January 21, 2013 (Liberec, Czech Republic) – The 2013 U23/Junior Nordic World Championships running from Jan. 21-27, got underway today in Liberec, Czech Republic with the Junior 1.3km CL sprints. The USA’s Heather Mooney was the top US qualifier in 19th with Corey Stock in 25th as Katherine Stewart-Jones made the cut for Canada in 30th.

Sweden’s Stina Nilsson, the second fastest qualifier, took the win with Victoria Carl (GER) in second and top qualifier Evgenia Oschepkova (RUS) in third. Mooney ended up 19th, Stock finished 24th and Stewart-Jones moved up to 26th. Canada’s Maya Macisaac-Jones was 36th, Frederique Vezina 41st, Cendrine Browne 42nd, Sloan Storey 45th, and Anika Miller (USA) was 52nd.

The USA’s Logan Hanneman lead the North Americans in 10th in the Junior Men’s qualifications with teammate Benjamin Saxton in 11th and Canada’s Alexis Turgeon grabbing the final spot in 30th.

Russia’s Vadim Korolev showed the strength of the Russian program topping the qualifications but the final went to Germany’s Lennart Metz as Korolev settled for second with Bjoern Vidar Suhr 3rd. Saxton claimed 14th and Hanneman 16th as Turgeon ended up in 30th.

Also racing today were the USA’s Tucker McCrerey (42nd), Sawyer Kesselheim (45th) and Canadians Ezekial Williams (46th), Raphael Couturier (51st) and Scott James Hill (58th).

Junior Women’s Qualifications HERE.
Junior Women’s Final HERE.

Junior Men’s Qualifications HERE.
Junior Men’s Final HERE.

January 21, 2013 (La Clusaz, France) – Once again Norway proved unstoppable claiming yet another relay title in the women’s 4x5km race with Finland showing good form in 2nd and Norway II taking third. A fateful day saw Team USA’s podium aspirations quickly undone as their lead-off skier, Holly Brooks, was caught up in a crash just after the start and found herself in 8th by the 1.2km mark.

Decked out in their fashionable knee-high socks, the team that has been turning heads since the start of the season, found themselves in a deep hole from which they would not recover.

“Today was pretty darn tough. Norway and Sweden went down in front of me literally 7 seconds into the race and took me out. It was unavoidable,” explained Brooks. “After the crash we all had to sprint back up to the pack and the pace was a bit too much for me. My body, legs especially, flooded and I had a hard time for the entire race after that.”

The race quickly sorted itself out as France, Finland and Norway I battled for the lead while Russia I chased behind at 21s with Germany, Italy and Sweden in tow. Brooks finally tagged team leader, Kikkan Randall, who was in no man’s land in 9th place. Up ahead Norway’s Therese Johaug caught and dropped Finland’s Aino-Kaisa Saarinen to take over the race lead as Germany’s Nicole Fessel caught her French rival, Celia Aymonier, to take over third as Russia I and Norway II  remained in contention with Randall trying in vein to make up ground.

“It was pretty weird to be racing so late in the day.  The sun was out when we arrived at the venue but by race time the clouds had rolled over and the light was super flat, making it hard to see the tracks,” Randall told Trax by email. “The track was more glazed than yesterday which made it another slightly tricky waxing day.  I was very careful with my ski selection today, making sure I had good kick but hoping to avoid the icing from yesterday. My skis ended up being pretty good.

“Holly had some tough luck getting caught up in a fall right after the start and so we came into leg 2 some time behind.  I did my best to try and pull back time to Sweden, Italy and Russia that were just ahead but I basically felt like I was skiing alone.  My body was feeling a little flat already on the first lap and unfortunately I was not able to make up any ground.  I think everyone on our team felt a little bit flat and tired today,” she added.

For the third leg Liz Stephen took over and continued to push hoping to make up ground but it was academic for the USA and many teams. Meanwhile the race for first was getting interesting as Norway’s Kristin Stoermer Steira was chased down and passed by Finland’s Riitta-Liisa Roponen.

“Today didn’t go the way we wanted, but they can’t all be amazing ones and we’ve had a fair share of great ones so far this year already and are hoping for more in the coming month,” shared Stephen. “I am really proud of the effort we put forward today, even though we were behind early on, we all fought as hard as possible and that is something good to take away from today.

“We also all supported each other as much as we do when things are going great and our entire boys team, Sadie and Ida and all our staff were out there cheering their faces off and that was incredible. We have a rad team. Now off to Les Saisies for a week of training before Sochi,” continued the Vermont skier.

As the last leg approached Steira rebounded on the final climb to take over the lead but Roponen was not done yet passing the Norwegian just before the final tag to her teammate Kerttu Niskanen, who quickly had Marit Bjoergen right behind her.

The cat-and-mouse game began but the outcome was foretold as Bjoergen bided her time attacking on the first climb on the second lap and her young rival could not respond – yet silver was a worthy celebration for the Finnish team. Behind Norway II’s Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen pulled away from France and Sweden to claim the final podium spot.

As noted yesterday the Canadian women were not on the start line as finding a fourth skier was a challenge given the volume of travel involved as all candidates are preparing for the 2013 Nordic Worlds Trials soon up. When dust settled it was time to look ahead to the Sochi World Cup this coming weekend and a chance for an Olympic preview.

“While many teams are heading back to their respective countries for their National Championship races, the US team will head over the mountains to the 1992 Olympic cross-country venue in Les Saisies. We hear the training conditions are great and this should give us a good chance to put in some altitude training before we head to Sochi,” commented Randall. “We hear that many of the top-ranked skiers are not going to Sochi so we are looking forward to the advantage of getting to know the Olympic race trails and getting prepared for just over a year from now.”

Full results HERE.

January 20, 2013 (Antholz-Anterselva ITA) – Good snow conditions and a light wind greeted the best biathletes in the world on Sunday in Antholz, Italy for the men’s 4×7.5 km and Women’s 4x6km Relays.

When the dust settled on the women’s side it was Germany that came away victorious with a time of 1:13:02.1 with Russia claiming second in 1:13:19.5 with France rounding out the podium in third with a time of 1:13:43.0.

Team USA posted a season-best 10th place finish with a time of 1:17:45.2. The squad included Annelies Cook, Susan Dunklee, Sara Studebaker, and Hannah Dreissigacker.  Studebaker led with an outstanding performance, shooting 10 for 10 on the range and skiing strong.

“Today was a solid day for me,” said Studebaker. “I was really happy to end the trimester on a good note. I had some good people to ski around and it definitely felt nice to shoot so well. I think today was really indicative of our team’s potential – we had our best team result of the year with some less-than-perfect legs, so we’re all excited to see what we can do when we all put together good days. It definitely gives us momentum going into World Champs!”

The Canada’s women’s relay team placed just behind the Americans in 11th position. The foursome of Zina Kocher, Rosanna Crawford, Megan Heinicke, and Audrey Vaillancourt clocked a time of 1:18:24.8.

“Today was another sub-par relay for us. We know we have lots of potential, but to have all four of us have a good race on the same day has been tough,” said Rosanna Crawford.  “This range seems to be proving trouble for a lot of the athletes. It may be the altitude. Personally I’m not feeling so good on my skis right now, but hoping to find that speed again before World Championships roll around.”

Kocher agrees that the altitude plays a factor. “Antholz can be a tricky world cup with the altitude, affecting both the skiing and shooting. And it definitely was a factor for all of us today,” Kocher told SkiTrax. “Our rookie Audrey, had a solid clean day on the range (no spares) but then I did not follow her lead – as I had two penalty laps in prone. The wind can be difficult here, and I made a technical error, not correcting enough to the left into the wind. Still of my shots felt great, and they were – all but two.”

In the Men’s Relay it was France that proved to be the strongest winning with a time of 1:13:26.0 with Russia in second at 1:13:36.1, while Austria snagged the bronze with a time of 1:14:44.5.  Team USA comprised of Lowell Bailey, Tim Burke, Russell Currier, and Leif Nordgren finished 12th with a time of 1:16:47.3 (0+4+2+9). Bailey had a great lead off leg and tagged off in 6th place, but Currier also had a very impressive leg, using two extra rounds in prone and cleaned the targets during the standing session in just five shots.

“The race was up and down today,” said Bailey in a team release. “I felt good on the skis and the race was going well until standing when I missed three with my clip. You never want to give yourself three shots to hit the last three targets but that was the case today. I was able to hit all of the remaining targets and get out on the course within contact of the leaders. I was happy with the last lap and felt strong through the finish.”

Canada’s men’s squad of Scott Gow, Nathan Smith, Jean-Philippe Le Guellec, and Scott Perras, struggled today and finished 16th clocking a time of 1:19:08.6. Athletes now turn their attention away from the World Cup series to the World Champions in Nove Mesto, CZE that opens with the mixed relay on February 7th.

Women’s Relay results here:

Men’s Relay results here:

January 20, 2013 (Seefeld, Austria) – Taylor Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO) brought another podium to the Fletcher family trophy case, finishing third in the Seefeld FIS Nordic Combined World Cup for his first career top three. Fletcher moved up from 21st after the jump methodically picking his way through the field to come within 2.9 seconds of winner Eric Frenzel of Germany.

Brother Bryan, who won his first World Cup a year ago, was 24th. The tour now heads to Klingenthal, Germany before moving to Sochi for the Olympic test events.

“Today was a great day and I am very very excited. Not only did I have my best place in the jumping but also the first podium in the World Cup. I am growing into the sport and becoming a great skier. Now each day I can go on with a bigger heart and push it even more,” said Fletcher. It was the best jumping finish ever for Taylor Fletcher and the fourth time this year he has posted the fastest cross country time.

“Awesome day. Tay was good but that is the level he is at right now. His jumping is getting better and better so he is starting closer to the front. We know if he is within a minute 30 (time back going into cross country) he has a chance,” said Dave Jarrett, Head Nordic Combined Coach. “Brother Bryan was good today too but picked the wrong skis. He is not jumping as well as he has been but skiing is getting better and better.

The World Cup now heads to Klingenthal, Germany next weekend before moving to Sochi for the Olympic test events.

January 20, 2013 (La Clusaz, France) – Norway emerged as the men’s 4×7.5km winner in what became a 4-horse race as Sweden, the Czech Republic and Russia I were in a see-saw battle with Norwegians from about the 16km mark as they separated themselves from the chasers. With less than a second separating the top three teams during the final charge to the line, Sjur Roethe (NOR) bested Sweden’s Marcus Hellner for the gold while Czech anchor, Martin Jaks, delivered the bronze for his team.

US fans were ecstatic during the first two classic legs as Andy Newell skied a super strong and smooth lead-off leg handing off to Noah Hoffman in 4th. The Hoff went to work dancing between second and third until the 12.5km mark when suddenly he dropped from 4th to 9th and was trailing the leaders by 23s. We found out later that a double dose of bad luck him as first he was involved in an unfortunate crash and then he broke a pole setting him further back.

“I was stoked with how today’s race went for me. Conditions were beautiful and sunny, because the sun was so strong and beating down on the track waxing conditions weren’t super easy but it looked like most people got it done well,” Newell told Trax post-race. “It was hard wax conditions but sticky hard wax. we had excellent skis again today. I felt like I recovered well from yesterday and was able to push hard again today. I really enjoy scrambling the first leg and skiing in the pack.

“I never tried to go to the front and push the pace but felt extremely comfortable again today skiing with the leaders. Going into the last few hills I was still feeling fresh enough to come to the front and tag Hoff in 4th so I’m excited with the way my distance skiing is going,” he continued. “I’m not sure what has gotten into me but this past weekend my fitness has been feeling great. It feels like I have absorbed all the hard efforts of the Tour well and have come out in better shape. That was kind of the goal of the season so I am excited with the way things are progressing.”

We spoke with US Women’s coach Matt Whitcomb who was really pleased with Newell’s performance and filled us in on Hoffman’s dilemma. “This was probably Andy’s best performance in a distance or relay race – he just couldn’t be dropped. Noah was looking great as well but ended up getting into a bit of a crash. His shoulder was ok but he couldn’t catch back on and then broke a pole at the top of one of the climbs – two strokes of bad luck on one lap. Overall we’re happy with the way everyone has performed, the team’s spirit and we’re up one spot over last year .”

Following Hoffman’s tag Tad Elliott was at 50s behind the leaders and skied mostly on his own as Italy and France made up ground. They caught him and he was bumped to 10th and then 11th by the time he handed off to Simi Hamilton who kept pace with Italy and France just ahead of him. When Finland in 8th ran into problems soon after the final exchange all chasing teams moved up a spot and Hamilton carried the US squad in for a 1oth-place finish – one spot better than last year in Sjusjoen, Norway (4x10km).

