Season 2020 ended before it could start with the outbreak of the pandemic covid-19. The international season was cancelled, and except some national competitions in the summer and late summer this season definitely never really started. This year was therefore for all people very different from a normal year and so also for me. I decided to focus more on basic training and have been working more hours as a scientist. In the summer I moved from Oslo and back to Bern, Switzerland, and started a new "old" life here. The second wave of the covid-19 pandemic made it impossible for me to travel to Norway for the Norwegian Championships and I had to follow these races as a spectator online instead. Therefore, I was extra happy to see that I have been selected for the National Team 2021 with new headcoach Janne Salmi.
The last World Cup of 2019 was held in China in the end of October. The middle distance was a big disappointment with bad map quality and bad terrain suitability for an international high-level compitition, and I gave it up halfway through the race and ended 68th in the end. In the sprint relay the day after we got served a much better competition, both in map quality and terrain. I am satisfied with my 1st leg where I changed over as 4th (22s behind), and got the 9th best overall leg time. My team (NOR 2) ended on a good 10th place in the end. The world cup final was a sprint in a town with very narrow streets and high technical difficulty, and I was in the fight for good positions until the last loop, but there I lost much on a long leg and made some errors on some short legs as well, and fell down to a 20th place in the end. This compitition however, was a bit overshadowed by possible cheating, due to suprising results. 
The World Cup in Switzerland in the end of September was a positive weekend for me. I am satisfied with the results 9th, 11th and 11th in the three races (middle, knockout sprint and sprint), and my solid performances through the whole weekend. In all races I was close to the podium, which is motivating and nice after not making it to the WOC team this year. The middle distance was a classic "mittelland" terrain, and familiar to me, while the sprints were tricky and nice in the old town of Laufen and Zwingen. The Swiss again organized a very fine World Cup round with a lot of spectators and quality courses, it is alway a pleasure competing in Switzerland. 
