Britain’s Andrew Musgrave and Astrid Øyre Slind each won their classes in the Blink Classics, a 50-kilometer roller ski race at the Blink Festival on Thursday night.

But perhaps the most surprising thing was that Petter Northug, 37, showed he really meant his long-distance endeavors.

Northug was third, but having lost in the sprint for second place to France’s Thomas Joly.

At least he wasn’t happy about it.

– Made a big mistake

– Really sad. My grandparents squirmed in their graves. I’m so pissed off he told NRK while shaking his head.

Then he explained:

– I took the lead too early in the race. I caught wind too early, then someone ran and hit me. An embarrassing session with Northug’s name there.

Northug thought he should know better.

– I’ve been sitting and watching the Tour de France all summer and talking about sprints and pull-ups, and then I myself made a huge mistake. It was simply apologizing to all my fans and those closest to me, he said in a self-deprecating tone, before lashing out at his rivals.

Stick to competitors

– I believe that most people should beat a 40 year old who is fit and has an O2 of less than 50, who is an exerciser. If you don’t beat me, you have nothing to do here, he said.

– Fantastic, fighting a legend. This is a dream for me. “Incredible,” said Thomas Joly, one of only two men to defeat Northug.

Winner Andrew Musgrave was only 25 seconds ahead of the two who occupied the other positions on the podium.

Check out the interview with Northug:

Delete message to Halfvarsson

Sweden’s Calle Halfvarsson was among those Northug had to beat in the sprint, having broken a pole herself.

-I think the odds are low, Northug said of what happened, and confirmed he waged a verbal war against his old rival towards the end

– I think Calle got the “thumb” out of the relay in 2015, and then locked in on the shoulder. So he didn’t have much to give. I see a lot of people are scared. I had complete control and gave him a few words too, said Northug, who was delighted to be fighting Halfvarsson again.

– The difference between now and then is we are almost best friends, friends on snapchat and I follow his family life in Sweden, Northug smiles.

Calle Halfvarsson was impressed.

– He looks strong and I can tell he trains a lot. So if Petter comes alive, I think this long-distance run is for him, he said.

Halfvarsson is not alone.

– I saw it coming at high speed, and then I had to shadow the track. He came back, in the future it will be scary. You have to have a good capacity to engage, and he has it, so it shows whether he is serious, says the king of this winter WC in Planica, Simen Hegstad Krüger.

– Not made to be outside the podium

The fact that Northug was in charge of the show and fastest line doesn’t mean that he was complicit as a clown. In her first season in Classic Ski last winter, she couldn’t keep up with her best.

– This is a project that has taken a year and three months to get here. It is hard work and the body needs a lot of time to endure so much more exercise. And it’s nice to be on top, my head wasn’t made to be off the podium, unfortunately, he said.

Therefore, the plan is to stay on the podium until winter.

– His ambition is to fight for victory in individual races. That’s the goal. That’s why I’m training and doing the job I’m doing now, so I hope I can put myself in that position sometime during the season. Last year there was too little training and too little capacity, and this year I hope to increase it so that I can fight for victory, he said.

The sprint loss at Blink Classics only motivated him even more.

– Yes, it keeps me very motivated so I guarantee it, he told NRK.