“First off a big up to Andy Newell and Noah Hoffman. Newell skied like a boss today. So did Noah. He was leading the pack on his leg and when the Russian, who attacked the group, came into Noah the only place for him to go was down. My Salomon skis were really fast. I’m still a bit off form but it’s fine as I want to be fast in one month at Worlds,” said Elliott.

Hamilton who is just getting over the flu was happy with his effort and echoed Elliott’s praise of the team’s efforts. “Today went well. Our guys skied well. Unfortunately, we were set back a bit with Hoff’s crash, but I think that each one of us skied a race today that we can hang our hats on, especially Newell. It was a tough for me coming off the flu but it felt good to go hard again and I’m excited for the races ahead.”

Russia I was in front as the leaders began the final leg but when they surge began to the finish line it was Norway’s Roethe that seemed to have the upper hand, yet Hellner, Jaks and Russia I’s Ilia Chernousov were all in contention. In the final kick to the line it was Chernousov that faltered slightly while Roethe claimed the win for Norway with Hellner a mere 0.5s back and Jak at 0.8s with Russia 9.3s behind.

Missing in action today were the Canadians as Devon Kershaw is still rebounding from food poisoning. They also had a tough day yesterday in the men’s 15km CL as they were one of the unlucky teams to choose hard wax in the end instead of hairies. But Harvey told us that the relay was not in the cards regardless of Kersh’s illness.

“It’s too bad Devon is not well but we weren’t planning to compete in the relay here since the beginning of the year as we build up to the Worlds,” commented Harvey [last year the Canucks didn’t finish the relay in Norway due to a lost ski and a broken pole and didn’t field a team at Nova Mesto].

“We’re putting in some volume as we prepare for the Worlds and it seems others are doing the same like we saw Poltoranen this morning during our training ski. As for yesterday we felt good with our hard wax decision but it turned out that we had no kick. Ivan [Babikov] said he was doing ok for 2-3 laps and for me it was hard almost from the start and things just got worse and worse for both of us.”

Both teams will now prepare for the Olympic preview WCup next weekend in Sochi but as Harvey pointed out the course won’t be exactly the same as at the Games… “We’ve only seen the course via a GoPro video but we heard that next weekend’s circuit is missing a section, perhaps a ploy by the Russians for a bit of home snow advantage.”

Full results HERE.

January 19, 2013 (La Clusaz, France) – In a nailbiter of a finish a final attack by Russia’s Alexander Bessmertnykh on the inside up the final climb before the finish took everyone by surprise except for Alexey Poltoranin (KAZ) who had his own designs on how the men’s 15km CL mass start race was going to play out.

As Bessmertnykh surged ahead into the finishing lanes on the outside track, having dispensed with Dario Cologna (SUI), Alexander Legkov (RUS) and Norway’s Didrik Toenseth, who also surprised the field with a late-race push, the wily Poltoranin took the inside lane and blasted to the line lunging for the win by 1/4 of a ski length ahead of Bessmertnykh. Cologna grabbed third as the pack flew in behind.

The big story for the North Americans was known sprinter Andy Newell (USA) landing in the points in 28th and leading both the USA and Canadian fields. His teammate Noah Hoffman started strong and was as high as 16th at one point but fell back and didn’t recover finishing 68th. Tad Elliott placed 69th.

Likewise the Canadians were not on form as Ivan Babikov finished 38th and Alex Harvey was 42nd with Len Valjas in 50th. Babikov and Harvey looked poised to do something but when the pace picked up at the halfway point they were not in the game. According to head coach Justin Wadsworth the men went on hard wax and the track glazed over – “…us and Finland both got caught out.”

Devon Kershaw did not start and has been sick recently following the Tour de Ski and perhaps decided to rest up for Sunday’s relay… “Devon got food poisoning, and is still in rough shape so no relay,” added Wadsworth.

Full results HERE.

January 19, 2013 (Sapporo, Japan) – Mark today as an important one in the fortunes of U.S.A. ski jumper Peter Frenette, as he scored World Cup points to place 25th in a top-notch World Cup field today in this city that hosted the 192 Olympic Winter Games. Frenette of Saranac Lake, NY had a pair of jumps of 118.5 meters to take his best finish this season on the international level.

Taking his first-ever World Cup win was Jan Matura (Czech Republic), who at 32, has labored long and hard for this moment, his previous best was a 4th here in Sapporo in the 2011 season. Matura, a native of Liberac, jumped 132 and 135 meters to take this satisfying moment. “It’s a dream come true. I always wanted to win a World Cup, it happened today and I am really happy”, he told the FIS.

Norwegian Tom Hilde took second with leaps of 136 and 139 meters, while third place went to Robert Kranjec (SLO), who jumped to 137 and 130.5 meters. The top athlete from Japan was Daiki Ito, who was sixth on the Okurayama Jump.

Neither of Austria’s top stars, Thomas Morgenstern or Gregor Schlierenzauer traveled to the tournament here, getting ready at home for ski flying next week in Vikersund, Norway. Wolfgang Loitzel was their top man finishing 18th. Schlierenzauer remains the overall FIS World Cup leader with 840 points.

It was a really positive day for 2010 U.S.A. Olympian Frenette said coach Clint Jones in an interview….”Pete has shown some solid and consistent jumps so far this weekend. His first jump wasn’t his best, but it was enough to make it into the second round. His second jump was a little better and it moved him up to a solid 25th place, his best result of the winter. Spirits are high with this result, the potential is there.”

American Anders Johnson (Park City, UT) finished 41st with a jump of 109.5 meters. The competition continues Sunday…

Full results HERE.

January 19, 2013 (La Clusaz, France) – Norway’s Marit Bjoergen bided her time staying with the lead group of five that compacted to three with 2km to go as she battled with long-time rival Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) and teammate Therese Johaug (NOR) for top honours in the women’s 10km CL in La Clusaz, France.

Kowalczyk struck at the 7.8km mark but Bjoergen, who has missed four World Cup weekends since the Kuusamo mini-tour including the Tour de Ski due to heart rhythm abnormalities, is clearly on form as she charged to victory over Johaug in second as Kowalczyk cracked near the end grabbing third at 18s behind. It wasn’t the birthday present Kowalczyk was hoping for as Bjoergen earned her 58th World Cup victory.

For US fans it was a mixed bag emotions as Liz Stephen powered to a solid 15th place finish leading four skiers into the points including Jessie Diggins in 24th, Sadie Bjornsen in 28th and Ida Sargent in 29th. But missing on that points list was the team’s top gun, Kikkan Randall, who had a sluggish second half dropping from 18th to 32nd at the finish…

“The conditions were surprisingly tricky and variable. Ski testing before the race went relatively smooth and I headed to the start feeling pretty confident about my skis.  First lap they worked great, 2nd lap was a little bit of icing and then 3rd lap was a big battle. With 3km to go my skis were icing badly.  I crashed once and had to stop once to slid my skis across each other to clear the snow,” Randall told Trax post-race. So how’s her form after the grueling Tour de Ski and her break…

” I believe my form is still quite good. I didn’t feel 100% today but I felt decent. I think my rest period post-Tour was good and this weekend will be a good training component for the buildup to World Championships in the next few weeks,” she confided.

Meanwhile Canada’s Dasha Gaiazova put in a solid run for 27th. While she’s focusing on sprinting this year she’ll be a force to be reckoned with when and if she decides to revisit her distance skiing with the same passion. Perianne Jones finished 38th and Chandra Crawford was a surprising DNF.

“It was very tricky conditions around zero degrees – today the wax was really important and I’m glad I took the extra time with our technicians to find something that I was really happy with and my skis were great while others were not,” said Gaiazova in an interview with Trax. “It’s a pretty boring course through open fields, no exciting sections, more of a working course. I was able to pass people on the downhills and while I’m focused more on sprinting it’s always good to try and score points for the team.”

According to head coach Justin Wadsworth Crawford just didn’t have it today. “Chandra’s ok… just tired from what I gather and was not sure if she should race anyway. Sometimes you have to warm up and start to see what is really up. Today it wasn’t there, but she and the rest of the team will be back.”

The revelation of today’s competition was the strong performance by both Japan’s Masako Ishida and Heidi Weng (NOR) who made it a race of 5 leaders up until the 7km mark when the pace increased and Weng was dropped. Ishida was able to hang in until the 8km mark but she too succumbed to the onslaught of the world’s best xc skiers and ended up battling Kowalczyk for third, settling for fourth just 0.2s behind the Polish star.

Canada only has three skiers on site and will not be fielding a relay team on Sunday while the US is hoping to make more relay gains – here’s what Randall told us abou the plan for Sunday’s relay. “I haven’t heard for sure but I think we are going to repeat our order from the Gallivare [Sweden] relay. Holly is rested, Liz and Jessie were solid today and I am motivated to ski a strong relay leg for our team.”

Diggins who also had a solid day is excited for the relay. “I was psyched on today, and even more pumped seeing Liz have a great one. It wasn’t a crazy wild start and I think that was the closest I’ve ever stayed to the main pack! I grabbed the wrong poles before the start and ended up with a spare Canadian set. So when the gun went off my heart rate was already in L4! I’m excited (as always!) for our relay tomorrow.”

Full results HERE.

January 18, 2013 (Antholz-Anterselva ITA) – Russia’s Anton Shipulin blazed his way to his 1st World Cup victory of the season Friday in Antholz, shooting clean and clocking a time of 22:45.8.  Second went to Norway’s Emil Hegle Svendsen with a time of 22:58.6 with two penalties and Jakov Fak of Slovenia finished third in a time of 23:06.2 with one penalty.

Shipulin said biathlonworld.com interview, “Antholz is my favorite place. I always look forward to coming here. I had some shooting problems earlier this season, but today I decided to concentrate on this race and my shooting. My sister’s win was good motivation for me.”

American Lowell Bailey raced to a 7th place finish with clean shooting and clocked a time of 23:26.1.  “Today everything came together,” said Bailey in a team release. “I felt good on the track and felt solid and composed in the range. I left a little in the tank for the last lap and I guess that proved pretty important in the end!  Really looking forward to tomorrow!” With today’s performance, Bailey moves into 29th place in the overall World Cup standings.

Fellow Americans Leif Nordgren and Tim Burke placed 40th and 45th respectively.  Canadians Jean Philippe Leguellec, Scott Perras, and Scott Gow were 58th, 60th, and 67th, while Americans Russell Currier and Jay Hakkinen rounded out the North American results in 85th and 94th place. Racing continues Saturday from Antholz-Anterselva with the Women’s 10 km and Men’s 12.5 km Pursuits.

Full results here

January 18, 2013 – We are excited to bring you the first episode of Cross Country Canada’s “Inside Edge” video series. With action, interviews, strategy and much more, Inside Edge gives you unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to our National Ski Team as it takes on the world’s best. In this episode, the team previews the race course and talks strategy for the World Cup sprint events in downtown Quebec City. Thanks to our parters at Twin Zebra Productions. More episodes coming soon!

January 12, 2013 (Ruhpolding, GER) – Canada’s Scott Perras put down the performance of his life finishing 10th in the World Cup Sprint competition on Saturday in Ruhpolding, Germany. The 29-year-old shot clean in his two trips to the range to clock a time of 24:40.5 in the 10km event, 49 seconds behind the winner, Martin Fourcade of France.

Fourcade also shot clean clocking a time of 23:51.5. Russia’s Even Ustyugov delivered clean shooting as well and was second with a time of 24:07.9, while teammate Andrei Makoveev placed 3rd with a time of 24:24.5 and no penalties.

Perras’ previous career-best result was 25th earlier this year in the Hochfilzen Sprint.  “I’ve been close this year, but have never quite put it together,” said Perras. “I worked hard on my shooting over the Christmas holidays. I knew I could do it. I just needed to get out there and get it done. It feels great to do that today.”

The Canadian battled through heavy snow that dumped on the Ruhpolding course to bounce back after one of the most disappointing performances of his career in Thursday’s relay. “The biggest challenge today was to come back and prove to myself that I can still shoot – especially in standing,” Perras continued.

“Getting into the top-10 feels good. I am most happy to get my first chance to race in a mass start tomorrow, but it feels good to have people who I look up too on the circuit come over and congratulate me. It kind of tells me I’ve done something good today.”

The top American of the day was Lowell Bailey who cleaned both stages at the range to take 26th posting a time of 24:59.5 at 1:08 behind of winner Fourcade.

Canada’s Scott Gow also had his career-best finish on the World Cup, with a 29th place shooting clean and posting a time of 25:03.8.  “My expectations were to ski a good race, not rush the shooting, and try to be on pace with the field as much as possible,” said Gow. “I definitely feel like I accomplished that, and am very happy with my overall performance.”

