August 24, 2018 (Aure, Norway) – Canada’s Alex Harvey followed up his second-place result on the opening day with a 5th place finish in the men’s 24km Classic mass start race at the 2018 Toppidrettsveka international Rollerski competition. The event held over three days with four races attracted a variety of talent including athletes from the FIS World Cup along with rollerski-specific racers.

The race was part of a month-long training camp for Harvey in Trondheim, Norway which included a visit to the Institute of Sport at the University of Oslo. “The goal was to challenge myself at every workout and get out of my comfort zone. Many of my teammates with experience who were better able to push me during workouts have retired. The Canadian team is made up of a new wave of young people in development. I had to look elsewhere for a higher level,” Harvey told La Presse.

Harvey was 37th in the 1.5 km sprint and did not advance. He wrapped up the event with a 10th-place finish in the 15km Pursuit. “There were more than 100 athletes on the start lines. I had never experienced that. At first, I skied a little tense because I was afraid of falling,” he added but adapted quickly. “We used this event as a block of intensity. Roller skiing is a lot less technical than cross-country skiing but the muscles work the same way and it keeps you fit – I’m happy with my results.”

Mass Start Classic – 24km

Women here.
Men here.