December 15, 2012 (Canmore, AB) – Sweden’s Emil Joensson proved to be unstoppable again in the men’s 1.3km FR Sprint at Canmore, but young Jesse Cockney (CAN) stole some headlines today as he challenged the veteran in the qualification round and then made it to the semi finals with lively skiing to finish a career-best 9th. Norway’s Anders Gloeersen took second and Russia’s Nikita Kriukov brought home the bronze medal in the final.

“I’ve never skied this well in my life,” said 23-year-old Cockney. “It’s a really fantastic day something special – I was really close but my position wasn’t good at the end. There’s lots of positive energy out there and I’m an emotional guy.

“It was great to be in my backyard and hear all of my friends cheer my name on that hill. It was an awesome experience that words just can’t describe. It felt great.” Cockney made a name for himself when he place 6th in the FR sprint at the 2011 U23 Nordic Worlds in Oetapaa, Slovenia.

American Andy Newell continued his hot streak making the final with dynamic skiing but wasn’t in the play for the podium at the finish equalling his 5th place finish in Quebec City. Almost making the final was rising Canadian star Lenny Valjas who says his injured hand is almost 100% as he nailed a strong 7th place finish on the day.

“I was satisfied with last weekend’s 5th-place but here in Canmore I really wanted more. I could taste the podium going into the final,” Newell confided, “My finish speed had been feeling great all day and I had been skiing tactically well. Somehow I just lost a little contact in a corner and couldn’t draft as well as I’d hoped. I’m happy with the way my speed and fitness feels though and looking forward to more and more sprint finals.”

“It was like a roller derby out there with lots of pushing and shoving,” said Valjas. “The course seems wide, but you almost need it a little wider on the downhill because you don’t want to get tangled up. I’m not sure that my tactics were right. I really tried to attack on the top of the hill, but didn’t plan to get in front. I looked back and realized everyone was still drafting me and didn’t have a big enough gap. I am super happy with this result though.”

Missing in the action were Canadian studs Devon Kershaw and Alex Harvey who were expected to perform well here as Kershaw calls Canmore home. But both were not on form and didn’t qualify pointing perhaps to the difficulties of a tough early season schedule that saw them begin in Sweden, then head to Finland, then Quebec City and now Canmore for round four.

Also in the points were Canadian Phil Widmer (15th ) and American Skyler Davis (24th) who both skied smart and strong. Widmer qualified 24th but was eliminated in his quarter final in a close battle with Italy’s Federico Pellegrino ending up 3rd in the heat. Davis was another casualty placing 5th in a tough heat with Joensson – the fastest quarter final of the day – as the two skiers ahead of him were lucky losers making the semi finals.

“I’m excited to get in the top 30 today,” said Davis. “That was a huge goal for the season. I wasn’t expecting to do it today, but more than happy about today.”

After turning heads with a stellar second best time in the qualifications Cockney asserted himself again in his quarter final heat quickly getting to the front and never looking back. Skiing with panache all eyes were on him during his semi final round but he could not muster the same effort and finished 5th in his heat.

Newell aced his quarter final over Valjas as the two battled again in their semi with the American coming out on top both times. With back-to-back finals under his belt Newell can taste the podium as he looks to tap into a higher gear.

Sweden’s Emil Joensson remains unbeaten since 2008 on Canadian snow winning the sprint races in Quebec City as well. The World Cup continues on Sunday with the men’s and women’s skiathlon races.

Full results HERE.

December 15, 2012 (Canmore, AB) – Fans were on the edge of their seats for much of the women’s 1.3km FR Sprint heats including a rock n’ roll final that saw American star Kikkan Randall get edged out Norway’s Maiken Caspersen Falla at the line for the win. Falla’s teammate Celine Brun-Lie took the final podium spot.

“I wasn’t quite sure how the strategy was going to play out with that downhill being so decisive with the draft,” said Randall. “So I kind of went into the final not really sure what my strategy was going to be, but I wanted to get near the front and decided to just try to make a break over the top and see if I could break it up a bit.

“I think it worked mostly the way I wanted it to.  I had a little bobble just as we ended the lanes and I just wish I would have stayed a little bit taller but overall I’m super happy with it.”

Local Canadian favourite Chandra Crawford, who’s strong skiing throughout the day earned her a berth in the final as a lucky loser,  cruised in for 6th, her best result so far this season. Fans were hoping for another North American podium but it was not in the cards today despite a stellar show by many NA skiers.

Randall and Crawford were the frontrunners qualifying 1st and 3rd respectively as the American handily advanced to the final placing second in both her quarter and semi final heats – both times second to Germany’s Denise Herrmann which raised some eyebrows. Crawford skied well but earned her stripes in the fast lane advancing both to the semis and the final as a lucky loser each time.

“That was really lucky today – it was so wild and shows you can never give up even if the pack pulls way from you,” said Crawford at the finish. “It was the first time I made the top-30 this year and I am incredibly grateful to race at home. I needed the boost today. I wanted to do so well at home. My heart was racing and I only slept like three hours last night.”

The USA’s Ida Sargent and Canada’s Perianne Jones both advanced to the semis with spectacular finishes in their quarter final heats. Jones, who qualified 14th, struck first with a dazzling run up the inside track slicing ahead from 5th to finish second behind Falla. Then Sargent did the same in her heat – the fastest quarter of the day – only she took the outside lane claiming second behind Brun-Lie, with Crawford in third, Anne Kylloennen (FIN) in 4th and none other than Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) in 5th.

Canadian Dasha Gaiazova looked very strong in her race leading for most of heat but couldn’t hold off the charging posse behind her which was the case for many today as she ended up 4th.

“I’m happy with my race, I feel really proud” said Gaiazova,”but it’s also sad as I know I’m in good shape and every sprint is so precious I wanted to do better here in Canmore where it’s so special. I know I can climb and descend well, I just need to work on the last little details.”

Sadie Bjornsen (USA) was another early leader in her heat but couldn’t hold the pace until the end – still a good run for her as well. Sophie Caldwell (USA) also contended the quarters landing in Randall’s heat and settling for 5th as she was on good form in Quebec City as well.

Fans were disappointed when Randall, Crawford, and Jones found themselves in the same semi final but that’s racing. Crawford made a strong bid on the final climb but behind Randall and Herrmann were winding it up as the German won with the American second, Fall third and Crawford was 4th. The second heat got underway as Norway dominated and Sargent could not find the same kick ending up 5th as Brun-Lie won and Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg was second. Cheers from the crowd signaled Crawford’s lucky loser berth in the final along with Falla.

Randall and Falla were the strongest in the final with Randall attacking on the second climb and only Falla could respond as Crawford hung back perhaps planning the same strategy that others had used on her. The two leaders now had a gap as Randall hit the straight and poured it on but Falla had some reserves and was soon beside her rival and then ahead of the US star to take the win. Brun-Lie crossed the line ahead of Herrmann for the final podium spot as Crawford settled for 6th.

It was another solid outing for 27-year-old Jones. “I planned to bust off that big hill, but my legs were just full of lactic acid. You have to be in contention going up that hill to be able to win it on the downhill. I just didn’t have it, but I am happy to be in the top-12,” said Jones, who was 12th earlier this year in Finland. “

Today was Sargent’s best skate sprint result. “In the qualifier I went pretty hard up the hill and I felt like I flooded and lost a lot of time going into the finish because my legs were too full of lactic acid. In the heats I just tried to stay relaxed on the uphill and the get the draft on the downhill and use my use my quick finish, so that worked in the quarterfinal,” said Sargent.

In the semi final I got boxed in at the top of the hill. But this is a really fun exciting course. There is a lot of game changing going on out there with the big uphill and big downhill. This was my best skate sprint result!”

Randall holds onto the Sprint Cup leader’s jersey and is now tied with Marit Bjoergen for the overall World Cup lead… a good day at the office for the American skier.

“We’re stoked with Kikkan’s result today,” said US Women’s Coach Matt Whitcomb. “Ida, Sofie, and Sadie all raced well – for Ida it was her best skate sprint result so things continue to move in the right direction.”

While second on the podium is no small feat with Randall looking so strong in Quebec City and coming second to Herrmann twice and Falla in the final we wondered if she’s a bit tired. But Whitcomb was quick to point out that Randall looked strong but perhaps skied a bit conservatively after the qualification and then went for it in the final but came up a bit short perhaps missing a beat in the final switch over to her high gear.

“Kikkan’s on track and feels good. Would we change anything today…? No. You have to keep things in perspective… we’re not second-guessing ourselves with second place on the podium. There was a time not long ago when a top 20 was cause for celebration.”

According to Whitcomb the jury is still out as to whether Jessie Diggins and Liz Stephen will be racing on Sunday’s Skiathlon. “We’ll see how they are in the morning…we don’t want to push things this early in the season,” added Whitcomb.

Full results HERE.
Sprint Cup Overall HERE.
World Cup Overall HERE.

December 15, 2012 (Canmore, AB) – “A star is born,” quipped former US and Canadian coach Marty Hall when Canada’s Jessie Cockney landed just behind Sweden’s speed king Emil Joensson in the Men’s 1.3km FR Sprint Qualifications in Canmore, AB at the FIS Alberta World Cup. Cockney turned heads in 2011 at the U23 Nordic Worlds sprints in Oetapaa, Slovenia, when he scraped by in 30th in the qualifications, but then skied with speed and finesse to make the final where he claimed 6th.

The USA’s Andy Newell in 8th is also fired up for a big result in Canmore after making the final in Quebec City. His teammate Skyler Davis also made good today with redemption from Quebec placing 20th followed by Canada’s strong sprinter Phil Widmer in 24th. Len Valjas, still recovering from his hand injury, delivered a 28th place qualifying time also advancing to the quarter final heats.

Several top names did not make the cut including Canada’s Devon Kershaw and Alex Harvey, Norway’s Oeystein Pettersen and Eirik Brandsdal and QCity Team Sprint winner Nikolay Chebotko (KAZ). The USA’s Simi Hamilton was not on the start line today as he’s feeling a bit run down.

Qualifications HERE.

December 15, 2012 (Canmore, AB) – Beautiful conditions continue in Canmore for the 1.3km FR Sprints as the USA’s Kikkan Randall continues her fiery skier topping the women’s qualifications with seven North American skiers making the top-30 cut off. Canadian fans were stoked to see local star Chandra Crawford ski to the third best time behind Switzerland’s Laurien van der Graaf.

Also making the heats are Perianne Jones (CAN) in 14th, Sadie Bjornsen (USA) 16th, Sophie Caldwell (USA) 21st, Ida Sargent (USA) 28th and Canada’s Daria Gaiazova in 29th. American Jessie Diggins continues to recover…”More just resting up. Lots of travel and racing. Saving up for tomorrow and the Tour de Ski,” said Margo Christiansen USSA Communications Director. Holly Brooks was also not on the start line today.

Qualifications HERE.

Angus Cockney Photos

Robert Whitney Photos

December 15, 2012 (Canmore, AB) – The CP Holiday Train stopped in Canmore on Friday evening and held an awards ceremony for the 10/15km CL distance race winners from Thursday’s World Cup race who took to the stage last night with the top three podium finishers receiving cowboys hats.

December 14, 2012 (Ramsau, Austria) – When the announcer says, “They’ve got a really deep squad,” you’d think he was talking about a basketball team, not ski jumping. With five Americans finishing in the top 12 in Friday’s World Cup event in Ramsau, the U.S. Women’s Ski Jumping Team has positioned itself firmly in first place in the Nations Cup heading into 2013.

Veterans Lindsey Van, 4th, and Jessica Jerome, 5th led the team — the best results for both so far this season. Sarah Hendrickson, who already has a World Cup win, was 7th. Abby Hughes was 11th. Alissa Johnson was 12th, her best World Cup result ever.

“It’s pretty amazing to have these results as a team. We work really well together and feed off each other,” Van said. “It was a hard comp and we have a lot of experience as a team to get through that.”

Head World Cup Coach Paolo Bernardi said other coaches have stopped him to say how impressed they are with the team. “Having five athletes in the top 12 is a really, really big deal. … We are definitely the strongest team right now.

“Fourth and fifth for Lindsey and Jessica is perfect for today (Friday) and a great start. I know when they both make two normal, great jumps in one comp, they will be on the podium.”

Van had put up three short jumps in a row in training (as short as 66 meters) and knew she had to not over think it during the comp.

“I’ve really been off-balance in the in-run. So I tried to focus on the basics and make it as simple as possible,” she said. “I literally told myself to just stand-up at the take off. My body knows what to do better than my mind.

“Of course I’d love to be on the podium, but I am really happy with my results and with my teammates.”

Jerome came into Friday’s comp determined and ready to “jump farther” than her disappointing performance in Sochi the week before. She was 2nd in qualification on Thursday and was 3rd after the first round on Friday.