Fellow Canadian Jean-Philippe Le Guellec finished in 41st while Americans Jay Hakkinen, Russell Currier, and Leif Nordgren finished 54th, 80th, 86th respectively. World Cup racing wraps up in Ruhpolding on Sunday with the men’s and women’s Mass Start competitions.

Full results here.

January 10, 2013 – What Is An Alpe Cermis – The final stage of the Tour de Ski involves 5.5km of skiing through the trails at the Val di Fiemme World Championship site and then 4.5km up the alpine slope of Alpe Cermis… click here.

Enough Said!!!!!
Explosions – I can’t say it as fact, but there were more human body lactate explosions in the 9km of the Alpe Cermis than in any other international race that I have experienced. But, don’t get me wrong there were plenty of good explosions also.
Women: Finish Start
Randall 33rd 7th
Stephen 2 22nd
Niskanen 32nd 14th
Kalla 14th 5th
Hugue 15th 36th
Rudakova 17th 52nd
Kylloenen 21st 8th
Men
Babikov 2nd 17th
Clara 3rd 41st
Duvillard 9th 53rd
Hoffman 17th 49th
Cologna 18th 1st
There were a lot more of both the good and the bad, but I think you get the idea – it was a tumultuous lactate day for just about everyone. But, there were some people who started who should have made the decision to forgo the day and the effort – it was obvious for some that the TdS ended the day before.
Legkov – this is all I have to say about him:

Pursuit Race – I still think it sucks.
TdS – The best I’ve seen so far – thought the crowds in a couple of locations were on the low side – the start area in Toblach looked like a white desert on TV – actually my computer. Oberhof wins the ugliest weather site hands down – that’s a given every year. Oh, when you saw the finish area at the end of the Alpe Cermis did you remember the TdS was one race less then last year – you talk about hurting puppies! A total of 97 men started the tour and 65 finished, while 74 women started and 57 of them finished in Sunday’s race
Canadian Men – Are now totally on fire-with the addition of a red hot Babikov and of course the young and the up and coming”Slick” Valjas who was the surprise of the TdS for sure–and he is the slickest skier in the last kilometer of those races he does well in—he has a the way of making something out of nothing.
I said this about Babikov last year:
Babikov – An OK year last year and a not so OK year this year. Is he heading for retirement before his time. We know that he is a talent. He had to finish the 50km in Oslo about mid field in the points to make it to the finals in Falun. This was his post-race comment, “Today I had the worst racing feeling ever, tank is empty, no energy, finished my season earlier this time.”
What is interesting is all the trips home this year and his lack of racing in the latter half of the season. His last race in Europe was on Feb. 18th, which was a DNF in Nove Mesto, CZE and he had one race in Canada that wasn’t anything special. His race in Lahti about 10 days ago was OK and I thought might be a spring board for a more special race in Oslo, but the course (the toughest on the WC circuit) and the conditions caught Ivan out of racing shape. Another case of WC points being lost by the Canadian Team.
I’m guessing you won’t see Ivan’s name in the results for the rest of the season – OOOPs – I could be wrong if there is there is any prize money around!!!
He’s got it right this year—came to Europe early—acclimatized–and has been skiing fantastically every race—out of the points only once—another thing I like about Ivan is he is one hell of a relay racer and gives you everything he’s got for the team. I can’t wait to see these guys roll out the 2013 version of team Canada at La Clusaz in 2 weeks for the relay there.
Liz Stephen – This is what I said about her after the Lake Placid hill climb in September, where she dusted the field by 5 minutes and set a new course record by a minute on a brutally ugly weather day.
A thought I’ve had, is that if this is the Liz Stephen, that’ll be stepping on the start line in Europe and performing like she did Saturday, she is going to be one tough cookie to ski with or beat. Her window of expectations will certainly be changing. I’m looking for a stronger, faster more competitive Liz Stephen this winter.
Way to go Liz, crank it a little harder in those flat races!

Race Organizers – don’t forget when you have free style race you need to have a classic track—-the skier can choose his technique and you are suppose to accommodate them.
Talk To You Next Time!

January 10, 2013 (Sun Valley, Idaho) – 2013 brings another stellar lineup of events for the 4th Annual Sun Valley Nordic Festival running from January 26 – February 3 in NordicTown USA, Sun Valley, Idaho. Again this year, Sun Valley has had the best early winter in the country. With feet of snow on the ground, world-class grooming, 250+ days of sunshine each year and an incredible trail network featuring over 200 km of groomed nordic trails, Nordic Town USA is the place to be this winter.

For nine days in January and February, join skiers and families from around the world for the country’s most exciting nordic gathering. This year’s Festival features the best events yet! Start out the week with Ski the Rails, a skate or classic ski down the former railway turned bike path, followed by the always festive Galena and the Trails Benefit, an Alpine Touring Race up and down Dollar Mountain, Twilight Ski and Dinner at magical Galena Lodge, AXCS National Masters Racing at Sun Valley Nordic to crown the best Masters in the country, Nordic Hall of Fame Inductions, Panel discussion by Nordic Industry bigwigs, the remixed Downtown Jam/NordicTown USA Sprints and Snowbike Competition featuring food, music and party vibe into the night, the always amazing Banff Film Festival, Marley and the Mountains with headliner Pato Banton, then finish it all up with the longest running cross-country race in North America, the renowned Swix Boulder and Half Boulder Mountain Tour.

Racers, non-racers and families will find excitement all throughout the 4th annual Sun Valley Nordic Festival—join us for the sunshine, skiing and nordic spirit in NordicTown USA! For a complete listing and descriptions of the incredible events visit svnordicfestival.com.

Calendar of events HERE.

January 09, 2013 (Ruhpolding, GER) – Conditions were ideal for the women’s 4x6km relay at the IBU WCup round #5 in Ruhpolding which featured a hard fast track, no wind, mild temperatures, and a large and boistrous crowd. Team Norway made up of Fenne, Flatland, Solemdal and Berger took the win with a time of 1:08:13.3 and four spare rounds. The Russian team of  Glazyrina, Vilukhina, Shumilov was second while the Czech Republic (Vitkova, Soukalova, Cerna and Zvaricova) took third with a time of 1:10:05 (0+3+0+4).

The US Biathlon team of Cook, Dunklee, Studebaker, & Barnes finished 13th with a time of 1:12:42.4 (0+3+0+5) at 4:29.2 back from the Norwegians.

“I was really happy with the women’s shooting today,” said US Biathlon Women’s Coach Jonne Kähkönen in a team release. “Annelies on the first leg had a strong performance, staying relaxed even with a broken pole after the first couple of hundred meters.

“Also a positive signal was Susan’s performance coming back from sickness. This was a good confirmation that the women are on track towards the World Championships, and I’m looking forward to a good team performance in the sprint on Friday.”

The Canadian team of Crawford, Kocher, Vaillancourt, and Heinicke finished just behind the Americans in 14th place, with a time of 1:12:59.4 (0+3 +0+6).  Crawford sees room for improvement for the team as she noted on her Facebook page “…racing at 6:15pm makes for a late bedtime! Rocking fast course today, 14th place, nothing special but we’ll keep working at it!”.

The IBU World Cup continues in Ruhpolding on Thursday with the men’s 4×7.5km relay.

Full results HERE.

January 08, 2013 (Midway, UT) – Warmer temperatures created a lightning fast 1.3km FR sprint course on the final day of the US National Cross Country Championships resulting in some extremely tight battles. The sprint course featured a long gradual climb out of the stadium with a rolling hill at the halfway point, and a steep, punchy climb before descending back into the stadium. The final downhill is infamous for its ability to suck a leader back into the group, so most of the heats featured dramatic, tight finishes.

Defending champ for the last two seasons, Torin Koos (Bridger Ski Foundation), stumbled in the men’s quarterfinals and failed to advance, opening the door for a new champion to take the top spot. After taking the second step on the podium at the 2012 National Championships in Rumford, ME, last year, an ecstatic Dakota Blackhorse-Von Jess (Bend Endurance Academy) scored a career-first title edging out Erik Bjornsen (APU/USST) at the finish to take the sprint crown. Alex Howe (Craftbury Green Racing Project) was just behind in third to round out the podium.

On the women’s side, Sadie Bjornsen (APU/USST) nipped Sophie Caldwell (SMS T2) at the line to win her second national title of the week in a photo-finish lunge that temporarily silenced the finish area, leaving those watching unsure of the eventual champion. Jennie Bender (CXC) took control of the middle lane between Bjornsen and Caldwell, to take third.

Summarizing his success, Blackhorse-Von Jess told SkiTrax, “Today everything came together. I finally got to rely on the fitness I’ve developed over the years. In the past, I have totally relied on my speed… and that hasn’t always been enough.”

He added that while the course seemed to favor the distance skiers – as was apparent in the qualification results – he was able to ski the smartest race tactically, which was essential to the win. Blackhorse-Von Jess hopes to represent the USA at the 2013 Nordic World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy in late Feb. While the naming of the final team remains uncertain, strong results at the SuperTour in the Midwest could land him a spot on the squad.

Erik Bjornsen was also happy with his sprint performance. “Before this week I had never had a podium at Nationals. So, to feel like I was gunning for every race and had a chance was really fun and exciting. I’m super happy to come out with a National title and two silvers.” Bjornsen takes off for the Czech Republic on Jan.9, and will only have one day of rest before the Liberec World Cup sprints start this coming weekend.

It was a great weekend for the Bjornsens as his sister Sadie took home her second gold. “It was a good drag race right to the end,” she commented post-race. “All of us were exhausted after a long week of racing, so it was a good test to our heads and our hearts to go for the line today. It was good that Caitlin (Gregg) took it out hard, and it was a true race all the way till the end.”

Qualifications HERE.
Final Heats HERE.

Men’s Photos

Women’s Photos

January 07, 2013 – US Biathlete Tim Burke celebrated his first World Cup podium this season in Pokljuka, Slovenia, with a third-place finish in the men’s 15km mass start – his first podium since his incredible 2009-10 campaign when he scored three podiums and became the first American to wear the World Cup leader’s bib.

Just prior to the start of the second half of the E.ON World Cup Biathlon season in Oberhof, Germany this past weekend, SkiTrax touched base with American Tim Burke to get his thoughts on the initial World Cups, what he was up to over the holiday break, his thoughts on his recent WCup podium, and what he expects for the upcoming World Championships.

How satisfied are you with your performance for the 1st third of the season? Has your skiing been what you expected, and how well you’ve been shooting?
Tim Burke: I was very pleased with my results from the first world cup period, especially considering that I did not feel 100% for most of the period. I expected to feel better on the skis during the first period but after struggling a bit with my health at the start of the season, I was forced to more or less race into shape. The biggest difference with my results during the first world cups was that I was much more consistent on the shooting range. This was something that I have worked very hard on and I hope to continue this for the remainder of the season.

You podiumed in the 15km mass start WCup race in Pokljuka, Slovenia reminiscent of your 2009/10 season. How did it feel and how important is it for your confidence going forward ?
TB: I think the most important thing about my podium in Pokljuka was what it did for my shooting confidence.  I never had any doubt that my skiing was strong enough to get back to the podium over the last few seasons but I struggled a lot on the shooting range.  Coming through under pressure like in Pokljuka is absolutely the best shooting training that I could have.  I hope to carry this confidence through the rest of the season.

What have you been up to since round three in Pokljuka, Slovenia?
TB: I went back to Lake Placid for the holidays. This was my last chance to go home before the end of the season, so it was important for me to see my family and friends and also to get a little mental break. Unfortunately, the snow was not so good at home so I had to spend a lot of time roller skiing on the treadmill. Of course this gets a little boring but I was able to get in some good training.

What are your expectations heading into the World Championships in Nove Mesto, CZE from Feb. 7-17?
TB: I am very excited about the Nove Mesto World Champs. I feel that this course suits me well and I will put a big focus  on these Championships even if that means training through some of the other World Cups.

Good luck in the rest of your season.
TB: Thanks.

January 07, 2013 (Thunder Bay, ON) – It’s been a busy day of racing for Canadian skiers on both sides of the Atlantic as the World Cup team hopped on the podium in Europe, and the next generation of Canadian skiers looked to make their mark, and bid for selection to the various, upcoming World Championship teams.

The final day of Haywood NorAm racing took place at Lappe Ski Centre near Thunder Bay and it was a chilly but sunny -13 deg. C. for racing, as the racers hit the trails in the individual skate events.

