March 11, 2012 (Oslo, Norway) – Holmenkollen fans were treated to a thrilling finish in the men’s 50km Classic on Saturday as Norwegian classic specialist, Eldar Roenning, delivered them hard-fought crowning victory as he bested WCup leader Dario Cologna (SUI) at the line for the win and an audience with King Harald. Adding luster to the Holmenkollen race was Martin Johnsrud Sundby finishing third giving Norway to spots on the final podium.

For Canadian fans it was a monumental day as talented Devon Kershaw finished tenth on the day earning enough points to surpass Petter Northug and move into second overall in the World Cup standings behind Cologna.

“I’m a little tired for sure but no so bad after 50km in the slop. I’m a bit disappointed with 10th as I was going for a podium but I cramped up at the end and couldn’t transfer any power to my skis – a lot can happen when you’re skiing hard for 2.5hr.

“It’s hard to complain with 10th overall. I was able to pick up a couple of preems near the end as they came easy so I went for them,” he continued.

His team mate Alex Harvey was further back in 29th but it wasn’t the Quebec skiers day as he struggled for most of the race and fell of the pace near the end.

“It was tough out there. I was fighting the whole way. It’s strange because I felt good leading up to the 50km and was looking forward to it – the skis were good but the body wasn’t there today,” Harvey told Trax in a phone interview.

“The pace was slow so I was able to hang in for most of the race but near the end it was harder. It’s always great to race at the Holmenkollen with lots of great memories racing here and of course I thought about my dad’s win here years but today it wasn’t happening for me.”

As Harvey explained about 35 skiers were together at the front for most of the race as any attempts to escape, like Norway’s Petter Eliassen which gave local fans reason to cheer, were soon run down.

One of the skiers in that mix was American Kris Freeman who had a strong race, in the teens for a good portion of the race, just slipping back a bit near the end in a photo finish with Swedish star, Anders Soedergren, to place 22nd on the day.

Freeman has had a noticeable much better second half to his season and was reasonably pleased with his day at the office.

“The race felt good today. I felt comfortable with the pace but I was still working hard the whole way. I put everything I had into the last few K’s but it wasn’t enough to stay with the leaders. I ended up twenty four seconds back,” Freeman told Trax.

“Given how my season has gone it was a solid effort. I’m happy to end on a satisfactory note.  As always Holmenkollen is really loud. It makes it hard to hear your coaches but the fans here have a one-of-a-kind enthusiasm.”
Freeman’s team mate Noah Hoffman was near the front as well at times and sat 10th overall at the 36.6km mark but couldn’t keep pace when things heated up and finished 39th overall.

“Today was a really hard race. The conditions were very slow. It was incredibly warm and a really painful race. I learned a lot and am happy with the way I skied, for the most part. My goal was to be aggressive. I think I accomplished that, however I need to be able to finish the race, not ski a good 40km,” wrote the Hoff by email.

“It was fun to be mixing it up with the best skiers in the world. I am looking forward to the remaining races this year and especially being back on the World Cup next season. My skis were good today, especially my “B” pair. I believe they were one of the best skis in the race. Holmenkollen is an incredible venue. The fans are amazing. It is one of my favorite places in the world to race.”

Other North Americans racing included Canada’s Ivan Babikov who abandoned early and according to Canadian Head Coach Justin Wadsworth…”He felt like he had a piano on his back.” Lenny Valjas grabbed some early preem points and then also left the race as planned while NorAm star Kevin Sandau in 47th.

Racing for the USA was sprint star Andy Newell who continues to up his distance game placing 46th, Sylvan Ellefson was 54th, and Michael Sinnott was 60th.

The WCup countdown begins with the Stockholm sprints on March 14 followed by the final three races in Falun this coming weekend. The word is 50-50 that Northug will show but one skier isn’t buying it.

“He’ll be there,” said Kershaw.

Check back for audio interviews with Kershaw, Harvey and Wadsworth later today.

Full results HERE.
Full results detail HERE.
WCup Overall Standings HERE.