December 10, 2011 (Davos, Switzerland) – The USA’s Holly Brooks scored a career-best 13th in the women’s 15km freestlye race while Canada’s Ivan Babikov earned a top-10 finish placing 7th in the men’s 30-kilometre FR competition in Davos on Saturday. Norway’s Petter Northug and Marit Bjoergen both racked up convincing victories – here’s a selection of quotes and photos…

Full women’s 15km FR results HERE.
Full men’s 30km FR results HERE.

Women’s 15km

Holly Brooks (USA) – 13th
Today was an awesome day, definitely a World Cup best for me! I was getting splits that I was leading the race but still had half of the field behind me. On my second loop I started to get some info on fast skiers that started behind me and apparently, my splits were still good. When I passed Chris Grover for the second time, he told me that I was fighting for a top-ten time for the day and that every second mattered. Apparently I was running 7th place through at least 9.5 kilometers. While I’m bummed that the top ten continues to elude me I’m ecstatic with my progress and hope that one day, if I’m patient, I’ll be able to break through!

Racing at altitude has always been one of my favorite things. Plus, today was the first race in Europe on REAL, natural snow! Coming into the race I had no idea how I’d fair against the World Cup field at a longer distance. I know that I like long races in a domestic field but you never know how that’s going to translate to European competitors and courses. I think it’s safe to say that I like it!

Racing at altitude can also be misleading in that you never really feel that good… the pace is much slower than racing at sea level and its mentally tough when you feel like you’re not moving very fast. The best thing to do is focus on technique, and keep grinding away. Today was a grind, especially at the top of the course where there were some really awkward, off-camber hills. I’m sure it didn’t look pretty and I’m crossing my fingers that that part of the race didn’t make TV!

The momentum behind our team is phenomenal right now and it’s fun to think that we had three girls score points today! That on top of a few World Cup medals last weekend makes this a good early season streak for USA!

Tomorrow’s sprint should be fun and I’m crossing my fingers that we’ll have a handful of North Americans make the heats. Like I said a couple of days ago on my blog, all we need is a bit of confidence and continued international interface and opportunities. We have a large group competing in Europe this season, many of whom are funding their own trip(s). I think that says a lot about the dedication and commitment to getting better at the sport. These racing opportunities have been critical for me and I’m incredibly thankful that I had the opportunity to compete in these World Cup races.

Thanks so much to all the coaches, wax techs, family members and teammates who provided fast skis and encouragement along the way! (Today and 365 days/year!)

Ivan Babikov (CAN) – 7th
It wasn’t anything special in terms of tactics, I was thinking to use my glide and keep calm. Maybe I started a bit to hard and paid for that on my last lap – my legs started to cramp – but sometimes you just have to go for a risk I’m very happy with the way it tuned out. Any individual start race is good for me, especially a skate race. It looks like I feel the most comfortable racing in a 30km or 15km. I wish there would be more races like today on the calendar.

Kikkan Randall (USA) – 27th
I’m actually pretty satisfied to be in the top 30 today and it was another really strong day for our team. Liz, Holly and I did some intervals together yesterday and I could tell everyone was looking strong!! It’s fun to see that our team can really mix it up in the points now!

I have struggled with distance racing here in Davos in the past so I was looking forward at the chance to go out and race a lot of km’s today and work on my altitude pacing. I wanted to start aggressive and keep a steady pace the whole race.

My race went great for the first 3km. I felt like I got into a really good rhythm early and was actually quite surprised to get the good splits because my start felt controlled. But midway up the climb on the first lap I felt the effort catch up with me a little bit and from there I kind of got stuck in a middle gear. I struggled a bit through the middle of the race. My energy actually felt pretty good through the race, but I was having a hard time keeping my power up over the 2nd half. It didn’t feel like things unraveled, I just couldn’t seem to get myself into that next gear.

I am excited for tomorrow’s sprint race. I’ve always rebounded really strong from distance racing the first day here and I know my sprinting is in a really good place. The competition is going to be tough tomorrow but I am anxious to get another head-to-head race with Bjoergen. She is the gold standard right now and it will be fun to challenge her!

Men’s 30km

Sadie Bjornsen (USA) – 53rd
Today was all about training and practice. I think the way you become a successful world cup racer is by trying it all. Even though the 15km skate is probably about as far from my strength you can handle, especially when its all uphill – and then all downhill. I went out there today for the experience and training.

The race was much harder than I was actually expecting. The constant uphill climbing was deceiving (read hard). Kikkan passed me pretty early on, which was a bit tough for my head, but I tried to pull things together on the second lap a bit more. It appears I could use a bit more practice, and a couple more years of racing.

I am anxiously waiting for tomorrow. Today was a warm up for tomorrow 🙂 I train hard enough that hopefully todays hard effort should have no effect on my race tomorrow. Plus I got two chances to ski the sprint course for tomorrow’s race within my race today, so I got it down.

It was especially exciting to see Holly and the other two girls do so well today! When you have a team like that, it makes it easy to forget about a rough race and get psyched for the following day. I think this is an improvement that the US girls are making possible. It’s really neat.

Graham Nishkawa (CAN) – 34th
It was definitely a lot better for me today than the previous efforts. It was definitely really hard course and I didn’t really know what to expect in a 30k individual. I just went out a little bit conservative in the first couple of kilometres, and then I found my groove and felt pretty good the whole way through.

Justin Wadsworth (CAN) – Head Coach
Both guys skied well and we’re pretty satisfied with it. The race today was about fitness and not so much about tactics and things like that so it just shows that both guys are fit.

December 10, 2011 (Davos, Switzerland) – Canada’s Ivan Babikov earned a top-10 finish in the men’s 30-kilometre FR ski in Davos on Saturday as Norway’s Petter Northug silenced all critics regarding his individual start talents as he trounced the field with a time of 1:07:43.8 just under a minute ahead of  Maurice Manificat (FRA) in second with Lukas Bauer, of the Czech Republic, grabbing the bronze.

It was Babikov’s best performance in six years. “That was my best since Canmore in 2005. The team worked really well on my skis and I felt a lot ofsupport this week,” said the 31-year-old Babikov with a time of 1:09:33.2. “I started hard and tried to hold it to the end. I felt I had good control until the last lap when my muscle started cramping. For sure I’m happy with this today.”

Full results HERE.

December 10, 2011 (Hochfilzen, Austria) – It was a Norwegian showdown in the men’s 12.5km pursuit in Hochfilzen this morning in the men’s 15km IBU WCup pursuit, with Emil Hegle Svendsen besting fellow countryman Tarjei Boe in a final sprint to line with a time of 33:09.0 and a winning margin of only 0.1s. It was a nailbiter, with Svendsen racking up two shooting penalties and Boe only holding one. Switzerland’s Benjamin Weger claimed third place at 4.9 seconds back and only one penalty.

The top North American result was logged by USA’s Lowell Bailey, who finished 17th. He trailed by +57.4 and amassed two penalties. Canada’s Brendan Green finished 33rd at +2:00.5 back with three penalties. Jay Hakkinen (USA) landed 45th spot with four penalties.

In the 10km women’s pursuit, Darya Domracheva (BLR) showed an impressive display of determination to snag her victory over second place, Olga Zaitseva (RUS), and third place, Magdalena Neuner (GER). Domracheva came from behind, trailing by 55s after the third shooting stage, to claim the victory on the final round. She finished her race in 29:34.4 with two penalties, while Zaitseva finished only +0.3 back with a single penalty.

Zina Kocher (CAN) scored the best North American result with a solid 23rd place, trailing by 3:09.5 and logging two penalties. Susan Dunklee (USA) finished 43rd, followed by team mate Sara Studebaker (USA) in 44th.

Men’s results HERE.
Women’s results HERE.

December 10, 2011 (Notodden, Norway) – “It is always great fun to compete here in on the Tveitan-bakken,” Austria’s Daniela Iraschko said after her FIS Ladies Ski Jumping COC victory yesterday evening. “The crowd here was wonderful last year – and they have proved themselves this year too. It is awesome! I am really grateful and this victory means a lot to me.”

Iraschko delivered jumps of 98 m in both rounds for a total of 259 points. Runner-up was Sarah Hendrickson (USA), who  won the first-ever Ladies Ski Jumping World Cup event a few days ago in Lillehammer. She jumped 98 m and 99.5 m, but was short of style points and ended with 257.5 points. Third was Austria’s Jacqueline Seifriedsberger (93.0 m/94.5 m/240.0 points).

Other North American results include Abbey Hughes (USA) in 20th, Alissa Johnson (USA) in 24th, Taylor Henrich (CAN) 27th, Nina Lussi (USA) 35th, Jasmine Stepandj (CAN) 42nd, and Nita Englund (USA) 43rd.

Today, a second COC competition will be held in Notodden – the start of the first round is at 1:30 pm local time (GMT+1 hour).

The Viessmann FIS Ladies Ski Jumping World Cup will continue in Schonach-Schönwald on January 6, 2012.

Results HERE.
Standings HERE.

December 08, 2011 (Canada) – Canada’s national ski team athletes are making a splash on the World Cup scene in more ways than one this season. Not only are they grabbing attention in the results lists, they are also turning heads sporting new race couture designed and supplied by One Way and driving around in souped up team vans. The big reveal is yet to come, however, when the team unveils the team bus for the 2012 Tour de Ski, which was first introduced last year.

Cross Country Canada’s four-year deal with Finnish nordic equipment company, One Way, to supply the NST’s racing kit for the 2011-12 season, was announced with some fanfare last April. One Way, which also supplies racing suits to the French and Slovenian national teams, is known for its distinctive designs and colour schemes.

“We are extremely pleased to partner with One Way in order to provide access to some of the most critical resources our athletes require for optimal training and successful performances,” said Davin MacIntosh, executive director, Cross Country Canada, during the announcement last spring. “Our preparation will be enhanced with One Way on our team, and we firmly believe this partnership gives our athletes another opportunity to compete at the highest level at all times.”

Andreas Bennert, CEO of One Way Sport OY Finland also said at the time that: “The Canadian National Ski Team is one of today’s youngest and most exciting teams in the world. They have developed, in terms of performance, immensely over the last few years. Their strong team spirit is also an important part of being a vibrant and modern cross-country ski team.”

The NST’s new One Way racing suits for 2011-12 were finally showcased in mid-November, when the athletes competing in a FIS race in Bruskvallarna, Sweden, wore them for the first time in competition. While somewhat conservative in style, in comparison to the suits One Way designed for the French national team, for example, the new Canadian racing suits feature a bright red and white colour scheme with large white maple leafs emblazoned on the shoulders and thighs, making them relatively easy to pick out on the trails. There will certainly be no mistaking them for the Americans or the Swiss (whose black suits look almost identical). This week the Senior World Cup team was seen sporting new warm-up jackets in Davos, with the women wearing white with bright pink accents.

When not strutting their stuff in their new One Way swag, the Canadian team will be riding in style in their tricked out team vans, which have received a major cosmetic facelift. “In Europe we have 2 vans, one is a cargo van which carries all our skis and gear, and the other is part cargo and part passenger,” Head Coach, Justin Wadsworth, told SkiTrax. The Canadian team now rolls into World Cup venues in a van sporting a larger than life decal of Devon Kershaw and Alex Harvey’s now-iconic air-guitar rock star pose following their gold medal win in the team sprint at the World Ski Championships in Oslo last year.

According to Wadsworth, the team leases the vans from their ski technicians, because there are barriers to vehicle ownership and long term rentals in Europe.  “The cargo van is owned by Micke Book (one of our service men), and we lease it from him, and the other is owned by Yves Bilodeau and we lease it from him as well. It’s tough to own vehicles in Europe as you need to have certain requirements, so it works well with our system.”

Wadsworth also acknowledged the vehicle support the team receives back in Canada from sponsors: “In Canada we have had our vehicles and trailers donated by Canadian Pacific and Alta Gas. We have the largest Mercedes Sprinter Van that carries the team and gear with ease, as well as a trailer – both were part of our sponsorship with CP. Alta Gas has given us two pickups and an SUV for use in Canada also, which has been great.”

The big reveal fans are waiting for, however, is this year’s version of the team’s rock star bus for the 2012 Tour de Ski. Last year Team Canada unveiled its so-called “Magic Bus,” a fully tricked out bus similar to those used by professional cycling teams, complete with sleeping quarters, kitchen, 2 lounges, and flat screen TVs. Rented through the German firm MZES, the Team Canada bus was designed to ease the strain of Tour de Ski logistics on athletes, such as traveling to and from the race sites, and to maximize the athletes’ recovering time between races.

Wadsworth says that the new team bus will be rolled out at the end of this month: “We’ll have new logo’s on the bus, which will be seen for the first time the day before the Tour starts,” he told SkiTrax.  “The same company in Germany, MZES, is supplying the bus, which they have upgraded for us at no cost. The bus this year is payed for generously by B2Ten, which has supported both our athletes and our team really well over the last couple years.”

Team Canada was the first team to utilize such team bus, and, given the success of Kershaw and Harvey in last year’s tour, it will be interesting to see how many copycat buses are rolled out by other teams use this year.

The video below is courtesy of FIS Cross Country and features a tour of last year’s team bus with Head Coach, Justin Wadsworth, at the start of the 2011 Tour de Ski.

Nordic equipment manufacturers are hoping on board the trend as well. One Way recently unveiled a new truck that travels to World Cup races and features an on-board product showroom and mobile service crew.

December 08, 2011 – In this week’s edition of Kikkan Randall’s Q&A, biathlete Carsen Campbell asked an interesting question about drafting in racing. Kikkan responded with some valuable tips and a word of caution…. Check out Randall’s Training Rap HERE and check her MAILBAG for all Q&As thru the season.

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Q&A Drafting

Hello Kikkan,

I am a biathlete from eastern Canada and am trying to take my raceing to a new level, my question regards drafting. How effective and important is this? Any insight you could provide and tips for effective drafting would be of great help to me.

Good luck, and keep up the great results.

Thanks,

Carsen Campbell

Hey Carsen,

Thanks for your question. Drafting is always a curious topic. Sometimes it can really make a difference and sometimes it doesn’t seem to really work at all.

From my experience, if you can tuck in behind a good skier and follow their rhythm, it can help teach you how to make efficient movements and stay relaxed in your own skiing. You can also save up a little energy for that last punch you need at the finish.

The only thing to consider when drafting is that you are at the mercy of the skier ahead. They get to take whatever line they want, they could fall or bobble and you may have a hard time getting around them when it counts. So my advice is to practice skiing behind others in practice and learn to always be ready for something to happen.

Good luck in your racing!

Cheers,
Kikkan 🙂

December 08, 2011 (Canmore, AB) – Cross Country Canada has named two of Canada’s best-ever female cross-country skiers, Beckie Scott and Milaine Theriault, as chairs of its Women’s Committee. The Committee has recently been given a fresh mandate that will improve the profile of the Committee as it facilitates opportunities for girls and women in all facets of cross-country skiing.

