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00:00Here we are in the parking lot.
00:03It's really nice to see that there are a lot of people here.
00:06Most of them are friends as well.
00:08And a couple of them.
00:10And a couple of them.
00:12And this is our conclusion for the red light criteria.
00:17And the winner this year, on the ladies side, is...
00:22Annika GerdahlnÀs, who is in the lead.
00:30And they are away here then.
00:52Yeah, indeed.
00:54And Ski Classics pro tour legend, five-time event winner, Magdy Smirnoff of Team Exodus.
01:00Joining you in the commentary box here.
01:02The men are underway.
01:03Reminded that the women, the elite women, are just a few minutes as well.
01:07We'll be back at the start line in just a few minutes' time for them.
01:10But the men underway here.
01:12Remember, sprint checkpoints, climb checkpoints this morning for the athletes to enjoy.
01:18As well as, of course, battling for the race victory.
01:21Magdy, what's that like, that gun?
01:23We were waiting for that gun.
01:24When you got those few seconds.
01:26What's going through your mind?
01:28Oh my God.
01:30Well, I don't know.
01:32It's like totally quiet in your head.
01:34But your heart is beating so hard.
01:36Like boom, boom.
01:38And you can feel the adrenaline in your whole body.
01:41And it's just such a relief when the gun finally fires.
01:45And you can go off.
01:47Jenny Larsson gets a few meters now.
01:50But I don't think it's intentional.
01:51I think it's only because the other ones chose to drink a little bit.
01:57Oh, yeah.
01:58But we do have...
01:59She is getting away here.
02:01157, yeah.
02:02So they have to pay attention now to close the gap.
02:07Yeah, of course.
02:08Wearing that green, Jenny Larsson, because Annika Njoda-Alniss wearing yellow.
02:13You can only wear one bib.
02:14Overall, she's leading the standings.
02:16And as you mentioned already, Silja Ăreslind, unfortunately,
02:20not well enough to compete.
02:21He's second in the sprint standings for the women.
02:23But Jenny is in third from the Lager 157 ski team.
02:27Of course, they're 89 points some way back.
02:30So that indicates that it's a steep section on the climb right now.
02:36But I am...
02:38I think I want to see more of Ragde and Lager.
02:43And I think they're a little bit far behind compared to the other teams.
02:50Because, yeah, it's 1.4 kilometers towards the actual climb point.
02:54Yeah, mention Karin there, for instance, of Lager,
02:57because Karin leading the climb standings.
02:59You would expect him to be a bit closer there to...
03:02And then to be a bit closer to the others.
03:04But still 1,300 to go here.
03:06So we've hit Naren 11 minutes now as it is into...
03:11As we move forward from her there, those ahead of her here,
03:14you see that group now as it is of three.
03:18One of them there just being cut a little bit off there,
03:21off the back of that group there
03:24as we join them here on the skidoo to the side.
03:27There's the yellow bib overall there.
03:32Yeah.
03:33We can see it's copied of us dropping a little bit here.
03:37Yes.
03:39Yeah, it's dropped a few seconds back, Kati Roivas, from those three.
03:43Not massively right now, but...
03:46No, I think she's able to close the gap again.
03:49But it's harder to have that little gap trying to catch up
03:54and then dropping a little bit, trying to catch up again.
03:57It's tough. Use a lot of energy on it.
04:02Yeah, you were making the point earlier
04:04that someone who actually injects a bit of speed
04:06makes an attack in a race.
04:08Might not be a telling attack, but...
04:10Back up again.
04:11So it indicates that he is absolutely getting tired.
04:15But look at Novak and look at Tomas ĂdegĂ„rd.
04:19I think these guys are hungry for victory, all of them.
04:22Yeah. Look at your teammates go here in that group of four.
04:28You're going to struggle to contain yourself here.
04:30Imagine if they manage to do a clear podium.
04:33Yeah.
04:34Here we go then.
04:35This is going to be toss to gun here.
04:37This is our final timing point here.
04:40This is a little under three to go.
04:42And Exehus, well represented.
04:45But it's Novak of Team Akadeli who is through first there.
04:49And then Cardenas, we mentioned,
04:51is nine and a half seconds behind Novak.
04:53They're a larger 157 ski team in fifth.
04:56That's where we stand.
04:58The fact that you've got the three together there
05:01with three to go...
05:04I mean, this race for Exehus here on the men's side,
05:07I mean, couldn't be going much better.
05:10Come on!
05:11Your teammates here.
05:12I know these guys are so hungry for victory.
05:15It's crazy. They're like wolves right now.
05:18And look at Eirik. Look at him.
05:20The way he is running up that hill on the left side.
05:25Yeah, running up that hill is a very good expression here.
05:28Oh, but Novak is so strong.
05:32I mean, the thing is for Novak here to the finish
05:35is he's been second twice this winter.
05:37As well, he's been denied.
05:39But is this where he wins for the first time this winter?
05:42Up to the finish here.
05:44Look at this guy. Look at this.
05:46Eirik is first. Can Novak fight back?
05:50There's like one metre in between them.
05:53Come on, guys.
05:54And they're cheering them on here.
05:56It is Eirik's...
05:58The Norwegian from Exehus.
06:00But he's going here with Max Novak.
06:02They've just gotten away from the others here.
06:05Now around the turn here, towards the finish here.
