June 30, 2010 (Beijing, China) – Genghis Khan probably never envisioned his homeland covered in snow in June and beset by spandex-clad athletes on skis. The fourth edition of the Chinese Summer Ski Tour got underway on Monday, June 21 with the first stage, a sprint race, held just outside the city of Yakeshi, in the province of Inner Mongolia reports NordicWays.com. 

The four men finalists are fighting for the positions. First in track is Anders Hogberg followed by Teodor Peterson, Gustav Hall and Kjetil Hagtvedt Dammen © Nordicways.com

Organizers used over 15,000 cubic meters of snow saved and stored from the past winter to construct the race course, which racers said held up remarkably well considering it’s unusual seasonal timing. Peterson overcame the travel challenges and culture shock to best fellow Swede Anders Hogberg, who was second and Norway’s Kjetil Hagtvedt Dammen in third. Sweden’s David Frisk took the small-final win, having out-sprinted Torino Olympic Champion Bjorn Lind.

“It was fun here today and the track and snow conditions were surprisingly good. It felt good for me, but I was a little tired after the trip over here over Friday-Saturday, but I was ok during the competition. It’s different to compete in China and feels very exotic. I am very happy that I got the chance to come here, so far it’s really a memorable experience,” said Peterson in an interview with Nordicways.com.

Jenny Hansson (Swe) in the lead in the ladies final ahead of Inger Liv Bjerkreim (Nor) and Wang Libo (Chn). © Nordicways.com

The Swedish dominance continued on the women’s side with Jenny Hansson taking the win, followed by Liv Inger Nilsen Bjerkreim of Norway and home crowd favorite, China’s Wang Libo in third.

The second stage of the tour was held on was held Wednesday, June 23rd  at Qiaobo Ice & Snow World, a year-round indoor ski facility with both cross-country and downhill options available.  The event was a two-person team sprint pairing a male and a female racer from each country. Overall the event was a huge success, and competition was strong throughout the heats.

Winning team; David Frisk (Swe) carrying his team mate Liv Inger Bjerkreim Nilsen (Nor). © Nordicways.com

Results:
1. David Frisk, ENG / Inger-Liv Bjerkreim Nilsen, NOR
2. Theodore Peterson, SWE / Therese Karlsson, SWE
3. David Jansson, SWE / Jenny Hansson, SWE
4. Peter Larsson, SWE / Sanna Hallberg, ENG

Following the Tour most of the Europeans returned home, but Lind and Larsson will stay on for a few more races competing in the Lidingoloppet cross-country running event and paying homage again  to Mongolia’s ancient ruler at the Genghis Khan Mountain Bike in mid-July. They’ll finish their Chinese adventure with the Grassland Extreme Marathon race. It may seem like a lot of racing in early summer, but Lind and Larsson are confident that it all fits well with their summer training plans.