“I figured this time I couldn’t screw up as bad as I did last week,” she quipped. “I had good training on the hill before Sochi and good training in Ramsau and so I know I can do well, it was just a matter of doing it. I’m really excited.”

Jerome said the conditions were tough because there was a lot of tailwind – exactly what you don’t want as a ski jumper. She says the American team has an advantage over others on a hill with tailwind. “It feels a lot like how we jump in Park City because of the higher elevation. We know how to handle those conditions better than other jumpers on the tour.”

“It’s so amazing and I’m so psyched for all the girls on our team. No other team has come close to doing that right now,” Jerome said of Friday’s results. “We have a good dynamic off-hill and we have a lot of fun. All that translates into good results on the hill.”

Ramsau was the final World Cup (WC) competition for 2012. There are 12 more WC comps left when the tour starts back up in Schonach, Germany, on Jan. 5. Now the team gets to fly back home for a little rest during the Christmas holiday.

Asked what was the special sauce that’s making his team consistently perform at the top, Bernardi joked that is was “relaxing and getting to stop at the girls’ favorite fast food restaurant while on the road.”

Results (brief)

1. Sara Takanashi, JPN, (86.5m, 91.5) 241.0
2. Coline Mattel, FRA, (86.5, 93) 238.6
3. Daniela Iraschko, AUT, (84, 94) 235.5
4. Lindsey Van, USA, (84.5, 89.5) 231.1
5. Jessica Jerome, USA, (87, 87) 229.6

7. Sarah Hendrickson, USA, (85, 86.5) 225.3
11. Abby Hughes, USA (83, 87) 217.9
12. Alissa Johnson, USA, (86, 84) 216.4
45. Nina Lussi, USA, (76.5) 77.8

December 14, 2012 (Quebec City, QC) – Check out this SkitTrax interview with Gestev President Patrice Drouin, organizer of the 2012 FIS Quebec City XC Sprint World Cup held last weekend in the old city. Drouin speaks about the history of his company and how he first conceived of the idea for an inner-city sprint, their snowmaking challenges, the involvement of Pierre and Alex Harvey and  the logistics of hosting the sprints in the old city of Quebec.

December 14, 2012 (Pokljuka, Slovenia) – Canada’s Rosanna Crawford leaped up the field in the women’s 7.5k Sprint at the IBU World Cup in Slovenia today, cutting her PB result earned last weekend in half finishing a stellar 12th with a perfect shooting record to trail winner Gabriela Soukalova (CZE) by only 52.1s.

“Yep new PB!! I am really excited about todays results. It’s always nice to shoot clean, but to also place a personal best in the top 12 is fantastic! Shooting has always been my strong point. I am also pretty fast in the range, shooting time and getting in and out. I feel like this makes up a little bit for not being as fast on the skis,” Crawford told Trax.

“I didn’t feel very good in my warm up this morning so I didn’t go as hard as I normally would in my warm up. My first loop was pretty slow and I got faster as the race went on and had my best loop my last loop. The opposite to last weekend where it was really hard to get to the finish line!

“The snow was tricky, the track was much slower than it had been in training days, but it was pretty even for the whole field. The range was also pretty calm which was nice. Defiantly the shooting made my race for me. It’s hard to be in the mix for top 15 with missed targets,” she added.

Soukalova also earned a big PB – her career-first World Cup victory. She out-gunned second place, Miriam Goessner (GER), who faced two penalties in the second round of shooting, to win by 2.1s. Nadezhda Skardino (BLR) scored the bronze, accumulating zero penalties and trailing by 30.1s.

Susan Dunklee (USA) was the top U.S. finisher, placing 14th and 53.2s back. Teammate Annelies Cook was 40th. Canadians Megan Heinike and Megan Imrie finished 45th and 90th, respectively.

“Today was a great day for me and for the team.  We had three women not only qualify for tomorrow’s pursuit but also score World Cup points. After years training together and putting in lots of hard work, it is nice to see that pay off. There was heavy snow falling during the race making the skiing a little tough.  I didn’t quite have my highest gear, but I don’t think
most of the field did,” Dunklee told us.

“Hitting 90% of my targets was awesome.  I been struggling a lot on the range the last couple weeks but had a few really good training days earlier this week that helped me regain confidence.  Tomorrow is another day to practice what we do everyday- skiing and shooting.  I’m looking forward to it and we’ll see what happens,” she concluded.

For tomorrow’s Pursuit Crawford is optimistic but realistic… “For the pursuit tomorrow I am just going to take it one shot at a time! It’s supposed to snow 40cm over night which could make things even tougher tomorrow,” offered Crawford.

Results
1. Gabriela Soukalova (CZE) 22:09.8
2. Miriam Goessner (GER) 2.1
3. Nadezhda Skardino (BLR) 30.1

12. Rosanna Crawford (CAN) 52.1
14. Susan Dunklee (USA) 53.2
40. Annelies Cook (USA) 1:45.2
45. Megan Heinike (CAN) 1:57.9
90. Megan Imrie (CAN) 4:17.9

Full results HERE.

December 13, 2012 (Canmore, AB) – Superb conditions continued for the men’s 15km CL as Germany’s Tim Tscharnke took his first World Cup with a surprise attack on the final lap that couldn’t be answered by the other leaders including veteran teammate Tobias Angerer who settled for 3rd behind Norway’s Sjur Roethe.

Canada’s Alex Harvey delivered his best result of the season claiming a respectable 11th while the top American was Kris Freeman just behind Harvey in 14th. Both Ivan Babikov (Can) and Noah Hoffman (USA), who looked strong during the first half could not hold the pace and finished 20th and 22nd respectively. Canmore’s hometown star Devon Kershaw also showed signs that his form is returning placing a decent 17th, his best result so far as well.

“It was hard the whole way today,” said Harvey. “I didn’t feel that good in my warm-up so I kind of expected it to be a hard day. It was a fight all the way. I didn’t blow up at the end or anything, but I just couldn’t go any faster.

“I had to be smart today. I have to be happy with that result because it is my best result of the season. We just got back down from altitude so the body should be adapted by now. I’m really looking forward to the 30 kilometre.”

Freeman was also somewhat pleased but wanted more…”It’s a solid race. I would have loved to have been able to hang with the leaders but the last little bit wasn’t there – I got loaded up.”

Early race leader Martin Johnsrud Sundby (Nor) crashed at about the half way point and could not recover to rejoin the lead group and abandoned. Soon after Angerer and Russia’s Evgeniy Belov asserted themselves and then it became apparent that the Germans had good skis and meant business as Tscharnke and Hannes Dotzler also moved to the front.

With under 2km to go Angerer tried to escape but Belov would not let go. As the leaders regrouped for the final push Tscharnke suddenly made his own decision to claim the race and soon his lead became insurmountable as the chasers fought for the remaining podium spots. Angerer had saved just enough for third while Belov was spent as Roethe positioned himself well to take the silver.

Also in the points was Canada’s Len Valjas in 24th showing that his hand injury is on the mend. Lots of Canadian and US skiers raced today gaining experience and building momemtum for the future.

“Good efforts by the guys. They all were a bit flat, but overall it’s still going in the right direction,” commented Justin Wadsworth, Canadian Head Coach. “Alex finished strong, Ivan has now scored WC points in every distance race and Lenny had a solid race. Devon was flat and had a tough time at the end of the race. Overall not our best day, but it’s a hard course and the guys skied with all their effort.”

Full results HERE.

December 13, 2012 (Pokljuka, Slovenia) – US Biathlon’s Tim Burke (USA) placed just outside the medals in fourth spot for a superb performance shooting clean in the men’s 10km sprint at round 3 of the IBU World Cup in Pokljukain, SLO today. Local star Jakov Fak (SLO) took the win on home turf, besting rivals Emil Hegle Svendsen (NOR) and Martin Fourcade (FRA) to the delight of Slovenian fans.

“I am really happy with today’s result,” said Burke in a team release. “Of course it would have been nice to find a few more seconds to get onto the podium, but I really did everything I could out there today so I am very happy with that. I felt very solid on the shooting range today.

“I was able to execute the techniques that I have been working on in practice. I am still missing my top gear on the skis, but hopefully that will show up at World Championships in February. Now I am looking forward to Saturdays Pursuit. I will be starting only 15 seconds behind first place so everything is still possible!”

Fak posted a time of 24:41.7 and a spotless shooting record to nab the victory by a mere 0.8s over Svendsen, who suffered a penalty on the second round of shooting. Fourcade finished 6.1s behind after shooting clean in both rounds. Burke who also shot clean finished 15.2s back.

Scott Perras was the fastest Canuck on the day, sprinting into 34th place, with Lowell Bailey (USA) close behind in 36th. Other North American results include Scott Gow (CAN) in a tie for 50th, Jean Philippe LeGuellec (CAN) in 83rd, Russell Currier (USA) in 89th, and Jay Hakkinen (USA) in 92nd.

Results
1. Jakov Fak (SLO) 24:41.7
2. Emil Hegle Svendsen (NOR) 0.8
3. Martin Fourcade (FRA) 6.1

4. Tim Burke (USA) 15.2

Full results HERE.

December 13, 2012 (Canmore, AB) – Check out the latest edition of  FIS’s Inside the Fence – the Canmore preview. Follow the USA’s Sadie Bjornsen for a lap around the women’s 3.3km classic course, and watch interviews with Vibeke Skofterud, Kristen Stoermer Steira, Devon Kershaw and Justin Wadsworth.

December 12, 2012 (Quebec City, QC) – SkiTrax caught up with a few North American behind-the-scenes players at the inaugural FIS Quebec City Sprint World Cup this past weekend to get the inside scoop on how the event played out for their respective teams.

Interviews include US XC Team Head Coach Chris Grover, CCC Men’s Coach Justin Wadsworth, APU Head Coach Erik Flora, and an elated US XC Team Women’s Coach Matt Whitcomb. Plus, the legendary Peter Graves speaks with CCC Director of Events Dave Dyer and CCC Director of Business Development Matt Jeffries.

Chris Grover

Justin Wadsworth

Eric Flora

December 12, 2012 (Canmore, AB) – Two-time Olympian and World Champion, Devon Kershaw of Canmore, gives us a heads up on what to see, eat, and do while in Canmore, AB, this week during the FIS World Cup stop.

Kershaw continued his historic run in 2012 when he became the first Canadian male to finish second overall on the World Cup circuit. Kershaw’s incredible season included winning two World Cup races in addition to adding another silver and three bronze medals to his career total. Devon also finished fourth overall on the 2012 Tour de Ski. Devon first skied his name into the history books in 2011 with teammate, Alex Harvey, as the Canadian duo joined forces to become the first Canadian males to win a medal at the World Championships when they won gold in the team sprint race in Oslo, Norway.

You were born in Sudbury, Ontario and moved to Canmore, Alberta when you were selected to the National Ski Team. For how many years now have your called Canmore home?
Devon Kershaw: I’ve called Canmore home (full time) for ten years.

Outside of Canmore being the centre for Cross Country Canada, what else draws you to the area?
DK: The Bow Valley is a just such an inspiring area. Great little community, amazing trails that snake through the region offering so many great running/hiking/mountain biking options, excellent rollerskiing and the mountains never cease to amaze me. The Rockies are insanely beautiful – I could just sit there and stare for hours and hours.

If I am a visitor to Canmore during the World Cups, besides the racing what is one thing that is a must see?
DK: That’s such a hard question – I think everything is so fantastic. Just walking along the Bow River and looking around at all those fantastic peaks is enough! Nature is definitely the big draw in the area. As far as a “must see” for Canmore… Hummm… I actually cannot narrow it down to just one. My advice is get out there and get active. Go for a hike, a ski, or even just a walk!

Best place for breakfast?
DK: Summit Cafe – the Huevos Rancheros won’t disappoint. I promise you that. And if you are feeling extra hungry and/or are planning a massive day of activity and want to treat yourself – walk next door (to Fergie’s bakery/convenience store) and grab a “Fergie’s Apple Fritter” – it’s madness.

Best place for lunch?
DK: This is going to be funny – but I’d say Crazyweed Kitchen (that’s going to be my pick for dinner too though, haha). So if you want to change it up, hit up Mara’s Way Sushi, JK Bakery, or Le Fournil Bakery (the croissants and pain au chocolat are fantastic).

Best place for dinner?
DK: Crazyweed. Hands down.

Best place for a burger and beer?
DK: I guess most people would say the Grizzly Paw. It’s the local brew pub in town. I’m not a big burger/beer dude, but any of the pubs offer similar “pub fare” burger/beer options. The Drake, The Wood, type thing.

Best souvenir shop?
DK: Haha. No idea. Not much of a knick knack dude. There are some great art galleries downtown (like the Aven’s gallery) – so your best bet is to just walk down Main Street and poke your head into whatever shop looks interesting.

