Norway’s Therese Johaug skates to the 2019 Lysebotn Opp Hill Climb win. (Photo: Blink Festival FB page)
Norway’s Blink ski festival began July 31 with a 60-kilometer mass start classic rollerski race in Ålgård city in the Southwest of the country.
The point to point race presented rolling terrain, with a major 5 k climb beginning at 30 k. The course then trended downhill to the finish.
The men’s elite race was a pack-skiing affair. Britain’s Andrew Musgrave took the win in 2:17:11.7 hours. He out-lunged Norway’s Simen Hegstad Krüger who placed second (+0.3). Also from Norway, Morten Eide Pedersen was third (+0.6). Eighty-nine rollerskiers finished the men’s elite race.
The women’s elite field included 15 athletes with Norway’s Astrid Øyre Slind winning in a time of 2:23:15.7. Thea Krokan Murad (+1:16.3) and Hedda Østberg Amundsen (+5:17.8), both of Norway, placed second and third respectively.
Map of the winding uphill for the 2019 Lysebotn Opp Hill Climb.
On Thursday, Aug. 1, the Blink Festival’s marquee event shook out. That event was the 7.5 k Lysebotn Opp (uphill) skate rollerski race that snakes up and up at the head of the Lysefjord.
The women’s elite 7.5 k climb was won by Norwegian Therese Johaug in 31:18.4 minutes. In second was Ingvild Flugstad Østberg (+2:48.7). Finnish Biathlete Kaisa Makarainen was third (+4:12.3).
Krüger won the men’s elite climb in 28:33.7 minutes. Norwegian Hans Christer Holund was second (+2.9), with France’s Maurice Manificat placing third (+1:00.8).
Blink organizers also kept those with an idea of a massive double pole effort happy. The racing included a 7.5 k uphill double-pole only race.
Musgrave won the men’s double pole climb in 30:52.9 minutes. In second was Pedersen (+27.8), with Norwegian Sjur Røthe in third (+29.4).
Slind won the women’s uphill double pole race in 38:10.6 minutes. Emile Fleten of Norway placed second (+1:23.8), and Poland’s Justyna Kowalczyk was third (+1:46.3).