The Women’s Committee is an operational committee of Cross Country Canada (CCC) which exists to ensure equality of opportunity for girls and women as participants, competitors, coaches, officials and leaders in cross-country skiing in each of its five regions across the country (Atlantic; Quebec/Nunavut; Ontario; Manitoba/Saskatchewan/Alberta/ NWT; and British Columbia/Yukon).

Both Olympians, Theriault, of St. Quentin, N.B. and Scott, a two-time Olympic medalist from Vermilion, Alta., take over as co-chairs from Maureen Kershaw who has successfully chaired the Committee for several years now.

“Milaine and Beckie played a critical role in creating a competitive culture of excellence for our program in Canada during their careers which has inspired thousands of young Canadians to start cross-country skiing,” said Davin MacIntosh, executive director, Cross Country Canada. “These two Olympic heroes are role models on and off the snow to women and young girls across the country, are passionate about the sport and know what it takes to succeed.”

Theriault and Scott, along with Sara Renner, formed one of the strongest women’s cross-country ski teams in the history of the program. The Canadian women followed a steady progression throughout their career that saw them grow from participants who finished near the bottom of the results sheet at their Olympic debut in 1998 to medal winners in 2006 prior to their retirement.

“For some time I have been thinking of how to get involved and give back to the ski community in appreciation for all of the support I received as an athlete,” said Theriault. “Co-chairing an initiative that I’m very passionate about, with a great teammate and friend in Beckie is a perfect fit for me. I believe we can draw on our experiences to make a difference and I look forward to the challenge.”

The Committee’s focus is on educating women on the roles they have an opportunity to pursue in cross-country skiing and facilitating the participation of women in areas where affirmative action is required. “Creating new opportunities to get involved in cross-country skiing that will change the lives of women in every corner of this country, with the ultimate goal of developing more young girls into elite skiers” is what Scott says will drive her interest in the project.

Reporting to Cross Country Canada’s executive director, Theriault and Scott will work collaboratively with management Committee Members during their two-year term. While the program will be more formally launched in the New Year, the two Co-Chairs will concentrate their short-term efforts on filling the Committee membership which will include the following positions: an athlete representative; executive director; a member of the Board; appropriate staff persons to support activities and programs;representatives from any of the five Regions that wish to participate.

www.cccski.com

December 07, 2011 – We’re excited to present our inaugural SkiTrax Fantasy FIS Marathon Cup 2011/12 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. Now here’s the twist… following the Koenig Ludwig Lauf event (Feb. 5/12) we’ll allow contestants to swap one male and one female skier from their team for added excitement leading into the final six (6) 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.

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. 17, at 10pm EST, the day before FIS Marathon Cup season kicks off in Italy with La Sgambeda on Dec. 18 – and stay tuned for our Tour de Ski Contest launching early next week.

To register click HERE.

FIS Fantasy Marathon Cup Prizes

* 1st Prize – OneWay Premio 10 WCup Skis, Diamond Storm Premio 10 Poles, SNS Premio Pilot Bindings. (value $1,350)
* 2nd Prize – Nipika 4-nights for 2 people in luxurious cabin, including Trail Fees (value up to $1,160)
* 3rd Prize – Alpina ESK Ski Boots (value $449)
* 4th Prize –Halti XC Race Suit Hemmo Set (value $269)
* 5th Prize –  Fischer RCS QF poles  (value $225)
* 6th Prize – Cross Country Canada e-Store Gift Certificate (value $200)
* 7th Prize – Fresh Air Experience or High Peaks Cyclery Gift Certificate (value $150)
* 8th Prize – Rottefella Xcelerator Skate/Classic Bindings (value $120)
* 9th Prize – Auclair Micro Mountain Olympic Gloves + Earbags (value $65)
* 10th Prize – Buff Headware (value $40)

Thanks to all of our great sponsors, including One Way, Nipika, Alpina, Halti, Fischer, Cross Country Canada, Fresh Air Experience, High Peaks Cyclery, Rottefella, 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 07, 2011 – After another looong road trip, the CXC team is now moved in and ready to train! I think Silver Star might just be my favorite place on the Western tour. Maybe it’s all the bright pink, purple and blue houses with neon lights. Maybe it’s the fact that you can only ski or walk down main street. Maybe it’s all the Australian accents floating around. A big part of Silver Star is the amazing skiing and snow here – the trails are wide with challenging climbs and fast downs. But mostely, I really enjoy being in Canada…being the duel citizen that I am, I have a whole lot of MN pride but absolutely love Canadians as well.

Today we skied home from the venue and made it to the top of the alpine runs…

and then bombed down trying to check speed as little as possible! What a rush. Super fun ski, even though I got a wicked headache from the cold wind as we went down the mountain!

Here’s some pictures from our epic road trip: usually, we start off pretty pumped to be going somewhere, then get sad that we’re stuck in the car so long, then get goofy.

We’re staying at the Pinnacles, in this condo with a super cool bunkroom. I’m in a room with Sara and Jennie, and my bed is in the very attic, above the set of bunk beds. Pretty sick.

We race a classic sprint on Saturday, and a 10km classic on Sunday. The weather’s been really nice so far so hopefully I’ll have more good pictures up soon!

December 07, 2011 (Quebec, Canada) – Alex Harvey was recently named Quebec’s athlete of the year for the third year in a row. Harvey, who is currently training and racing on the World Cup circuit in Europe, was honoured at the Gala Victoris Desjardin held in Levis, Quebec. Harvey’s mother, Mireille Belzile, accepted the award on his behalf.

The award recognizes the performance of athletes from Quebec City and the Chaudière-Appalaches region who have distinguished themselves on the national and international sports scene.

“It’s nice to be recognized in countries where skiing is very big, but when you’re honoured at home, that’s what is the most heart-warming,” Harvey is reported as saying.

Harvey was an obvious standout in international competition in cross country skiing last year, capturing a gold medal in the men’s team sprint event with teammate, Devon Kershaw, at the 2011 World Ski Championships in Oslo, which was also the first ever gold medal for Canada in world championship competition in cross-country skiing. Harvey also won gold in the men’s 30km pursuit race at the 2011 World U23 Championships in Otepaa, Estonia.

Harvey also received the individual athlete and the international partner/teammate awards at the gala.

With his third nomination as Quebec Athlete of the Year award, Harvey joins an elite group of past three-time winners, including his father, Pierre Harvey, biathlete Miriam Bedard, and kayaker Caroline Brunet.

See the original report in Le Journal de Quebec HERE.

December 07, 2011 (Davos, Switzerland) – I just returned to “home away from home” Hotel Kulm from an exciting, high-paced World Cup weekend in Dusseldorf, Germany. While the weekend’s racing format didn’t explicitly compliment my skill set it was a great experience and more importantly, I was there to witness my teammates stand on a World Cup podium.

If you’ve been living under a rock (or perhaps you aren’t a ski news junkie and that’s perfectly okay)  Kikkan and Sadie won a silver medal in the team sprint yesterday on the city streets of Dusseldorf, Germany.  Ida Sargent and I teamed up for the sprint as well and unfortunately we were 2 seconds from making it through to the finals as “lucky losers.”  Although I was disappointed, it provided us with great viewing and cheering opportunities for the other girls.  Funny thing was, amongst the crowds, Sadie and Kikkan both said they could hear us screaming for them on course!!!!

Yesterday was an incredible day for my teammates and for all of US Skiing.  Once again, we have shown the Euros that WE can be in there.  That we are competitors, and even though we live out of a suitcase for months on end to do it, they should not discount our fitness, courage or tenacity.

I have to admit, when it comes to taking pictures, I have no problem pushing to the front of crowds and getting my canon “powershot SD1300” out there amongst the 3-foot long lenses.  Also, perhaps I’m a horrible person for doing this but I may or may not have stepped in front of a small child to get some great shots! I couldn’t help it – how often do the girls you roller ski in the rain with (while everyone else is still sleeping off hangovers) stand on World Cup podiums? I mean, really?! Can you say Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center ROCKS?! I can!

While it’s easy to give all the congratulations to Kikkan and Sadie – and of course they deserve every ounce of it….. I’d like to acknowledge the coaches and particularly one person, Erik Flora for helping make this happen.  As a competitor that’s also been a coach and a wax tech, my perspective stems from all angles.  While there were only two people standing on the podium yesterday in D-dorf, Erik Flora has  gone above and beyond to make that silver medal possible, not to mention, my success over here too….

I don’t know anyone else in the world that loves skiing more than Erik does. The guy could literally inspire a rock to get up off the ground and do some burpees. (A really hard exercise that combines a push up and a jump.)  He is a student of the sport spending his night-time hours watching the latest video, corresponding with other coaches from around the world on theories, testing our skis by headlamp once everyone else has gone home….. some may say he’s crazy but isn’t there some kind of saying that says something like, “Great things happen when people break the norm” or something to that effect?

In 2006, the APU program was in transition.  Erik saw the opportunity to create a World-class ski team in a setting where the time was right.  He seized the opportunity.  Since then, everyday for the last five years he’s been working 12-23 hours a day to make us fast.  To make us competitive. To give us every advantage he possibly can.

Erik turns any hardship into an opportunity (it may be white-out fog and blowing wind but THIS could be CHAMPIONSHIP conditions one day!) and exudes the excitement of a 6-year old on Christmas morning on a DAILY basis.  His work ethic and his dedication to the betterment of the sport and to the athletes he coaches is impressive and admirable. When times are tough and confidence is low he has a special ability to find the bright side of any situation. He never underestimates anyone or tells them they can’t or they won’t or they shouldn’t.

Yesterday, when I was standing in the crowd looking up at my teammates on the podium I was envisioning three people up there: leg one and two of the team sprint relay along with their coach who had the biggest grin from ear to ear that you’ve ever seen.

Thanks to Erik Flora for his dedication and to all the coaches and support stuff out there that help athletes realize their dreams and inspire others to do so as well.

Oh – and here are a couple of other shots from D-Dorf…. the Germany Christmas bazaar was amazing! I wish I had more than 1/2 hour to check it out.

Thanks for reading and thanks again for the words of support and encouragement!

Holly 🙂

December 06, 2011 (Davos, Switzerland) – Like many other ski destinations across Europe and Scandinavia, Davos, Switzerland, the site of the next stop on the FIS World Cup xc circuit on December 9-10, has been suffering from a lack of snow. World Cup teams have been in town for a number of days now and have been limited to skiing on the sprint course, which was laid out using artificial snow a week or more ago.

Conditions have improved somewhat, however, with the recent arrival of some natural snow to the area and conditions are set to improve over the next few days. In spite of the improving snow situation, FIS and the Davos organizing committee are leaving nothing to chance and have shortened the courses for Saturday’s distance races. The lack of snow and shortened courses hasn’t deterred the world’s best from attending the Davos event, however, with the Norwegians, for example, sending a full team.

FIS Shortens Individual Start Races
The free technique individual start races of Davos (SUI) on Saturday, 10th December will be shortened to 15km for men (originally planned 30 km) and 10km (originally planned 15km) for ladies due to the current snow conditions. The races will be held on a 5km loop.

“The OC Davos did a great effort to prepare the courses in the past days,” said Jürg Capol, FIS Race Director Cross-Country. “Unfortunately the snowfall in the past two days was not enough to be able to prepare the 7.5 km loop therefore we decided today to reduce the distances to a normal individual start competition of 15km and 10km.”

Norwegians to send full team to Davos
Norway will be featuring their  best distance and sprint team skiers in Davos. Distance skiers have been training in Davos since last week, after the Ruka Triple in Kuusamo, Finland. Marit Bjoergen and Petter Northug will lead Norway’s squad for the upcoming World Cup action. After the victory in the team sprint in Düsseldorf, Mari Eide got a World Cup ticket for Sunday’s Free technique sprint.

Ladies

– Marit Bjørgen, Rognes IL
– Therese Johaug, IL Nansen
– Vibeke Skofterud, IL Slitu
– Kristin Størmer Steira, IL Forsøk
– Marthe Kristoffersen, IL Varden
– Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen
– Ingvild Flugstad Østberg, Gjøvik Skiklubb
– Heidi Weng , IL i BUL
– Maiken Caspersen Falla, Gjerdrum
– Mari Eide, Øystre Slidre IL

Men

– Petter Northug, Strindheim IL
– Sjur Røthe, Voss IL
– Tord Asle Gjerdalen, Fossum IF
– Finn Hågen Krog, Tverrelvdal IL
– Chris Jespersen, Byåsen IL
– Martin Johnsrud Sundby, Røa IL
– Petter Eliassen, Byåsen IL
– Øystein Pettersen, Lillomarka Skiklubb
– Ola Vigen Hattestad, Ørje IL
– John Kristian Dahl, Strindheim IL
– Eirik Brandsdal, Kjelsås IL
– Johan Kjølstad, Skogn IL
– Anders Gløersen, Rustad IL
– Pål Golberg, Gol IL, sprint

December 06, 2011 – Here is something I’ve just started doing with Toko Base Green. I did this twice last year with huge success – both for kick and glide. I decide on the kick wax of the day for kick, let’s say blue to make it easy. Then I’ll put on a coat of the base green and heat it with a heat gun and then cork it in real good.

Then I add another coat of the base green for the needed thickness to make it thru the race – thicker – and cork it well. Then I add another thin layer of the Base Green and cover it with the wax of the day (Blue). I cork them in together. I add another light coat of Base Green and cover it with a coat of Blue and cork them in together again. I like to recork the skis outside when they are colder to get them even smoother.

Man, I had great kick and a ton of wax left at the end of the Birkie and it was very aggressive snow. I will do more of this as I think manmade snow or transformed snow reacts very positively to this combination. Great kick and great wear!

See you this winter,

Marty

(Note from Toko’s Ian Harvey: I think this works especially well in snow that is especially abrasive or partially transformed or for very long races)

December 05, 2011 (Dusseldorf, GER) – If I asked you who was the best female sprinter in the world right now would you say – Marit Bjoergen? If you did you would be wrong. The best female sprinter in the world right now is Kikkan Randall. She proved it again this weekend at the Dusseldorf “Roller Derby” race by winning the individual sprint and coming from 9th to 2nd in the final sprint of the relay on Sunday. Randall has 140 pts to lead the FIS World Cup sprint standings. (Bjoergen has only 50 points). Kikkan’s goal this winter was to win the sprint World Cup and she is now in the leader’s bib.

Dusseldorf is a one of a kind street sprint on the World Cup. In almost every interview after the race the skiers chosen word to describe the race was chaos. Chaos and crashes ruled the day. So more than any other race on the World Cup luck played a huge factor in the results. Just ask Devon Kershaw who qualified 15th on Saturday and was boxed out in his heat and did not advance and eventually finished 18th.