It was the final opportunity for racers to stake their claim for placement on the Junior and U23 World Championship teams and local club member Michael Somppi set the pace in the men’s 15k with a 25 second victory over Russell Kennedy of Canmore.  For Kennedy, today’s performance should be good for selection to the U23 team on the basis of the top, place eligible finish in a trials event. Third place went to another local skier, Chris Hamilton from Big Thunder a second ahead of Whitehorse’s Graham Nishikawa.

For Lappe skier Somppi it was his first NorAm win.to add to his five podiums, including a 3rd place finish at Lappe in 2012. “I am enjoying the moment right now, I had a lot of desire to have my first NorAm win in Thunder Bay. I was pretty frustrated that I had raced well in the first 2 races but didn’t make the podium. I was really happy I could push through and get the win today.”

In the junior competition, Raphael Couturier picked up his 2nd win of the trials. Couturier of Skibec had made the 2012 World Junior team but had been unable to race due to naturally high haemoglobin levels that exceeded the permitted values at that event.

Colin Ferrie of Kimberley was the race leader for much of the race. Couturier stretched it out on the last lap to win by over 20 seconds ahead of Black Jack’s David Palmer. Zeke Williams of Nakkertok made it 3 trips to the podium in 3 days, with the bronze,  just a second ahead of Team Hardwood’s Scott Hill.

For Raphael it has been a great series of competitions, ” I am really excited about my races here, I’ve done very well. I am also really excited for the World Juniors and hopefully I can get a top 10 which is my main goal for this year.”

The women’s skate race saw Emily Nishikawa of Whitehorse cruise to her 11th NorAm victory in the 10k skate event.  Emily won by a 37 second margin over junior Cendrine Browne of Fondeurs-Laurentides. The win, and her 34th place finish as the top Canadian in the Canmore World Cup skiathlon, confirms Emily is one of Canada’s top distance skiing talents and has a good chance of making the team for the Worlds in Val di Fiemme.

The junior win for Browne should gain her selection to the World Junior championship team, as she adds a gold medal to go with her bronze from Thursday’s skiathlon.

3rd overall was Zoe Roy of Rocky Mountain, followed 4 seconds later by Kanata’s Kate Brennan. Annika Hicks of Canmore was 5th, the top U23 skier and a likely team member for the U23 squad heading to the Worlds in Liberec.

The junior podium was completed by Frederique Vezina of Mont Ste. Anne in 8th and Katherine Stewart-Jones from Nakkertok in 12th overall.

Full Results.

January 06, 2013 (Midway, UT) – Instead of a foggy morning, skiers were greeted on Day 3 of the U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships at Soldier Hollow with high clouds and temperatures in the positive single digits (Fahrenheit). The sun made brief appearances, yet stayed mostly behind the clouds to the relief of the waxing teams.

The 20/30km CL mass starts with 100+ starters saw many broken poles as the skiers climbed out of the stadium and up to the hollow. Then the final steep ramp out of the top of the hollow was the scene of herringbone-hell while the crowded lane saw skiers stepped on as some fell and bloodied each other’s faces while emerging from the pile.

Although Matt Liebsch (Borton Volvo XC United) led out of the stadium, it was Matt Gelso (SVSEF) who forced the pace trading the lead with Sylvan Ellefson until Ellefson took a fall at the bottom of Hermod’s. Gelso continued leading the front pack of eighteen men that gradually took its toll dropping to ten.

On the last climb up Hermod’s Hill, Torin Koos (Bridger Ski Foundation / Rossi) put the hurt on the younger skiers to create the gap that he rode easily to victory telling SkiTrax he was holding back for a double pole dual down the stadium straight-away that never developed. It was the Wenatchee, WA skier’s eighth career U.S. title and second of the week at the U.S. Cross Country Championships at Soldier Hollow.

“It feels great to win these titles here, they do such a good job on the courses here – they’re world class. It’s always good to get that first one done [classic sprint title on Friday]. This one is maybe even a little more special in that this is the first time that I’ve done a national championship distance race and come across the line first. It’s like a new experience,” said Koos at the finish.

“I put in a huge move with about 500 meters to go and tried to blow up the race. It’s an amazing feeling to come down the finish line and realize I’m going to do it.”

APU’s Erik Bjornsen from Winthrop, WA, claimed the silver to go with his first US title in the 15km freestyle race won on Friday, while David Norris (Montana State Univ.) who hails from Fairbanks, AK, took home the bronze.

Logan Hanneman (University of Alaska Fairbanks) took the Junior Men’s 10km CL race over Kyle Bratrud (Northern Michigan University) in second with Utah’s Tucker McCrerey in third.

The women’s front pack pulled out to an early lead of eight skiers including three APU veterans. The pack held together for the first laps through the stadium. SuperTour leader, Sadie Bjornsen, told SkiTrax that on the final climb under the bridge she gave a false push to test the other skiers, especially Sophie Caldwell (Stratton Mt-SMST2) who held on “barely” according to Bjornsen.

Climbing over Hermod’s, Bjornsen attacked again with the real push where she opened up a gap on Caldwell and Kate Fitzgerald (APU), providing an easy ski down the final straight-away for the APU skier. Her second career U.S. title, it was her first gold of the week after a pair of silvers.

“I have been looking forward to trying to get a win this week so I’m happy to get to stand on the top. I knew the key was to go out there and relax and go for it when I could,” commented the winner. “On the sprint hill I tried to surge and break her [Caldwell’s] legs a little bit and I looked and she was still with me and so going up the hill I just gave it my all and I could hear that the gap was growing bigger. From there I just hammered the rest of the way home. Going up the final climb I lost her.”

She added that both she and her brother Erik are quite competitive and currently feel even – each with a first and second place at this year’s Championships.

Katharine Ogden (Stratton Mt School) nipped Dartmouth’s Mary O’ Connell by 0.6s in the Junior Women’s 5km CL race with Heather Mooney (Middlebury College) on the podium in third.

Full results HERE.
Junior results HERE.

January 05, 2013 (Val di Fiemme, Italy) – It was a great day for the Canucks on Stage 6 at the Tour de Ski in Val di Fiemme, Italy, in the men’s 15km CL on the same course that’s part of the 2013 Nordic Worlds Championships next month. Len Valjas raced to second and Alex Harvey was third behind winner Alexey Poltoranin (KAZ) who took his second stage victory. But Harvey is not racing on the final stage up Alpe Cermis because of his leg that was operated on in 2008… Head Coach Justin Wadsworth explains why.

Team Canada
http://skitrax.com/audio/CanConf_Stage 6TDS.mp3

Legkov was destined to take over the leader’s bib but his infraction cost him plenty as Cologna is now in the driver’s seat for Sunday’s final stage up Alpe Cermis. A tragic accident on Jan. 4 claimed the lives of six Russians holidaying there and organizers cancelled planned side events to respect the memory of the victims.

Results HERE
Overall Men’s Standings HERE

January 05, 2013 (Val di Fiemme, Italy) – Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) is clearly in charge and will win her fourth Tour de Ski tomorrow barring any unexpected problems as she soloed in yet again for the victory in the women’s 10km CL with Norway’s Kristin Stoermer Steira besting her teammate Therese Johaug for second. The wheels came off for Charlotte Kalla (SWE) as she struggled with tough wax conditions and dropped from second overall to fifth.

The US camp continued with solid skiing placing three in the top 30 as Kikkan Randall was a strong 11th followed by Jessie Diggins in 25th, Liz Stephen in 29th and Holly Brooks in 47th. Randall sits 7th overall which augurs well as she was 10th last year with the final stage up Alp Cermis tomorrow.

“Today’s race was solid. My energy was good and I felt like I skied a steady pace the whole race, with good energy still left in the final km,” said Randall. “Skis were kicking great up the climbs but may have been a little slow on the downhills and flats and that took some extra energy to move through the pack.”

Diggins at her first TdS was surprised at her energy levels following six stages at the Tour. “I actually thought I’d be even more tired than I am now, after imagining skiing so many races in a row,” Diggins told Trax. “But I think our team has held up well and been smart about recovery and getting ready for the next race as soon as possible!

“It’s been amazing doing the tour with Kik, Liz and Holly, and I’m so grateful to them for sharing what they know so that I don’t have to ski my first Tour without a knowing how it works. It’s been a fun run for sure and it’s going to feel even better once we’ve finished!”

Finishing in 29th Stephen wanted more with one stage to go. “I am feeling so much better today than I was the last two days, though the result today was not what I was hoping for.  I had a bit of a frustrating day out there with very great grip on the uphills but was a bit slow on the downhills, so struggled to hold a good position.

“I also had a pretty bad start, so was trying to make up time, but was having trouble finding any spots where I was able to pass people.  However, that said, the body is showing back up, so that is a good sign for tomorrow and it is important to have a body that is feeling good for these courses in Val di Fiemme, as they are relentless. The plan for tomorrow is to leave it all out there. I just want to get fired up and go ski my ass off up the hill and see what happens.”

The final gruelling climb up Alp Cermis is all that’s left – and what’s Randall’s plan? “I’ve got some really strong skiers just ahead of me and it will be really important to try and latch on to them before we hit the climb. The final stage hasn’t been my strongest in the past but I’m hoping with my stronger skate legs this year, I can improve my stamina in the 2nd half of the climb and fight for some positions deeper into the top 10!”

Results HERE.
Overall standings after Stage 6 HERE.

January 04, 2013 (Midway, UT) – APU was on fire on Day 2 at the 2013 U.S. XC Ski Championships as SuperTour leader Eric Bjornsen and double-podium skier, Rosie Brennan, took the wins in the 10/15km FR Individual Start races at Soldier Hollow on January 4th as they both earned their first national titles. The women’s podium paid tribute to Erik Flora’s renowned APU program with Sadie Bjornsen in second and Kate Fitzgerald in third.

For the men it was 2011 American Birkie winner, Tad Elliott, winning the silver at 6s followed by Sun Valley’s Matt Gelso taking home the bronze another 9s behind Elliott.

“I’m still a little bit in shock. I can’t believe I just won nationals. It’s so amazing. My race was unbelievable. I’ve never been top 10 in a distance race at nationals so to win it was pretty crazy,” said Erik Bjornsen. “I went out hard and caught some fast dudes and worked with [Matt] Gelso, who was third today. He kind of pulled me for a lot of it. I was kind of dying the second lap and then the last lap I pulled a couple times for Gelso and just felt like we were hammering that last lap. Coming down the last hill I was just thinking “don’t fall! Don’t lose it!” because my legs we so filled with lactate. Then I just hammered into the finish and I couldn’t believe it. I was just so excited.”

Friday’s conditions nearly repeated Wednesday’s cold fog with blue sky burning through before race start. Cold mountain air overnight of -12F made for a very hard and fast track as it warmed at start time. The women’s 10k, two laps of a modified Olympic 5k course, started with a long climb through the hollow followed by flats up at the FIS legal elevation limit of the Soldier Hollow course.

The hairpin turn from the sprint course led to Hermod’s Hill, the steep and infamous climb almost regaining the top of the course. Hermod’s climb leads directly to a fast descent and a turn to the stadium from the opposite direction of the sprint course’s led to the stadium run. The men’s 15km climbed the hills and through the stadium three times.

Brennan, originally from Park City, Utah, established herself among the top tier of eastern collegiate racers while at Dartmouth with regular podium finishes. “So far my time here has been fabulous. I have already exceeded my expectations so I’m just hoping that it will keep going that way! This course has great up hills and that plays to my strengths,” said a smiling Brennan post-race.

“The flatter sections here are my challenge but I was able to work with some teammates to work through the flats. It’s great to be back home and have my friends and family able to watch. I’ve been off for the past year’s cross country ski racing and nobody really knows what it is, so it’s great for them to finally have been able to come out and see it.”

Bjornsen tightened his grip on the men’s overall in the SuperTour series as the Alaskan skier won by a solid 6s over his next rival. His sister Sadie leads the women’s series.

Live results women HERE.
Live results men HERE.
Full results HERE.

Women’s Photos

Men’s Photos

January 04, 2013 (Oberhof, Germany) – Team USA capped an exciting Relay today with a fifth place finish posting a time of 1:22:20.3 (0+8 0+3) in Oberhof, tying their best World Cup Relay finish in the post Soviet or modern-biathlon era. Amid fog, wind and rain, Team USA’s men (Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, NY), Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, NY), Russell Currier (Stockholm, ME), and Leif Nordgren (Marine, MN)) remained in podium contention throughout the entire race, leading with a 2nd place position after Burke’s second leg.

Russia (Volkov, Garanichev, Shipulin, Malyshko) won today’s Relay with a time of 1:20:35.7 (0+5  0+7), edging Norway (L’Abee-Lund, Bjoerndalen, Bjoentegaard, Svendsen), who led through the final leg, in second posting 1:20:44.1 (0+1+ 1+7). Germany (Schempp, Lesser, Peiffer, Graf) took third with a time of 1:21:15.0 (1+8+0+1).

