November 20, 2004 – Battling near-zero cold, the cross country World Cup
schedule resumed Saturday with Axel Teichmann of Germany and Norway’s
Marit Bjoergen winning classic technique races. Kris Freeman (Andover, NH)
had the top U.S. result, finishing 27th.

The season began Oct. 23-24 with sprints in Dusseldorf, Germany, and
Gallivare was a late substitution for snowless Oestersund. The temperature
was -16 C. (-4 F.) at the start of the racing on a 5K loop. Bjoergen made
it two straight victories this season with a winning time of 28:13.4 in
the 10K classic, edging Kristina Smigun of Estonia by 1.1 seconds. Wendy
Wagner (Park City, UT), the lone U.S. racer, was 64th.

Teichmann won in 37:40.7, more than a half-minute ahead of teammate Rene
Sommerfeldt. Freeman was timed in 39:21.0 with Andrew Johnson
(Greensboro, VT) the next American, finishing 83rd in the field of 96.

“It’s not the result we were hoping for,” U.S. Head Coach Trond Nystad
said, “but you take the good with the bad, bad with the good, and now we
have to keep after it. We’re racing again and everyone’s healthy. If Kris
had been 10 seconds faster, he could have been top 20…but that didn’t
happen. This was where he started last season [28th in a 15K freestyle in
Beitostolen, Norway], and Kris will pick it up.

“It was plenty cold but we had good skis, good wax, just not a good
result…but we know the talent is there and we’ll ski faster.”
The weekend concludes Sunday with relays before the team heads to
Kuusamo, Finland.

VIESSMANN CROSS COUNTRY WORLD CUP
Gallivare, SWE – Nov. 20, 2004

Men’s 15K Classic
1. Axel Teichmann, Germany, 37:40.7
2. Rene sommerfeldt, Germany, 38:17.5
3. Vassili Rotchev, Russia, 38:18.0
–
27. Kris Freeman, Andover, N.H., 39:21.0
83. Andrew Johnson, Greensboro, Vt., 41:19.0
88. Carl Swenson, Park City, Utah, 41:57.9
90. Justin Freeman, Andover, N.H., 42:09.9
—
Women’s 10K Classic
1. Marit Bjoergen, Norway, 28:13.4
2. Kristina Smigun, Estonia, 28:14.5
3. Virpi Kuitunen, Finland, 28:22.3
–
64. Wendy Wagner, Park City, Utah, 31:19.3