This is a race where experience also counts. I think that you have to do it once to really know what it is like. Having said that, this makes Sadie Bjoernson’s 2nd place finish with Kikkan Randall even more impressive. This was her first ever Sprint Relay on the World Cup and her first time in Dusseldorf.

As I wrote last week, Dusseldorf has been kind to Chandra Crawford. She has a lot of confidence in herself in this kind of racing and it showed again on the weekend. Her 4th in the individual sprint was her best result in a couple of years and she backed it up with a 7th on Sunday in the Sprint Relay with Perianne Jones. The shorter race length of only 800 meters is better for her and she has great balance and agility on her skis. She uses her legs better than any other female skater in the world so the flat, fast skating really suits her.

Len Valjas showed his great mental skills and confidence by bouncing back from a poor individual qualifying on Saturday (42nd) to a fine 7th place finish with Drew Goldsack in the Sprint Relays on Sunday. Len is showing that he is the “real deal” and is now in 12th place on the Sprint World Cup standings with 37 points. Ola Viggen Hattestad of Norway (the Hatt) is back and leads with 111 pts.

It seems to me that Perianne Jones and Drew Goldsack seem to rise to the top only in Sprint Relays. Both have been on teams in the top 10 at the World Championships. They seem to struggle in other sprint and distance events, though. I think that they are sort of hybrid skiers – not quite fast enough to keep up in the individual sprints and not quite enough endurance for distance events, but fantastic in the Sprint Relay which fits right in the middle. It’s hard to make a career in xc ski racing on one event, though, so it would be great to see them start to have better results in other forms of racing.

Dasha Gaiazova continues to struggle. She has not had one good result yet this year and was 46th out of 56 on Saturday and 21st out of 23 teams on Sunday. She has had conflict with the team this year over training – I wonder if this is the cause?

The US men continue to struggle, too. Andy Newell did qualify 14th on Saturday but had problems in his heat, again, and only finished 16th. The only other racer to finish on Saturday was Skyler Davis who was 71 out of 71. They teamed up to be 15th in the Sprint relay on Sunday.

It’s strange, isn’t it? Neither North American team seems to be able to have a good women’s and men’s team at the same time. For Canada in the 2000’s it was a strong women’s team and a weak men’s team. Now it is the opposite. For the US right now it is a strong women’s team and a weak men’s team. I wonder what is the cause of this pattern? Have you got any thoughts?

Next week the skiers converge on Davos, Switzerland for an individual skating sprint and a 30km skate distance race for men and a 15km skate distance race for women. Petter Northug and Marit Bjoergen will return to racing after taking the week off to train in Norway. (Bjoergen has written on her blog that she had to roller ski in Oslo as there was no snow). Northug has said that he does not like racing in Davos and he has never had very good results there so it will be interesting to see what he can do. It will also be a great chance to see Bjoergen and Randall square off in a skating sprint to see who is really the best female sprinter in the world.

December 04, 2011 (Dusseldorf, Germany) – The USA’s Kikkan Randall and Sadie Bjornsen grabbed a historic silver medal in the women’s team sprint event at the Dusseldorf World Cup today, a best ever finish for a US sprint team in World Cup action.

Randall and Bjornsen battled ten other teams in a hectic and fast-paced final run on the narrow and twisty 800m course of artificial snow laid through the streets of downtown Dusseldorf. Norway I’s Maiken Falla and Mari Eide took the gold, with Russia I’s Natalia Korosteleva and Natalia Matveeva coming in third.

Randall, who won yesterday’s individual sprint, teamed up with World Cup rookie Bjornsen for her first team sprint in Dusseldorf. “I’ve come to Dusseldorf three or four times now and every time I’ve been kind of sad to have to leave the day of the team sprint because I haven’t had a partner,” Randall told SkiTrax in a phone interview earlier today, “So it was pretty exciting to be in the mix today and come out with a good result.”

Randall, who was feeling the effects of yesterday’s race, remarked that the fast-paced semi-final actually helped prime her for the final: “Things were a little sore and stiff from yesterday, but overall I still felt pretty good. The pace was definitely fast in the semi-final, so there were some good hard laps there that actually helped wake me up again and then I felt even better in the final.”

Randall said her strategy going into the final was to make sure to be in the mix, but to stay out of trouble as well: “We were kind of the dark horses out there, so really we were just trying to stay in contact with the leaders, stay out of trouble, not get too frantic in the first few laps, and then get in there at the end and fight for it.”

Things unraveled a little at the start for the US duo, with Bjornsen skiing first and narrowly avoided a fallen skier. “Sadie had an awesome start in the final,” Randall explained, “but before the first turn she got caught behind the Swedish girl who went down. So we went from skiing in third or fourth position to all of a sudden being at the back – then we just had to work our way up from there.”

“I was able to bridge us back to the group on the first lap,” Randall continued, “then Sadie played it nice and cool on her second lap and kept us in there. She tagged off to me just at the very end of the pack going into the last lap, which turned out to be a good position because I felt strong and on the back stretch I could see people were getting a little tired so I just worked my way up and had a strong finish.”

Strong finish is a bit of an understatement considering that Randall skied from 9th up to 2nd in a matter of a few hundred metres.

For her part, Bjornsen was elated and almost in disbelief at landing on the podium in her first season on the World Cup circuit. “It’s going to take a while to sink in, for sure,” she told SkiTrax.  Going into today’s race Bjornsen conceded to feeling the pressure. “I was much more nervous than I normally am, but mostly just because when you’re starting a race with the winner from the previous day you want to race even better than you would on your own.”

Bjornsen was also determined not to repeat the mistake she made last year in the team sprint event at the Oslo World Championships, where she went out too hard in the early laps and eventually lost contact with the leaders. She had to go hard on her first lap after nearly going down with a Swedish skier, but was able to conserve energy on her second lap for a hard push on the last lap before handing off to Randall.

Asked for her thoughts on the team sprint format, Bjornsen expressed enthusiasm. “I really like it because a lot of the time a sprint is just too short, and especially when you’re not making the heats it’s really a hard way to finish your day to only race hard for 2 minutes. The team sprint incorporates a team aspect, which I’ve always loved, as well as more of a distance aspect, which is good for me because I’ve always been between sprinting and distance.”

The historic podium from Randall and Bjornsen was the first for the US in World Cup competition. The previous best in this event for the US was a fourth for the women in January 2009 at the Olympic test event in Whistler Olympic Park. A men’s team also placed 4th in Dusseldorf in December 2008.

Randall and Bjornsen were not the only North Americans in the team sprint final. The Canadian duo of Chandra Crawford and Perianne Jones skied a strong race and were running close to the front on a number of laps but couldn’t quite match the pace on the final sprint to the finish. Crawford and Jones finished in 7th.

Crawford, who finished just off the podium in 4th at yesterday’s individual sprint event, said she was “feeling good going into today’s race, “and more capable than I used to in the team sprint, when I’d be obliterated by the second lap,” she told us via email. Her strategy for the race was to “…stay out of trouble, ski well and relaxed behind leaders and dig deep to give my absolute best and power to the podium.”

Crawford said she found the race “exciting, with lots of adrenalin, with all the crashes,” and she said there was “complete chaos in the exchange zone.”

The Canmore native said she loves the city sprint format in Dusseldorf and is looking forward to bringing the excitement of events like this to Canmore and Quebec City, where there are World Cup stops scheduled for the 2012- 13 season: “I have to admit I’m thinking a lot about the great sprints we’re going to have one year from now in Canmore and Quebec City when the World Cup returns to Canada in December 2012.”

Crawford’s teammate, Perianne Jones, was equally enthusiastic and feeling confident heading into today’s team sprint: “I was really excited,” she told SkiTrax by email, “I love sprint relays, and Chandra had such a great race yesterday we thought we could for sure lay down a good result.”

Jones skied strong and alertly through her laps and made a very smart move at the start of the race to avoid a fallen Swede, which played a big part in keeping the Canadians in the race. “I was just trying to ski as fast as possible, without leading and wasting energy, and always being aware of what was going on around me, so that I was able to react to people stumbling in front of me.”

Also skiing for Canada, Alysson Marshall and Dasha Gaiazova finished 11th in their semi-final heat and were eliminated. They finished 21st overall. The USA’s Holly Brooks and Ida Sargent finished 8th in the semis and were also eliminated, finishing in 15th overall.

Full women’s final team sprint results HERE.

December 04, 2011 (Oestersund, Sweden) – Martin Fourcade of France slammed the door on his competition with a perfect day on the shooting range in the men’s 12.5km Pursuit to capture his second WCup victory of the season in Oestersund, Sweden. Likewise Norway’s Tora Berger with only one miss and fabulous skiing nailed the gold in the women’s 10km race.

The USA’s Tim Burke continued his strong rebound to the start of the season with a top-ten result finishing 9th, with three misses at 1:21.2 behind Fourcade. His teammate Lowell Bailey, who was fourth coming into the final standing session on the range, suffered three misses for a total of four overall and ended up 13th.

Norway’s Emil Hegle Svendsen settled for second place as he couldn’t match Fourcade’s shooting but was able to catch a hard-charging Jaroslav Soukup of Czech Republic, at the line for the silver with Soukup claiming his first WCup podium in third.

Brendan Green, 25, was the lone Canadian in 32nd missing five shots at 3:27.2 behind the winner.

Snow began falling before the women’s race slowing down the tracks as Finland’s Kaisa Makarainen shot well to take the silver medal while Germany’s Magdalena Neuner faltered on the range allowing the Finnish skier to take over second. Neuner was able to recover and despite four misses her strong skiing allowed her to pass Valj Semerenko (UKR) – who only missed one shot – on the final leg for the bronze.

Canada’s Zina Kocher, of Red Deer, Alta., could not maintain her form from the Sprint race and dropped nine places to finish as the top North American in 24th with a time of 37:57.1.

“Shooting was difficult this week,” said Kocher following Saturday’s sprint. The two-time Olympian missed six shots in four rounds of shooting when a snow storm made conditions challenging on Sunday. “My skis feel great and my body just wants to go.”

The USA’s Susan Dunklee had 5 misses placing 32nd at 5:03.2 behind Berger while her teammate Sara Studebaker shot well with only one miss to end up 39th at 5:34.8 behind the winner.

Canada’s Megan Imrie, of Falcon Lake, Man., dropped 10 places from her sprint finish to 43rd (39:43.3), while RosannaCrawford, of Canmore, Alta., moved up five places into 51st (41:20.4).

Fourcade was the only competitor in the field of sixty to shoot clean. “I shot very slowly today; that was most important,” he said in a Biathlonworld.com interview. “I am not surprised. This is the third time that I have done 20-for-20. It is the result of all of the hard work that I have done with my coaches.”

Berger found herself leading unexpectedly but was up to the challenge. “It was okay to lead also. I was shooting well so it was not a problem. When I missed the one standing shot, my only hope was that Kaisa would miss too . . . and she did. I did not want to fight her in the last loop.”

Women’s results HERE.
Men’s results HERE.

December 04, 2011 (Lillehammer, Norway) – Yesterday we reported on USA Sarah Hendrickson’s historic victory as she won the first-ever Women’s World Cup Ski Jumping competition in Lillehammer, Norway. Here’s a more comprehensive report from the Visa Women’s Ski Jumping Team.

Sarah Hendrickson made a flying leap into the history books Saturday. And she’s only 17.

The Visa Women’s Ski Jumping Team member bested a talented field of women ski jumpers to win the International Ski Federation (FIS) World Cup opener in Lillehammer, Norway. She now holds the title as the first woman ever to win a World Cup (WC) ski jumping competition.

“It’s a wonderful feeling,” she said.

Hendrickson’s teammates mobbed her in the outrun minutes after she jumped 95.5 meters in the second round to take a 30-point lead over second-place finisher, Coline Mattel, France. Melanie Faisst, Germany, was third; Jessica Jerome, USA, 12th; Alissa Johnson, USA, 19th; and Abby Hughes, USA, 21st.

This isn’t the first history-making accomplishment for the Park City, Utah, native. In 2010, she became the only American (male or female) to medal in a Junior World Ski Jumping Championships, where she won a Bronze.

Women ski jumpers have competed on the lower-tier Continental Cup for seven years. In 2010, the FIS approved a World Cup circuit for women to debut in the 2011/2012 season. Nearly 50 jumpers from 15 nations competed Saturday. The WC season includes 14 events at nine venues in seven countries.

“Overall, the competition went really well,” said Jessica Jerome, this year’s large hill U.S. National Champion. “The hill crew did an amazing job given that the weather was so sketchy all week. It was a terrific first World Cup comp.”

Hendrickson had been jumping strong all week in training. On Friday, she was first in both training rounds and had the longest jump of the day at 98 meters. Her first jump on Saturday was 100.5 meters, nearly 8 meters longer than anyone else.

“On the second round, I felt really good. Before I jumped, they moved the bar down because of the wind, but I knew I could still do it,” Hendrickson said. “It was fun and I enjoyed every second of it.”

She credits her strong jumping to the extra training she says she and her teammates received this summer and fall in Park City. “I think that gave us a real advantage and helped with our confidence.” Hendrickson attends the elite Winter Sports School in Park City.

Paolo Bernardi, Women’s Ski Jumping USA international coach, said it had become pretty clear that Hendrickson was the strongest in the women’s field this week.

“Nobody was even close enough to try and beat her today (Saturday),” Bernardi said. “The second round was a little sketchy because she was a little far forward and her skis were super close to her body in flight.

“She was right on the edge — all the other coaches were amazed by her performance,” he added. “If you want to win a World Cup, you have to be a little on the edge.”

Veteran Jerome said Hendrickson had found that “sweet spot” in which all jumpers strive. “She works really hard and puts so much pressure on herself and she certainly handled it very well. We couldn’t be happier for her,” she said.

Bernardi noted that Hendrickson made history again for the U.S. after the historic victory of Lindsey Van in 2009. Van won the first ever women’s World Ski Jumping Championship in Liberec, Czech Republic. The veteran jumper didn’t compete in Lillehammer as she’s recovering from ankle surgery.

“All together our team did a good job. This shows we are ready and strong and we’re thrilled for Sarah,” Bernardi said.

Results (brief)
(with wind system calculation)

1. Sarah Hendrickson, USA, (100.5, 95.5) 277.0
2. Coline Mattel, FRA, (92, 87) 247.7
3. Melanie Faisst, GER, (88.5, 93) 245.5

12. Jessica Jerome, USA (84, 87) 221.3
19. Alissa Johnson, USA (84, 88.5) 213.1
21. Abby Hughes, USA (89, 81.5) 207.2

Full results HERE.

World Cup Standings after 1 Event
1. Sarah Hendrickson (USA) 100
2. Coline Mattel (FRA) 80
3. Melanie Faisst (GER) 60
4. Daniela Iraschko (AUT) 50
5. Sara Takanashi (JPN) 45
6. Evelyn Insam (ITA) 40.