Bailey raced the first leg for Team USA, cleaning both stages in prone, and 4 extras needed in standing. Bailey tagged to Burke in seventh, just 12 seconds out of second place. With strong skiing, shooting clean with one extra round (0+0,0+1), and an amazing sprint to pass Germany just before the tag, Burke propelled Team USA to second place following the second leg and tagged to Currier, marking the the first time Currier has taken a tag in podium position.

Currier skied strong to keep in the mix for second with Germany and Ukraine. The challenging weather and course conditions made it tough on the downhills, but Currier left prone with two extra shots and tied for second with Russia. Currier cleaned standing with one extra shot, tagging to Nordgren in fifth place, just 30 seconds back from Norway in the lead. Nordgren kept a solid hold on fifth for Team USA with three extra shots needed in prone, then cleaning his final standing stage and crossing the finish 1:44.6 behind Russia.

“Today was a great day for our team,” said Burke. “I think we all wanted to show that we are much better than our 16th place finish from the last Relay. I was very impressed that Russ and Leif held it together under such pressure, especially in front of 20,000 spectators. I was happy with my race and I think this was a perfect tune up for the weekend.”

“The race for me went OK,” said Nordgren. “I skied pretty much the whole race on my own. In some regards that was kind of nice, it gave me a chance to focus solely on my own race, and as it was the first race back after the break that was a good thing.  I had had some problems in the first trimester, so it was good for me to do my own thing. Otherwise, it was a little bit of a bummer skiing on my own. To be up towards the front on such a big relay but not quite with the group, a little disappointing… but I’m not complaining!”

“It was an exciting race today, everything I expect from the Oberhof World Cup experience,” added Bailey. “The course was really hard and salt-infused in some places and soft and slushy where they didn’t put any salt on it. There was rain, wind, and a decent amount of fog thrown in for good measure. I feel pretty good about my leg. I haven’t been able to train at full capacity as I’m still dealing with a broken toe. The good thing is that I can skate without much pain. I would have liked to hit a few more targets in the first prone, but it seemed like whole field shot poorly that first stage and I was able to exit the range still within contention. Tim did a great job bringing us back up to the top of the field, and Russ and Leif both has solid races to help us to the fifth place. I’m psyched and I know we can improve with this lineup with the relays to come!”

“It was a great day and a great return to the World Cup after Christmas break,” said US Biathlon Head Coach Per Nilsson. “It was a solid team effort, and good to see our team up there fighting against the best nations throughout the race.”

Extended results from today’s  Relay are available here.

January 04, 2013 (Toblach, Italy) – Len Valjas from Toronto led the Canadian men’s team with another great day, placing 11th at Stage 5 of the Tour de Ski, the 5km Classic competition in Toblach. He is now ranked 18th overall. His strong finish comes on the coattails of a recent podium in the free sprint in Val Mustair, Switzerland during his debut year at the Tour.

Alexey Poltoranin (KAZ) was the big winner on the day, taking victory by 8s over Tour leader Petter Northug (NOR), with Dario Cologna (SUI) snagging the third podium spot.

Canada’s Devon Kershaw placed 20th and was bumped down to 16th overall, while teammate Alex Harvey also lost ground, finishing 42nd and falling to 21st overall. Ivan Babikov (CAN) wound up 31st and sits in 23rd in the overall standings after five stages.

The U.S. men’s team was led by Andy Newell in 44th spot, followed by Noah Hoffman in 60th, and Kris Freeman in 61st. Freeman is the highest ranked U.S. men’s skier of the tour in 48th.

Results HERE
Overall Men’s Standings HERE

January 04, 2013 (Oberwiesenthal, Germany) – Canada’s Dasha Gaiazova was on the podium in the 1.2km CL women’s sprint in today’s Alpen Cup event in Oberwiesenthal, Germany, finishing a strong third in the final behind winner Doris Trachsel (SUI) and second place, Alen Prochazkova (SVK). Gaiazova qualified second behind Prochazkova. Perianne Jones (CAN) finished 14th and Chandra Crawford (CAN) was 21st after qualifying 12th and 14th, respectively.

Gianluca Cologna (SUI) won the 1.4km CL men’s competition after a fourth-place qualification. Baptiste Gros (FRA) and Rok Trsan (SLO) finished second and third, respectively.

Qualifications
Women HERE
Men HERE

Final
Women HERE
Men HERE

January 04, 2013 (Oberhof, Germany) – Tough conditions including deep soft snow, rain and fog did not deter the Ukrainian women’s relay team who persevered using five spare rounds to win the women’s 4x6km relay yesterday as round four of the WCup series got underway in Oberhof. France finished second, with four spare rounds and always strong Germany settled for third on home turf suffering two penalties and and eight spare rounds.

The Czech team took control with Poland staying close but Germany looked ready as Miriam Gössner skied well to take the lead only to lose it to the Poles with poor shooting as the Ukraine, Norway and Russia nipped at their heels. By the third leg it was the Ukraine that emerged as the strongest contender.

On the final leg Vita Semerenko shot clean in prone to keep the pressure on as France and Germany battled behind for second and third but they were no match for Ukrainian squad as Semerenko claimed the victory. Marie Dorin Habert anchored well for France shooting clean for cleaned with Germany in third. No Canadian or US teams competed.

“Regardless of our lead, I felt a bit of pressure but I managed to control my nerves and bring a wonderful New Year present to my team,” said Semerenko.

Full results HERE.

January 03, 2013 (Toblach/Cortina, Italy) – The Canadian men were locked out of their magic bus only 15 min before the start of Stage 4, the longest race at the Tour de Ski featuring 15km FR for the women and 35km the men… Alex Harvey explains what happened. Meanwhile Kikkan Randall and Liz Stephen put in a solid day at the office battling for precious seconds.

Harvey/Babikov Team Canada

Kikkan Randall (USA) – 8th Stage 4
Another solid day as we are now halfway through this Tour de Ski. Legs were a little stiff out there, but I was able to get in a good pack and it was fun to actually be able to take some time back on Kowalczyk.

I had hoped to race more with Charlotte Kalla but she was really strong today. The course was bomb-proof and super fast. I had a little fall early in the race when I tripped myself but thankfully it wasn’t at a really crucial point.

Now we go back into classic mode tomorrow. I’m looking forward to another short and fast race. This is when the Tour really starts to get interesting and it’s great to see how team responding to the challenge.

Five down, three to go!!

Elizabeth Stephen (USA) – 19th Stage 4
It was really fun to ski with Anna [Haag] today. We worked together the whole race, trading leads and working together to try and catch some people and close the gap to the top 10, so that was really fun. My body was a bit tired today, but being able to have a good friend to work hard with out there and make up some ground, keep my head in the game even with a tired body, was really good. It really was one of the most fun races I can remember in a while.

I have a goal of finishing the Tour in the top 10, but I still have some work to do ahead of me if I want to make that happen. Alp Cermis is a good place to make up some time and places for sure, but it is the last race, so hopefully I can make up a bit tomorrow or at least Saturday, as well.

January 03, 2013 (Thunder Bay, ON) – It was a family affair at the first Haywood NorAm race of the New Year with Graham and Emily Nishikawa striking gold inthe men’s and women’s skiathlon races on Thursday in Thunder Bay, Ont.

Both skiing out of Whitehorse, Graham Nishikawa, 29, won the men’s 30-kilometre skiathlon with a time of 1:15:51.9, while his 23-year-old sister, Emily, won the women’s 15-kilometre race with a time of 43:50.5.

The men’s skiathlon combines 15 kilometres of classic skiing followed by a skate skiing leg of the same the distance. Athletes enter a transition zone to change equipment between each leg with the clock still running.

Calgary’s 24-year-old Kevin Sandau edged out Graeme Killick, of Fort McMurray, for second spot. Sandau stopped the clock at 1:15:55.6, while Killick grabbed the bronze with a time of 1:15:55.7.

Emily Nishikawa, who posted her career-best World Cup finish prior to the holiday break in Canmore, will wear the Haywood NorAm leaders bib into the weekend with her victory in thewomen’s race. Nishikawa was joined on the women’s podium by Ottawa’s Alana Thomas, who finished in second place at 45:39.7, and Zoe Roy, of Canmore, Alta., who placed third at 45:44.9.

The Canadian Trials for the Under-23 and Junior World Championships are being held in conjunction with the Haywood NorAm Series in Thunder Bay, Ont.

Four Canadians punched their ticket to represent Canada at the World Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic at the end of the month. Two Thunder Bay athletes finished on top in the Under-23 division. Andrea Lee was the top Under-23 athlete in the women’s race with a time of 46:41.0, while Andy Shields was the top male Under-23 finisher at 1:17:13.0.

Two Saint-Ferréol-Les-Neiges ,Que. skiers –  Frederique Vezina and Raphael Couturier – won the junior races. Vezina won the junior women’s 10-kilometre skiathlon with a time of 30:41.5. Couturier captured the junior men’s crown after clocking a time of 52:24.5 in the 20-kilometre skiathlon.

The Haywood NorAms continue in Thunder Bay throughout the weekend.

Top-Five Women
1. Emily Nishikawa, Whitehorse, 43:50.5; 2. Alana Thomas, Ottawa, 45:39.7; 3. Zoe Roy, Canmore,Alta., 45:44.9; 4. Brittany Webster, Caledon, Ont., 46:28.3; 5. Erin Tribe,Thunder Bay, Ont., 46:39.4

Top-Five Men
1. Graham Nishikawa, Whitehorse, 1:15:51.9; 2. Kevin Sandau, Calgary, 1:15:55.6; 3. Graeme Killick, Fort McMurray, Alta., 1:15:55.7; 4. Michael Somppi, Thunder Bay, Ont., 1:15:57.6; 5. Brian McKeever, Canmore, Alta., 1:16:33.0

Complete results here.

January 03, 2013 (Toblach/Cortina, Italy) – The women attacked the 15k freestyle pursuit, stage 4 of the 2012/13 FIS Tour de Ski, after a well-deserved rest day. Ideal conditions met the skiers as three-time TdS champion Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) aimed to defend her lead and her closest chasers fought to gain back precious time.

Kowalczyk started 50.3s ahead of Therese Johaug (NOR), but the top Norwegian in the competition was unable to maintain her position as she was caught by 2008 TdS winner Charlotte Kalla (SWE) and Johaug’s teammate Kristin Stoermer Stiera.

The USA’s Kikkan Randall who started fifth couldn’t keep pace and fell back to finish eighth on the day, also causing her to slide from fifth to eighth in the overall standings. Her teammate Liz Stephen was a strong 19th while Jessie Diggins was also in the points placing 27th with Holly Brooks just behind in 34th.

The big move today came from Sweden’s Kalla who claimed second at 18.3s behind Kowalczyk who held onto her lead while Johaug took the third spot at 18.7s. Kalla now sits second overall behind Kowalczyk who is winding up to claim her 4th Tour title… but it’s not over yet.

Results HERE.
Overall standings after Stage 4 HERE.

January 03, 2013 (Toblach/Cortina, Italy) – Beautiful conditions graced the Tour de Ski once again for the men’s 35km FR pursuit-style Stage 4 race that saw Canada’s Alex Harvey falter around the 12.7km mark as five leaders established themselves early on with Dario Cologna (SUI), Petter Northug (NOR), and Russia’s Maxim Vylegzhanin and Alexander Legkov with a comfortable 1:30 lead on the chasers.

Harvey got into trouble early and fell back to join Marcus Hellner (SWE), Ilia Chernousov (RUS) and Lukas Bauer (CZE) in the lead chase group as the four leaders would not be caught. Behind three Canucks were moving up the ranks notably Devon Kershaw who has been making serious gains each stage.

In a marked difference over last year where Cologna escaped for the win on this same stage the four leaders exchanged the lead with Northug seeming to do less of the work overall while Vylegzhanin struggled at times to keep pace. Soon after they hit the stadium Northug took the lead and kept the challengers behind him as he claimed the victory, the 15s bonus points, and the red leader’s jersey.

Meawhile Harvey recovered to take 5th as the lead skier in the first chase group and moved from 4th to 6th overall. Kershaw showed his form with the 12th fastest time on the day to move into 12th overall while Babikov also skied well to sit 21st overall as did Len Valjas now 23rd.

The best for the USA is Kris Freeman who also moved up today now 43rd overall followed by rookie Noah Hoffman in 57th with Andy Newell in 67th.

Canada has four skiers in the top 25 and only Russia is better with six, as Sweden also looks strong having four players in the mix while Norway and Germany both have three skiers challenging.

Men’s results here.
TdS M Overall here.

