13.1.2013

Anders Aukland won the 46th Jizerská 50 year ČSOB Pojišťovna

After last year's heavy snowfall, it was now the perfect sunshine which welcomed the racers in Bedrichov for the 46thedition of the Jizerská Padesatka 50km CT race.

Almost 4500 racers took the start while the sun was rising. Among them, several of the best distance World Cup skiers: Lukas Bauer (CZE), the local hero, Eldar Roenning (NOR), Johan Kjoelstad (NOR) and Aino-Kaisa Saarinen (FIN). Vibeke Skofterud (NOR), winner of the famous Vasaloppet last year in a new record time, announced still on Friday, that she would once more fight for record time in the Jizerská, but finally didn't start. Nevertheless, the race announced to be very interesting.

Lukas Bauer attacked straight away on the perfectly prepared tracks and got a big gap between him and his followers already at a very early stage. Only Anders Aukland could catch him after around 15km and the two went on together, trying to keep the others as far behind as possible. In the end, the older one of the two Aukland brothers played out his experience and his very efficient double poling to pass the finish line first. Simen Oestensen (NOR) was long time believed to become third, but in the end it was Anders's brother Joergen who geared up, passed Oestensen and left him behind to gain third place.

On the women's side, the later best three, got away quite early and left the other girls chasing behind them. Valentina Shevchenko (UKR), normally stronger in the skating technique, surprised herself by winning this “very hard race”, as she later told. Second placed Seraina Boner (SUI), not in her best form before Christmas due to sickness, showed that one always needs to have her on the list. Third placed Ano-Kaisa Saarinen (FIN), yesterday still racing the individual classic World Cup Sprint in Liberec, just around the corner from Bedrichov and the start of the Jizerská Padesatka, also stated that the race was pretty hard but that it was a very good training at the same time.

Complete race results can be found here.