Full Standings HERE.

December 03, 2011 (Dusseldorf, GER) – It was a stellar day for American Kikkan Randall who powered her way to the top of the sprint podium again winning her fourth World Cup as athletes battled through rainy and windy conditions on the flat and narrow course along the banks of the Rhine River.

Skiiing smart and strong Randall qualified 10th and then advanced through each round to the final where she was joined by her good friend Canadian Chandra Crawford, who made the cut as one of the lucky losers. Both were on the podium in Dusseldorf last year as Randall was second in the individual sprint while Crawford was eighth in the individual and 3rd in the team sprint with teammate Dasha Gaiazova.

During the final Randall and Crawford collided momentarily in the tight mix as the race unfolded but luckily it went without incident as the US star turned up the speed near the finish to claim the win while Crawford, who looked solid in third, had to settle for fourth as Switzerland’s Laurien Van der Graaff edged her at the line. Russia’s Natalia Matveeva, who lead for most of the final race, could not match Randall’s finishing kick and ended up with the silver.

For Randall it was another plank in the deck of her solid start to the 2011/12 season while for 28-year-old Crawford, the 2006 Olympic sprint champion, it was her best individual result in three years.

A number of other North American women came close to cracking the top 30 today. Perianne Jones qualified 32nd, a mere 0.2 of second out of the top 30. Teammate Alysson Marshall came in 38th, also less than a second from posting a qualifying time. Dasha Gaiazova was 46th. Crawford and Perianne Jones will represent Canada on Sunday in the team sprint.

Among the US women, Sadie Bjornsen also came close to qualifying with a 34th-place finish. Farther back were Holly Brooks and Ida Sargent in 51st and 52nd respectively. Bjornsen and Randall will race the Team Sprint on Sunday.

The North American men could not match their female counterparts as the USA’s Andy Newell qualified 14th but got pipped at the line in his quarterfinal heat by Tomas Northug (NOR). Newell skied smart and was near the front when it counted at the end by failed to close the door as the younger Northug bested the wily veteran at the line.

Canada’s Devon Kershaw who qualified 15th struggled to find good position in his heat and tried to reel in the leaders on the finishing straight but it was too little too late for the speedy Canuck who won his first WCup sprint at the Tour de Ski in Toblach, Italy last year.

The men’s final went to Norwegian veteran, Ola Vigen Hattestad, who stayed near the front letting Russia’s Alexey Petukhov do all the work pouncing on him on the finishing straight as Petukhov, who set a blistering early pace, ran out of gas. Top qualifier Pal Goldberg also from Norway landed on the podium in third.

Canada’s Drew Goldsack and Len Valjas were a little off the pace, finishing in 41st and 42nd, respectively. The only other American male to race was Skylar Davis, who finished 71st. Simi Hamilton, who has been battling illness, did not start this morning. Goldsack and Valjas will team up on Sunday for Canada while Newell and Davis are the US pair.

Kikkan Randall (USA) – 1st 

On how she felt going into today:
“I knew my fitness was in a good place. This week we were recovering from the mini-tour, we were going to altitude, so those always throw in a couple of unknown factors, but I felt pretty good going into today. So I knew that was going to put me in a good position, but sprint racing, man, on a course this short, anything can happen, so I took it one round at a time, and was happy to stay on my feet and be in a good position at the end.”

On the second half of the final:
“I really felt my legs come on the second half of the race and was happy to be in second going around that final turn and then on that finishing stretch anything can happen so I just put my head down and went for it.’

On her history at Dusseldorf:
“I’ve had two really good races and two not so good races here, so I guess I’m 50/50 at this point, but you know, when my finish is good, it’s a course that you have some time to move up on and it’s really high speed and if you can ski really powerfully, which is usually one of my strengths, you can be in a good position towards the end.”

On being in the final with Chandra:
“It was super good, I mean, eventhough we bumped into each other a little out there, it’s nice because we’ve spent some time training together, so we kind of know how each other skis, and we want to put our best foot forward for North America so it was good to have two shots in there.”

On making contact with Chandra during the scrappy final:
“We both got off to a similar start and were both going for the same position so that definitely made us bump into each other a little bit, which can always go either way, so I just wanted to fight for a good line and I didn’t want to be too aggressive so I kind of just settled back in and waited for another opportunity to try to move up. ”

On racing in the team sprint tomorrow:
“I am looking forward to it. Every other year I’ve been here I’ve never had a partner, so I’m excited to get in there and get my first try at it, and with everyone skiing really well right now I think we can really get in there and mix it up.”

Chandra Crawford (CAN) – 4th
“I’ve trained better than ever this summer and I’m happy to be one-third of the way to my goal of making all three sprint finals this month. I’ve never been fourth before and sure thought I had the podium but got a bit stiff in the final metres and the Swiss girl zipped by me. Hey – my first final in three years – I’ll take it!”

“It’s one of the many exciting city sprints and just so fun and unique to be racing in a beautiful city right on the Rhine,” said Crawford, who added this time next year Canada will host a downtown sprint of its own in Quebec City. “I love the atmosphere and the short, fast course. Next up is Davos and then Rogla so it’s fun to be doing so much skate sprinting before Christmas.”

Andy Newell (USA) – 16th
“I felt decent today and was comfortable in the qualification feeling like I was going fast enough but also controlled and recovered well afterward. In the heats my pole got stepped on and broke going over the hill on the first lap but I was able to get a spare quickly and pass most people a get back near the front by the start of the second lap. Going into the lanes I was in a good position but got lunged out. Bummer, but the good new is that I felt pretty good today… definitely should have moved on. Plan for the team sprint will be Skyler and I racing tomorrow.”

Alysson Marshall  (CAN) – 38th
“I felt pretty good about my qualifier. I was disappointed that I didn’t advance but it is encouraging to be so close to the top-30.  The Dusseldorf sprint has been a great experience so far. The atmosphere here is amazing and it was really fun to race downtown in front of lots of spectators. I am doing the team sprint tomorrow with Dasha and I think it will be a really fun and exciting race!”

Drew Goldsack (CAN) – 41st
How confident were you feeling going into the qualifier and how do you feel out there?
“My confidence was good going into today’s race despite a poor sprint in Kuusamo. I know I’m capable of being right in there with the best in the world and the course suited me well so I had high expectations for today. I didn’t feel great out there though, the first lap was good but I tightened up a lot on the second lap. I’ve been struggling with a lot of fatigue lately and just ran out of jam way too quickly.”

Do you take some encouragement away from your 41st place finish?
“I suppose a bit, today was much better than last weekend in Kuusamo so that’s a good sign that things are moving in the right direction. At the same time though I expect much more from myself and know that I should be getting/am capable of much better results.”

Will you be racing in the team sprint tomorrow? If so, any idea who your partner will be?
“Yep, Lenny and I will be suiting up for the team sprint tomorrow. Looking forward to it as Len is in really good shape these days and the sprint relay is usually a strong event for me!”

Women’s final results HERE.
Men’s final results HERE.

December 03, 2011 (Bozeman, MT) – Jessie Diggins (CXC Team) was on fire on Saturday as the USSA SuperTour got underway at Bohart Ranch in Bozeman for round two. Diggins took the win in the  Women’s 1.4K Prologue FR that started off the action and then aced the 5km in the afternoon, besting her teammate Caitlin Gregg both times by narrow margins. APU’s Becca Rorabaugh was 3rd on the podium in the Prologue while Maria Graefnings (University of Utah) grabbed the final spot in the women’s 5km.

Michael Sinnott (Sun Valley SEF) was also on the podium twice winning the men’s 1.4km Prologue over Torin Koos (BSF / Rossignol) in second with Leif Zimmermann (Bridger Ski Foundation) taking the battle for third. It was Sylvan Ellefson (SSCV HomeGrown) earning the win in the men’s 10km with Sinnott ending up second and Brian Gregg (CXC Team) third.

Prologue 1.4K Freestyle Results HERE.
Distance 5K Freestyle Results HERE.

Results (brief)

Women’s 1.4K Prologue
1. Jessie Diggins (CXC Team) 4:14
2. Caitlin Gregg (CXC Team) 2.3
3. Becca Rorabaugh (APU) 17.0

Men’s 1.4K Freestyle
1. Michael Sinnott (Sun Valley SEF) 3:35.1
2. Torin Koos (BSF / Rossignol) 3.3
3. Leif Zimmermann (Bridger Ski Foundation) 4.2

Women’s 5K Freestyle
1. Jessie Diggins (CXC Team) 14:02.7
2. Caitlin Gregg (CXC Team) 1.2
3. Maria Graefnings (University of Utah) 29.2

Men’s 10K Freestyle
1. Sylvan Ellefson (SSCV HomeGrown) 25:57.9
2. Michael Sinnott (Sun Valley SEF) 12.3
3. Brian Gregg (CXC Team) 15.0

December 02, 2011 (Ostersund, SWE) – Lowell Bailey struck again with a career-best 5th place finish in Ostersund in the men’s 10km Sprint at 22.4 seconds behind clean shooting, winner Carl Johan Bergman (SWE), with a time of 24:22.5. Canada’s Brendan Green, 25, had a perfect day on the shooting range as well to match his career-best World Cup performance finishing in 14th on Friday.

Tim Burke rebounded with a 12th place finish (25:19.2, 0+1) giving the American squad two spots in the top 20.

“It’s not every day in biathlon that you can execute everything the way you want it to go, but today was one of those days,” said Bailey after today’s race. “It’s been a long time for me doing this sport. I look back at the last 5-6 years with the US Biathlon staff, and I feel like we have learned so much. Today is one of the times I realize how much we have learned and how far we have come. We are all really excited.”

Canada’s Green was stoked with his performance as well. “I’m definitely pumped with today’s result and it feels great,” said Green. “I was able to put in what felt like a consistent and solid effort throughout the entire race, and I felt like I was in complete control of my shooting.”

Bailey now sits 4th overall in World Cup standings following his 9th place finish in Wednesday’s 20km opener. “I’m really excited for Sunday’s Pursuit. I’ve never started that high, and I’m really excited to mix it up in that that field,” added Bailey.

Burke was also buoyed by his performance. “It was a really good day, I’m happy with my performance and results,” said Burke. “It’s my best race in a while. I’ve had a really solid year of training, and was disappointed not to show that in the first race this week, but I felt I bounced back and showed it today. I’m really excited for the Pursuit, it will be an exciting race with so many so close together. It’s one of my favorite formats.” Burke’s teammate Jay Hakkinen was 39th while Leif Nordgren finished 79th.

Three other Canadians hit the start line in Oestersund including Regina’s Scott Perras placed 69th spot at 27:12.3; World Cup rookie, Scott Gow of Calgary, finished 80th (27:35.0); and Jean-Philippe Le Guellec, of Shannon, Que., was 86th (27:45.5) after placing 14th in the individual event on Wednesday.

Full results HERE.

December 02, 2011 – Harvey’s Goof-up – After storming out of the start gate in the Sjusjoen 15km free to his best ever 1st World Cup (WC) race of the season in 5th place, Alex was fast to make the decision to sidestep the next day’s WC relay for Canada. Thinking that he was in form and would bring this best ever form to the Kuusamo mini-tour he got slam dunked in the first two races there – 24th place finish in the sprint and a 27th place finish in the 10km. He was able to recover from this train wreck and was back on track in the 15km classic with a 7th place finish.

In the early season, especially since the NA skiers have been so isolated all summer and fall, those first races are so important to catch the tempo and get into racing shape. Out of the 1st 40 skiers in the 15km free only 4 skiers passed up the relay – 2 because their team didn’t have a team, 1 Norwegian who should have been on one of Norway’s three teams (but wasn’t), and Alex.

He let himself and his teammates down by making the decision to skip the relay. I know this is the 2nd time he has done this – he did it last year at the World Championships to save himself for the 50km. He was 5th there but running on low octane the whole race and skied maybe one of his smartest races ever to get that placing.

This relay team, with the way the four skiers (Kershaw, Harvey, Babikov, Valjas) are performing now, has a huge upside to it and it is time for them to be putting the running order together or shaking it out as to what it will be by the time Sochi rolls around! Experience reduces the chances for mistakes.

Alex threw away lots of WC points and some prize money with this decision – too bad for him and the team.

Dasha Gaiazova just made the same mistake in Kussamo, after having a good open sprint race and placing a very credible 14th, she then decided to by pass both distance races. I believe she will pay for this. It’s early in the season and time to race – way too many start chances being passed up by the Canadians.

Canadian Women’s Team – hasn’t placed a women skier in the top 30 in a WC distance race since Feb 5th, 2010 when Sara Renner placed 25th in the WC in Canmore in a 10km, and it was a soft field. Dasha was the only one of the four ladies now in Europe that was also in that race and she was 41st. Which lady is going to stop this slide.

Norwegians – they sent a message at the World Championships last year that they were going to raise the bar and they have not let themselves down in delivering the goods so far this year. These first two WC weekends have been kind of repetitive when it comes to the podium and how many of their skiers they can crowd on each level. WOW!

US Women’s Team – Kikkan Randall – It’s becoming very apparent that Kikkan Randall is the whole show now – she can sprint in the top 5 in both techniques and it’s same in both techniques in the distance races. STAY HEALTHY – that’s the secret for her now. Holly Brooks has got to be starting to believe she belongs over there. Both Liz and Ida shot up the results list (10-12 places) in the 10km Pursuit. Hope to see Ida and Sadie in Duesseldorf with Kikkan fighting to team up with Kikkan in the team sprint.

Snow – yes, it’s early winter, but I’d be willing to bet that in those areas of the N. Hemisphere that have the possibility of snow, that there is more bare ground then snow covered ground. Satellite shot I was looking at was pretty desperate—anyone for “GLOBAL WARMING”.

Duesseldorf Team Sprint – two weeks ago everyone would be betting that Alex Harvey and Devon Kershaw, the World Champs in the event, would be the team representing Canada. It now looks like they’ll be fighting it out to see who is skiing with Len Valjas, Canada’s hot young skier. There’s some extra excitement for these guys and Valjas has had some pretty astounding results this last year and a half.

US Men’s Team – needs some help from the young guys! Freeman and Newell can’t be called on year after year to hold the fort, some of the young guys who do have some experience on the WC need to come forward. Tad Elliott had a great relay leg in Sjusjoen and was only 19 secs out of the top 30 in the 10km in Kuusamo and Noah Hoffman, the other young gun, was 40th in the 15km in Kuusamo. They need to get themslves more into the races earlier – you don’t close at the end of a race on the WC circuit. Lars Flora has had his chances and Simi Hamilton has a hard time just getting to the start gate.