06:08Novak, he's got this.
06:10You talked about the narrow line, Magdy, here.
06:12It's to the line here.
06:14To the finish. It looks like Novak has got it here.
06:17Max Novak wins.
06:18Oh, my God.
06:19From Akinari for the first time this winter.
06:21Ahead of Odell.
06:23You're just from on the podium with Oedegaard and Pushtau.
06:26What a conclusion to the race.
06:28Max Novak there on top.
06:30Wins for the first time this winter.
06:32His second Pro Tour victory for Team Akadeli.
06:35And now Oskar Cardin, who was left behind by the top four,
06:39is finishing up here to round out the top five.
06:42It promised a lot, that finish.
06:44And boy, did it deliver.
06:46Max Novak wins it here for Team Akadeli and for himself.
06:50And a massive moment for him there
06:52in the yellow champion bid standings as well
06:55through the winter.
06:56Glory for Novak.
06:57And the others come through here to round out the top ten.
07:00Urlgaard, Thomas Bing there as well in seventh
07:03with Emil Persson there.
07:05Former winner, of course, of the yellow champion bid
07:07from Lager in eighth.
07:09There, Morten Eder-Pedersen from Ekstrahus as well.
07:12And Calland Olsen there against Anakin
07:15for the yellow bid standings as well.
07:18Yeah, absolutely.
07:19And I am 100% sure that Sina Nilsson wants that third place.
07:24She's not here just to be here.
07:27She's here to make the podium and collect the points.
07:32But Anakin desperately needs those points
07:35in order to maintain the yellow bid
07:38as good as she can this season.
07:42Yeah, she had a little look over her shoulder,
07:44but she wasn't seeing any lasts on her anyone else now.
07:4720 minute and a half.
07:49But she did have a little look.
07:50Behind her in second position.
07:52It's a crushing performance from Fletten.
07:54Very, very much a trademark performance from her.
07:57But Jenny Larsson, as we've been saying in behind,
07:59very good race from her on her own in second.
08:02Very different race, the women's race,
08:04how it's developed to the men's race,
08:06which went through to the line.
08:08We have, at the moment, first and second out on their own
08:11here with good leads.
08:13Larsson having opened up that lead
08:15over the women who were in third here.
08:18Larsson, who was second, of course, last time out
08:21to Almas in the Czech Republic in the Jizerska.
08:24And for that matter as well this winter,
08:28of course, Jenny Larsson,
08:30second in the Dreisinnen Ski Marathon,
08:33third in the Lavenoster ITT as well.
08:36So very good results for her.
08:37And as she comes through the final checkpoint
08:39there at Topstugan,
08:401 minute and 35 almost behind Emilia Fletten.
08:43Yeah, absolutely.
08:45This is another challenge.
08:46The corner that Emilia is closing into now,
08:49the last corner,
08:50that's the crucial point for the sprint.
08:53You have to have the shortest line around there.
08:58No issues here.
08:59All on her own as she's been since the halfway point,
09:02since the climb here.
09:03This is a stunning return to the summit
09:07in the pro tour for Emilia Fletten here.
09:11The winner of the yellow champion bib,
09:13the defending champion,
09:15underlines her champion quality.
09:17A crushing victory here
09:19to win the criterium here in Orsha
09:22for Emilia Fletten and Team Ramadan.
09:24That is a statement
09:25to the rest of the women's field here
09:27that she's back on top of the pile.
09:29Absolutely.
09:30Yeah, she shows how strong she is
09:33and her mental capacity,
09:36her physical capacity, everything.
09:38She is simply the best today.
09:40Yeah.
09:41This has been a fantastic performance
09:44from the Swede Jenny Larsson here
09:46to finish here in the criterium
09:49in second position there.
09:511 minute 32 behind Emilia Fletten.
09:53Jenny Larsson takes second position.
09:55Impressive.
09:56Impressive.
09:57And she managed to keep the gap the same
09:59for the last, I don't know,
10:01almost 10 kilometers.
10:03I think that's really impressive.
10:05She's been skiing fast.
10:07But look at these two.
10:10We have an interesting fight here.
10:12Stina Nilsson a little bit ahead of Annikin.
10:15But can Annikin fight back?
10:18Well, Emilia Fletten is interested in this as well.
10:22The yellow here as well.
10:23The difference between third and fourth.
10:25There's an awful lot of storylines here going on.
10:28But Stina Nilsson here,
10:30looking very, very good right now.
10:32She's looking sharp.
10:33She's looking very sharp.
10:37Here they are then.
10:38But can Annikin fight back?
10:41Oh, she's challenging her.
10:43Around the final bend here.
10:45Annikin has got that there over Stina.
10:51Got the line.
10:52Around the final bend.
10:53She's got Stina Nilsson there,
10:55but still it's Stina's fighting back.
10:58What a finish to the line here
11:00for the final podium position
11:01and everything it means here.
11:03Stina Nilsson against Annikin Yerda-Ellis
11:05to the line here.
11:06Who's going to get this?
11:07It's out.
11:08Oh, to the line.
11:10Oh, it's a photo.
11:11And they're out on their feet here.
11:14And listen to the crowd react to that at the finish.
11:17That's one of the best finishes
11:18for a podium place that we see in the Pro Tour.
11:22That was stunning.
11:23Absolutely stunning.