Stian Hoelgaard, Torleif Syrstad and Tore Berdahl to be in consistant good shape throughout the season. In theory, Team Koteng should be in third place, but don’t get surprised if they end up in second or fourth place.
TEAM TRENTINO ROBINSON TRAINER
Italy
Last winter, Team Serneke was in fifth place and Bruno Debertolis’ Team Trentino Robinson Trainer was 201 points behind in sixth place. But Team Serneke will have a hard time to reach the same level since they have lost Sara Lindborg (retired) and Andreas Holmberg (transferred to Lager 157 Ski Team). We think Bruno Debertolis’ team will get more points this year, not least from Mauro Brigadoi, who amazed everyone by finishing in sixth place at the final event Ylläs-Levi.
RULES:
The Pro Team competition is determined by adding the Champion points from the Pro Teams’ best two male athletes, the best female athlete, the total sprint points taken by the Pro Team in each event, the total climb points in each event and 50% of the total youth points in each event.
The Pro Team with the most total points in each event will receive Pro Team points according Points Table. The total Pro Team points after the season will decide the Pro Team competition.
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Photo : Visma Ski Classics
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