Having said all that – this is not a bad start for Team North America, as there are some new levels of results occurring that are eye opening. With both teams having skiers stay in Europe for the whole winter (yes, 5 months) and goals of doing well on the whole World Cup (top 10) and doing the TdS with podiums part of the focus there is sure some exciting racing a head. If you’re a real early riser here is the viewing address for seeing all the races on your computer HERE.

Good racing in Dusseldorf this weekend and watch out for flying elbows!!

See You Next Time!

December 01, 2011 (Livigno, Italy) – This week on Talkin’ with the Gravy-Train, we have a double interview as Peter Graves caught up with Alex Harvey and Devon Kershaw in Italy following the Ruka Triple at the official Nordic Opening in Kuusamo, Finland. The two Canadian rockers brought the country to its feet with their performance in Oslo, Norway at the 2011 Nordic World Championships and the legendary Graves finds out about their start to the season and much more… all of the Gravy-Train interviews will be archived shortly for fans to enjoy all season…

Audio Interview with Harvey+Kershaw

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November 30, 2011 (Kuusamo, Finland) – Watch this short video interview with Canada’s Lenny Valjas after his 5th place finish in the classic sprint stage of the Viessmann FIS XC World Cup’s first mini-tour this season that took place last weekend in Kuusamo, Finland at the official Nordic Opening. The video is courtesy of CNEPH (Pierre Harvey Training Centre) in Quebec.

November 29, 2011 (Kussamo, Finland) – Check out this video, courtesy of FIS Cross Country, featuring highlights of a press conference with Canadian star Alex Harvey and the American star Kikkan Randall. Both talk about their summer dryland training and preparation, as well as their goals for the 2011-12 season.

November 29, 2011 – The Kikk Notes: The 2011-2012 season is underway and has started off with a bang!  We’re now two weekends into the World Cup season and I’ve been skiing to some of my best ever results.

In the opening weekend in Sjusjoen, Norway I skied to 8th place in the individual start 10km skate race, which was my best ever WC distance result.  I followed up the next day with the 2nd fastest split on the 2nd leg in the women’s 4x5km relay, where our team skied to a US women’s world cup best finish in 9th place.

This past weekend I competed in the 2nd addition of the Ruka Triple mini-tour.  The tour started off strong for me with a fourth place in the classic sprint, my first time ever in a world cup classic sprint final.  In the 5km individual skate I skied to 12th place and went into the final day ranked fifth.  I fought hard in final day’s 10km classic handicap start, loosing just one spot to finish sixth overall. Last year I was ecstatic to finish in the top 20, so this year was a real breakthrough!

It’s been an awesome start for the US team as several of my teammates have posted personal best finishes as well.  Now we have moved down to Central Europe and  head into three consecutive weekends of skate sprints.  Next stop will be in Dusseldorf, Germany on Saturday.

My season race schedule is attached and make sure to check out the pictures below!

The Full Report:
Greetings everyone!  A new season has begun.  I have to admit I’ve been a little bit behind in getting my Race Tails out.  I had my story from last weekend’s opening World Cup races in Sjusjoen in progress when I got consumed with getting ready for the Ruka Triple mini-tour this past weekend in Kuusamo, Finland.  So this is going to be a compilation of both weekends.

Opening Weekend in Sjusjoen
My season has been off to a great start so far.  Although I arrived in Europe a week later than originally scheduled (due to the lack of snow in Norway), I had a great opening World Cup weekend in Sjusjoen.  In the 10km skate individual start, I tested out a new pacing strategy by going out more aggressively on the first of three laps and notched my best ever World Cup distance result with 8th place.

The following day I skied the second classic leg for our US women’s 4x5km relay team.  Despite some bad luck on our opening leg, I was able to make up some ground and bring us back into contact with the pack.  Liz and Holly skied super strong 3rd and 4th legs and we finished in 9th place, our best ever women’s relay finish.  A successful first weekend.

Next we traveled over to Finland for the Ruka Triple mini-tour.  Finland was also having a drought of snow, but the organizers were able to put together a 5km loop of man-made snow for the competitions.  The weather was pretty gnarly over the three days with constantly changing temperatures, rain and snow, warm winds and everything coated in ice.

Ruka Triple – Classic Sprint
In the opening race on Friday, a classic sprint, I was determined to overturn the “Kuusamo Classic Curse,” as in my previous three classic qualifiers in Kuusamo I had failed to qualify for the rounds.  Starting bib #1 in the qualifying round, I laid down a solid time and advanced to the heats as the fifteenth fastest.  I drew a pretty tough quarterfinal with Bjoergen, Kowalczyk and Saarinen.  I was sitting in fourth coming into the big climb, but was able to pass Saarinen over the top to move into third.  I pushed super hard coming out of the final turn and had a serious drag race with Kowalczyk.  I was just able to hold her off for 2nd, advancing to the semis.

In the semis I was also in the middle of the pack coming into the climb but was able to move into third coming over the top.  I accelerated hard out of the final turn  and passed Skofterud on the final stretch to advance to the finals.  It started snowing just as we finished the semis.

In the final, I had a poor start and lost some ground on the pack on the downhill and through the woods.  Coming into the big climb, Bjoergen and Kalla got away, but I was able to bridge back up to Skofterud and Kylloenen over the top of the hill.  I accelerated hard out of the final turn once more, but this time had a confused couple of moments when I saw Skofterud striding.  I tried a couple of strides but lost my momentum.  I couldn’t quite get back up to Skofterud and crossed the line in fourth.  Although it was hard to have just missed the podium, 4th place was an incredible breakthrough for me in a classic sprint and I was very satisfied with the day.  I was mostly happy to have felt strong with good skis.

Ruka Triple – 5km Skate
The next day we turned right around with a 5km skate individual start.  We started in reverse order of the sprint results, so I got to start fourth from last with Charlotte Kalla hot on my tails.  I pushed hard from the gate and had a solid first half of the race.  My legs were definitely a little heavy from the sprint but I was able to put up a good fight.  There was a wicked headwind on several parts of the course and even though it felt slow, you just had to keep pushing.  Liz (who had finished a good 30 min before I started) was cheering like crazy on the 2nd to last climb and I was digging hard to keep my tempo up.  I think I gave up a few seconds over the last 2km as my legs got stiff, but I made it to the line without getting caught by Kalla and posted the 12th fastest time.  I was a little disappointed to be just outside the top ten.  Yet, I know I laid down the best effort I had out there  and that is always my #1 goal.  Two down, one to go.

Ruka Triple – 10km Classic Handicap Start
After a day of raging warm winds and rain, we awoke to a couple centimeters of new snow and a brisk morning temp.  It felt like winter again.  This was good since the final race would be a classic competition and the new conditions made for easier waxing.  I was a little more nervous than usual this morning.  The start order would be based on the combined times from the sprint and the 5km, putting me in 5th place.  I was sandwiched between Johaug, starting 9 seconds ahead and Kowalczyk, starting 14 seconds behind me.  I was excited to be in such a position but also anxious as I knew there would be several fast skiers coming after me from behind.  I just hoped to have a good body and good skis.

We would be skiing four laps of a 2.5km course that included two major climbs, so I knew having good kick was going to be important.  I took extra care to make sure my skis had solid kick and free glide, which meant several up tempo trips up the climbs.  I decided to race on a new pair of skis and headed to the start plenty warm and sweaty.  After so many years of being just a face in the crowd, it was pretty cool to step up to the line as bib #5.

I took off hard and tried to set an aggressive pace from the start.  About 1.5km in, Kowalczyk caught up to me.  I drafted behind her on the fast downhill and tried to follow her for as long as possible.  We seemed to be climbing at the same speed but she was stronger on the flats.  She gradually pulled away and I went back to focusing on my own race.  As I crested each climb, I counted down until the finish.  Each time I came through the lap in the stadium, I could get a quick glance of the pack that was chasing me.  I held them at bay for the first three laps, but going into the final lap, I could tell they were starting to close.

In the last lap, fatigue was really setting in and I had to fight to keep my tempo up.  Kowalczyk was tiring ahead but I couldn’t close the gap.  Coming into the last climb, I got a split that Saarinen had closed to within 10 seconds.  My skis slipped towards the top and I had to herringbone a few strides. Spit hanging from my mouth, I dug with everything I had left for the final 200m.  It wasn’t pretty but I managed to make it to the line just ahead of Saarinen and held onto 6th place.  I ended up with the 16th fastest time on the day.

What a difference a year can make!  Last year I was super psyched to finish in the top 20 in the Ruka Triple and now this year taking sixth was a real breakthrough for me.  On top of that, my teammates skied super strong as well.  Holly had a couple incredible races and Liz, Ida and Sadie all skied really strong.  We’ve got some incredible momentum going and it’s so fun to be a part of it!!

We’ve now migrated down to Central Europe to my favorite European destination, Davos, Switzerland.  Unfortunately Davos has been experiencing an unseasonably warm early winter as well and the only skiing to be had is a 2km loop of man-made snow.  However, the sun and the coffee and good friends is making up for the lack of snow and we’ve still got 10 days until the World Cup happens here.  I have a few days of easy training to recover from the mini-tour and then we’ll head on to Dusseldorf for the first skate sprint of the season on Saturday.

We can really feel all the support and encouragement coming from home, so thank you for all the notes and well wishes.  We will continue to work hard to keep making good news!!

For those interested in watching the World Cup races live, there is a website called fromsport.com (also sportlemontv.com) that streams the races while they are playing on tv in Europe, often with the Brittish Eurosport commentary.  The catch is you may have to wake up pretty early, but you can see the races which is pretty cool.  Attached is also my race schedule for the rest of the winter so you can follow along.

I’m posting daily updates of my training on my SkiTrax Daily training rap which can be viewed here:  Kikkan’s Daily Training Rap

And you can also follow me on Facebook and on Twitter.

Cheers,

November 29, 2011 (Sjusjoen, Norway) – Check out these great highlight videos from the FIS XC World Cup action in Sjusjoen, Norway, where Norway’s Marit Bjoergen recorded her record-breaking 47th career World Cup victory in the women’s 10k freestyle race eclipsing her compatriot, the legendary Bjorn Daehlie’s, record of 46 wins. Also featured are highlights of Petter Northug’s victory in the men’s 4x10k relay and Johan Olsson’s triumph in the 15km freestyle races.

Marit Bjørgen wins her 47th victory. NEW WORLD RECORD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=EFSA3_fRZKo

Men’s 4×10 Km Relay Sjusjøen 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9Unkg3-ZVg&feature=related

Men’s 15 Km Sjusjøen 2011 – Petter Northug vs Johan Olsson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaHla79iJTA&feature=related

November 28, 2011 (West Yellowstone, MT) – OUCH! I felt like I took a blowtorch to my lungs. Friday’s 10km skate (15km for the guys…sorry dudes…) was really hard. It was snowing on and off all morning, but the tough course with a lot of gradual climbs and no really good recovery spots in altitude was an even bigger challenge than the weather. That said, I wouldn’t want to be a wax tech on days like today!

The CXC women had a pretty good day, and although the guys didn’t have the day they’d hoped for, there’s still another race tomorrow! Results are linked HERE.

I took it out way to hard on the first lap despite my attempts to be smooth and smart with pacing. My technique really started falling apart on the second lap and for the last 6km of the race I could taste nothing but iron. Yuck! I just kept telling myself “you WANTED to race today…you signed on for this…and started too fast, so now you have to finish it!” I’m still really happy with the day because I learned more about how to pace longer races in altitude, so next year I’ll approach the 10 km with a more reserved pace.

After the race, my cool-down largely consisted of jogging up and down the race course sidelines, cheering. I love that part an aweful lot. I’ve been told it’s not the very smartest in terms of saving energy (multiple times…), but it’s still early season racing! So it’s still time to have fun and chill out in the woods in a snowstorm cheering on athletes in spandex.

November 28, 2011 (Kussamo, Finland) – While all eyes were watching Norway’s Petter Northug and Switzerland’s Dario Cologna duking it out for overall supremacy in the World Cup mini-tour in Kuusamo, Finland, this past weekend several other battles were unfolding behind as the top xc skiers in the world jockeyed for position and a place in the sun.

In the Canadian camp Devon Kershaw was locked in a battle of his own, trying to overcome the demons brought on by a slow start to the racing season while his teammates Alex Harvey and Lenny Valjas looked to continue their great starts to the season that began in Sjusjoen.

For the USA’s Kris Freeman a somewhat lacklustre beginning in Norway, in contrast to his great start in Munio, Finland, last year, meant facing a challenge similar to Kershaw. While the American women were turning heads the men were having a so-so welcome to the WCup.

Prior to Sunday’s final stage of the Kuusamo mini-tour, a 15k classic pursuit, Kershaw’s best result so far this season had been a 28th in a FIS race in Bruksvallarna, Sweden, and he had yet to crack the top 30 in his three previous World Cup starts. Not mention his disastrous opening leg of the men’s 4x10k relay in Sjusjoen, in which he lost a ski into a crowd of spectators. “I was pretty down and it is hard not to freak out when things aren’t going right, but I knew I had done good training and you have to maintain perspective and stay positive,” Kershaw said in a Cross Country Canada release.

Kershaw and Freeman both love classic racing, and while it was not the American’s day despite “loving the 15km classic”, Kershaw finally wrestled the demons down in Sunday’s classic pursuit, posting the 8th fastest time of the day, in the process climbed from 37th to 20th in the overall standings.

While not as impressive as his 10th overall result here last year, Sunday’s race was a much needed boost to his confidence and confirmation that perhaps things were starting to head in the right direction. “For me, I needed that race really badly. It was super important for me,” the 28-year-old Kershaw continued. “It is nice to have a decent result in the top-10 and it is good confirmation for sure.” Kershaw has moved into 23rd overall in the World Cup standings after the weekend. Freeman meanwhile day ended up 56th to finish the tour ranked 43rd overall.

Canada’s Harvey, who suffered during the first two stages also had a great race on Sunday, skiing 7th fastest on the day, good enough to place him in 11th overall for the tour and lead the North Americans. “It was nice to bounce back today after not doing so great in the last two races,” said Harvey in the release, referring to his failure to crack the top 20 in the first two stages of the Kuusamo event.  It is a measure of how Harvey’s expectations of himself have increased that anything less than a top 20 is now considered an “off ” day for the young Canadian star from Quebec. Harvey continued, “Usually with individual starts I start out very conservative, but today I chased really hard right from the beginning. I was hurting on the fourth lap but the final two laps were really good. The whole strategy is to always catch the group in front of you and pass as many guys as you can.” After Kuusamo Harvey sits in 9th in the overall World cup standings.

Farther up the trail from the Canadians, the Kuusamo mini-tour came down to a two-man duel for the overall victory between  Northug and Cologna. Northug began the 15km Classic handicap race with a 12-second advantage but Cologna soon caught him – or as many suggested that Northug let him. The two played cat and mouse, away on their own for the entire race. Northug was seemingly invincible, holding off the Swiss star for the overall win as Alexey Poltoranin (KAZ) delivered the fastest time for the final stage win.

