January 25, 2016 (Vermont) – EISA racing action returned to Quarry Road for the second time in two weeks as the Colby College Carnival kicked off on the Jan 23-24 weekend. The temperatures were low on Saturday morning as the men started first. On tap for the day was a 15km classic mass start, taking three laps around the climb-riddled race loop.

Group © flyingpointroad.com

A lead pack of UVM, Dartmouth, and Williams College skiers set the pace for the field, and after two tactical laps, that group had dropped to five skiers chasing down William’s Eli Hoenig, who staved off counterattacks until the last climb.

After Hoenig was back in the bunch, UVM’s Jack Hegman made a move towards the top of the course, only to be consumed by Hoenig and teammate Jorgen Grav before reentering the stadium. From there it was all Grav, leading the trio across the line in 41:58.7, followed closely by Hegman in 41:59.5. Hoenig, crossing the line third, claimed his first collegiate podium in 42:04.6.

Jack Schrupp © flyingpointroad.com

Following the men’s race, the women embarked on their own 15km, and it was clear early who was going to control the race. UVM’s Mary-Kate Cirelli and Middlebury’s Kelsey Phinney broke away early, amassing a ten second lead after the first lap.

Mary Kate Cirelli and Kelsey Phinney © flyingpointroad.com

“On the first lap, towards the top of the climb, I realized that MK and I had slightly detached from the rest of the pack,” said Phinney. “I’m not sure exactly who said what, but we decided to put in a little surge together and go for it.”

By the finish, the two would have a lead of over one minute on third place.

“Kelsey and I worked together really well,” said Cirelli after the race.  “She lead some of the flatter parts of the course due to her strength in double pole and I lead most of the hills.  I think it worked out really well for both of us!”

Kelsey Phinney © flyingpointroad.com

At the finish, Phinney would emerge victorious, besting Cirelli by nearly 4 seconds, in 49:46.9. The crowds in the stadium saw Cirelli cross the line for second in 49:50.7 then waited for Lizzie Gill of UNH to cross in 50:53.2.

Freestyle Team Sprints

On Sunday, racers paired up for a Freestyle team sprint, seeing each athlete ski three alternating laps of the technical 1.3km Colby Sprint loop. Many familiar faces were seen on the sprint podium, with five of the six podium holders from Saturday making the podium again Sunday.

Oscar Friedman, Eirik Fosnaes © flyingpointroad.com

From the start of the Men’s A heat, teams from UVM and UNH held control, with Dartmouth making their presence known as well through the first lap.

UVM lead team sprint © Silke Hynes

“I knew that it was going to be hard to pass,” said Hegman. “So my plan was to go out hard from the start and try to get into the lead.”

Hegman, paired up with Saturdays winner Grav, skied into third after the first lap of the six-lap race, before tagging off to Grav. Grav would ski the team into the tip spot after his first lap, where they would stay all the way to the end, beating teammate Cole Morgan to the line by 1.7 seconds.

An exhausted racer © flyingpointroad.com

“Jorgen definitely carried our team today,” said Hegman. “He had a really strong 2nd and 3rd lap and was able to narrowly out-sprint Cole.”

Cole Morgan © Silke Hynes

The UVM team of Morgan/Ian Moore placed second, followed by the UNH team of Peter Holmes/Tyler Smith.

On the women’s side, more familiar faces controlled the race from the start, with teams from UNH, UVM, and Middlebury setting a hard pace to match. Through the first tag, UVMs Stephanie Kirk had a slight lead over Katrin Larusson of UNH, but teammate Mary-Kate Cirelli was unable to match the speed of Larusson’s teammate Gill. Trailing these two was Saturday’s winner Kelsey Phinney, having been tagged by Nicollette Amber.

Lizie Gill © Silke Hynes

After battling back and forth for four laps, the UNH team was able to put a gap on the group, and held on to take the victory. Following Gill across the line was Cirelli to secure second place for herself and Kirk.

Mary Kate Cirelli © flyingpointroad.com

“I have always struggled with any distance under 5km,” Cirelli said. “I am far from a sprinter so it was definitely a challenge for me. I was definitely hurting after the 15km.  I didn’t realize how much it took out of me until the first lap of the team sprint.”

Finishing the podium was Phinney, crossing the line alone behind Cirelli. Of the six podium finishers in the women’s race, five of them had placed in the top-10 the day before, with Amber narrowly missing out in 15th.

The EISA Carnival circuit now moves into an off-week, returning February 6-7 for the UVM Carnival, which will be combined with the USSA Supertour and NENSA Eastern Cup held on the same weekend, at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont.

Results

Men’s 15k here.
Women’s 15k here.
Men’s Team Sprint here.
Women’s Team Sprint here.