What other activities are possible besides cross country skiing?
DK: There are plenty of things to do in Canmore – we have a lot of stellar restaurants and cafes around. A couple outdoor hockey rinks to play some shinny (pick up hockey) if you’re so inclined. A short drive away there are a number of great Alpine Ski areas (Sunshine Village, Lake Louise, Nakiska, Mt. Norquay) at your disposal as well. If you want to check out another beautiful and historic town in the Bow Valley – Banff is just 18km away (West on Highway 1) – and offers a whole different experience. Just walking and exploring both towns (Banff/Canmore) and taking in the amazing views – it’s hard to beat. The best adventures are the ones not planned – so my advice is just let your curious nature take over!

Best place for sushi in town?
DK: Chef Studio Japan.

Thanks Devon and good luck racing at home!
DK: Thanks

December 09, 2012 (Sovereign Lake, BC) – Sovereign Lake successfully hosted it’s first day of Teck BC Cup and Haywood NorAm classic distance races. In the BC Cup the younger age categories results were topped by Okanagan clubs while the older age categories were trumped by the participants from neighbouring Alberta.

The Haywood NorAM field included and international race field, topped by Swedish speedster Jens Eriksson in the men’s 15km division with a time of 41:53 and by Brittany Webster of Alberta in the 10km women’s division in 33:16. Both held strong leads in their respective fields.

Eriksson finished 25 seconds ahead of second place Patrick Stweart-Jones of Nakkertok (AWCA) and 26 seconds ahead of third place Graeme Killick of Ptarmigan (AWCA). Webster finished 19 seconds ahead of Annika Hicks of Canmore (AWCA) who was followed closely by Frederiquw Vezina (0.4 seconds behind.)

The men’s division started out with teams sticking close together in the tracks and appearing to work together. Into the second lap the Swedish team had moved apart as Eriksson explained his team-mates ‘were tired’, so he passed them to take the clean lead. Eriksson was pleased to be able to race prior to Canmore.  “It’s very good to have this race. We were here preparing for the World Cup race in Canmore next weekend.”

Of today’s race he said. “It’s really fun. The track is really tough. It’s a good World Cup track. It was quite calm the first two laps and then in the last lap I tried to push as hard as I can, so I won. It’s good.”

Webster stated that watching the World Cup in Quebec in the morning before her race helped give her motivation towards her race today. “I was excited to race. For Webster, today’s race for her was also a warm up to next weekend. “The World Cup is next week and for us it’s really important to put in a good hard pace from start to finish.”

In the Teck BC Cup, the Masters raced similar distances, with the fastest 15km race by Aaron Scott of Spokane in the men’s division and Nancy Burden of Edmonton the fastest in the women’s 10km.

The Junior races had large numbers with Thomas Hardy of Larch Hills in first for Junior boys 2 (31:43) and Anders Cowper of RMR, Alberta first in Junior Boys 1 (31:46). Danielle Vrielink of RMR was first in Junior Girls 2 7.5km (16.46) and Madison Fraser of North Bay first in Junior 1 (29:01).

In Juvenille Boys 1 5km Riley Millar of Canmore took first place (17:29) while David Walker of Telemark was first in Juvenille Boys 2 (16:56). Sarah McLean of Foothills took first in Juvenille Girls 1 5km (19:26) and Lauren Turcot of Canmore was first in Juvenille Girls 2 (19:16)

Midget Boys 1 did 2km with Michael Murdoch of Whistler finishing first and Jackson Howatt finishing first in Midget Boys 2.
Maxine Forder of Hollyburn finished first in Midget Girls 1 skiing 4km and Annika Ackermann of Kimberly finished first in Midget Girls 2.

In the younger ages, Bantam Boys and Girls did 4km. Pee Wee Boys and Girls skid 1.4km and Atom Boys and Girls skied 0.8km.

Full results HERE.

December 09, 2012 (Quebec City, QC) – It was a big day for the U-S-of-A at the inaugural FIS Quebec Sprint Cup in the charming old city where Kikkan Randall and Co. scored double-gold as screaming American and Canadian fans loved every minute of it… here’s what Randall, Jessie Diggins (USA), Chandra Crawford (CAN), Daria Gaiazova (CAN), Perianne Jones (CAN), Holly Brooks (USA), Sadie Bjornsen (USA) and Sophie Caldwell (USA) said about the races and the scene in Quebec City.

Kikkan Randall

Jessie Diggins

Chandra Crawford

Daria Gaiazova

Perianne Jones

Holly Brooks

Sadie Bjornsen

Sophie Caldwell

December 09, 2012 (Quebec City, QC) – We caught up with a number of skiers for their take on their racing, the venue, the course and the atmosphere at the inaugural FIS Quebec Sprint Cup… here’s what Andy Newell (USA), Alex Harvey (CAN), Devon Kershaw (CAN), Jessie Cockney (CAN) and the USA’s Sylvan Ellefson had to day about the races in Quebec.

Andy Newell

Alex Harvey

Devon Kershaw

Jessie Cockney

Sylvan Ellefson

December 08, 2012 (Quebec City, QC) – “Make mine a double…” the USA’s Kikkan Randall might have said after she delivered a storybook ending for the American women’s team following a stellar weekend of racing as she won the women’s individual 1.6km FR sprint. Randall’s victory made it two in a row as she won team sprint gold with Jessie Diggins yesterday.

In a breathtaking display of domination Randall made it abundantly clear why she is among the world’s best women skiers, all with light snow falling most of the day, making it a winterscape right out of Currier and Ives.

“It’s one of the funnest courses on the circuit. It’s a great course with really exciting elements. The snow conditions are always challenging with city sprints but they did a fabulous job in Quebec,” Randall told Trax post race. “I wanted to be up front but Falla wanted it more than me so I waited for the right moment to attack and I’m glad it worked out.

“It was incredible out there, the atmosphere was unbelievable with all the flags and fans cheering and shouting your name. The fact that my family and friends could be here to see was really special. I’m glad I could put in a good performance.”

Around a ribbon of man-made snow in front of the impressive Parliament Building came a gathering of more than 10,000 Nordic fans from near and far to cheer on their favorites. It was a huge gathering of the Nordic tribe as friends greeted friends in an effecting celebration of the sport as Quebec City debuted as a FIS World Cup.

The day showcased the growing stature of the US women sprinters as five skiers advanced to the heats. Jessie Diggins qualified 17th, but got boxed out in her quarter final and did not advance. Racing at her first World Cup former Dartmouth skier, Sophie Caldwell, now on the SMST2 team, qualified in 26th and went on to finish 14th. Likewise APU’s Rebecca Rorabaugh and Sadie Bjornsen also qualified for the big show.

Caldwell came close to making the semis as a lucky loser as she finished 3rd in her heat. “It was all good and I tried to stay controlled during the first lap and have something for the end. It was really hard to pass and the snow was soft,” commented Caldwell. “It was awesome for my first World Cup with tons of fans and cheering.”

No Canadian women qualified, although Olympic gold medalist Chandra Crawford came tantalizingly close finishing 32nd. Perianne Jones, of Almonte, Ont., was the only other Canadian in the top-40, placing 38th.

Randall qualified with the third fastest time and her skiing tactics and skill were indeed mesmerizing as she progressed through the brackets to the finish radiating confidence. She handily won her quarterfinal and then her semifinal over Sweden’s Ida Ingemarsdotter with Norway’s Maiken Caspersen Falla winning her semi setting up the final.

Also on the final start line were Norway’s Ingvild Flugstad Oesterg, Finland’s Mona-Lisa Malvalehto and Russia’s Natalia Korosteleva as the final contenders.

Falla took the lead but Randall was close behind and on the second lap she attacked and never looked back as she powered to the front while American fans waved and cheered her to the finish for a second gold medal for the US women’s team. Second place went to Falla, while third went to Sweden’s Ingemarsdotter.

At the finish teammate Holly Brooks handed her a US flag for a victory lap to delight of the cheering Quebec City crowd. Randall completed a weekend sweep by winning the individual sprint and in doing so she takes the overall Sprint Cup points lead and is now second only in overall FIS points to Norway’s Marit Bjoergen.

We caught up with Matt Whitcomb the US Women’s coach for his take on the weekend. “We will be counting the days until we return to Quebec City for a World Cup. Thank you to the organizing committee, Cross Country Canada, and the thousands of fans that showed up to support the sport. I think the fans will be what we will remember, and feeling that support trailside is incredibly motivating as we face the heart of the winter… so from the U.S. team coaches – thank you fans! ” said Whitcomb smiling.

“While Kikkan, Jessie, and Andy’s results capture the headlines, I think one of the big stories for the U.S. is Sophie, Becca, and Sadie qualifying for the rounds.  Sophie is the sixth American woman to post an individual top-15 this season. Over the course of the Quebec and Canmore World Cup weekends we will be entering more than 30 different athletes. It is a special opportunity for us,” he added.

At the press conference Randall was all smiles. “We always felt deep down that if we trained hard enough and wanted it bad enough we could be on the top of the podium,” she commented. “It took many years and many small steps to get up to that point and now we’re starting to really just believe and have good confidence.

“We have many girls working together and pushing together so I think the real reward for us was to be able to put together really strong performances here when our friends and family get to see us in action – which does not happen very often.

“The whole atmosphere helped my performance today. We had a lot of enthusiasm coming into the morning, the staff did a great job with the skis to make sure we could just go out there and have fun. The crowd was unbelievable to see so many American flags and face paint. To be able to do that victory lap afterwards was something I will definitely remember for the rest of my life.”

Full results HERE.

December 07, 2012 (Quebec City, QC) – In a memorable day that gave US ski fans pause to recall how far this American squad has come, Kikkian Randall and Jessed Diggins teamed up again to produce an historic first-ever win in the women’s 1.6km x 6 team sprints here in Quebec City.

In front of huge and enthusiastic crowds in downtown Quebec on an exciting, twisty loop of 750 m, Randall was the picture of near perfection in her fitness and her tactics. The 21-year-old Diggins, who is fast making a name for herself, and perhaps already has, survived a near crash on her final leg, and made an impressive dash to give Randall the lead and the ultimate win. It seemed teamwork at it’s best.

Taking second and on the heels of the Yanks was the German duo of Hanna Kolb and Denise Hermann, who were a scant .09 behind the Americans for their first ever podium. Third and always a formidable squad in the races were the Norwegians with Celine Brun-Lie and Maiken Caspersen Falla, who finished 1.1 seconds back. A Russian squad, that at times was in the drivers seat of the race finished fourth. To the disappointment to the crowd no Canadian women’s team was included in the finals.

Following the race we spoke with Randall, who shared some thoughts about the race. “You know in the team sprints in city venues – a lot of stuff can happen. We are just happy to put together a very successful day, stayed out of trouble and showed what we can do. Jessie has come a long way in the last year and she’s a veteran now. She knows how to sit in the pack and when to make moves at the right moment. She put me in a great position with a lap to go. I am proud of the way she races,” Randall offered.

Diggins, while smiling broadly said it all was amazing, “It was an incredible day, we executed everything just the way we wanted to.” The pair is gaining real momentum and the confidence is growing. You can feel it.

A second USA team with Ida Sargent and Holly Brooks finished in ninth just 36.0 seconds back. There were ten teams in the finals. Throngs of American fans made the trek here and it was hard not to miss the flags of colleges like Middlebury, Dartmouth and Bates that lined the course. Many near-by Vermonters made the journey too, and were flying the state flag proudly. In fact for this reporter it felt like a giant homecoming or reunion, with so many well known US fans, former national team members, Nordic center operators and family and friends. The same was true for the Canadians, as well.

US Women’s coach Matt Whitcomb told me after the race, today was something special, “This means a great deal for the US, and to do it here, on almost home-like snows, it’s amazing.

“We are making great progress, and the fans here were awesome, so many from the states were here. I really want to thank our team, there are 12 coaches, working with a team of 30 athletes for two weeks, and there’s a great spirit of cooperation. We’re having fun and the results show it.”

Full results HERE.

December 07, 2012 (Quebec City, QC) – A brief collision with Sweden I’s Emil Joensson in the final leg of the men’s Team Sprint 1.6kmx6 FR forced Canada’s Alex Harvey into the barrier and off the lead pace as Kazakhstan I’s  Nikolay Chebotko nipped Russia’s Alexey Petukhov at the line for the big win. Norway I claimed the final podium spot as their teammates on Norway II followed in 4th with Harvey clawing back for Canada to end up 5th on the day. Fans were out in droves lining the curvy course in front of the Parliament Buildings nestled in the charming old city, for spectacular racing as Quebec City debuted as a stop on the FIS XC World Cup circuit.

Full results HERE.

December 07, 2012 – We’re excited to present the second edition of the SkiTrax Fantasy FIS Marathon Cup 2012/13 International Contest in co-operation with FIS and the WorldLoppet Ski Federation adding excitement for xc ski fans around the world for these legendary races. The Marathon Contest is similar to our other fantasy contests with some twists – here’s how it works.