Northug’s teammate Eldar Roenning was another warrior battling from behind using his dynamic classic skills to come from 18th grab second on the day and third overall in a five-man battle for the last spot on the mini-tour podium.

“Today, I was strong enough,” Northug told FIS Cross Country after the race. “I had good work together with Dario. I knew we had to go hard so the group didn’t catch us. I like these mini-tours. This was very good training for Tour de Ski where it will be even tougher.” With his victory in Saturday’s skate race and the overall crown in Kuusamo, Northug takes over polr position in the World Cup overall standings with 355 points, 77 points ahead of Cologna.

“I’m happy with second place,” Cologna told FIS Cross Country today. “Now I’ll go home and looking for snow somewhere,” he continued, alluding to the lack of snow in his home town of Davos, which is scheduled to hold a World Cup race in two weeks. “I need a little bit of time to get in better shape before the Tour de Ski, but I am very satisfied with my first two World Cup weekends,” he added.

Canada’s Valjas, who placed 5th in Friday’s sprint race, started the day in 17th overall and did his best to minimize the anticipated damage by the circuit’s distance specialists. Valjas skied to a respectable 43rd place finish and ended the mini-tour in 29th overall. His performance in Kuusamo will certainly help establish his credentials as an all-round competitor and may earn him more starts in distance events in the future and possibly a ticket to the Tour de Ski.

Other Canadians finishing the men’s mini-tour in Kuusamo included Ivan Babikov (46th); Kevin Sandau (73rd); and Graham Nishikawa (81st). Drew Goldsack did not start the final race.

The American men buoyed by their female teammate’s results could not match the their success but still put in some solid results. Noah Hoffman was the fastest on the team, finishing 40th on the day and leapt from 83rd to 58th overall. Andy Newell skied just a few seconds slower than Freeman to finish 58th on the day and 72nd overall. Lars Flora and Tad Elliott finished the tour in 87th and 95th position overall.

Final 15km Classic results HERE.
Final Mini-Tour standings HERE.
Overall WCup standings HERE.

November 28, 2011 (Kuusamo, FIN) – While Marit Bjoergen surprised noone with her victory of the mini-tour title in Kuusamo, Finland this past weekend, North American fans were also given plenty to cheer about as American Kikkan Randall threw down the gauntlet claiming 6th overall. Following in her footsteps was teammate Holly Brooks who achieved a breakthrough of her own this past weekend putting together two solid distance races, finishing 17th on in the 5km freestyle race, and 22nd in the pursuit, climbing to 23rd overall in the tour.

Randall battled hard in Sunday’s pursuit, starting ahead of Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland, but couldn’t quite hold off the determined Polish star. “It was hard,” Randall told SkiTrax by phone in a post-race interview, “I was kind of skiing in no-man’s land, starting between Johaug and Kowalczyk. Kowalczyk caught me on the first lap and I hung with her for about a kilometre, but she was carrying a little more momentum on the flats and got a bit of a gap on me.

“I also knew there was a group chasing from behind so I just had to keep fighting to stay in front, and luckily I crossed the line before they caught me,” she added.

With her effort Randall solidified her position within the elite of women’s cross-country skiing. Finishing a best-ever 4th in the sprint, 12th in the 5km skate and 16th in the final 10km classice race finished just behind Kowalczyk in 6th overall.

The Norwegians swept the final pursuit race with Therese Johaug taking the win, Bjoergen claiming second and a happy Vibeke Skofterud landed on the podium in third. Bjoergen is now four-for-five in individual World Cup races this season and takes a commanding lead in the World Cup overall series with 446 points. Her Norwegian teammates, Johaug and Skofterud, are in second and third with 316 and 309 points respectively.

Following back-to-back weekends of racing the Norwegian star has also pocketed 64,750 Swiss Francs ($70,600 US) in prize money for her efforts.

“I’m very satisfied with my race today,” Bjoergen told FIS Cross Country. “I knew I had to be fast in the beginning. I’m very happy and especially to have my friends by my side on the podium. I also had very good skis today.”

As well Randall currently sits 6th overall in the World Cup standings after Kuusamo, with 189 points and is confident going forward, particularly for the Tour de Ski where she finished 21st overall last year.

“This gives me good confidence. It’s fun to know that I can be solidly in the top 10. Obviously my fitness is in a good place now and I think I could get stronger as I continue to race so the Tour de Ski is going to be something to look forward to knowing that this mini-tour went well.”

Racing for the first time in Kuusamo, Brooks shook off a disappointing 70th in the sprint race on Friday and rallied in the distance races.

“Today’s race was an absolute BLAST!,” an excited Brooks told SkiTrax, “Four laps on a 2.5km course felt a bit like roller derby… it seemed like we were always going up or down, with very little flat skiing or double poling at all.”

She credited her wax technicians for providing her with good skis for the race: “Once again the wax techs, and specifically, Casey Fagerquist hooked me up with some great race skis.  There were some HUGE climbs out there and there were some girls herring-boning on the first and second laps up the steepest pitches.  I had better kick than the girls skiing around me and was able to ski efficiently up the hills.”

Brooks also suggested that had the race been longer she might have moved up even higher: “I almost wish that the race had been another 1/2 or full lap, as I was gaining on a large group of girls right in front of me.”

“I’m really satisfied with the result and this entire weekend has been an absolute blast. It’s nice to finish on a high note after being disappointed with my sprint result,” she concluded. “I think that the mini tours suit me well because overall, I’m a fairly well-rounded skier.”

Brooks now sits in 26th overall in the World Cups standings after Sjusjoen and Kussamo.

Other North American women completing the Kuusamo mini-tour today included the USA’s Liz Stephen, who finished in 35th overall, as well as Ida Sargent (38th) and Sadie Bjornsen (59th).

Speaking to SkiTrax by phone after the race Stephen said: “It was really good, we had amazing skis today, and a lot of the North Americans started really close together so I skied some of the race with Ida and a little bit with Sadie so that was cool, and it was my best classic World Cup result on the day today and almost got me back into the top 30 for the weekend but not quite.

“I’ll keep working on those sprints and maybe one day the mini-tours will suit me a little better,” she said, referring to her 85th position in the classic sprint event on Friday.

Racing for Canada today were Chandra Crawford (54th), Perianne Jones (57th) and Alysson Marshall (69th). “Did what I could and went all out, finished the Ruka triple in 54th but stayed positive and pushed it the whole way,” Crawford tweeted to her followers later in the day. Dasha Gaiazova did not start the final stage.

Women’s 1okm Pursuit results HERE.
Women’s Mini-Tour results HERE.
Women’s WCup Overall HERE.

November 27, 2011 (Toronto, ON) – With the 2011/12 Viessmann FIS XC World Cup season officially underway, we are pleased to announce the SkiTrax FIS Fantasy WCup 2011/12 Contest standings after round one of the series in Sjusjoen, Norway this past weekend and apologize for the delay. Leading the contest is team Paulleloupbleumauvevertgrisnoirblanc with 174 points. Probably the winning team trails by 6 points and is tied in second with team domy.

The World Cup series moved to Kuusamo, Finland this weekend for round two and we’ll have the contest standings following these races posted shortly.

For the Contest Standings after Sjusjoen click HERE.

SkiTrax Fantasy FIS World Cup 2011/12 Contest Prizes
* 1st Prize – Fischer 11/12 Carbonlite Hole Skis, Xcelerator Bindings, Carbonlite Poles (value $1,100)
* 2nd Prize – SkiGo Carbon 780 Roller Skis (value $580)
* 3rd Prize – Alpina ESK Ski Boots (value $449)
* 4th Prize – Bjorn Daehlie Exclusive US XC Ski Suit (value $300)
* 5th Prize – Sporthill XC Pants/Tights and Glacier Top (value $220)
* 6th Prize – Fresh Air Experience or High Peaks Cyclery Gift Certificate (value $150)
* 7th Prize – Rottefella Xcelerator Skate/Classic Bindings (value $130)
* 8th Prize – Bliz Proflip Visor (value $129)
* 9th Prize – Concept2 Goodie Duffle Bag (value $100)
* 10th Prize – Auclair Micro Mountain Olympic Gloves + Earbags (value $65)
* WCup Breaks – Buff Headware (value $22) to top 3 contest leaders before the Tour de Ski

Thanks to all of our great sponsors, including Fischer, SkiGo, Alpina, Bjorn Daehlie Clothing, Sporthill, Fresh Air Experience, High Peaks Cyclery, Rottefella, Bliz, Concept 2, 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).

November 27, 2011 (Kuusamo, FIN) – Norway’s Marit Bjoergen stormed to victory taking home the overall World Cup mini-tour title in Kuusamo on Sunday, finishing second in the final 10km classic pursuit behind compatriot Therese Johaug, with Vibeke Skofterud landing on the podium in third for a Norwegian sweep.

The USA’s Kikkan Randall solidified her position within the elite of women’s cross-country skiing, placing 16th in the final race to claim 6th overall, just behind Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland.

Bjoergen is now four-for-five in individual World Cup races this season, and following back-to-back weekends of racing has pocketed 64,750 Swiss Francs ($70,600 US) in prize money for her efforts.

The USA’s Kikkan Randall battled hard in today’s pursuit, starting ahead of Kowalczyk, but couldn’t quite hold off the determined Polish star. “It was hard,” Randall told SkiTrax by phone after the race, “I was kind of skiing in no-man’s land, starting between Johaug and Kowalczyk. Kowalczyk caught me on the first lap and I hung with her for about a kilometre, but she was carrying a little more momentum on the flats and got a bit of a gap on me.”

“I also knew there was a group chasing from behind so I just had to keep fighting to stay in front, and luckily I crossed the line before they caught me,” she added.

Randall’s results in Kuusamo definitely give her confidence going forward, particularly for the Tour de Ski, in which she finished 21st overall last year. “This gives me good confidence. It’s fun to know that I can be solidly in the top 10. Obviously my fitness is in a good place now and I think I could get stronger as I continue to race so the Tour de Ski is going to be something to look forward to knowing that this mini-tour went well.”

Randall wasn’t the only American woman to achieve something of a breakthrough this weekend. Holly Brooks came off a disappointing 70th in the sprint race on Friday to put together two solid distance races, finishing 17th on Saturday and 22nd in the pursuit, climbing into 23rd overall for the tour.

“I’m really satisfied with the result and this entire weekend has been an absolute blast. It’s nice to finish on a high note after being disappointed with my sprint result,” she told SkiTrax by email. “I think that the mini tours suit me well because overall, I’m a fairly well-rounded skier,” she continued.

Other North American women completing the Kuusamo mini-tour today included the USA’s Liz Stephen (35th), Ida Sargent (38th), and Sadie Bjornsen (59th). Racing for Canada today were Chandra Crawford (54th), Perianne Jones (57th) and Alysson Marshall (69th). Dasha Gaiazova did not start this morning.

Women’s 10km Pursuit results HERE.
Women’s Mini-Tour results HERE.
Women’s WCup Overall HERE.

November 24, 2011 (Kuusamo, FIN) – Check out this great interview with Canada’s Alex Harvey direct from Kuusamo, Finland where round two of the Viessman FIS XC World Cup unfolds tomorrow. Harvey is a contender for any and all podiums including the overall mini tour title and he shares his thoughts on the racing, his fitness and more…

November 24, 2011   – Check out the third installment of our new SkiTrax audio series, Talkin’ with the Gravy-Train, featuring legendary commentator and sports reporter Peter Graves. Our guest this week is US skier, Andy Newell, who just arrived in Kuusamo, Finland for this weekend’s Viessmann FIS XC World Cup races. Newell reflects on his performance last weekend in Sjusjoen, Norway and looks ahead to round two, which starts Friday.

Peter’s first interviewee was Kikkan Randall, and if you missed that interview, click HERE. For Peter’s interview with Kris Freeman, click HERE.

Audio Interview with Newell

November 24, 2011 (Kuusamo, FIN) – The Viessmann FIS World Cup moves to Kuusamo, Finland this weekend for the official Nordic Opening of the season with all Nordic disciplines converging for a massive free-heel gathering of the clan for three days of racing and camaraderie. For XC the focus is on the first mini-tour, of the season at a race venue so far north that organizers barely have enough daylight to squeeze in each day’s events.

Last year’s winners of this 3-stage XC event, Marit Bjoergen (NOR) and Alexander Legkov (RUS), will return to defend their titles. Both the Canadian and American teams, which had mixed results here last year, will be hoping to build on the success they have had in early season races so far this year – and for several team members it’s their inaugural event this season.

Kuusamo’s “Ruka Triple” starts with Friday’s classic sprint. Saturday features short distance freestyle races, 5km for the women and 10km for the men. Finally, Sunday rolls out the 10km and 15km classic distance races with pursuit starts. In addition to individual stage wins, athletes will be competing for the title of overall mini-tour winner.

Like everywhere else in Scandinavia, the venue at Kuusamo has been challenged by warm temperatures and lack of snow. A recent drop in temperatures, however, allowed snowmaking over the past week and organizers have been able to lay out a course. The weather was warm again today and the forecast is calling for a rain/snow mix with high temperatures hovering just above zero for the next couple of days, which the racers will no doubt enjoy compared to the -20C deep freeze they endured during last year’s event.

Bjoergen is the odds on favourite to repeat as the women’s overall victor, given the way she skied in Sjusjoen, Norway last weekend. No one will be surprised if she is joined on the podium by one or more of her Norwegian teammates either, considering the show of force they put on in both the individual and relay events there.

With the retirement of top all-rounders  Petra Majdic (SLO), Arianna Follis (ITA) and Marianna Longa (ITA), all of whom finished in the top 10 last year, and with last year’s runner up, Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) looking vulnerable so far, the door is open for other women to make their mark here.

Charlotte Kalla (3rd last year) will be in the mix, but watch out for Finland’s Kristin Lahteenmaki, who will be looking to impress on home soil. Lahteenmaki  finished 11th in the women’s 10km F and skied the lead-off leg for Finland’s bronze medal-winning relay team in Sjusjoen. U.S. sprint queen Kikkan Randall will be shooting for a top-10 as well, if not a  podium, now that she has established herself as a threat in distance events as well – she landed her best distance result in Sjusjoen placing 8th in the 10km.

On the men’s side, last year’s overall winner, Legkov, will return to battle most of last year’s contenders for the overall title, including Dario Cologna (SUI), Marcus Hellner (SWE), and the Czech Republic’s Lukas Bauer, who makes his World Cup season debut in Kuusamo. Norway’s Petter Northug Jr, who missed Kuusamo last year due to illness, will be there too.

Legkov hasn’t exhibited the dominant form he displayed at this time last year, however – at least not in Sjusjoen – which may not be a bad thing given that he was forced to abandon the Tour de Ski a few weeks after his triumph in Kussamo last year due to illness, possibly exacerbated by his legendary training load.

