December 08, 2013 (Lillehammer, Norway) – Russia has stamped it’s first major victory over Norway this season with a dramatic and stunning win in the men’s 4×7.5 km relay in tough snowy conditions, outfoxing the host country’s top three squads at home in Lillehammer.

Russian anchor Maxim Vylegzhanin was surrounded by a sea of red but kept his cool as he turned the tables on Norway’s top guns including Petter Northug, attacking on the final climb as he distanced himself from his rivals on the final downhill into the stadium to secure the victory for Russia. Finn Haagen Krogh of Norway II claimed second with Northug of Norway I in third, followed by Tore Asle Gjerndalen of Norway III in fourth.

Alexander Legkov (RUS), who set the stage on the penultimate leg, was a key protagonist as he pushed the Norwegians to their limit with a blistering pace that none could follow except Norway I’s Martin Johnrud Sundby and Norway II’s Sjur Roethe. Behind Sweden, France, Germany and the Czech Republic were grappling with the onslaught as they scrambled to recover.

“It is a great day and great victory for us. This season is the most important and I am happy we showed such a great performance in the relay today. Maxim did a great move towards the end. I hope in Sochi we will perform in the same way,” commented Legkov. Their classic men Dimitry Japarov and Alexander Bessmertnykh also earned praise for their strong skiing that kept Russia near the front from the get-go.

Fresh falling snow throughout the race made for tough conditions and the selection came early for many teams as Russia and Norway quickly asserted themselves putting the chasers on their heels as they attempted to stay in the mix. Andy Newell led off for the USA and was going well for most of his leg but couldn’t hold the pace yet remained in the top 10 when he handed off to Kris Freeman.

“Today didn’t go as well as I expected. I was stoked with the soft conditions because I like skiing in stuff like that and started well. I actually got stuck out of the track at about 1km and knew I wasn’t going to get back in line so I hammered to the front and lead the pack up the big climb on the first lap. But I ended up freezing myself like I did in Kuusamo completely numbing my hands and fore arms by the second lap… that was really uncomfortable and I need to figure out what’s going on there.

“I got strung out in the last few k’s which was really disappointing. In general it wasn’t a great day for the men, I think we all lost about 1 minute per leg which is definitely not where we want to be, but as the scrambler I take responsibility. It’s my job to get us off to a good start and set the tone for the relay. I know we can do much better next time,” said Newell by email.

Team Canada started with Len Valjas, who sat out of yesterday’s race so as not to stress his knee that was operated on back in Aug. but Valjas admitted that while his knee felt good his form is not there yet and given the conditions it was a day of catch up for the team.

“Conditions were tough today but our wax techs gave us really good skis. As expected my shape is not where I would like it to be.
My knee felt good today, cornering is still a problem but today it was just my fitness that cost me. I really want to train hard, but the knee is really finicky.

“I need to give it lots of rest after strength or intensity. It’s feeling a bit worn out after the first two rounds of World Cups. So for Davos, I will only race the sprint. I am confident with my sprinting ability and look forward to getting in the points before Christmas,” he commented.

Valjas handed off to Alex Harvey, who is normally the team’s anchor, but swapped positions with Devon Kershaw not to stress his left leg which was operated on back in 2008 to correct a circulation problem and doesn’t favour offset skating. Harvey clawed back some time as did Ivan Babikov who led off the first skating leg for the team. Kershaw brought them home in 14th at the end of a tough day at the office.

For Team USA Freeman, Noah Hoffman and Simi Hamilton gave it their best but it was not in the cards today as Hamilton crossed the line in 17th and both teams set their sights on Davos.

“It was a tough day indeed. I felt OK but not great,” the Hoff told SkiTrax. “It’s tough to race completely alone. I focused on skiing the race like an individual start. Historically I have struggled in soft skating conditions yet I think I have made improvement in this area. I’m looking forward to testing my skating again next week.”

The expected rivalry between powerhouse Norway and Russia, the new kid on the block, has delivered a dynamite race with a classic victory for the underdog. The next relay is in Sochi so it seems the edge goes to the host team but Norway can never be counted out as the anticipation builds to the Olympic matchup.

Full results here.
Detailed results here.