Register your team of four (4) men and four (4) women plus one “Outlaw” male skier not in the top 15 and one “Outlaw” female skier not in the top 10 of the FIS Marathon Cup overall rankings – all lists are at registration. Here’s the twist… following the Koenig Ludwig Lauf event (Feb. 2/13) we’ll allow contestants to swap one male and one female skier from their team for added excitement leading into the final four (4) races.

Points will be awarded following each Marathon Cup World Loppet based on each skier’s performance and published regularly at skitrax.com so you can see how your score compares with other international players and the actual FIS Marathon standings. Earn bonus Am Birkie or Gatineau Loppet Points plus other bonus points – all information and contest rules are available when you register your team – and read more about the FIS Marathon Cup here.

These are the only FIS Fantasy Nordic contests of their kind worldwide so don’t miss your chance to enjoy fabulous top level xc ski racing and win fabulous prizes –  good luck to all contestants.

The deadline to register or revise your team is Saturday, Dec. 15, at 10pm EST, the day before FIS Marathon Cup season kicks off in Italy with La Sgambeda on Dec. 16 – and stay tuned for our Tour de Ski Contest launching very soon.

To register click HERE.

FIS Fantasy Marathon Cup Prizes

* 1st Prize – Nipika Lodge – 4-nights for 2 people in luxurious cabin, including Trail Fees (value up to $1,160)
* 2nd Prize –  Marwe 610c Roller Skis (value $349)
* 3rd Prize – Yoko 9100 Poles (value $299)
* 4th Prize – Halti XC Race Suit Hemmo Set (value $269)
* 5th Prize – Skiwax.ca Racer Kickwax kit (value $235)
* 6th Prize –  2XU Long Sleeve Thermal Compression Top and Elite Socks (value $195)
* 7th Prize – One Way Snowbird Glasses (value $120)
* 8th Prize – Fresh Air Experience or High Peaks Cyclery Gift Certificate (value $100)
* 9th Prize – Auclair Micro Mountain Olympic Gloves + Earbags (value $65)
* 10th Prize – Buff Headware (value $23)

Thanks to all of our great sponsors, including Nipika, Marwe, Yoko, Halti, Skiwax.ca, 2XU, One Way, Fresh Air Experience, High Peaks Cyclery, Auclair, and Buff.

SkiTrax is North America’s leading Nordic skiing publication and the official magazine of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and Cross Country Canada (CCC).

December 06, 2012 (West Yellowstone, MO) – Riding in Drew Barney’s ’02 white pickup, we led a convoy of 20+ SUV’s and Suby’s up to the plateau where primo grooming and organized parking chaos awaited. Just 1200′ above town, the snow comes earlier and lasts longer. There had been snow in town, and then r_ _ _, yes, the four-letter word for non-solid precip. But the camp and the races must go on. Now in its 25th year, the Fall Training Camp at the Yellowstone Ski Festival is happening like never before, even in a lean year like this one. I caught a ride with Drew on our way up to the plateau for the clinics one day, and had a chance to ask him about the camp’s and his storied past.

First, Drew, how did you get into cross country, and how did the camps start?
Drew Barney: I grew up in Ogden (Utah) and worked in a ski shop. It was owned by Bob Chambers, who’d been an NCAA champ. I came in one day, and he had two brand new pairs of race skis. Bob said to “mount ’em up.” “Who for?” I said. “You and me are going racing tomorrow!” [replied Bob.]

The Camp started 1979, when the US Ski Team came to West under the direction of Marty Hall. I was a participant in the ’80 camp. In 1987 when a USSA sponsored coaches’ clinic lost funding, Dick Hunt and I saw an opportunity, and put together a training camp for athletes and coaches.

I used to do pretty well in the races, but it’s hard to stay in a position to be in the top three. I may race again after I get my hip replaced.

Drew walks with a slight limp now, but thinks he’ll be back in the game after some new hardware.

What changes have you witnessed over the life of the camp?
DB: We are faster at getting people to ski well. We have a better understanding of the importance of the link between Skate and Classic, and how you ‘can’t cheat’ with the weight shift in classic. In classic teaching we’re better at showing statically exactly what is going on with technique.

What drove the changes?
DB: The pressure is on. Other camps have turned up the volume. We’re always evolving. Coaches share their secrets with each other and with the participants. I’ve got the utmost confidence in the staff. They all bring different perspectives that all lead to better technique.

What sets the West Yellowstone Camp apart?
DB: The campers ski with 6 or 10 coaches over 3 to 5 days. Today (last day of the 3 and the 5 day camp) is the biggest learning day. People are putting all their learning together, and having breakthroughs. Even if their best coaching session was a day or two ago, people are synthesizing, and will look back on today’s session as ‘the best.’ Post event surveys bear that out. People are synthesizing all they’ve learned. For a lot of people who’ve been coming here for years, Thanksgiving in West Yellowstone, has become a given. For many, this is where you ‘do’ Thanksgiving.

Can you tell us a little more about the trail system?
DB: We’ve put a lot of money into the trails, getting them mowed so that we can start up with 6″ of snow. From the initial layout, connecting logging roads, we built the closer loops, then added Windy Ridge. We’ve got no new k’s with restrictions from grizzly and other wildlife habitat impact imitations. But we’ve got great USFS relations. We wouldn’t be able to do this if it weren’t for the Forest Service.

What else have you done in West Yellowstone?
DB: After a couple of years on the Town Council I served as mayor in ’07 and ’08. I got done what I wanted to get done, and was kind of relieved to have someone else take the torch.

You’ve put up with some crazy weather… like what?
DB: Two years ago a big storm blew in and roads were closed into the valley and along many of the routes people take to get here. Last year it was very, very cold on the first day. Skating was super slow. The next day it was 25ƒ, and everybody felt like a hero. This year we had klister conditions on the first day. Waxing was hard, and skating was so much better.

Drew rounded the last corner on the long switchback that gains the steep northern edge of the Pitchstone plateau, with a precipitous drop through tight lodgepole amidst tumbled boulders. Another mile and then some we were moving cones for the reserved camp parking. On top, trails diverged, heading off on mid-winter corduroy. The trails were crowded, yes, but manageable. The buzz in the air, as college racers warmed up for their race, as coaches hauled jackets to the finish line for the point-to-point race dictated by the trail layout on the plateau, or as classes passed each other, meant a high five or hello at every turn.

Do you have any words of wisdom you would like to add?
DB: Winning is fun… for 15 minutes. The fun is in getting there.

December 04, 2012 – Why Aren’t You Sprinting Today – Yes, that’s you I’m talking to!  I find it hard to believe the number of skiers that are on the DNS list in just about every sprint, national or international. Are there that many people sick? Are there that many people who think they aren’t fast enough and can’t sprint? Or are there just a bunch of skiers that are saving themselves for the distance race? Whatever the reason, get over it, do not pass up the chance to sprint, it will help you in all of your racing – be it sprints or distance.

There will be sometime in every race that you will need to come up to sprinting speed, especially with all the mass start races there are now – to pass, to break away, sprint to the finish – whatever it may be? Sprinting is a lot natural abilities of course, but in XC skiing it is also a learned process. Learning to sprint on skis is a lot harder than on foot. Why? Because you don’t have the impediments on foot that you have when sprinting in xc skiing – poles and skis really become part of the formula. You have to learn how to use them and that only comes from practice, lots of sprinting and of course sprint racing. Remember there is no time that you will go as fast as you do when racing – that bib has magical powers. Also, if you think you’re saving yourself for the big distance race, you most likely aren’t going to qualify for the heats – and it isn’t such a long day. Listen up 3-4 minutes of “balls to wall” sprinting will sharpen up that sprint you’re gonna need to get those two skiers just in front of you headed to the finish line.

I believe that learning to properly use your skis and poles in sync is a learned process, especially in sprinting, and they provide hurdles to get over. That only comes from sprinting practice at shorter distances, so you can go faster than the sprinting pace. Work on technique and teach yourself the focus to extract the maximum speed from yourself. There can be no compromising of the effort to go fast – 50-60 seconds is your limit on time, as after that you will start to produce lactic acid and slow the effort down.

Also, remember that the arms are the controlling factor here, fast arms fast pace, long arms long strides and visa versa slow arms slow pace, short arm short strides. When running if I immobilize your arms, can you run as fast as you can when you have the use of your arms – point made.

Just think about this past weekend and the first race in Kuusamo in the mini-series – the first event is the sprint and you have to do it if you want to be in all three races. Therese Johaug is not a sprinter but did she get a surprise when she qualified, the TV announcers definitely gave her effort some talking time – you never know.

REMEMBER, ALL SPORT COMES DOWN TO SPEED – SO GET OUT THERE AND LEARN HOW TO GO FAST NOW – YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN IT WILL HELP YOU MAKE A TEAM, THE PODIUM OR WIN THE RACE.

Kikkan’s Weekend in Kuusamo – a cool $9,300 US won.

US Men’s Program – Are we seeing a changing of the guard here with the coming of Noah Hoffman? He is starting to put up some pretty good finish numbers. He is learning how hard you have to go to get those results. Just thinking… a young guy was due to come along sooner or later.

Do You Know Jeff Ellis? – First off he’s from Alaska, was a pretty good xc ski racer, is married to Kikkan Randall and is now working for FIS, in a new position as Marketing Support Cross-Country Skiing. If you are visiting FIS XC Ski Viessemann site you will see him first hand doing all kinds of promotional work. HURRAY to FIS for finally hiring a NA for one of these promotional positions.

Canadian Women – are doing the disappearing act again. One starter in Sunday’s race and she was a DNF. It always amazed me how few races the Euros missed and it’s still that way. We are always saving ourselves – just can’t get out of that rut. It shows me that you have not done the training or you would have more confidence to do what you have been training for – RACE! You will not make it doing it this way – there are even coaches playing this game.

Wild Thought – There could be an awful big penalty to pay for all those hotshot Euros who are passing up the five (5) races here in Canada these next two weekends. There is a heavy load of sprints – 3 of them and 2 distance races. Just for instance, lets say Kikkan Randall was to win all five (5) races – that is 500 points and that shoots her to the top of the overall World Cup standings by a huge amount that might just be insurmountable with the way Randall is skiing now in both the sprints and distance races. Is it possible that she could win the WC this early ?????? This could be fun to watch.

Northug’s Thinking – In last Saturday’s 10km free technique WC race in Kuusamo he was seeded #115, which meant most of the course before he started was skied on by literally hundreds of other men racers who would have mushed up the herringbone hills, scrapped off the corners and essentially slowed the whole course down. He finished in 2nd place, losing by just 7 seconds – was it a mistake to be that far back in the seeding? I’d have to say yes. It was 13th place before you saw another racer in the hundred numbers – Lukas Bauer. I think Northug and his coaches slipped up. No big deal as he only lost a couple of thousand dollars… but he does have a gambling habit.

Don’t forget the races start on Friday in Quebec.
 
Talk to You Next Time.
misterxc@aol.com

December 04, 2012 (Quebec City, QC) – I’m kicking off this short update with this awesome cartoon, drawn by the FIS carticature guy Thomas Zipfel:

We just arrived in Quebec City, Canada last night after a long day of travel from Ruka, Finland. Whew! But traveling back West is always so much easier on the body than going east, so I think the crew is doing really well.

The Swedish Media (and all of Sweden!) were super friendly to our team, and we had a couple articles. My favorite? Peter, one of our Wax Techs, getting recognized for making Kikkan’s boards so fast! I think the people behind the scenes in the wax rooms never get enough attention, so it’s great when an article gets published about all the hard work our staff does!

There was also an article of the girls team, and of course we put it into google translate to find out what it said. The results were hilarious because of the imprecise manner of translating, so here’s my favorite quotes!

– “Diggins know several times how dryer disappears and the legs fold itself.”

– “I love Kalles caviar. I can eat much anywhere and I do not have no bread, says Liz Stephen and laughs.”

– “Nor do they have any high wages or obese sponsorship agreement that boast.”

– “I have always good skiing when I compete. We have had many great robbers before, but as soon as they have done progress with us as they leave U.S. to any other country.”

The last race of the Ruka Triple was another solid day for the US girls – all of us in the top 25! I was initially pretty hard on myself for screwing up what started out as a great classic race; somehow in my race-state-of-mind-fog I miscounted the laps and started sprinting with one lap to go. So, not suprisingly, I totally died going up the last hill and lost myself a lot of time and places. But there were also a ton of good things going on that day, especially seeing my teammates perform so well! Lets hope that’s my only “dumb blond race moment” of the year .

Ruka was sweet, but I was so happy this morning to wake up to sunshine and see the light! It’s going to be easy to stay awake here for sure.

In the airport we got to meet up with more of the USA crew for Quebec and Canmore – qualifiers based on the US Supertours in West Yellowstone and Bozeman. I’m SO PSYCHED they’re here and I can’t wait for the entire group to finish getting here!