All eye’s will be on Canada’s Alex Harvey, who finished 5th in the men’s 15km in Sjusjoen – his best result ever in a 15km. Harvey sat out the relay event to rest up for Kuusamo and should be considered a threat for the overall, as should Swedish youngster Calle Halfvarsson, who is versatile and appears to be in good form right now as well.

Distance specialists Roland Clara (ITA), Maurice Manificat (FRA), and John Olsson (Sweden) have looked strong in the early season and could grab stage wins on Saturday or Sunday. The Finnish men will try to make a mark on the home crowd as well, to shift the focus from the most recent doping scandal involving Juha Lallukka, but Matti Heikinnen won’t be competing due to an eye injury.

As for the North Americans, both the U.S. and Canadian teams will be looking for some redemption after both showed great promise in the early going at this event last year, but ended with mixed results, particularly on the men’s side. Andy Newell placed 6th in the sprint event last year, but faded in the distance races and eventually withdrew, as did teammate Simi Hamilton. Kris Freeman, however, put together two strong distance results to finish 12th overall.

Canada’s Harvey cracked the top 10 on the sprint day as well, but, like Newell, faded in the distance events, finishing 38th on the final day and 17th overall. Devon Kershaw was Canada’s most consistent skier in Kuusamo last year, where he finish 10th overall. He’s surely looking for redemption given his lacklustre start in Sjusjoen.

Harvey has had the best start to the season of all the North American men so far and can both sprint and race distance,  so he could challenge for the overall, especially on those fresh legs of his. Kershaw is still trying to find the form he had last year, but is well suited to the 15k classic pursuit on the final day. Let’s just hope his skis are bolted on this weekend!

Lenny Valjas, who got his first European World Cup start at this event last year, and managed to qualify in the sprint, no less, before eventually withdrawing, has an opportunity to prove his chops as a legitimate distance skier this weekend, but will have to last three gruelling days to do so. Joining Harvey, Kershaw and Valjas in Kuusamo will be Ivan Babikov, Drew Goldsack, Kevin Sandau and Graham Nishikawa.

The U.S. men have had lacklustre individual results so far this year, but Newell could be dangerous in tomorrow’s sprint, and with another week on snow under his belt, Freeman could surprise and find the form he showed here last year, especially in Sunday’s 15k classic pursuit, which plays to his strengths. Joining Newell and Freeman this weekend will be Simi Hamilton, Noah Hoffman, Tad Elliot and Lars Flora.

Expectations of the U.S. women will be high this weekend, considering the solid start they made last weekend in Sjusjoen. Randall, who finished 19th overall in Kuusamo last year, has upped her game in distance races yet again, finishing 8th last weekend in Sjusjoen. With the retirement of sprint veterans like Majdic, Follis, and Genuin this spring, she could crack the top 10 in Friday’s sprint, despite not being the best classic sprinter. Liz Stephen proved that she can contend in the distance events as well, finishing 18th in Sjusjoen. With last weekend’s 9th place finish in the women’s 4x5k relay, the U.S. women’s team will also be bringing more depth to Kuusamo than in the past. Joining Randall and Stephen in Kuusamo will be Ida Sargent, Holly Brooks and Sadie Bjornsen.

Finally, the Canadian women make their World Cup debut this weekend joining the Nordic Euro party in Kuusamo. While Perianne Jones, Chandra Crawford and Alysson Marshall raced in Bruksvallarna, Sweden two weeks ago, they passed over Sjusjoen in order to train and prepare for Kuusamo. Joining them will be Dasha Gaiazova, who continued training in excellent snow conditions in Banff until last Saturday. All four women are considered sprint specialists and anything less than qualification for at least two or three or them tomorrow will be a disappointment.

Gaiazova and Crawford will certainly be looking for more consistency and improvement over last year’s results here, with Gaiazova finishing 48th overall and Crawford withdrawing. With lots of mini-tour experience on the NorAm circuit last year, and a top 20 distance result in Bruksvallarna, Jones should be ready to perform in Kuusamo as well.

According to Head Coach Justin Wadsworth, “They’re all healthy and fine, and motivated to race which is good.” We asked how Gaiazova is looking as she’s been at odds recently with the team and Wadsworth told SkiTrax, “The reports have been positive, so it will be interesting to see how fast she can be.”

Men’s Start List HERE.
Women’s Start List HERE.

November 23, 2011 (West Yellowstone, MT) – We caught up with some the winners of the the Sprint Showdown at round one of the USSA Supertour in West Yellowstone, including women’s 1.647km classic sprint champ Jesse Diggins (CXC Team), Caitlin Gregg [Compton] (CXC Team) who won the women’s skate sprint, and Michael Sinnott (Sun Valley SEF) who out-paced the field in the men’s 1.647km classic contest.

November 23, 2011 (West Yellowstone, MT) – The USSA Supertour kicked off to a great start today in West Yellowstone with a series of individual sprints in both classic and skate technique. The Sprint Showdown featured a unique format in which racers started individually in a 1km classic sprint showdown, followed 60 minutes later by a skate sprint on the same course.

Skiers were met with excellent course conditions for both the classic and skate race. The snow was new and angelically white as the West has received snowfall so far every day of the week. Tracks on the course were firm but not hard-packed giving racers a fast course that was easy to navigate.

The men’s race featured top racers with World Cup experience. American Torin Koos (Bridger Ski Foundation/Rossignol) and Canada’s Phil Widmer (Alberta World Cup Academy), both seasoned veterans, looked very strong in both the classic and skate sprints. Of all the men Koos has had both the most experience and successful career as a sprint specialist pulling off a second place finish in the classic sprint with Michael Sinnott (Sun Valley SEF) taking first just 0.35 seconds ahead of him. Widmer rounded out the top three at 1.12 seconds behind Sinnott.

“It was fun, it was fast, it was exhausting,” Sinnot joked after the race in an interview with SkiTrax. “It’s a pretty tough race format with that sprint double-header … with this course you need to make sure you have a strong finish, it ends on a really steep kick and it’s easy to blow out and stagger across the finish line losing a lot of time.”

Joining Widmer was a small group of Alberta World Cup Academy (AWCA) teammates, including World U23 sprint finalist Jess Cockney, who finished 5th, Gerard Ganier (15th) and Matt Wylie (20th).

In the men’s skate race it was collegiate skier Reid Pletcher from the University of Colorado who won the event with an time of 3:22.95 just a mere 0.25 seconds ahead of second place finisher Michael Sinnot of Sun Valley. Rounding out the top three was Matt Gelso also of Sun Valley. AWCA’s Cockney notched another 5th, while Widmer dropped to 7th, with teammates Garnier and Wylie finishing 17th and 19th respectively.

“This was my first time racing in West Yellowstone,” Cockney told SkiTrax by email today, “and after checking out the trails yesterday for only about an hour or so I was pretty apprehensive as to how my body would respond to the altitude and the finishing climb that was really the focal point of the course. The first qualifier was the classic and I wasn’t warmed up enough to really burn any speed on course but the skate qualifier was a much better feeling and I felt like I was much more aggressive throughout the race my second time around. I usually aim to ski my best in the heats on sprint days so only racing qualifiers was a strange thing for me.”

“As for conditions here,” Cockney continued, “it really couldn’t get any better, it was sunny and around -5C for the second qualifier with lots of snow on course that made for firm classic and skate tracks.’

The women’s field also featured racers with strong past performances including Olympians Morgan Arritola (Sun Valley SEF), Caitlin Gregg [Compton] (CXC Team), as well as the young phenom Jesse Diggins (CXC Team). Diggins did not disappoint snagging first in the classic sprint with a 0.76 second lead over teammate Jennie Bender. Nicole Deyong (Sun Valley SEF) was the third-place finisher at 1.23 seconds back.

“The tracks were so fast and so smooth,” Diggins told SkiTrax in a post-race interview, “the skis were so fast I barely knew what to do with them, I was just trying to stay coordinated.”

“I was super nervous before these first races of the season, like I always am,” she continued, “it was really good to just get ’em out of the way, get ’em done, and now just roll into the season knowing a little more about how I’m racing this year.”

In the skate sprint Diggins of was again the odds-on favorite with her overall strong results from last year and her victory at last year’s US Nationals, however it was Gregg who the stole show besting Diggins by over five seconds and beating third place finisher Kate Fitzgerald (APU) by over 12 seconds.

After the race Gregg told SkiTrax that “it was a difficult course to start off the year, with a big uphill the whole way and then a really solid wall at the end, but I tried topic it really well and I think I came through.”

Heidi Widmer (AWCA) was one of the few Canadian woman to make the trip to West Yellowstone. Normally a talented sprinter, Widmer could manage no better than 16th in the morning classic sprint, but recovered later in the day to finish 6th in the skate sprint.

Friday will feature the skate distance race followed by a distance classic race on Saturday. Conditions should continue to be excellent as the weather in West Yellowstone is predicted to continue to stay fabulous.

Classic Sprint Results HERE.
Freestyle Sprint Results HERE.

November 23, 2011 (Sjusjoen, Norway) – Check out the gallery of photos below from this past weekend’s World Cup opening races in Sjusjoen, Norway, courtesy of  the USST’s Holly Brooks. The women of the USST had a historic weekend, with personal best results in individual distances races by Kikkan Randall (8th) and Liz Stephen (18th), and a historic ninth place in the women’s 4x5km relay (anchored by Brooks), equaling their performance in the World Championships in Oslo last year. While the US men couldn’t match the success of the women’s team, they put in some good hard efforts, including finishing 11th in the men’s 4x10km relay, and will be looking to move up the results in Kuusamo, Finland this weekend.

For Women’s Relay coverage, click HERE.
For Women’s 10km Free coverage, click HERE.

November 22, 2011 (Ruka, Finland) – After traveling North/East yesterday up here to Kuusamo, my motivation to write a report on how the weekend went eluded me. Simply put – the weekend wasn’t fantastic (or even ok, haha) for me personally. That said, I feel compelled to share the experiences regardless, and from a semi-comfortable big orange couch here in Ruka, I will. Read on homies…

Sjusjoen, NOR
I’ll take a moment to sing praises for the organizers there. It must have been a seriously stressful last month for race organizers. Temperatures up in Scandinavia these days are what I’d imagine they are in June (bad joke, bad joke…) which aren’t super condusive for ski racing. Lacking any sustained time periods of cold temperatures (to make snow) or any snowy precipitation in the cards either – folks were stressed.

But they pulled it off. And well too!

We stayed in Lillehammer for the few nights we were in Norway and life was good. The food they fed us was at times outstanding; the general feeling on the Canadian squad was that of excitement.

In my opinion, the course itself was amazing. I loved it. After skiing on less-than-stellar conditions for almost two weeks over here, it was a treat to ski on snow made this year (instead of the dead/year-old/saved snow I’d been skiing on) and the loop up in Sjusjoen had amazing flow. A number of great climbs, that you were always rewarded with rest upon completion and the somewhat turny (although, not really…) descents stayed in great shape considering all the traffic on it.

Also, it’s beautiful up there. You’re on a hill/plateau type thing above the 1994 Olympic city of Lillehammer and we were treated to some unreal views of distant hills, lakes, etc… Coupled with the fog/clouds that moved in and out throughout the day without warning – it made for a pretty unreal scene.

15km Ind. Skate – Saturday
Picture yourself at 10 years old after the best summer vacation of your life. You got to do everything you’d hoped to – your parents let you eat ice cream everyday, you caught your biggest fish ever and your parents let you stay up well past your “normal” bed time. You’re relaxed, tanned and life is good.

Then, mom and dad tell you that today – this very morning – you have to go back to school. They thrust new books, pens, pencils and duo tangs at you with haste and usher you out the door. They tell you it’s time to hit the sidewalk for your solo jaunt back to homework, quiet time, no ice cream, bagged lunches, and normal bed times.

How fast do you think you were walking to school that morning?

Probably faster than I started this 15km race – slower then molasses – seeing how I conceded 28 seconds to the leaders at only 2.9km, I am a bit dumbfounded. That’s crawling.

The good thing was that it wasn’t ALL-bad. The middle of the race went well enough – I was able to catch a little ride from both race winner Olsson and “Quebec Gold” Alex and I was  feeling good, comfortable and skiing well when I was with them. Yet, other times (when I was towing guys, or alone) my pace was too hesitant and I wasn’t attacking the course like you had to if you’d hope to contend.

After Bruksvallarna’s disappointment, I didn’t trust myself. I’ll admit it; I was scared that my legs would feel like ass again. I started so conservatively for that reason, but when I realized my mistake – it was too late. I had given away too much.

The last lap (of 4 – the laps were 3.75km) – I must add – wasn’t spectacular either. I started to hurt (after following Alex on his last lap (my 3rd)) and without Alex leading the way apparently I fell off the pace by quite a bit, crossing the line in 37th. Not exactly what I was looking for.

It wasn’t all bad though – I mean Alex threw down!! He was amazing. 5th place!? That’s rad – he told me he’s never even been top 30 in an individual start 15km skate on the World Cup prior to Saturday – and to see someone I train with regularly be rocking house like that early in the year is hugely motivating.

Another positive is that I felt better than the week before. Not by a ton mind you, but better. It appears I am digesting the big(ger) volume weeks I did in late October/early November and hopefully (soon!) I’ll be feeling back to normal/good.

4x10km relay – leg #1 (classic) – Sunday
Finally, a classic race. After doing a lot of skating, I was pretty psyched to attack the classic skis and hammer around.

For me – it’s important to get the feeling of classic racing ahead of this week in Kuusamo where there is a classic 15km (pursuit) and classic sprint, so that’s what I went out and did.

It was icy in the tracks out there – and after a lap of struggling hard to get any purchase in the skating-rinkesque tracks and falling back in the pack – I tried my luck outside the tracks, classic skiing “sans tracks.” Life was much better. I moved up to the front of the race and was feeling good. It was going well, and the body felt like it was working better than it had the last two races.

Then – disaster struck. Right at the end of lap 3 (the race was 4 x 2.5km) on a fast section just entering the stadium – we were 5 or 6 dudes with a small gap on the field. Next thing I know, I get cut off – look down and realize I’m hauling ass, I’m off balance and I am missing a ski.

In the contact (of getting cut off), somehow my ski binding was released and moving quite quickly – I went off course and crashed decently hard onto the exposed pavement right in front of the barriers. My ski slid under that barrier and into the crowd.

At this point – the pack was gone, as were the stragglers. I was alone, hurting, on one ski and way off the back.

I hammered as best I could for the last 2.5km lap – but seeing there was so little of the race left, and I was so far back it was a losing battle. I really pushed it, but to no avail – I couldn’t regain contact with the main bunch (although I did go through a few guys).