January 02, 2013 (Midway, UT) – Torin Koos (Bridger Ski Foundation) and Jenny Bender (CXC) were the fastest classic skiers in the tracks today as the 2013 U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships got underway in Soldier Hollow that plays host to the week-long Championships feature racing on Jan. 2, 4, 6 and 8th.

It was the first career title for Bender while for Koos it was his seventh championship win. Today was form of redemption for Koos, as last year at the U.S. Championships, the Wenatchee, WA skier was disqualified in the classic sprint for obstructing another skier. “It’s great to be here and they did a great job on the course. I’m planning to do all four events and I think my distance shape should be good – I’m looking forward to it – it’s a great venue.”

It was an emotional day for Vermont’s Bender. The UVM skier, who finished 2nd in the SuperTour last year behind teammate Jessie Diggins, was hampered this summer with her training suffering from both mono and Lyme disease. “I was having trouble being snappy but I’ve been out here for about a week getting acclimated so things turned out ok and I gave a little scream of joy at the finish. I’ve had a lot of trouble recovering due to my illnesses but I felt better today and hopefully the distance races will go well.”

Typical Soldier Hollow waxing nightmare weather started with morning fog, temps in the single digits (F), wax tested in the cold high humidity then the sun burned through to blue sky by the afternoon heats. The natural snow, with dense artificial snow underneath, stayed cold longer than expected. By the later heats the sun was dropping below the hills as were the temperatures, which dropped back to single digits.

Kevin Bolger (SVSEF) topped the Junior Men’s field while Annie Liotta (Montana State Un) earned the top step on the podium in the Junior Women’s competition. Soldier Hollow last held the U.S. Championships in 2006.

Results (brief)

Women

1. Jenny Bender (CXC)
2. Sadie Bjornsen (APU)
3. Rosie Brennan (APU)

Men

1. Torin Koos (Bridger Ski Foundation)
2. Michael Sinnott (SVSEF)
3. Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess  (Bend Endurance)

Junior Women
1. Annie Liotta (Montana State Un)

Junior Men

1. Kevin Bolger (SVSEF)

Classic Sprint Qualifiers HERE.
Classic Sprint Heats HERE.

January 02, 2013 (Val Mustair, Switzerland) – Find out what the Canadian men’s XC squad had to say after stage three of the 2012/13 FIS Tour de Ski 1.4km FR sprint in Val Mustair and the first Canuck medal of the season, courtesy of Len Valjas. Valjas and his teammates Alex Harvey and Devon Kershaw finally broke out of their shells on race day, with all of them landing in the top 15.

January 01, 2013 – Canadian Men – told you the lactate monkey would be gone – those guys are starting to look like last year. I’ve now watched Valjas a number of times and it is like the pack goes to sleep and all of a sudden he explodes on them at the finish line. He is a very advanced skier mentally, strategically and tactically for such a young guy. He always seems to be in the right place at the right, like his leg split finish today and just being a few strides behind Cologna when he tripped himself and Lenny slid around him. Got quite the future in front of him.

Kikkan and the Ladies Team – Last year she was on the podium a total of 5 times – she is already at 7 podiums this year. So, much for that foot thing that happened – what foot thing?? Also, what was the beat down at the last part of the final sprint about – WOW, did she ever put a trip on the rest of the field – 8.8 seconds!!! That was huge! You other ladies I’m so impressed as the  whole skiing world is – keep pounding on those guys over there – no mercy.

Val Mustair Sprint Course – simply one of the best courses on the Tour – all sorts of terrain, steep skiable uphill that made a big difference, fast turny downhills that could cost you, and plenty of places to pass. Kudos to the designers.

Ida Sargent – after three races on the TdS and Ida being home, she is still 27th in the overall WC standings.

Talk to You Soon!

January 01, 2013 (Midway, UT) – Over 430 U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association cross country athletes from around the nation will test their skills on the 2002 Olympic trails as Soldier Hollow plays host to the U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships beginning Wednesday. The weeklong Championships feature racing on Jan. 2, 4, 6 and 8th. Action opens with classic sprints on Wednesday. It’s the second major nordic event held at Soldier Hollow in two weeks, following the FIS Nordic Combined Continental Cup. One of the most noted cross country venues in the nation, Soldier Hollow last held the U.S. Championships in 2006.

Highlights
– Over 400 USSA cross country athletes will take part in the 2013 U.S. Cross Country Championships at Soldier Hollow near Midway, UT
– Soldier Hollow was the cross country venue for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.
– The U.S. Championships open Wednesday, Jan. 2 with classic sprints, with freestyle distance on Friday, Jan. 4, classic distance Saturday, Jan. 6 and freestyle sprints to close on Tuesday, Jan. 8.
– The Championships are the final domestic qualifier for the World Championship Team that will compete in Val di Fiemme, Italy in February, and also count towards valuable SuperTour points.
– SuperTour leaders Erik and Sadie Bjornsen (both WInthrop, WA) will be among the favorites. Sadie Bjornsen is returning from a successful performance in Canada with World Cup points in both sprint in Quebec City and distance in Canmore.
– Also among the favorites will be Skyler Davis, coming off a personal best in Canmore, and three-time U.S. champion Tad Elliott (Durango, CO).
– The Championships will also be final selection events for U23 World Championships, FIS Junior World Championships and U18 Scandinavian Championships.
– Soldier Hollow last hosted the Championships in 2006.

2013 U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships
Soldier Hollow, Utah
(Times subject to change)

Wednesday Jan. 2
1:00 p.m. – Men’s and women’s classic sprint heats

Friday Jan. 4
10:00 a.m. – Women’s 10k freestyle, individual start
12:00 p.m. – Men’s 15k freestyle, individual start

Sunday Jan. 6
10:00 a.m. – Mens 30k classic, mass start, women’s 20k classic, mass start

Tuesday Jan. 8
12:30 p.m. – Men’s and women’s freestyle sprint heats

Help the Team
U.S. Ski Team athletes rely on the support of the American public – to help the team click here.

January 01, 2013 (Val-Mustair, Switzerland) – The USA’s Kikkan Randall is in a league of her own in freestyle sprinting. She first fired warning shots with a whopping 4.8s-margin topping the women’s 1.4km FR Qualifications ( 3:38.32), only to better her time in the final as she dominated her heats taking the decisive victory at the new venue in Val-Mustair with a time of 3:37.0.

Norway’s Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg and Heidi Weng were clearly no match for the American star as they battled for second and third with Oestberg earning the silver. She was also in the spotlight during her semi as well as she made little attempt to hide her team directive to let her teammate Kristin Stoermer Steira take second and advance to the final where in the end Steira finished 5th.

Meanwhile the American women continue their assault on the traditionally Euro-dominated international circuit qualifying all four skiers. But luck was not on their side as the first quarter final drew Randall, Holly Brooks and Liz Stephen with the latter two not advancing. Jessie Diggins looked smart and strong in her heat sitting in third for most of the race, but could not hold the pace near the end finishing 4th and with her slow heat did not advance as a lucky loser.

Randall, who took charge early in each of her heats, kept the pace up until the second climb where she forced all skiers to the limit as she seemed to get stronger with each lap, pulling away for decisive victories each time including the final. A belated birthday present from FIS indeed.

She is now 5th overall behind TdS leader Justyna Kowalczyk (POL), who was knocked in her semi, and Norwegian star Therese Johaug in second, with Steira in 3rd and Germany’s Denise Herrmann in 4th.

Women’s Qualifications here.
Women’s final here.
TdS W Overall here.

December 31, 2012 (Oberhof, Germany) – In this conference call with Team Canada Alex Harvey talks about how he just missed the podium at the finish of the men’s 15km CL at Stage 2 at the Tour de Ski won by Russia’s Maxim Vlegzhanin in a photo finish with his teammate Alexander Legkov…Harvey was 5th his best finish so far this season.

Devon Kershaw, who finished 27th moved up from 48th, talks about his lacklustre start to the season as he tries to keep positive with lots of racing ahead…and Ivan Babikov, who celebrated the birth of his new son Daniel Oliver earlier this year, continues his great start to the season finishing 19th as he talks about the tough course and soft snow conditions. Sections of the call are in French for our Francophone fans…

December 30, 2012 (Oberhof, Germany) – The US Women’s team lead by Kikkan Randall have had a great start to the Tour de Ski. Randall took the opening 3km FR Prologue to don the race leader’s bib for the first time at the Tour as Holly Brooks in 11th and Liz Stephen in 21st also landed in the points.

At today’s Stage 2 Pursuit-style 9km CL Randall was the lead off skier and did her best to hold off eventual winner Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) and the chasing posse, settling for 14th on the day.

Stephen was 23rd and Brooks took 25th, while Jessie Diggins, who is debuting at the Tour, moved into 50th from 62nd. We caught up with Randall, who celebrates her 30th birthday tomorrow (congrats from your pals at SkiTrax), Brooks and Diggins for their take on the Tour.

Full Stage 2 results HERE.

Kikkan Randall (USA) – 14th Stage 2
Today was a tough one for me. It was really fun to start in the Leader’s Bib and I did the best I could to make Kowalczyk work to catch me. I was happy to stay ahead for most of the first lap. I tried to hang on to her pace but she was skiing a little bit more powerfully than me. I skied most of the 2nd lap with Kalla and was feeling pretty good. Then a big pack caught us going into Lap 3 and I was struggling to match their power.

Once I got tired, it was hard to make the skis work in the soft snow. I was really struggling in the last 1km and just tried to hold my position to the finish. In classic skiing right now, I just can’t seem to find that next gear. I know it’s coming and each race gets a little better. While I lost some time in the overall today, I’m still confident, especially with a couple more skate races up next.

I’m really excited about the sprint coming up in two days!! We have no idea what the course will be like but it will be fun to be in a totally new venue (plus I hear they’re crazy about xc skiing!).

Tomorrow is my 30th birthday and I’m pretty psyched to be hitting such a landmark. I used to dream of the skier that I would be when I turned 30 and I’m happy that I have lived up to my expectations!! Would have been fun to race on my birthday but we will have a fun time using the day to rest up and prepare!!

Busy times! Just got out of the ice tub and massage, now into the van for the next four hours! Two down, 5 to go!!

Holly Brooks (USA) – 25th Stage 2
Yep – two soft days in a row! The classic skiing out there was tough and the course was breaking down with each lap. I had a hard time finding the kick out there but there were many, many girls herringboning! More practice on Eagle Glacier is needed, I suppose! There were also some high-speed turns which in a pack were quite exhilarating…it certainly called for good, clear & LOUD communication!

I am excited to be leaving Oberhof and I’m not the only one. I was speaking with one of the top German girl on their team who was quite excited to be leaving herself! I’m not quite sure why we start the Tour here every year because I have yet to find someone that likes it!

Switzerland and a brand new racing venue will be a welcome change for everyone!! We’re driving four hours tonight, spending the night half way and then driving three more tomorrow morning.

Racing the Tour also calls for excellence in recovery and logistics! The recovery routine keeps us busy – jogging, ice bath, massage and food every day is important and takes up quite a bit of time.

More soon! Thanks for covering us!

Jessie Diggins (USA) – 50th Stage 2
I feel like some aspects of today definitely went well…I was able to stay calm and relaxed through the chaos of everyone starting so close together, and skied the downhills the way I wanted to.

The course was tough as it rained followed by sleet/snow all just before the race. In such soft grainy snow the waxing and ski selection didn’t go the way I had hoped and I definitely should have done a better job of getting more kick since I herringboned about half of the uphills. But that is classic racing – you need to be able to hit all the variables just right! And lots of skiers were slipping out there in super mushy snow.

So far the Tour has been a really fun experience and so different from any racing I’ve done before since there’s so much travel and right away you need to be focusing on the next event. It’s super cool!

December 30, 2012 (Oberhof, Germany) – It was another strong day for maple leaf fans as Canada’s Alex Harvey cruised with the leaders to the end taking 5th in the men’s 15km CL – his best finish this season – behind Russia’s dynamic duo, Maxim Vlegzhanin and Alexander Legkov, who charged to the finishline ending up in a photo-finish sprint with Vlegzhanin declared the winner. Norwegian star Petter Northug finished third with defending champ Dario Cologna (SUI) 4th.

Northug was the lead off skier with an 11s-margin on Marcus Hellner (SWE) as a group of eight skiers caught the Norwegian during the first lap of four with a large chase group at 10s. As the Russians pushed the pace Hellner was suffering and faded getting swallowed up by the chasers during the second lap. At 6.7km Legkov took over while Canada’s Ivan Babikov (started 32nd) and Devon Kershaw (started 48th) were moving up the ranks were now in the 20s.