December 02, 2012 (Bozeman, MO) – APU skiers Sadie Bjornsen and Reese Hanneman ruled the 1.3km CL Sprints at round two of the USSA SuperTour in Bozeman on Saturday at Bohart Ranch. Bjornsen was challenged by teammate Lauren Fritz and Dartmouth’s Corey Stock but held on for the victory while Hanneman had a comfortable margin in the men’s race to take home the SuperTour win. Skate skis and doubled-poling were the order of the day for many skiers. The final decision on the skiers selected to attend the World Cups in Quebec City and Canmore will be made following the USSA SuperTour 10/15km CL races on Sunday – check out these great photos by Alex Diekmann.

Results (brief)

Women

1. Sadie Bjornsen (APU/USST)
2. Lauren Fritz (APU)
3. Corey Stock (Dartmouth)
4. Rosie Brennan (APU)
5. Kate Fitzgerald (APU)
6. Becca Rorabaugh (APU)

Women’s Qualifications and Final results HERE.

Men

1. Reese Hanneman (APU)
2. Nils Koons (CGRP)
3. Erik Bjornsen (APU/USST)
4. Pat O’Brien (CGRP)
5. Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess (Bend EA)
6. Eric Packer (SMS T2)

Men’s Qualifications and final results HERE.

December 02, 2012 (Ostersund, Sweden) – Canadian Zina Kocher, inspired by teammate Le Guellec’s golden performance earlier in the day on Saturday, notched her first top ten finish of the 2012-13 season in the women’s 7.5 km sprint.

“It actually took me a long time to calm down before the start of my own race to focus in what I needed to do,” Kocher told SkiTrax.  “It was just such an incredible day for the team.”

“I have been focused on keeping a consistent shooting time in prone and carrying my good rhythm in training into the race,” said Kocher following the individual event earlier this week. “I know that I can be in the top-10, and on the podium, with 90 per cent shooting accuracy. It’s a possibility every race and I know it. History was made today though. I was screaming at the TV watching JP. What a day!”

Tora Berger of Norway took the victory in 21:34.0 with one penalty while the Ukraine’s Olena Pidhrushna with one miss as well placed 2nd. Olga Vilukhina of Russia with the same record on the range grabbed the bronze.

The USA’s Susan Dunklee also qualified for Sunday’s pursuit by finishing in 43rd.  “I felt more like my normal self in the race tonight; I stood on the start line and thought to myself this is what I am good at and this is what I like to do,” said Dunklee in a team release. “I was having fun with the challenge of racing…and the highlight was sticking with Tora Berger for the entire second loop.  The shooting will come at some point too. I am looking forward to tomorrow.”

Joining Kocher and Dunklee for the women’s 10km pursuit on Sunday is Canadian Rosanna Crawford with her 54th place result in the sprint.

Full results HERE.

December 02, 2012 (Kuusamo, Finland) – Biting cold temperatures and falling snow greeted the top women in the world for the final round of the Ruka Triple as the USA’s Kikkan Randall put in another solid day at the office to claim 5th overall at the first mini-tour of the season behind overall winner Marit Bjoergen (NOR).

“If you had told me two weeks ago that I would be walking away from this weekend with a podium and 5th place overall I might not have believed you,” admitted Randall. “Coming back from the foot injury, I anticipated it was going to take several races to sharpen into race form.

“So I guess you could say I’ve ended up racing a little faster than expected.  However, while my skating has been really strong, my classic striding at race pace is not feeling ready quite yet.  I think I need some more hard classic efforts before I will feel in good race shape for classic,” Randall told Trax.

“My skis were great.  I had plenty of kick and it seemed like I had competitive glide compared with those around me.  Seemed like Weng had really fast skis today. Really cool to see Liz have such a strong classic race in tough conditions!  I’ve been watching her classic improve and she’s just knocking at the door on World Cup top tens!  Watch out for Liz in Canmore, I think she’s going to fly,” continued Randall.

“It’s definitely a bummer that so many of the top Europeans are not coming over for the Canadian races and are choosing to do training camps instead. It’s a World Cup and it would be great if they made the trip over the pond every now and again too,” she added.

The other big story on the US Women’s team was Liz Stephen with the 11th best time of the day, starting in 24th to finish 17th overall in the mini-tour – another personal best for the Vermont skier. Teammate and fellow Vermonter, Ida Sargent, was another measure of the team’s success adding to the personal best tally by finishing 20th on the day and 18th overall.

“It was a very fun race and I’m very happily surprised with the result. I never expected anything like this coming into the weekend. Getting to finish the tour skiing with my teammates just made it even better,” said Sargent. “At first I was freaking out because I had to work harder to stay with the pack on the flats and downs and I felt like I was using more energy than others on the parts of the course that should have been for recovery. But then I chilled out and skied my own race and focused on attacking the hills and I was able to move up on the last lap.

“Having five US women in the top 25 is incredible and I’m really proud. I was able to ski with Holly, Jessie, and Liz for different parts of the race which was awesome and made the day even more special. It’s just fun to be doing this with all of them,” she commented.

Holly Brooks was a strong 18th today to finish 22nd in the mini-tour as all team members landed in the points. Jessie Diggins was 30th today and 24th overall. Team leader, Randall, ended up 28th on the day moving up one spot over last year in the overall when she was 6th. The US women landed 5 skiers  in the top 25 causing more heads to turn.

“Today’s race was going well until I miscounted the laps and started sprinting up the final hill and into the stadium…only to realize I had another lap left when I’d somehow been sure that was it. That’s a sinking feeling I hope to avoid the rest of the year,” Diggins confided to SkiTrax.

“Needless to say, I died hard on the next uphill and lost a lot of time and places, which is of course disappointing. HOWEVER, there were a ton of good things happening today like having great skis and kick, getting to see my teammates have a great day, and meeting some technique goals. So it’s a learning experience for sure but not a waste of a race by any means. I think the course was a good challenging course and I’m psyched our girls and guys rose to the challenge,” she added.

The day belonged to Bjoergen who started the contest with a 52.7-margin over Randall as she also had the fastest time of the day earning additional points in the new BMW series introduced by FIS this year on her way to defending her Ruka Triple crown. No one could touch Bjoergen as the real race raged behind for second and third.

Polish star Justyna Kowalczyk quickly joined Randall and Finland’s Krista Lahteenmaki as Norway’s Therese Johaug and Heidi Weng bridged as well while the falling snow increased in intensity. Randall and Lahteenmaki could not keep pace as Johaug drilled the pace suffering a quick fall around the 5km mark.

After the 7.5km mark Kowalczyk decided to attack on a hill and only Johaug could respond as Randall and Lahteenmaki duked it out behind swapping the lead. But Weng wasn’t finished yet as she dangled behind and on the last time up the final climb before the finish – as Kowalczyk powered ahead – she turned on the jets to pass Johaug and claim the remaining mini-tour podium spot.

Randall outlasted Lahteenmaki for 5th for a stellar weekend of racing as Bjoergen made claim to yet another victory and will forgoe coming to the Canadian WCups in QCity and Alberta to prepare to the Tour de Ski. Meanwhile Randall and her teammates are looking forward to racing closer to home and scooping up more valuable points in the process.

Mini-tour Pursuit results HERE.
Women’s 10km CL results HERE.
Women’s WCup Overall Not available

December 01, 2012 (Kuusamo, Finland) – We caught up with American Kikkan Randall who landed her second consecutive distance podium grabbing the silver in the women’s 5km FR Individual Start at Kuusamo where only Marit Bjoergen (NOR) could beat her. We also chatted with Jessie Diggins, a solid 12th today, along with Holly Brooks and Liz Stephen as the four women made the top 20.
Then it was over to the Canadian camp to chat with Alex Harvey who lead the North Americans in 17th… find out why this was a super result from Quebec’s hero as the world will soon descend on Harvey’s home town for round #3 of the FIS XC WCup.

USST’s Elizabeth Stephen
Yeah, great day here in Ruka! Four women in the top 20 and Noah getting his best ever finish in 19th for the guys, quite a day for sure! Three PR’s on the day, actually, with Noah’s race and Kikkan’s best distance result ever, and mine being the best World Cup stage, with the exception of the final climb on the Tour de Ski last year, so we are all fired up tonight.

The course is mighty hard here in Kuusamo, but a 5k is so short that the strategy was to go out hard, ski the tops of the climbs hard and recover as much as possible on the fast downhills. We were taking risks out there today, blowing up is not out of the question in a 5k, but going to easy is not a good option either because there is never an extra second to blow in such a short race (unless you are Bjoergen, of course, and then you have 22 seconds to play with!). My skis were great, I’m fired up for tomorrow’s cat and mouse game out there!

USST’s Holly Brooks
Today was a great day for the team – once again we had a host of “best-evers” including Liz’s race (minus the TdS Hill Climb) Kikkan’s SILVER in a distance event and Noah’s first top 20!!!! Plus, we had four girls in the top 18 which shows the depth of the USA!
As for my race, I felt like I was never able to get up to full race-speed. Considering I didn’t feel awesome I’m pretty pumped that equated an 18th place race! Standards have definitely changed for me personally and for the USA – as a ski nation! Just a couple of years ago one in the top twenty in a distance race would be news. Now it almost seems like no one is that surprised? I’m really excited to see what we can do in the “Nation’s Cup Race” this year!!!!
As for the cold, you would think that AK would prepare me for this but I don’t feel that I’m at an advantage here. At the finish line today I was told that I had white checks. I will surely be sporting the full-face physio tape look tomorrow! I DO feel better prepared than others for the darkness though 🙂
Good races today should make for a really exciting, action-packed pursuit race tomorrow! I can’t wait!
Thanks,
Holly

December 01, 2012 (Ostersund, Sweden) – Jean Philippe Leguellec is on top of the world at he shot clean and skied his way into the history books as the first Canadian man to win an IBU World Cup taking home a solid victory today in the men’s 10km sprint in Ostersund, Sweden.

His closest rival, Alexis Boeuf (FRA) with one penalty, was 18s behind demonstrating just how superb Leguellec’s performance was, as Christoph Sumann from Austria claimed the final podium spot. Leguellec best previous result was 6th in the 10km sprint at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games.

“It’s huge… I’m really surprised that it happened but it all came together today. I couldn’t be happier,” said the ecstatic winner. “It’s been an objective since the Olympics and a dream come true.”

Le Guellec first cracked the seal on the Canadian biathlon history books in 2009 with career-best seventh place finish in Antholz-Anerselva, Italy. In addition to grabbing a handful of top-10 performances since, including two eighth-place finishes last season, the sharp-shooting Canuck gave the country a glimpse of his potential at the 2010 Olympics when he finished in the top-15 in all four events, including a sixth in the sprint competition.

The previous best World Cup result by a Canadian male was in 1993 when Glen Rupertus finished sixth. Two-time Olympian, Zina Kocher of Red Deer, Alta., was the only other Canadian to reach the podium at a World Cup race in the last two decades. Kocher also celebrated her breakthrough in Oestersund, Sweden when she was third in the women’s individual competition in 2006. Kocher was the first Canadian to reach the international biathlon podium since Myriam Bedard won double gold at the 1994 Olympic Winter Games.

All of the big guns were stunned and silenced by the Canadian as Emil Hegle Svendsen (NOR) was 7th, Germany’s Andreas Birnbacher and Arnd Peiffer were 8th and 9th, with overall leader Martin Fourcade (FRA) in 10th.

The USA’s Tim Burke had a respectable day in 18th suffering two penalties followed by teammate Lowell Bailey in 30th also with two misses. Both advance to Sunday’s pursuit along with Canada’s Scott Perras in 45th and Leif Nordgren (USA) who placed 50th as only the top 60 qualify – Nathan Smith (Can) was 61st and Russell Currier was 80th.

Full results HERE.
With files from Biathlon Canada.

December 01, 2012 (Kuusamo, Finland) – The Russians are stamping their authority early in the season as Alexander Legkov put in the best time in the men’s Individual 10km FR holding off a hard-charging Petter Northug (NOR) to win by a comfortable margin of 6.2s. France’s Maurice Manificat was on form for third as biting cold conditions of -15 degrees and light snowfall tested the best xc skiers in the world. Legkov’s victory follows Nikita Kriukov’s win yesterday over Petter Northug (NOR) in the men’s 1.4km CL sprint.

Alex Harvey (CAN) lead the North American skiers in 17th tied with Evgeniy Belov (RUS), as the USA’s Noah Hoffman had a strong day and was close behind in 19th – a personal best and his first top-20 – with Ivan Babikov also landing in the points in 23rd. Harvey was 27th in Kuusamo last year so he was pleased with his effort this year.

“It’s a tough course and the cold conditions made for slower snow so I’m pretty happy to see a big improvement over last year. Skating on tough climbs is an area we need to work on and we’ve trained with this in mind… and I’m not at 100% so it’s an encouraging sign,” Harvey told Trax in a phone interview.

