With both Les Rousses and Planica cross-country skiing World Cups canceled and no spot left at the Norwegian Olympic team for Tønseth, the opportunity arrived to start at the long-distance skiing circuit.

Last autumn, Didrik joined forces with Jerry Ahrlin’s Team Engcon. At that time, Tønseth’s goal was to qualify for the Winter Olympics and start in the Pro Tour events later in the season.

The skier is ready to start next Saturday.

“The plan is to start at Engadin La Diagonela this weekend, then Marcialonga, January 30, and Jizerská50, February 13,” Tønseth say to Langrenn.com. 

Have you had time to train specifically for the Visma Ski Classics long-distance races?

“No, I have not been training enough double-poling. We will see how far I can get. After watching two uphill races won on skate skis recently, there is no chance to ski with kick-wax.”

Tønseth tells Langrenn.com that he is impressed by the level in the long-distance circuit. The last few weeks have shown that it is pretty challenging to come from traditional cross-country skiing and expect to perform well immediately on long-distance races.

In any case, Tønseth will be an excellent reinforcement for Team Engcon and an exciting skier to watch on the upcoming races in Visma Ski Classics.

Next up in the Visma Ski Classics is Engadin La Diagonela. The 55-kilometer classic long-distance race takes place in Switzerland on January 22, 2022.

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