April 6, 2009 – On Sunday evening March 28, at around 17:45, the curtain dropped on the 2008-2009 Biathlon World Cup season, ending a long year of competitions and travel for every team. After gala closing ceremonies and entertainment in Khanty Mansiysk, the approximately 300 athletes, staff, and officials were happy to head home fro some needed rest and relaxation. Before they begin preparations for the upcoming Olympic year, most plan several weeks of down time and holidays. Several athletes shared their plans for the month of April, which range from pure rest at home to exotic
holidays.

The French Team plans to compete in their National Championships at Les Saisies this weekend. After that the Fourcade brothers, Simon and Martin will “rest” in completely different manners. Simon Fourcade has a new apartment and plans to work on it, although he admits, “I am not so good at home improvements.” His younger brother Martin “will sleep until 10 or so, get a little exercise, have lunch with my family, do whatever I wish in the afternoon, and then have dinner with friends and stay out until 2 AM.”

Eva Tofalvi of Romania says her plans include he favorite hobby, “downhill skiing.” Tina Bachmann of Germany, the surprise winner of the Women’s Sprint in Khanty Mansiysk, will decompress by “spending time on the couch resting and doing nothing for a few days.”

Airplane Travel to Hawaii, Maldives
Several athletes plan to leave their homes for another airplane trip, despite a season when they flew more miles than in any previous year. Zina Kocher of Canada, after returning to her home in Canmore, Canada, heads off to Hawaii. Andrea Henkel is spending some time in New York and then on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. Lowell Bailey of the USA is “going to Utah for some telemark skiing in Utah, with teammate Jeremy Teela (who scored the first podium result in over 15 years for the USA in the Whistler 20K).” Kati Wilhelm of Germany, who battled for the overall World Cup title with Helena Jonsson over the final weeks of the season, is going to the Maldives for a 12-day break.

Staying at Home
Several athletes said they would take a holiday in the summer, between training camps, but now plan to stay close to home. Christoph Sumann of Austria will spend “a lot of time with my family and go to the cinema.” Olga Zaitseva of Russia, who had an excellent comeback year admitted in Trondheim that she was looking forward to being at home, stating, “I am eager to get home and see my son and husband, as soon as possible.” Simone Hauswald who won the final competition of the season, the Mass Start in Khanty Mansiysk, said, “My husband and I will just stay at home, enjoying the time together.”

Sleep and Not Thinking about Biathlon
Helena Jonsson of Sweden who won the Overall World Cup says she is going “to sleep a lot and just relax.” Michaela Ponza of Italy summed up what most athletes think at the end of a hard season, stating, “I will stay at home for a while and not think about biathlon. I will do just what I want to do, sleep as much as I want, and see some friends. This is the only month to do that, because in May, you start preparing for the next season.”