Hoffman was also pleased with his day on snow, “I was happy to have a career best race today. It is a nice way to start the season, and I believe I can build on this result. It sets me up well for tomorrow’s pursuit start. I am looking forward to a hard race. The cold doesn’t bother me too much, as long as I dress well, and my skis were great today so I owe a huge thanks to my wax tech Randy Gibbs.”

Babikov continued his strong start to the season telling Trax, “My race went OK, the course was hard but fast and skis worked well. During the race I felt good. It was pretty cold during the race, my thumbs got very cold, but other than that it wasn’t too bad.”

The tough course and conditions took their toll as many top contenders suffered in the brutally cold conditions including Dario Cologna (Sui) in 8th, Marcus Hellner (Swe) in 9th followed by Maxim Vylegzhanin (Rus) in 10th. Czech strongman Lukas Bauer finished in 13th as Alexey Poloranin (Kaz) held on to the yellow leader’s jersey with a 15th-place finish on the day.

Also on the scoreboard were Devon Kershaw (CAN) 35th, Kris Freeman (USA) 36th, Tad Elliott (USA) 69th, Kevin Sandau (CAN) 75th, Len Valjas (CAN) 81st, Simi Hamilton (USA) 82nd, Sylvan Ellefson (USA) 88th and Andy Newell (USA) 91st.

Men’s results HERE.

December 01, 2012 (Kuusamo, Finland) – Kikkan Randall timed her run to perfection in the Women’s 5km FR individual start at round two of the Ruka Triple to best all contenders except Norwegian queen Marit Bjoergen and deliver another podium for the American camp in Kuusamo.

Despite brutal -13 to -15 degree temperatures Randall was on fire as Yulia Tchekaleva (Rus) produced the best final time of  12:27.4 to beat as Norway’s energizer, Therese Johaug, with the best 3.1km split time of 8:08.0, did not have enough in the end to unseat the Russian – but Randall did.

All eyes were on Bjoergen, who smashed Johaug’s split time nailing a 7:52.0, showed her cards early and was unbeatable yet again scoring a resounding victory in 12:02.9 making it three consecutive victories. While Bjoergen’s win was not unexpected, Randall’s sensational performance served yet again as proof of her incredible rise to the top of the heap in distance skiing. She now sits 2nd overall to Bjoergen in mini-tour at 52s.

In fact the US women continue to produce strong showings with Jessie Diggins claiming 12th followed by Liz Stephen in 13th with Holly Brooks in 18th landing four skiers in top 20. Only Norway out-classed the Americans with five in the top 20.

Canada’s Daria Gaiazova in 40th lead the Canucks and sits 23rd overall in the mini-tour, a decent result for the strong skier who is focussing on her sprint prowess this year.

Other North American results include Ida Sargent (USA) 49th – a personal best – Chandra Crawford (CAN) in 64th, Alysson Marshall (CAN) in 81st with Perianne Jones (CAN) not starting today.

Women’s results HERE.
Women’s results w/splits HERE.

Mini-Tour Standings HERE.
Women’s World Cup Standings HERE.

November 30, 2012 (Kuusamo, Finland) – USST’s Ida Sargent turned heads as the top North American with a breakthrough 9th in the women’s 1.4km CL sprint in Kuusamo today with impressive, smart skiing. The Dartmouth skier, on the Craftsbury Green Team, was also the fastest NA qualifier in 13th. Norway’s Marit Bjoergen was the undisputed winner claiming the second round of the FIS XC WCup after qualifying fourth and squeaking through to the final as a lucky loser.

Evgenia Shapovalova (RUS) stormed to second, followed by teammate Anastasia Dotsenko in third. Top qualifier Justyna Kowalczyk (POL), was a surprise non-finalist as she was eliminated in the semis and finished up in seventh.

The USA’s Kikkan Randall, who qualified 16th, had an auspicious start storming to second in her quarterfinal behind Kowalcyzk. Randall made her move on the final climb surging into first place but settled for second in the finishing straight. In her semi she started strong, but apeared to lose power on the hill as she used the same strategy fading to fifth to finish 10th on the day.

Dasha Gaiazova (CAN) was the top Canadian qualifier in 18th and looked very strong in her quarterfinal as set the pace taking the lead. As the group hit the climb she did not have the same kick and did not advance to the semis.

Her teammate Perianne Jones, qualifying 20th, had a strong 2nd place finish in her quarterfinal advancing to the semis. She was looking good until she was thrown off pace by a minor stumble and ended up last in her heat finishing the day in 12th, matching her career-best individual World Cup result.

The final was an exciting one, with Kowalczyk out and Bjoergen sneaking in. Katja Visnar (SLO) and Krista Lahteenmaki (FIN) both went down mid-race, while Bjoergen stormed away off the front.

Other North American results include Jessie Diggins (USA) 33rd, Chandra Crawford (CAN) 37th, Alysson Marshall (CAN) 38th, Holly Brooks (USA) 40th, and Liz Stephen 68th.

Women’s Qualifications HERE.
Women’s results HERE.

November 29, 2012 – So here we are – at the start of another World Cup racing season with the first races in the north of Sweden in Gällivare. Last season, when there were no Olympics or World Championships races on the schedule, the races on the World Cup were the most important contests of the season and no one was really peaking for any big event, other than the Tour de Ski.

But this season, many racers are taking a different approach to their training with the Nordic World Championships in Val di Fiemme in February. By focusing on peaking for these championships, many skiers plan to train hard right through the first races of the season before Christmas. As a result, you will see that some of the top skiers do not have very good results during November and December. The other side effect is that many of the top skiers will not travel to Canada for the World Cups before the holidays, preferring to stay at home where they can train more and have less fatigue from travelling.

This could be seen in the individual race in Gällivare in the results of some of the top racers – most notably Dario Cologna (Sui), Justyna Kowalczyk (Pol) and even, I think, in the results of Canada’s Devon Kershaw and Alex Harvey. Cologna was 19th, Kowalczyk was 27th, Harvey was 36th and Kershaw was 44th in the freestyle races.

But it doesn’t matter what the racing program is, or whether you are peaking or not if you are as strong as Marit Bjoergen (Nor). She and her Norwegian country woman, Therese Johaug, finished 1st and 2nd, followed by American Kikkan Randall in 3rd. Bjoergen won the first race last year, too.

Randall was on the podium for the first time in a distance race – a sign that she is continuing to improve over her stunning season last year where she won the Sprint Cup and was 5th overall in the World Cup. Randall, who has been walking around in an air cast most of this summer and fall due to a stress reaction in the bones of her foot, must be relieved that this injury has not affected her results.

Her teammate, Holly Brooks, has also kicked it up a notch or two, finishing 5th. Brooks, who is on the US B Team and is primarily self-funded, started well last year too, but a wrist injury slowed her down at the end of the year.

The American women were the talk of the XC skiing world on Sunday when they finished on the podium for the first time ever in a World Cup relay, taking 3rd. As well as Randall and Brooks, Jessie Diggins and Liz Stephen skied great relay legs to nip the 2nd Norwegian team finishing behind Norway 1 and Sweden 1.

The Canadian women’s team results were disappointing for everyone on the weekend with a best in the individual race of 61st by Dasha Gaiazova and a relay finish of 14th out of 18 teams. Three of the four women – Gaiazova, Chandra Crawford, and Perianne Jones, are primarily sprinters, so the hope is that their results will be better in the sprint that is scheduled in Kuusamo, Finland this coming weekend.

In the men’s individual race, the surprise winner was 28-year-old Martin Sundby of Norway. This was his first World Cup win, but he did win all three races at the Norwegian Championships last winter and was on the podium at two World Cups last winter at the end of the year.

Sundby finished ahead of another surprising skier, Alexei Poltoranen of Kazakhstan, and Marcus Hellner of Sweden. Perennial favourite, Petter Northug was 7th. Poltoranen has a history of doing well in the early season races and I think that Northug likely falls into the group of skiers who are training very hard right now for big races later.

It was nice to see Canada’s Ivan Babikov finishing 14th in this race. Babikov has had a couple of slow years since Vancouver, but he has re-dedicated himself to training hard and it is showing. Kris Freemen had the best US team result at 33rd and I am sure that he is looking forward to going to Kuusamo this week where he has had great results in the past.

In the men’s relay the Canadian men finished a terrific 5th just 3 seconds from 2nd place. Norway, anchored by Northug won the race followed by Sweden and Russia who out-sprinted the Swiss and Canada for the podium.

There has been a change in the format of the men’s relay races on the World Cup level now as they have gone from 4x10km races to 4×7.5 km to make it more exciting for the fans and shorter for TV. This shorter distance will not change the results but it will get the races to the finishing sprint sooner.

Len Valjas made his World Cup debut this season in the first leg of the relay and met his goal of finishing within 20 seconds of the top skiers. Valjas skied with a cast on his hand after breaking a knuckle and should be very happy with his result.

The American men were a disappointing 15th out of 22 teams. There is a strange parallel between the US men and the Canadian women and the US women and the Canadian men. It will be interesting to watch if this changes over the winter.

So now it is off to Kuusamo in Finland for the next leg of the World Cup. There will be a 3-race mini-tour for the men and women including a sprint race, an individual start race and a pursuit race.

From there the World Cup comes to Canada for races in Quebec City on December 7 and 8 and in Canmore on December 13, 15 and 16. I am fortunate to be involved again in the broadcast of all of these races on CBC and Bold. All of the races will be telecast so check your local listings for viewing times.

November 28, 2012 (Gällivare, Sweden) – With over 500 registered teams from contestants in 30 countries around the globe – both new fantasy contest records – the 2012/13 SkiTraxFIS Fantasy World Cup Contest kicked off on Saturday with the season opener of the 2012/13 Viessmann XC FIS World Cup in Gällivare, Sweden.

The contest frontrunner after round one is lafrasse with 99 points, followed closely in second by Luca D. with 98 points. Bosans is third at just one more point back with 97.

The racing was exciting on the weekend, with USA’s Kikkan Randall opening her season with the first distance event podium of her career. Read about it HERE. Randall and her teammates then went on to make history, scoring another podium in the 4x5km relay. Read about it HERE.

Keep in mind this is the first of four Fantasy Contests this season… up next is the FIS Marathon Cup contest, followed by the popular Tour de Ski contest, and finally fans can enjoy our Fiemme 2013 Nordic World Championships contest.

These are the only FIS Fantasy Nordic contests of their kind worldwide so don’t miss your chance to enjoy fabulous top level xc ski racing and the chance to win fabulous prizes –  good luck to all contestants.

Thanks to all of our great sponsors, including Fischer, Trapp Family Lodge, SkiGo, Alpina, One Way, Bjorn Daehlie, 2XU, Bliz, Fresh Air Experience, High Peaks Cyclery, Auclair, and Buff.

For the Contest standings after Gällivare click HERE.

November 28, 2012 – Wow, that sure was an awesome way to start off the World Cup season!!! Not that I expect every weekend to be as wildly exciting with multiple historical US podium results, but geez that was cool. Our Women’s 4x5km relay placed 3rd, which was the first time ever in US History that we’ve had a podium relay finish! Here are two YouTube videos of the race:

http://youtu.be/aG8V001cMR4

I first want to say a big THANK YOU! to everyone for all the kind words, emails, tweets and more that have come flooding in, and a thanks to all those who have been supporting us US Women every step of the way. It sucks that the podium isn’t big enough to put everyone involved onto it, because there’s a whole lot more than four racers that made the day happen. The ENTIRE team includes the teammates cheering, coaches, wax techs, and friends and family and fans back home. So thanks to everyone!

Here’s the race story from the day!

I was super nervous beforehand because with the results from the previous day, it was clear that the team was in shape and ready to rock, and there are only 3 relays this year, so this was our only shot for a while at making our goal of having a team on the podium.

Then, as I was warming up, I saw the racers go by and turned to Matt, a full-blown panic attack seconds away. I’d just seen Liz in second and was like “OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!” I was hyperventilating. Even though I was trying to convince myself that this was going to be just another 5km skate race, I couldn’t ignore the fact that our team was higher up than we’d ever been and the extremely hard work of my teammates was about to be put into my hands.

In the tag zone, I looked over at Marit and said “No big deal… no pressure… aaaaaagh!” and she gave me a little smile that basically said “Good luck, sweetheart”.

So when Liz tagged me, I might have gone out a little hot. And by might have, I mean that I definitely did. I had so much adrenaline pumping that I didn’t feel anything till the top of the first hill, and then it hit me. I just kept trying to stay within sight of Marit, and I was so focused on keeping every second I could that I wasn’t even aware of team Sweden, Finland and Norway 2 coming in hot behind me.

When Kalla (Sweden) passed me, I tried to hang on but was going full throttle and didn’t want to hit the wall completely halfway through the race, so I had to let her go, which was tough. But when Kristoffersen (Norway 2) passed me, I did hang on, just barely, because I knew I usually have good kick at the end of a race and there was maybe a chance.