By the third lap Finland’s Matti Heikkinen had moved to the front to show his cards, but at 9.7km Vlegzhanin and the Russians were back driving the bus as Lukas Bauer (CZE) lead the chase behind. Then Heikkinen wobbled and went down almost taking Harvey with him but the Canadian reacted fast as the Finn now had to work hard to catch back on.

As the finish approached Vlegzhanin and Legkov put more pressure on as Harvey moved into third with only Cologna and Northug able to keep pace. In the push to the finish Harvey couldn’t hold off his rivals but was satisfied with his best result so far this season.

“I was going for the podium but just didn’t find the top gear needed at the end. But I’m happy to have raced well and see my form continuing to improve so the upcoming races should be fun,” Harvey told Trax.

Babikov continue his strong season finishing 19th followed by Kershaw in 27th. “It’s a terrible start to the season,” said Kershaw. “But I’m taking each day as it comes and trying to improve and get back to where I want to be.” Len Valjas, more known for his sprinting, had a decent run finishing 33rd just out of the points (he started in 52nd).

The top American on the day was Kris Freeman in 58th who crashed hard and has a stiff shoulder but looks like he’ll be ok following the upcoming rest day. Noah Hoffman made a solid improvement as well moving up from 94th to finish 69th.

Both teams are on their way to Val Müstair, Switzerland, a new venue for the Tour, for the 1.4/1.4km FR Sprints on January 1st.

Full results HERE.

December 30, 2012 (Oberhof, Germany) – The USA’s Kikkan Randall started in the TdS leader’s bib for the first time in her career in the Stage 2 women’s 9km CL but was chased down by Charlotte Kalla (SWE) and defending champ Justyna  (POL). The Polish star asserted her strength early taking the lead after 6min and never reliquished it winning by a 35s-margin at the finish.

Claiming second in her own display of skiing prowess was Norway’s Therese Johaug who moved up from 13th into second place just after the 3.7km mark. The battle for third came from the 10-strong chase group lead by Kristin Stoermer Steira who were 10s behind the four early leaders Kowalczyk,  Johaug, Kalla and Randall, as the racers were challenged by soft snow conditions.

Just before the second lap began Kalla and Randall were caught by the chasers as Kowalczyk extended her lead and Johaug established herself in second at 25s behind the Polish queen. By the 6.7km mark Kowalczyk gained another 10s as Kalla and Randall sat in 10th and 11th.

At the finish Kowalczyk stamped her reign on the Tour taking a commanding overall lead adding bonus seconds as Johaug claimed second and Finland’s rising star, Anne Kylloenen, bested the chasers to take third with Randall ending up 14th.

Liz Stephen held her own placing 23rd while Holly Brooks had a tougher day in the tracks but still finished in the points placing 25th, while Jessie Diggins moved up into 50th from 62nd.

Full results HERE.

December 29, 2012 (Oberhof, Germany) – Followin the stage one 3km/4km Prologue  at the 7th annual Tour de Ski that kicked off today in Oberhof, Germany we caught up with women’s winner American Kikkan Randall and the top Canuck in the men’s race Alex Harvey via a conference call with Ivan Babikov (32nd-PB), Len Valjas (52nd) and Head Coach Justin Wadsworth. We also talked with Andy Newell (21st), Holly Brooks (11th) and Liz Stephen (21st) along with US Women’s coach Matt Whitcomb as the North American contingent has a strong presence at this year’s Tour de Ski…

Kikkan Randall

Conference Call

Matt Whitcomb

Justin Wadsworth

Andy Newell (USA)
Today’s race was super tough as always. Prologues can be an extremely painful experience, not so much when you’re out there racing but more after you cross the finish line it all catches up with you.

I have been feeling great during my preparation for the Tour so my expectations were high going into today. As someone who is not planning on doing the whole Tour, I just want to take each race as an individual day and just do my best. I think I paced things pretty well and probably could have pushed a little harder at the finish.

There’s always a tough headwind and a long finishing stretch which makes this course pretty brutal. But I was satisfied with 21st and I’m looking forward to trying to hang top 30 tomorrow.

It feels pretty amazing to be part of a Tour team with seven people. Of course, our ladies are one of the top teams in the world right now and the men have also started to come on strong since Canada – we have a lot of pride in having such a powerful presence here on Tour.

Cheers,
Andy

Holly Brooks (USA)
I was really surprised with my result today – elated and relieved actually. It’s the best late  Christmas present I could ask for! I’ve been feeling crummy for awhile – tired in Canmore and then dealing with heavy legs since arriving in Oberhof on Christmas Eve. Yesterday I had a horrible race-prep workout in my least favourite conditions – hard ice. This morning I was pleased to wake up to pea-soup fog. This meant slower snow which generally plays to my strengths!

When I actually got to the track for testing it was 180 degrees different than the day before. The snow was sloppy and dirty – not quite Quebec top-of-the-boot slush but slow.

As for my tactics, I got some really good advice this morning via email from Erik Flora. He said, “the Prologue is a lot like running the mile – for the first 1/4 find your pace, during the second 1/4 be patient and fast, in third 1/4 make the race, and on the last 1/4 hold on and kick to the finish. It’s good to break up the race into sections and then ski each section well.”

Today I was able to “ski into the race” rather than go out hard and messy and then die towards the end. I was tired at the finish but it wasn’t quite “puke-worthy”… (there were a couple of comments from other racers about that). Maybe I’m saving those efforts for later stages!

As for overall goals, I hope to collect as many distance points as possible through the seven stages of the Tour (six distance races) because my goal is to land in the distance red group which would subsidize my World Cup racing. As for the overall Tour, I’d be ecstatic with a top-20 finish. Last but not least, all my bones are intact this year so it’s already a step above last year!

Thanks/Cheers,
Holly

Liz Stephen (USA)
My holiday was good, I hope yours was as well. The race was solid today, but I definitely got tired with about 600 metres to go, and that was really tough. Into the finishing stretch there was a strong wind making the final 400 metres pretty tough and the deep snow on the climbs also added to the challenge! But it is great to be back on my feet again after having had to sit out in Canmore due to illness, which made for almost a month away from racing.

It is always a good reminder that after being sick or tired – or not yourself – how good it feels to have energy back again and be able to be a positive part of the team. Being healthy is so dang fun. Man oh man. And the Tour de Ski is my favourite event as well so I’m pretty fired up.

My goal for the Tour is to be in the top 10, so I feel like today was a solid start to make that goal. I’m psyched for tomorrow and to hopefully build on today’s result and of course I am so excited for Kikkan. Wow. This is so much fun.

Best,
Liz

December 29, 2012 (Oberhof, Germany) – The USA’s Kikkan Randall means business as she powered to a decisive victory in tough, misty conditions in the women’s 3km Prologue at the seventh annual Tour de Ski now underway in Oberhof, Germany. Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla, a former Tour winner, set the best intermediate time at 1.7km of 4:13.8 and had the race lead until the final skiers came thru holding onto second as Randall shattered her time winning in 7:28.1. Defending champ Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) put in a strong second half to claim the final podium spot bumping Holly Brooks (USA) to a strong 11th place finish. Liz Stephen placed a respectable 21st while Jessie Diggins was 62nd.

Full results HERE.

December 23, 2012 – Canada has named four athletes to represent the country at the 2012/2013 edition of the Tour de Ski. The team goals are daily podiums, top 10 overall results for each athletes and an overall TDS podium title. Last year Devon Kershaw came very close to an overall podium spot, until settling for 4th overall in the final stage, 26 seconds off the lead. Alex Harvey finished 12th and Ivan Babikov 27th after significant injuries obtained in a severe crash encountered in the latter stages of the Tour.

This year the Tour has been shortened to allow the athletes ample time to prepare for the World Championships that are held in the region of the final stage of the Tour.

The Canadian team was selected based upon athletes meeting these objectives and the following standards: two top-20 distance results on the World Cup (Nov-Dec 2012) or a WC result with a minimum of 15 FIS points and/or a previous top-12 individual results in the TdS from the previous year.

Selection Criteria document

The following athletes have been named to the team:

• Alex Harvey: 11th place finish Canmore 15k cl and 17th Kuusamo 110k F, 5 top-12s in the 2012 TDS including a second place podium finish.

• Devon Kershaw: 4th place overall TdS 2012 including four podiums.

• Ivan Babikov: 12th Canmore skiathlon, 14th Gaellivare 15K F, 20th Canmore 15K cl.

• Len Valjas: Len was selected on force majeure, which is defined as unexpected event beyond the reasonable control of the athlete that crucially affects an athlete’s ability to compete (e.g. illness, injury, transportation breakdown) and can be put forward as rationale for not having competed in or completed selection races. Len suffered an injury to his hand just prior to the departure for Europe in November. This required immobilization of his hand for a couple weeks and after that the need for a splint when skiing. His early European training was limited to one arm and he missed the first weekend of racing in Bruksvallarna. In the first WC race weekend in Gaellivare, he only suited up for the relay, and with his splint contributed to a 5th place finish. It wasn’t until  the Canmore WCs that he has been able to race without the splint and placed 24th in the 15K cl. Given that Len had a WC podium last March in the 15k cl in Falun and 2 other sprint podiums in the same March period, he was added to the TDS team.

Racing begins on Dec 29th in Oberhof, Germany. Look for further updates, press releases and details on the CCC site as we get closer to the race series.

December 21, 2012 (Bend, OR) – There is this tall guy who always wears glasses with interesting frames – sometimes polka dots, sometimes like the side of a fish. He is funny, he writes a lot and is very knowledgeable about bikes, skis, trout fishing and city government (he was once the mayor of Bend, Ore., running on the “men without ties” ticket). Some know him as the Reverend Lester Polyester, some as Art Deco, most just call him Woody.

Bob Woodward, a man of levity, is, in truth, a very serious contributor to both the cross-country-ski and mountain-bike communities. A columnist for SkiTrax for almost 20 years, Woody even had a ski named after him. Many in the cross-country-ski world may not know about his other passion, but his induction this year to the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame during the annual Interbike trade in Vegas recognizes that fact.

Woody has been an integral part of mountain biking since the beginnings of the sport. His articles and photographs helped energize the new sport in the 1980’s. He wrote the Mountain Biking book for Sports Illustrated in 1991. The book is still considered to contain the most accurate history of the bike and the sport.

Woodward competed for 10 years (1983-1993) as a NORBA-licensed racer, and two silver medals at the World Championships in 1987 at Mammoth Lakes, Calif. capped a successful racing career.

When serving as the mayor of Bend, Ore. from 1997 to 1999, he was called “America’s only mountain-biking mayor.”

But Woodward’s contributions go beyond writing and racing. He gave back to the sport through trail-building, organizing and he founded the Central Oregon Trail Alliance. Woody continues to build, maintain and promote trails on the dirt that some say is as old as he is. – Don Portman

December 21, 2012 – I arrived back at my Vermont home yesterday from Canmore and the World Cup tour with my mind racing from all manner of things – to be sure, there was some measure of fatigue from the last several weeks of working on the road – but inside it all, my heart was smiling.

I’ve been trying to get my hands around all that I – and we – had witnessed at the Canadian FIS World Cups in Quebec City and Canmore. It was now a time of reflection, for looking back – and for looking forward.

One of the things that struck me about both of the events was the extraordinary enthusiasm of the fans, from both sides of the border. I saw old friends in Quebec City, that I hadn’t seen for years – keen, knowledgeable racing fans that turned the weekend around the old fortress in Quebec into a wonderful, utterly enjoyable cross-country skiing nirvana.

Cheering fans, ski hats, backpacks and flags – and cheering voices – were all that was needed for the price of admission.

In Canmore, I felt blessed to see dear friends I had worked with during the 1988 Olympic Winter Games of Calgary. I hadn’t stepped in the announce booth at Canmore since the last day of the 1988 Games. Some of my buddies looked older, some heavier, including me, and some looked almost the same. It reflected a powerful, shared experience, and our strong sense of camaraderie.

The experiences of both week’s Canadian World Cups, was so wonderful as to be delicious, so joyful to our sense of belonging, that it reminded me how lucky we are that the Canadians have found a way to host these brilliant events, and for those of us Yanks that live near by, are only too happy to come up and cheer. It’s time for us in the USA to host an event sooner rather than later, and pony up for the fine work the Canadians have been doing hosting high level events, like World Cups.

From a sport perspective the events all ran like clockwork, we were entertained and inspired by watching our USA and Canadian athletes successfully challenge and in some cases beat some of the world’s elite. Many others were so close that they are knocking on the door of greatness. Yet, it wasn’t so much about nationalism, but more – in my view – to share an experience that united North Americans in an overwhelming way. Many of us are lucky enough to have treasured skiing friends on both sides of the border. Our respective national teams train together and share a close bond.

