The finish line on Vasagatan in Mora, bearing the famous motto \u201cIn forefathers\u2019 tracks for future victories,\u201d is the ultimate goal of the season for thousands of cyclists, runners, and skiers. 19-year-old Alvar Myhlback is no exception, and his story began early.
\u201cThe dream of winning Vasaloppet was born when I raced in Ungdomsvasan,\u201d says Myhlback.<\/p>\n\n
He made his Ungdomsvasan (Vasaloppet for youth) debut in 2015. At just eight years old (turning nine a month later), he finished second in the boys\u2019 9\u201310 age group, just two seconds behind Erik Bergstr\u00f6m of Domnarvet. Over the following five years, Myhlback crossed the finish line first in Ungdomsvasan every time.
\u201cUngdomsvasan was the biggest and most important race of the year. I was nervous for months in advance, just like now, haha. But finishing under that arch, getting the wreath and being greeted by the Kranskulla in Ungdomsvasan, that was huge. And it still is,\u201d says Myhlback, who was granted special permission to compete in the full 90 km Vasaloppet in 2023 despite being underage.<\/p>\n\n
At 16, he surprised everyone \u2013 including himself \u2013 by finishing eighth.
\u201cI\u2019ve exceeded my own expectations in all three of my Vasaloppet races. I never thought I\u2019d be anywhere near what I\u2019ve achieved; not when I came eighth, nor when I was third in 2024. But this year\u2019s race will be hard to top,\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n\n
On March 2 this year (at just 18 years and 345 days old) Alvar Myhlback became the youngest winner in the race\u2019s history.
\u201cI felt incredible that day. After crossing the finish line, it was pure joy; all the fatigue just disappeared. It was such a rush,\u201d says Myhlback, who finished alongside his Lager 157 Ski Team teammate and 2023 Vasaloppet champion, Emil Persson, who came second.<\/p>\n\n
Why does Vasaloppet suit you so well?
\u201cThere are several reasons. I like endurance, so the long distance and time work in my favour. Our ski wax manager (Marcus Laggar) is based in Orsa, and we\u2019ve done extensive ski testing ahead of the Vasaloppet, getting the material just right. Our team has also made Vasaloppet a clear focus. Anton J\u00e4rnberg (team leader) has set a standard and culture for how we prepare. And Vasaloppet is on my mind during almost every training session \u2013 I think \u2018this is how I want to feel approaching Evertsberg,\u2019\u201d says Myhlback, who has concentrated his training entirely on long-distance racing this season.<\/p>\n\n
During the summer season he has taken three major victories in long-distance roller ski races. He won the Norwegian Blink, Alliansloppet and Klar\u00e4lvsloppet.
\u201cThe victories are proof that the training has worked well. In previous seasons I haven\u2019t been stronger in summer than in winter, so I hope this shows I\u2019ve taken another step forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
On December 13, the international long-distance cup Ski Classics 2025\/2026 starts in Bad Gastein, Austria. This season looks a little different. After the Czech long-distance race Jizersk\u00e1 50 on February 1, there will be a one-month Ski Classics break until Vasaloppet on March 1.
\u201cThe past three years we\u2019ve done long-distance races in Orsa Gr\u00f6nklitt two weeks before Vasaloppet, and after that my teammate Runar Skaug Mathisen and I have done a \u2018Vasa camp\u2019. This year the races in Orsa have been moved to after Vasaloppet. But the plan is to try to copy the setup from previous years. It\u2019s worked well,\u201d says Alvar Myhlback, the youngest winner in Vasaloppet history.<\/p>\n\n
ALVAR’S CURRENT TIP FOR RECREATIONAL SKIERS<\/strong> FACTS\/ The 102nd Vasaloppet, Sunday, March 1, 2026<\/strong> FACTS\/ The 18th Ungdomsvasan, Sunday, February 22, 2026<\/strong> On March 2, 2025, Alvar Myhlback made history as the youngest ever winner of Vasaloppet, before his 19th birthday. With a journey that began when he was just eight, competing in Ungdomsvasan, this skier from Bjurs\u00e5s has steadily worked his way to the top. Now he shares the story of his road to victory, his training philosophy, and his ambitions for future triumphs under the iconic finish line arch in Mora. He also gives training advice for exercisers who are about to move from roller skis to snow for the upcoming season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":787,"template":"","news_category":[],"sport_category":[2],"class_list":["post-786","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","sport_category-ski"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
All around the country, artificial snow tracks are opening for the season. That means good opportunities to train on snow \u2013 but it\u2019s important not to rush into winter. Here is reigning Vasaloppet champion Alvar Myhlback’s advice for making the transition from roller skis to snow:
\u201cWinter is long, and there are still many months left until Vasaloppet if that\u2019s your main goal. So it\u2019s important not to rush. It\u2019s a big difference stepping onto snow compared to roller skiing, and many artificial snow loops are short with quite a lot of climbing \u2013 the hours don\u2019t add up as easily as in the summer. It\u2019s easy to think you have to reach a certain training volume, but that can quickly become too much. So take it easy when you start the snow season,\u201d says Myhlback.<\/p>\n\n
There are still places available for those who want to ski Vasaloppet 2026. Elite and recreational athletes ski together and the journey goes from the start in Berga by in S\u00e4len at 08:00, through the seven classic Vasaloppet checkpoints Sm\u00e5gan, M\u00e5ngsbodarna, Risberg, Evertsberg, Oxberg, H\u00f6kberg and Eldris before the race is decided, often on the final stretch in Mora. A fantastic sporting tradition, a ski festival, a test of strength. More than 600,000 skiers have made their way through Vasaloppet since its inception in 1922. And as it says on the skiers’ diplomas: “Every finish is a victory”. Millions of television viewers in several countries watch the race. The reigning champions are Alvar Myhlback, Lager 157 Ski Team and Stina Nilsson, Team Ragde Charge.<\/p>\n\n
The race that puts the skiers of the future in forefathers’ tracks! What does Vasaloppet winner Alvar Myhlback have in common with today’s Swedish national team skiers Emma Ribom, Oskar Svensson, Truls Gisselman, Edvin Anger, Johanna Hagstr\u00f6m, Moa Ilar, Gustaf Berglund and M\u00e4rta Rosenberg? Well, they all started their skiing careers in Ungdomsvasan, a race that manifests the breadth of Swedish skiing in the same way as Vasaloppet. All young people, whether they compete for a ski club or not, are welcome to participate. The race has three age classes for boys and girls respectively. The 11\u201312 and 13\u201314-year-olds start in Eldris and ski 9 km while 15\u201316-year-olds start in H\u00f6kberg and ski 19 km.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"