Liz and Ida and the rest of the team were screaming from the side of the course, but two things stood out to me. Ida was sprinting alongside me yelling like I’d never heard her yell before, and Liz frantically screamed “C’mon Jess, you have to believe you CAN DO THIS! BELIEVE IT!!!”

So when we got within .5km of the finish, I had this flashback to the last relay I raced, in Nove Mesto, where I waited too long to start sprinting and Kalla beat me to the line. I didn’t want to make the same mistake, and decided to make a move before the s-turn to the stadium, sliding ahead of Kristoffersen right before the first corner.

We rounded the stadium corner and started sprinting down the home stretch, and I saw Kristoffersen’s skis come into view, but the only thing I could think was No. Not. Happening. I can’t screw this up now! I think in those final hundred meters I dug deeper than I have in a long, long time.

I crossed the line only .5 seconds ahead, and made this half-yelling-half-screaming-mostely-I’m-in-so-much-pain-right-now noise, and collapsed. The next 2 minutes I was in a haze but I felt my teammates piled on top of me, and then it sunk in and we all realized what had just happened.

There were cameras going off everywhere, but we were huddled in this little circle, crying and laughing and going through this wild flood of emotions (and probably endorphins too, I’ll admit)!

The feeling we all got, standing on the podium having reached a major goal that we all set down on paper earlier this year, was incredible. For me at least, it makes me want to train hard and work even harder to keep these kinds of feelings coming – there’s two more steps on that podium to climb, after all!

I thought it was so cool that all these athletes from other teams were coming up to us and congratulating us on the day – they were psyched for us! Every one of them remembers what it felt like their first time on the podium so they knew what we were going through when we were all huddled together crying 🙂

That night I had such a hard time getting to sleep (gee, I wonder why?) I just kept replaying that final sprint in my mind and hearing Liz and Ida scream “BELIEVE!”. I think I’m going to be hearing that for a while.

November 28, 2012 – SkiTrax recently caught up with Chantal Lachance, Vice President of Gestev Inc., organizer of the inaugural FIS Sprint Cup in Quebec, City. LaChance and Gestev President, Patrice Drouin, have been staging events at Mont Ste-Anne, QC, for over 20 years including two UCI Mountain Bike World Championships and countless UCI MTB World Cups. Gestev and their outstanding team are renowned for always putting on amazing events feature plenty of good fun and entertainment as well. This will be another world-class show, that promises to be too good to miss.

Everyone is thrilled and excited to come and watch this historic World Cup weekend in Quebec. How did you first go about getting the World Cup with FIS?
Chantal Lachance: At the annual FIS Congress in Sprint 2010, we had discussions with FIS and Cross-Country Canada in order to position Québec as a world cup stop. It’s important to mention that the success of this bid is a combination of many factors for Québec to host such an event – the track record of the city and the event producer Gestev, Alex Harvey performing on the international scene, the presence of legendary Pierre Harvey, and Gestev has been being staging events with FIS since 1997, etc. All of these factors had a positive influence on the decision by FIS.

You must be very proud to have secured the World Cup, but know that it represents a lot of work.
CL: Yes, one of the biggest challenges of this event is to be able to make enough snow in downtown Quebec City at the beginning of December. The clock is ticking as the snow making experts have been dealing with mild weather in order to achieve the 10,000m of snow needed to build the 850m long course. This past weekend however, we were able to meet our objective of snow making, which is great news. In case of milder weather, we have other options up our sleeve… but let’s see how fast winter will show up!

The venue seems incredible, a perfect place for racing – what do you think about it?
CL: It was designed with television very much in mind. Sprint Québec will wow crowds gathered in front of the National Assembly by the thousands, eager to see the 150 athletes from close to 20 countries in action. The pictures will really be something special with the National Assembly in the background. We also developed a step down of 30cm and we think that it will be a challenging feature on the course.

You must be expecting very big crowds, any idea how many might come for the weekend on racing?
CL: Yes, we are expecting more than 50,000 visitors on the Sprint Québec site from December 7 to 9. Fans will feel the action and speed that urban sprints deliver while enjoying the beauty of this unique patrimonial and UNESCO environment such as the Parliament hill along the famous Quebec fortification.

Chantal, with such a crowd, where will people park or access the venue each day?
CL: The visitors will park in the public parking lot as usual during the events in Quebec City. Of course we planned the track with the idea of allowing the crowd to see their champions close to the course and accessibility has been on our mind while thinking about the whole project.

Will there be ticket sales?
CL: All the events are free. People can come on site and watch the race and they can visit our Sprint Quebec Village for free and learn more about the cross-country skiing industry. But if someone wants to encourage local ski teams, there is the possibility to buy a ticket in the corporation lodge – all the info to come this week on our website).

What things might we expect at the venue such as amenities, entertainment, etc.?
CL: At 10 a.m. on Friday, December 7, the Sprint Québec Village at Place George V will open its doors to the public. Young and old will be able to meet industry specialists and winter sports fans and take part in a host of activities at the hydraSense Family Zone. Children age 9 to 12 can take part in free Iniski to learn the skating technique with Rossignol professionals. And local microbrewery Archibald will be there for adults in search of a refreshing beer. Then the weekend will end on a high note on Sunday, December 9 with the amateur event Sprint Québec Open fuelled by Chocolate Milk, the final event of the weekend with cross-country skiers of all stripes invited to tackle the World Cup course in a race against the clock. Divided into categories according to age and ability, the participants will get a chance to see how they do compare to their favourite athlete from the Canadian national team in the race of their lives!

Will you be having live TV or sending a broadcast overseas?
CL: Yes, TVA Sport will be live from 14h-16h on December 7 and from 13h-15h on the 8th. CBC and CBC Sports will also be live on site.  We will have more hours to come from CBC after the event. International TV is showing interest, but for now we don’t have confirmation of any crews attending. We will also provide the live feed to Infront, our distribution partner that will deliver the feed to broadcasters throughout Scandinavia and Europe – the world feed live for live or non-live broadcasts.

With the Canadian team doing so well the last years, and especially to have the great local skier Alex Harvey racing, it looks like it will be a great experience and one not to be missed.
CL: Exactly Peter.  Alex will have an incredible reception from his fans that’s for sure. Here is a what Alex said about the event. “It’s going to be a fun event, that’s for sure. I can’t wait to compete in front of my home crowd.”

I hear that given the closeness to Canada, many people from the USA are planning to attend.
CL: Yes for now we have a few media from USA that confirmed their presence during the event to follow the US Team.

Finally, how should we direct people who want more information about the big event?
CL: The public can visit our website www.sprintquebec.com and follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/sprintquebec) and Twitter (twitter.com/sprintquebec)

Thanks so much Chantal and best wishes to you and the entire team on a great week of racing
CL: Thank you.

November 26, 2012 (Gällivare, Sweden) – Another milestone was achieved by the amazing US Women’s Team who were the talk of the town at the 2012/13 Viessemann FIS XC opener in Gällivare, Sweden with their stunning third place finish for a historic first-ever relay podium. This race was a thriller as Holly Brooks kicked of the start with a solid 8th place classic run tagging off to Kikkan Randall who put the team’s fashion socks to work taking over second place with incredible classic skiing panache before handing off to Liz Stephen, who skated like a banshee gaining 4s on Norway’s Martine Ek… and then the ultimate showdown saw anchor Jessie Diggins dig deep and ski her heart out to nip Marthe Kristoffersen at the line for bronze. Check out our interviews below as USST Women’s Coach, Matt Whitcomb urges more women to grab their socks and…

Matt Whitcomb – USST Women’s Coach
Our entire team put together a great race today – from the supportive energy of the men’s team, staff and non-racers to the actual legs the ladies skied. It takes a positive and supportive team to have success like this and we have that. I’m proud of this medal. It validates an incredible amount of work these ladies have logged. It’s a great accomplishment for our country.

These women are showing our younger developing women what it takes. They have all chosen skiing as their full-time profession and passion. They are proving it can be done, that short cuts don’t exist, that you can’t just wait for it to happen. Success must be hunted down. I want to believe this will encourage another 10 or 15 female racers in the U.S. to take the plunge.  We need backup. Get your socks.”

November 26, 2012 (Gällivare, Sweden) – Following the opening round of the Viessemann FIS XC World Cup in  Gällivare, Sweden this past weekend we caught up the Alex Harvey and Lenny Valjas from the Canadian men’s team who were 5th overall, along with US Men’s team skiers Andy Newell, Noah Hoffman, Tad Elliott and Sylvan Ellefson for their take on the official start of the season. One thing they all agreed on was the uber-cool and inspirational podium performance of the US Women’s team… check back shortly as we have interviews with all four members of the stellar US XC Women’s team…

Andrew Newell – US XC Ski Team
Thanks, it was an exciting weekend here in Sweden and the whole team is really stoked for our ladies and all the success they have had. On the men’s side there was some fast and furious racing out there with the new 7.5k relay format. The first leg especially is always very chaotic so anytime I can come it close to the leaders I am happy. I think I was 13 seconds down and in 8th place at the tag so I was happy. I think I could have been even closer to the front if I had gotten just a little stronger kick up the last few hills when the hammer was really get dropped.

I think in the future our men’s team can be competitive in the relay as long as everyone in ‘on’ during that day so we are looking forward to the next relay. Tomorrow we are headed to Finland to get ready for the Kuusamo mini tour. For me the big focus will be the sprint. I’ve been feeling good and I’ve been looking forward to this race for a while. I love the Kuusamo course and I know I can be on the podium there. All the best…

Noah Hoffman – US XC Ski Team
I am super excited and impressed but mostly inspired by our women’s team. They are incredible, and they are proving that we, as Americans, can not only compete with the best skiers in the world but we can be the best skiers in the world. I am dreaming of reaching the top level of the sport myself. This was a very fun weekend to be a part of and witness this close at hand. I am looking forward to the entire team achieving more success all season.

I believe the new 7.5km format for men’s relays makes the race very fast-paced and exciting. By the same token, I believe there is something to be said for the history behind the 4x10km event. There is not a huge difference between the two and I don’t have a strong opinion either way. I look forward to competing in whichever races are held in the future.

Tad Elliott – US XC Ski Team
Good to hear from you and sorry for my late reply. What awesome results from our womens team. That was pretty special to be a part of it. Being a part by just being on the same team as them and cheering them on. For sure they were the talk of the whole world cup that weekend. Inspiring to say the least. My world cup was so-so. I was sick in Muonio, Finland and had to skip the races there and take some time off. So it was pretty boring for three days. I was still coming back this weekend in finding some sort of ski form. The relay day was better for me and I skied solid. Now in Kuusamo, Finland and looking forward to watching and racing.

Sylvan Ellefson – US XC Ski Team
I have had a great time over here so far! Out women’s team is incredible. Truly fun to watch their success and great team camaraderie. I was not necessarily happy with my results this weekend but they certainly were not a result of poor training over the summer. I am in good shape right now but probably not at my top form. If you want a top-30 result like I do, everything from my race prep to ski selection to warmup and race execution has to come together. It didn’t this weekend, but lucky for me I have a few more races to get it done!

November 26, 2012 (Gällivare, Sweden) – Check out this video footage from the men’s relay in Gällivare including the last 5 minutes of the race as Canada’s Alex Harvey battled for positioning and a medal in the final sprint to the line.

http://youtu.be/Jxiih6SSeGU

November 25, 2012 (Gällivare, Sweden) – It was a stellar day for the US XC ski women’s team in Sweden as they claimed their first 4x5km relay podium and put the international field on notice once again that they mean business.

The squad of Kikkan Randall, Holly Brooks, Liz Stephen and Jessie Diggins put it all together on Sunday for the historic performance while making a fashion statement as their red-blue-white striped knee-high socks turned heads as well.

Here’s a selection of photos from today’s competition and check out our interviews with all team members tomorrow… race report and results HERE.

November 25, 2012 (Gällivare, Sweden) – The US XC ski women’s team has arrived. In a stunning display of ski prowess the team of Kikkan Randall, Holly Brooks, Liz Stephen and Jessie Diggins made history capturing their first World Cup relay 4x5km podium taking home the bronze in a thrilling race that kept fans on the edge of their seats.

It was the second consecutive US podium in Sweden with Randall’s 3rd place yesterday in the 10km FR (her first distance podium), as Brooks was the lead off classic skier fighting for position in a hotly contested first classic leg that saw several crashes behind the leaders. Brooks kept the USA in contention handing off to Randall in 8th at 11.7s behind Norway 1 lead by Vibeke W Skoferud who tagged Therese Johaug.

Johaug was on her own out front but Randall took charge on her classic leg picking off skiers to take her team from 8th to 2nd place by the second lap. Showing strong form she fought off Sweden 1, Norway II, Finland 1 and Russia 1 and closed the gap on Johaug to 8.2s, delivering the fastest leg time on great skis, as she handed off to Stephen.