Thank you Canada for playing host to these most amazing events that celebrated the best our sport has to offer and the best in the human spirit. I will remember these last two weeks in my heart forevermore.

December 20, 2012 (Toronto, ON) – We are pleased to announce that the fifth annual international SkiTrax FIS Fantasy Tour de Ski 2012/13 Contest is now live for team registration for contestants around the world with over $2,500 in prizes up for grabs. This year the Tour de Ski runs from Dec. 29 to Jan. 6 covering 9 days with the first event kicking off in Oberhof, Germany.

Here’s how the FIS Tour de Ski 2012/13 Contest works
Register your team of unique individual skiers including four (4) men, and four (4) women plus two (2) Outlaw Skiers (one male and one female) not in the top 15 of the FIS World Cup overall rankings. The menus for all skiers are at registration as well as a link to the FIS World Cup Ranking where you can find more details on each skier.

Please note that our preliminary menus are based on the FIS World Cup rankings after the Alberta World Cup in Canmore not on current TdS registrations as not all teams are in the FIS TdS system. Final team selections are subject to change as nations may modify their entries until Dec. 28. We will notify all contestants as our TdS contest lists are updated.

Deadlines, Points, Prizes
The deadline to register your FIS Tour de Ski 2012/13 team, or to make any changes, is 10pm EST on Dec. 28 – the day before the TdS launches. Earn bonus points such as Kick and Glide or Val Climb Points along with other opportunities to score points – all contest rules and information are available at TdS registration.

Points will be awarded following each TdS stage based on each skier’s performance and published regularly at skitrax.com so you can follow your team’s progress and see how you compare with other players and the actual TdS standings.

Register HERE.

Good luck to all contestants and thanks to all of our great sponsors, including Mont Ste-Anne, Alpina, One Way, Marwi, Halti, 2XU, Fresh Air Experience, High Peaks Cyclery, Auclair, and Buff.

* 1st Prize – Mont Ste-Anne – 2 nights lodging w/breakfast + 3-day XC gift certificate, tune-up (value $800)
* 2nd Prize – Alpina ESK Ski Boots (value $419)
* 3rd Prize – One Way Premio Ski Poles (value $400)
* 4th Prize – Marwe 610c Roller Skis (value $349)
* 5th Prize – Halti XC Race Suit Hemmo Set (value $269)
* 6th Prize – 2XU Long Sleeve Thermal Compression Top and Elite Socks (value $195)
* 7th Prize – Fresh Air Experience or High Peaks Cyclery Gift Certificate (value $150)
* 8th Prize – TBD
* 9th Prize – Auclair Micro Mountain Olympic Gloves + Earbags (value $65)
* 10th Prize – Buff Headware (value $23)

December 16, 2012 (Canmore, AB) – It took panache and precision skiing to win the men’s 30km Skiathlon (15kmCL+15kmFR) on Sunday as a charged group dared each other at the front as several suprise moves kept skiers on their toes and fans on the edge of their seats. North Americans were transfixed as the USA’s Noah Hoffman skied near the front for the entire race as did Canada’s Ivan Babikov and American Kris Freeman.

It came down to the final uphill as Italy’s Roland Clara tried to get clear but France’s Maurice Manificat was ready and soon surpassed the Italian in the final sprint to the line as Hoffman, Tobias Angerer (Ger), Sjur Roethe (Nor) in the lead chase group tried in vain to reel him in. Clara settled for second with Roethe taking the final podium spot.

The Hoff crossed the line in 8th for his best-ever World Cup distance result. His veteran teammate, Kris Freeman, landed in 10th for his PB result in the 30km Skiathlon with Babikov in 12th, his best result this year.

“It was a really fun race today. My classic skis were incredible, maybe the best in the race. I owe a huge thanks to my techs. I wanted to ski up near the front because the pace is more consistent and I am more relaxed up there,” Hoffman told SkiTrax post-race.

“I felt really good, relaxed, and controlled. My goal was to stay under control and be patient. I was able to do that well. I am really happy with the way the race turned out,” he added.

Freeman hung strategically back in the chase pack before moving up to finish tenth. “I felt nice and calm and controlled the whole way. At the end there I lost a little contact on the last hill, and then I got it back and I felt like I was moving forward in the group. I’m glad I picked off [Giorgio] Di Centa at the line. Tenth is a whole lot cooler than 11th,” said the Andover, NH skier.

Babikov was the lone A-Team skier for Canada as Devon Kershaw and Alex Harvey took a break from the daunting schedule they’ve been following – read more here – to rest up for the Tour de Ski. Skiing at the front of the pack, Babikov bridged to two Russian skiers, Evgeniy Belov and Alexander Bessmertnykh, who had escaped as they took a run for the podium.

“You can never predict what is going to happen out there. I tried to bridge the gap on the two guys breaking away, but when you are out there by yourself trying to keep the pack away it is really hard. I tried – what can I say? It is still an awesome result,” said Babikov.

Fans loved it but it wasn’t to be as Bessmertnykh crashed on the downhill leading to the finish and the two were soon caught but the charging pack. Then Petter Eliassen (NOR) tried his luck but Hoffman kept the pace hard behind and Eliassen folded his cards as he was caught with 3km to go.

Soon after Clara made his bid for glory but the gods were not smiling on him as Manificat ended up ruling the day with a smart and precise move over the final climb to pass Clara and claim his first World Cup win since 201o.

Meanwhile, 28-year-old Graham Nishikawa had the race of his life. A fourth-year member of the national development team, the Whitehorse native had his best-ever World Cup finish in 15th.

“Today was definitely my career best world cup result and it was awesome to do it in Canmore with my family watching. I was happy to execute my race plan and hang in with the leaders. Felt great and had really good skis.  Overall it was great day and I’m happy for my sister as well,” said Nishikawa.

Full results HERE.

December 16, 2012 (Canmore, AB) – The final 15km women’s Skiathlon (7.5kmCL+7.5kmFR) did not disappoint as fans were treated to some dynamic skiing as Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) dispensed with all challengers to solo in for the win as she did in the 10km CL two days earlier. The battle for the remaining podium spots raged behind as Norway’s Vibeke W Skofterud was poised for the silver until Finland’s rising star, Anne Kylloenen, nipped her at the line delivered another podium for the Finns as Skofterud settled for the bronze.

Having joined the second chase group with 3km to go on the final skate lap the USA’s Kikkan Randall was on track to deliver a best-ever distance result – once again – in the grueling 15km race. In the finishing straight the talented skier from Alaska bested the six women in her group for a strong 8th place result.

“Tough race today but it had a good ending. I really struggled in the first 5km of the classic. The bnody was tired and tense and I couldn’t kick into that gear to stay with the leaders,” Randall told SkiTrax. “I felt a little better at the end of the 2nd classic lap and then found my rhythm in the skate.  Super fun to catch a bunch of people through the skate race and had another good challenge down the final finish stretch.”

So is she a bit tired after so much racing from Sweden, to Finland, to Quebec City, to Canmore ? “The body is definitely getting tired from a lot of racing. But just in time for a nice Christmas break!!  Skis were great today, I think my skate skis were especially fast! Conditions were also about as good as they can be,” she confided.

Not far behind Randall was Vermont’s Ida Sargent putting in her best distance result and smiling from ear to ear with her strong and solid performance.

“This was a distance PB for me so I’m really excited.  I had awesome skis both classic and skate so a huge thanks to the coaches and techs.  I had a high start number again so I tried to stay relaxed at the start.  In the 10km on thursday I tried to move up too quickly and wasted a lot of energy,” Sargent shared.

“Today I was really patient on the first lap and moved up slowly though out the race.  I felt really good out there and had a lot of fun skiing with different people including behind Kikkan for awhile.

“Then it was awesome to see Noah, Bird and Tad ski so well out there!  It has been very inspiring to be apart of the US team this season and we’re all pushing and supporting each other towards better results.  It’s exciting!”

Rounding out the points for the USA was Holly Brooks in 28th. Not far behind her was Emily Nishikawa, the top Canuck in 34th, who also nailed a PB day at home making it that much sweeter. “I’m super happy with my race today,” said Nishikawa in a CBC interview. “I’m stronger in skating and felt good out there. I pushed harder today – it was great to be racing in Canada.”

Daria Gaiazova, the top Canadian at the transition in 29th, ended up 37th while sprint queen and local favourite, Chandra Crawford, showed her distance mettle placing 46th.

Now all skiers make preparations for the upcoming holidays while continuing their training for the next big challenge on the calendar, the Tour de Ski from Dec. 29 to Jan. 6.

“I’m heading to Collingwood (ON) now for some family time and a pre-christmas week. Then on to Oberhof, Germany on Sunday,” said Randall. “So cool to be racing in Canada these last two weeks!  Amazing energy from the crowds and skiing well in both weekends really meant a lot. I think we’ve just fueled our momentum!!

“Really awesome to see Ida ski so strong today and Noah [Hoffman] and Kris [Freeman] right in the mix in the men’s race.  The power of belief is strong,” she concluded. Randall continues in the red Sprint Cup jersey while Kowalczyk takes over the overall World Cup leader’s bib.

Full results HERE.

December 16, 2012 (Pokljuka, SLO) – Norway’s Tora Berger claimed her 3rd world cup victory of the 2012-13 season today in foggy Pokljuka winning the 12.5km women’s Mass Start race with a time of 35:53.8 suffering two penalties. In second was Germany’s Miriam Gossner with four penalties at 35.5s back while Gabriela Soukalova of the Czech Republic claimed third at 1:02.1 and two penalties.

It was a tough day at the office for Berger. “I was tired before the start and did not expect so much today. I tried to focus on the shooting and not the others around me,” she told  biathlonworld.com. “On the second shooting, I could not see the targets so good. But somehow it was okay.”

Second place Gossner, was happy with the way she raced this weekend, and like most others, struggled today with the fog. “I could not see anything on the second prone,” Gossner told biathlonworld.com.  “That is biathlon; the way it is.”

Building off a career best 12th place finish at Friday’s Sprint competition, Canada’s Rosanna Crawford, the lone North American in today’s field, finished 22nd at 2:51.2 behind with a tough day on the range suffering five penalties.

Crawford and her Canadian teammates travelled from Pokljuka to Munich, Germany immediately after the event so they could promptly return to Canada for the Christmas break. After the Christmas break, the E.ON IBU World Cup resumes with round four in Oberhof, Germany on Jan. 2, 2013.

Full results here.

December 16, 2012 (Pokljuka, SLO) – American Tim Burke put in a solid race today to claim the podium today with a third place finish in the men’s 15km World Cup mass start posting a time of 36:02 with just two penalties at the range. The 30-year-old Burke finished +22.6 seconds back from the winner, Germany’s Andreas Birnbacher, who shot clean and clocked a time of 35:39.4. Local countryman Jacov Fak of Slovenia took second today with 35:57.1 and two penalties.

Today marks Burke’s fourth career-podium and his first since his breakout 2009-2010 season and caps off an impressive weekend in Pokljuka where he also placed 4th in the 10km Sprint, and 7th in yesterday’s 12.5km Pursuit.

“This was a great race for me. Both my skiing and shooting really came together on the same day,” Burke told SkiTrax. “This was by far the best that I have felt on the skis this season. It felt great to be able to push again on the last loop when the others were close behind.”

Burke knew it was going to be a fight to the end as Emil Hegle Svendsen (NOR) and Martin Fourcade (FRA) were only 5 seconds behind Burke on the final lap. “Those are the last two names that you want to hear right behind you going onto the last loop. I was glad that I had conserved a lot of energy earlier in the race by staying in the pack so that I had enough left to pick it up at the end,” added Burke.

He is pleased with his performance in this first triad of World Cup racing and he is looking forward to the upcoming break.  “This was a great early Christmas present and now I am looking forward to heading home and spending some time with my family and friends for the holidays,” he shared.

US Biathlon head coach Per Nilsson was just as pleased as Burke with the results from this weekend  “It was a super job of everybody today,” said Nilsson in a team release. “Tim did a super job on the range and the course. For the last loop he was in third place and moved up to Jacov Fak, one of the strongest skiers this trimester.

“Just five seconds behind Tim were Emil Hegle Svendsen (NOR) and World Cup leader Martin Fourcade (FRA), so I don’t think Tim was certain he was going to make the podium until he crossed the finish line.”

Canadian Jean Philippe Leguellec was only other North American in today’s Mass Start event and he finished just out of the top twenty in 21st with a time of 37:12.1 suffering two penalties.

The E.ON Biathlon World Cup takes a short break for the Christmas season and resumes with the 4th round from Oberhof, Germany on Jan. 1, 2013.

Full results HERE.