This weekend the Swedish cross-country season kicks off with the Swedish premiere in Gällivare. Last year, Team Ramudden’s Max Novak won the classic 15-kilometer race. He also dominated roller-ski races this summer and fall, but an unfortunate bicycle crash in the Canary Islands interfered his final preparations for the upcoming season. However, he doesn’t think it will stop him from defending his victory this weekend.

“Of course, I’m betting on defending the victory. I’m ready to rumble,” Novak told Längd.se, our affiliate site.

Novak injured his hand in the crash, but according to him it took about ten days to heal properly. 

“I even think that it might have been just good to get a few days of rest, and then I started cycling indoors. There were some hard workouts on the bike before I was out on the roller- skis again.”

Now, he is ready to fight against the best Swedish cross-country skiers in Gällivare. At last year’s season premiere in Bruksvallarna, Novak cruised to victory by 7.4 seconds ahead of William Poromaa. Now the question is whether he can repeat the feat on a tougher course that awaits in Gällivare.

“I’m going to win. Of course! It’s been a while since I’ve done a traditional race. There wasn’t much of it last year. It’s going to be really fun to go on Saturday.”

One thing he won’t do this year, however, is to bet on the race like he did last year. As a result of his online betting, the Swedish Ski Federation ended up suspending him for a month.

“That’s probably what I’m best known for now,” Novak says with a smile.

The Gällivare race is not the only traditional one Novak is planning to do before the Visma Ski Classics season starts in Orsa, Sweden, on December 18 and 19.

“The plan is to take part in the Sweden Cup in Bruksvallarna on December 4 and 5, and maybe do some more races in Östersund. Before that, there will also be the Swedish long-distance premiere in Grönklitt on the last weekend of November.”