Stephen, who celebrated her first FIS podium in Finland last weekend, was on fire and chased down Norway’s Martine Ek Hagen clawing back 4s over the 5km skate course as Norway 1 and the USA established themselves as the clear leaders. Behind Sweden 1, Norway II, Finland 1 and Russia 1 scrambled to stay in touch as the Canadian team of Chandra Crawford, Perianne Jones, Daria Gaiazova and Alysson Marshall struggled behind in 14th.

Hagen held off a hard-charging Stephen and handed off to Marit Bjoergen for the final skate leg as Diggins anchored for the USA. The race behind was on as Swedish star Charlotte Kalla was soon gaining on Diggins with Norway II ‘s Marthe Kristoffersen in tow.

As Bjoergen raced ahead to victory Kalla caught and passed Diggins who valiantly held on to third as Kristoffersen now became the new threat while Kalla pressed on alone in second. On the second lap Kristoffersen caught the young American star and it looked like the USA’s podium hopes were in jeopardy.

But Diggins was not done yet and on the final corner leading into the finishing straight she pulled up beside her Norwegian rival and put the hammer down as the two sprinted to the finish with Diggins taking home the historic bronze medal for the USA by 0.5s.

The US team’s previous best result was a record 5th place last year in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic without Randall who was sick as Ida Sargent took her place and proved her mettle. Canada finished 14th on the day.

In a few short years the US women have made the grade and are a force to be reckoned with.

Full results HERE.
Full results w/splits HERE.

November 24, 2012 (Gallivare, Sweden) – Following Saturday’s opening round of the 2012/13 Viesseman FIS Cross-Country World Cup season we caught up with with Kikkan Randall to talk about her stellar 3rd place finish in the women’s 10km FR; we also spoke with Holly Brooks about her fabulous 5th place PB; the we caught up with Canada’s Ivan Babikov who lead the NA men in 14th in the 15km FR interval start; and finally we chatted with Canadian Head Coach Justin Wadworth who talks about the season start, the men’s and women’s teams, Valjas and what lies ahead…

November 24, 2012 (West Yellowstone, MO) – I pick up the receiver and give a ring to the Chuck Norris of American skiing. It’s almost dinner time with the family at the Liebsch household, but the man graciously took the time to talk about the eventful training season, that began in the spring with Mr. Liebsch on the side of the road, almost losing his life in an accident while training, to punching his third ticket to the Canmore World Cup series. After the perfunctories, here is the conversation that ensued.

So first, congrats on winning West. Definitely a nice way to start the season.
Matt Liebsch: Thanks. Appreciate it.

I heard you came out to West Yellowstone about two weeks ago. The snow scene out here, though, hasn’t the best. How were you able to deal with this, because it seems like this didn’t slow you down.
ML: It was a little tough the first week with snow but no grooming. But it actually turned out well. I had a lot of volume the first week and the backwoods skiing keep me going easy, within my level one (aerobic level). It was nice doing some long solo skis up in the mountains.

I know you’ve done well in West before, but it’s still a little bit interesting that a Midwesetern boy wins high up on the plateau. Were you concerned at all about the altitude?
ML: It was nice to come out here two weeks early. I have placed in the top five at West Yellowstone before with only a week of altitude. This year, with the World Champs and Sochi (Olympics, in 2014) being high I have focused on getting to altitude more. Since September, I have spent time on the Haig, Park City, and Canmore. Being at altitude this much this fall has helped. Also, I’ve dropped some weight from previous seasons. This helps with racing at altitude.

Tell us a little about your race.
ML: I went out first in the seeded group, which I actually liked. It allows me to focus on my own race. I didn’t have to worry about anything but my own race and pacing.

The course skied very quickly today. I also have to throw some credit to more than just fast snow.  Chris Hall of Fischer and Swix produced some good skis for me today.
ML: I skied the flats and downs very hard. I skied within myself on the climbs. The finish was pretty much all uphill. I just had to keep my head down and keep the skis moving.

Back in May you had a pretty horrific bike accident. How was it coming back from this?
ML: It was tough. I almost died on the side of the road. Thankfully Eric and Laszlo (he is an EMT) from my race team were with me. I raced at Ski to Sea a little bit too soon. After that I had another recovery period. Once I finally got over the cracked ribs, headaches and separated shoulder, it was back to lots of level one training. It took three or four months post concussion to finally feel okay. This fall the training has really gone well and I have avoided illness.

How is it to have your whole family out here in West with you again this year?
ML: It is awesome! My wife and kids keep me very down to earth. Today they surprised me by finding a way to get up to the start line to see me off. I’ve been spending some time in the pool playing with the kids and my wife is making some great homemade meals. I don’t like being away from the family for multiple weeks. This year I am taking them on the road with me as much as we can afford to.

Are you surprised at all that you are skiing so fast so early after this?
ML: A little bit… but since the training has gone so well this Fall I knew I was going to ski quick. Like I said earlier, coming to altitude more frequently has helped a lot. I knew it would help a lot, but in the past I just did not have the support or funding to spend that much time at altitude.

What are your thoughts on punching your ticket to the early season Canadian World Cups with today’s effort?
ML: I was part of the nation’s quota in 2009 and 2010, so I was very hopeful to be going this year. I am excited to race in Canmore, I love it there!

Any shout outs you want out in the worldwide web before I let you get back to the Thanksgiving leftovers?
ML: If I have to give a shout out, then it has to be about my newly renamed race team, Borton Volvo XC United. This year especially the team has done a super job of fundraising, allowing me to focus more on racing. I have to thank my current sponsors including Borton Volvo, Gear West, The Fix Studio, Zel Skin, Fischer, Swix and Team Strong Heart.

Additionally, I owe big thank you to my work, Gear West, for allowing me the flexibility to chase my goals. And you know most importantly, I better give a thank you to my loving wife, Marybeth, who supports me no matter how fast or slow I race.

Thanks Torin!

No problem Matt. The pleasure was all mine. See you soon a little further down the road…

November 24, 2012 (West Yellowstone, MO) – Rosie Brennan (APU) won the women’s opening round of this season’s USSA SuperTour in West Yellowstone. Originally from Park City, Utah, Brennan established herself among the top tier of eastern collegiate racers while at Dartmouth with regular podium finishes. Now skiing for Erik Flora’s well known Alaska Pacific University program, that spawned Kikkan Randall and Holly Brooks among others, we caught up with Brennan following her victory…

First, congrats on the West win. If I’m not mistaken, this your first SuperTour victory, right? Either way, this must be such a nice way to start the season.
Rosie Brennan: Thank you! Yes, this is my first SuperTour win. So, yeah, I am quite excited about it. It is great to start the season on a high note, particularly when the early season races count for a little more this year.

You’ve been up in Anchorage for most of the fall, again training and racing for Alaska Pacific University team?  Tell us a little about how the preparation season has gone for you and your teammates.
RB: I have been in Anchorage since May with the exception of a few training camps. This fall was tougher than most in Anchorage. We didn’t get the early snow, so we have been skiing up high, but it was pretty limited in terms of terrain, being able to test race skis, and ski twice a day. I still have not skied in a set classic track. But in terms of training our hearts and muscles, we still had a very productive fall. We trained pretty hard up until the week before traveling here with lots of bounding intervals and ski intervals when possible.

How is it for you to race up on the plateau?
RB: I raced on the plateau a few years back so it wasn’t totally foreign to me, but it’s always a little different to race a point to point on a narrow-and-elevation-gain course. It is actually not unlike the skiing we had available in Anchorage this fall, so that is always a bonus. Growing up at altitude (Rosie grew up in Park City, skiing with the Park City Ski Team and Gordon Lange) has left me some ease in reverting back to racing at altitude, despite living many years at sea level now. I think these early years really help out with racing at altitude.

Tell us about your race. Probably one of the quietest times on a race course ever. How was it not receiving this auditory stimulus, or many race splits and the like?
RB: It was a full-on lung burner, that’s for certain. A handful of coaches were out there, and most gave me some sort of split or cheer so it wasn’t totally silent. Having only done time trials this year, in which there usually aren’t fans, it really didn’t seem that different to me. I was pretty early on in the A seed so I was trying not to focus too much on the splits because I knew many fast girls were behind me.  Because the course was very much a constant-output course, it didn’t seem that fast or short to me. It’s rare you have to work continually for 20-some minutes in a race.

I set some goals before I started about technique and focused on those most of the time, so I wouldn’t focus on the amount left. Skating has been a big focal point for me this summer. I had a lot to think about out there in terms of techniques, and I also really wanted to prove to myself that I was improving in skate technique. I skied on a brand new pair of Rossignols, so those in combination with our incredible wax techs left me some great skis for today. One challenge was finishing out in the middle of nowhere. I was fortunate to have had people bring down dry clothes and a PowerBar for the ski out.

What are your thoughts on just about punching your ticket to the early season Canadian World Cups with today’s effort?
RB: My goal for these early season races is definitely to qualify for the World Cups in Canada. I am pleased with having a solid effort in the right direction. I am hoping my sprint skills have improved as much as well!

Rosie, thank you for your time. Best of luck with the rest of the season, and the upcoming Bozeman race series as well.
RB: Thanks

November 24, 2012 (Gällivare, Sweden) – Canada’s Ivan Babikov continued his strong start to the season leading the North American contingent in 14th as Norway’s Martin Johnsrud Sundby showed the field how it’s done grabbing the first WCup victory of season in the men’s 15km FR interval start in Gällivare, Sweden on Saturday.

Alexey Poltoranin (KAZ) had a strong day claiming second while Sweden’s Marcus Heller salvaged the second half of his race to claim third in front of his home crowd in the Gällivare stadium that bears his name. Finland’s top dog, Matti Heikkenen, was on form as well for 4th with Sjur Roethe (NOR) taking 5th.

The USA’s Kris Freeman lead the American charge just out of the points in 33rd as the North American contingent had a lacklustre day on the trails with Canadian stud Alex Harvey in 36th followed by the USA’s Noah Hoffman in 38th with Devon Kershaw, second overall last year, in 44th. The USA’s Tad Elliott finished 59th, Simi Hamilton (USA) was 63rd, Canuck Kevin Sandau was 64th and American Sylvan Ellefson was 76th.

The tough course humbled other top contenders as Petter Northug (NOR) settled for 7th, Russian star Maxim Vylegzhanin was 14th, and World Cup leader Dario Cologna (SUI) surrendered his leader’s jersey placing a surprising 19th on the day.

A field of 97 skiers were on the start line as mid-race snow may have affected the results of some the bigger names who started later and had to contend with tougher conditions.

Full results HERE.
Full results w/splits HERE.

November 22, 2012 (Muonio, Finland) – The US Women’s Team began their Euro campaign in Muonio, Finland landing three skiers in the top 10 in the women’s 10km FR intehttp://skitrax.com/48140/rval start on the final day with Liz Stephen scoring her first major international podium placing 2nd to Justyna Kowalczyk (POL). Holly Brooks was a strong 7th while Jessie Diggins claimed 9th… we also chatted with a smiling Kikkan Randall cheering from the sidelines until her foot gives her the green light to compete – hopefully this weekend as the FIS World Cup kicks off in Gallivare, Sweden… plus read Ida Sargent’s blog on Muonio HERE.

November 20, 2012 – Check out Dasha Gaiazova, Perianne Jones and Devon Kershaw’s comments and predictions on the Canadian men’s team’s best and worst Movember Mustaches contest…

November 19, 2012 (Muonio, Finland) – SkiTrax caught up with USST skier Liz Stephen after she landed her first FIS podium in Europe, placing second in the women’s 10km FR in Muonio, Finland Postsa mere 4.5s behind Polish queen Justyna Kowalczyk on the weekend. We spoke to her about her great kick-off to the 2012/13 season and found out what’s ahead for the speedster.

November 18, 2012 – Talkin’ with the Gravy Train is pleased to present Part 2 of our interview with young U.S. cross country skiing superstar Jessie Diggins. These audio interviews hosted by famous sports commentator and journalist Peter Graves, provide a forum for notable Nordic personalities to talk about the sport they love in their own words and express their point of view.

Jessie Diggins – Making Her Mark
The US Ski Team’s Jessie Diggins, a 21-year-old Minnesota native, has enjoyed a strong off-season of training and is anxious to start racing again.

Diggins enjoyed a breakthrough season last year with fine results like her second place finish in a team sprint in Milano with Kikkan Randall, at just her third World Cup start. She also scored her first World Cup points last season taking a 6th place in a sprint in downtown Moscow. With results like that the sky’s the limit and in this candid interview she talks about her goals for the season and contemplates that this could be a more challenging campaign.

Diggins goes into the year with five US National titles in her career, and will be targeting the FIS top-seeded Red Group for both sprinting and distance skiing

We caught up with her last week, as she was training and packing for the start of the international season. She’s currently in Finland with the rest of the USST team, and in this edition of TWTGT she shares her passion and joy of cross-country skiing and a look at what’s ahead.