On leg two – Ivan broke a pole, and ended up performing three pole changes before he got the right one as our luck continued to erode. We handed off to Nish in leg #3 in terrible shape and had to ski solo out there – which in a relay isn’t the most fun.

Yes – it was another “forgettable” day for me. I’m still a bit flabbergasted that in the last 7 classic races, my ski has fallen off twice.

A footnote – Alex had never planned on doing the relay – his shape is amazing right now and he has a real chance of winning the whole-show this weekend in Kuusamo, which would be amazing and give him a great chance of capturing the yellow World Cup leader’s bib – so we are all really psyched to see what he can do and obviously supported his decision for that.

Now…

Back to the orange couch – it’s standard business here in Ruka I’m listening to Wilco’s “The Whole Love” and Bon Iver’s self-titled album as I look out the window at the cloudy, dark landscape. The skiing isn’t amazing – but getting better. When we arrived yesterday there was only a 4-min loop (2-min out – 2-min back) available, and today there’s 2.5km, so things are looking up.

Racing begins again on Friday. We are all excited for another chance.

If you are feeling slightly melancholic – put on “One Sunday Morning” by Wilco and settle in. It’s a beautiful tune (but I must warn you, damn long).

Dk

November 21, 2011 – The National Nordic Foundation’s Drive for 25 was a huge success, with over 750 Nordic enthusiasts pledging their support for America’s future Cross-Country and Nordic Combined stars on November 15th. Over $35,000 was committed towards the program via individual donations of $25 and up. As NNF director Dave Knoop states, “The first annual Drive for 25 has exceeded our financial goal, but matched our hope and belief that the U.S. Nordic community is ready, willing and eager to step up and contribute to the cause. The Drive for 25 is a watershed moment for the National Nordic Foundation, and we hope for the US Nordic community as a whole.”

Donations, sparked by the Drive for 25, continue to come in at a steady pace.  Since the NNF fall funding drive started on August 15th, over 1000 individuals have pledged to the National Nordic Foundation’s Cross-Country and Nordic Combined Pillar Projects. These contributions, both large and small, have brought in over $100,000 in financial support while simultaneously uniting a nation of enthusiasts behind tomorrow’s stars.

As Drive for 25 visionary Pete Vordenberg states, “The single-day Drive for 25 is over, but the drive isn’t.  Donations are still coming in, and NNF is going to be able to do more to support U.S skiing than ever.  But most encouraging to me is the potential revealed: With well over 500 donors and over $22,000 raised over a single 24-hours for cross country alone, it is apparent the U.S. ski community wants to support ski racing at an international level.  Donors want to give their kids and young athletes opportunities beyond the local and national scene, and that is what NNF does.  Together, we’re giving kids the opportunities they need to race at the highest level in the world and, most importantly, the opportunities and experiences they need to learn, grow and chase their dreams.”

Support Tomorrow’s Stars Today
The National Nordic Foundation exists to help America’s young, dedicated and driven Nordic talent realize their, and America’s, long-term potential in sport and in life. The biggest hurdle facing American Nordic racers is gaining consistent access to international quality coaching, training and racing experiences from ages 15 through 25. Providing future generations of U.S. Nordic athletes earned access to a progression of high-quality international competitions, and their life enriching lessons, represents this nation’s greatest Nordic development opportunity and funding need. The National Nordic Foundation and its Pillar Projects exist to fulfill this need. Please donate to the National Nordic Foundation and support tomorrow’s stars today, as their quest for athletic accomplishment on the trails prepares them to achieve their potential in life while inspiring others to do the same.

Your tax-deductible contribution to the non-profit National Nordic Foundation will help Support Tomorrow’s Stars Today. For further inquiries contact National Nordic Foundation director David Knoop at 801-699-1456 or nccsef@gmail.org.

Donate online and inspire your friends to join you at www.nccsef.org or send a check to: NNF. 32 West 200 South #149, Salt Lake City, 84101 USA.

November 20, 2011 (Sjusjoen, Norway) – Petter Northug’s trademark finishing kick gave Norway a seemingly easy victory in the men’s World Cup 4x10km relay in Sjusjoen, Norway this afternoon. Local fans were treated to a 1-2 finish as Sjur Roethe of Norway III crossed the line in second just ahead of Sweden’s Calle Halfvarsson in third.

For the North Americans it was a so-so day at the office as the US team of Andy Newell, Kris Freeman, Tad Elliot and Simi Hamilton put in a solid effort, finishing 11th. Meanwhile the Canadian team chased a ski and broke a pole shattering any hopes of a lofty finish deciding to abandon after the third leg to focus on the next round in Kuusamo.

Setting the pace through most of the race were teams from Norway, Sweden, Russia, France and Italy. Norway was at the front after the first leg but Russia 1 was having none of that as Maxim Vylegzahanin charged to the front on the second 10km leg. Lars Berger (NOR) skied near the front and then Roland Clara (ITA) decided to mix it up as the third leg finished. Clara looked strong but Berger was able to overtake him and hand off to Northug first for the last 10km.

A break of five skiers that included Northug were away on the final leg but things slowed dramatically – to a strange training pace – as the group of eight skiers watched each other allowing some chasers to regain contact as the race became more tactical. The USA’s Hamilton was just behind on his own but could not make contact.

Then in typical style, Northug attacked in the closing meters to open a gap on compatriot Roethe and Sweden’s Halfvarsson. As he crossed the finish line Northug taunted the field with a quick look back with his pole straps already undone.

Alexander Legkov, skiing for Russia I, seemed to have a lock on third when the tip of one of Halvarsson’s  skis appeared to throw him off balance as the competitors scrambled for lane position. The Russians eventually finished 5th, as the Frenchman Christophe Perrilat outstretched Legkov for 4th.

Newell skied the lead-off leg for the US team and stayed in contact with the leaders despite poor grip and icy conditions, until the final two kilometres when he fell a little off the pace, handing off to Freeman in 9th.

Freeman took over and skied strong to bring his team back into contact with the lead group, at one point sitting in 7th spot, but as the pace up front quickened he faded towards the end of the leg handing off to Elliot in 10th.

“I worked really hard to catch the group ahead of me but didn’t realize they were the leaders and had I been more aware I might have race differently at the end of the leg.

“I’m not as excited about this weekend’s start to the season as I’d like. Yesterday was disappointing and today’s relay effort was ok but I was never really comfortable out there. It was a tricky waxing today as the weather changed and half the guys were out of the track.

“Last year I came over early and had some good races in Muonio [Finland] but this year I decided not to given the snow conditions. It’s a crap shoot and easy to second guess yourself – now I want to get rested up and be ready for Kuusamo next weekend.”

Elliot put in a solid leg, swapping leads in a small group with Norway II’s Tarjei Boe and Switzerland’s Remo Fischer before fading slightly. Hamilton skied the final leg for the U.S., crossing the line in 11th position.

It was a rough day for the Canadian men’s relay team, made up of Devon Kershaw, Ivan Babikov, Graham Nishikawa and Lenny Valjas. Kershaw lead off for the Canadians and was looking strong near the front when he became entangled with Marcus Hellner (SWE) and lost a ski, which went shooting off the trail into a crowd of spectators (readers may recall a similar type of situation plagued Kershaw at the Worlds in Oslo).

“Losing a ski AGAIN today blew it,” Kershaw tweeted later in the day, “Falling because of it sucked too. Thanks to the NOR fans who got it for me & handed it back to me,” he added.

After retrieving his ski from a spectator Kershaw continued racing, but by this time had fallen back to 14th. He pressed on and handed off to Babikov, who subsequently broke a pole losing more time.

Nishikawa skied third for Canada, but with the team so far behind and with the up-coming Kuusamo mini-tour in mind, they decided to abandon the race and rest rising star Valjas, who was to have skied the anchor leg.

“We had lots of misfortune today,” said Head Coach Justin Wadsworth in a phone interview with SkiTrax after the race, “hopefully we’ve gotten all of the bad luck out of the way today.”

November 20, 2011 (Sjusjeon, Norway)  – In another stunning display of raw power and control the Norwegian women lead by Marit Bjoergen delivered a 1-2 punch as Norway I and II landed on the podium in the women’s 4x5km classic/free relay event, with Finland another 13s back in third as Sweden settled for 4th another dozen seconds behind.

The real race was taking place behind as the stalwart US team, lead by veteran Kikkan Randall, battled with Germany, Italy, Russia I and Poland in a nailbiter that saw Germany’s Monique Siegel nip Holly Brooks on the final leg by a mere 0:0.1 for 8th with the USA 9th. Just behind Russia I, Poland and Italy finished 10th, 11th and 12th respectively. With their effort the US women earned their best World Cup relay result, matching their previous best effort at the 2011 Worlds in Oslo.

Anchored by Bjoergen, Norway I put on a commanding performance, grabbing an early lead that they built up to over 30 seconds at one point on chasers from Norway II and Finland.  Bjoergen’s teammates included Vibeke Skofterud, Therese Johaug, and Kristin Stoermer-Stiera.

Norway II and Finland skied much of the race together before Norway’s Marthe Kristofferson attacked and dropped Finland’s Riikka Sarasoja-Lilja on the climbs going into the final kilometre of the race. Charlotte Kalla skied the fastest leg of the day on her anchor leg for Sweden, but couldn’t pull enough time back from the Finns to get onto the podium. Two other Norwegian teams placed in the top seven, underlining the strength and incredible depth of the country’s program.

The US team was led off by Ida Sargent, who had a tough first leg, falling three times due to the tricky waxing and course conditions. The klister wax that she and others raced on was often grabbing and sticking to the loose granular snow whenever skiers came out of the tracks, particularly on uphills. Sargent spent much of her leg playing catch up and handed off to Randall in last position.

Randall, who skied to a career-best 8th in the previous day’s individual race, gradually clawed back time and position. Skiing against Justyna Kowalcyzk (POL) she had the second fastest time of her leg, bringing the US into 12th position at the exchange.

Liz Stephen took over from Randall and joined a chase group that included the  Russians and Germans. Stephen skied a strong leg to put the Americans into 9th before handing off to team anchor Brooks. Brooks had her work cut out for her and she came through in spades holding off Russia 1, Italy and Poland to claim 9th, but couldn’t contain Germany’s Siegel, missing out on 8th by a mere tenth of a second.

“The conditions were such that it would have been hard to make a decisive move and drop the other girls I was with,” Brooks told SkiTrax by email, “therefore, it was mostly skiing in the pack and being really aggressive about positioning – I knew it would come down to a sprint and I wanted to make sure I was set up to finish strong.”

Brooks went on the recount her finishing sprint against the three other teams: “Four of us rounded the corner coming into the finish and there were only three lanes to the line. I probably lost a tenth of a second jockeying for the middle lane with Italy, allowing Germany to get a jump start on the sprint on the inside lane. It came down to myself and Russia and my foot was longer in the lunge.”

Stephen lauded the team’s performance: “Kikkan really skied super strong and got us right back in the mix, and then I was able to catch a few more teams as was Holly. It was an exciting sprint finish! We are all satisfied with the result and are excited to get another try later this season to see if we can break into the top 6.”

U.S. Ski Team coach Matt Whitcomb was naturally buoyed by the women’s result. “I was pleased with the women’s relay. While we struggled a bit with Ida’s skis in the man-made snow, her energy was by far the highest it has been in her first five European starts. She fought incredibly hard to tag Kikkan and from that exchange on the girls made up a lot of ground. Kikkan put two seconds back into the lead team of Norway 1 and skied second on her leg, beaten only by Kowalczyk and moved from 16th to 12th.” said Whitcomb.

“Liz put together an outstanding 3rd leg by taking the team from 12th to 9th and giving only 7 seconds back to Steira on Norway 1. Then Holly had a great anchor leg for the team just narrowly losing a battle for 8th, but maintaining the ground she was given.  We have 6 or 7 women in the U.S. that will complete for a spot on the relay teams in Val di Fiemme and Sochi, and I am confident that this depth gives us a realistic shot at a result the U.S. has never considered in the women’s race.”

Indeed, if one excluded the three additional Norwegian teams competing in Sjusjoen, the Americans would have placed 6th, thus one could make the case that the American women actually surpassed their Oslo result today.

The Canadians did not field a team for the women’s relay event in Sjusjoen, preferring to skip the races here in favour of preparing for next weekend’s mini-tour in Kuusamo.

Final results HERE.
Final results detail PDF HERE.

November 20, 2011 Following the recent positive doping case against Juha Lallukka (FIN) FIS Nordic Director Jurg Capol was back in the news on YLE (Finnish TV) urging the powers that govern doping to bring in 4-year ban for dopers, more frequent out-of-competition testing, and stiffer penalties all round – read more HERE.

The the IOC Athletes Forum also wants stiffer penalties going as far as a lifetime ban which is in line with the British Olympic Committee’s (BOA) lifetime Olympic ban that recently came under pressure when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland ruled against an IOC rule barring athletes who have received drug bans of more than six months from competing in the next Games. This ruling has lead the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the BOA to butt heads.

According to an AP report. “WADA has simply suggested that the BOA consider its rule in light of all the information available to it,” Fahey said in a statement. “WADA has not taken, and will not take, this matter to the CAS.” – read more HERE.

SkiTrax’s Marty Hall has been calling for a tougher stance for years and waded in on the CAS ruling HERE and commented on Capol’s previous call for stiffer penalties HERE.

November 20, 2011 (West Yellowston, MT) – It is a winter wonderland in West Yellowstone, Mont., and the official start of the Yellowstone Ski Festival is just days away.  The Rendezvous Ski Trails are groomed and in “race ski” shape, and many teams and individuals already have arrived to get on snow.  There is a diverse and exciting line-up of on-snow action and evening activities planned for Thanksgiving week.  If you are not headed this way already, make plans now to spend your holiday on snow in West Yellowstone.

It’s not too late for a clinic!
Space is available in most of the Nordic Clinics. Call Drew Barney at 406-646-9379 to hold your spot in the five, three, two, and one day classes.  SuperTour race registration is available online through Noon MST on Monday, Nov. 21.  Biathlon registration runs through 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 22, and the junior race registration is open until 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 25.  On snow demos, wax clinics, a keynote lecture by legendary mountaineer Conrad Anker, a fashion show, and activities for kids round out the offerings.

The snow is here, so make plans now to attend the 2011 Yellowstone Ski Festival and enjoy your First Tracks in West Yellowstone this Thanksgiving. For more information click HERE or follow westyellxcski on Twitter or Yellowstone Ski Festival on Facebook.

November 19, 2011 (Sjusjøen, Norway) – The 2011/12 Viessmann FIS XC World Cup Series got underway today in Norway despite some curve balls from Mother Nature and the North Americans were out in force with some skiers scoring personal bests as they made their mark.

Canada’s Alex Harvey served notice he’s in shape and ready to challenge for the podium placing 5th in the men’s 15km freestyle while  the USA’s Kikkan Randall nailed her best distance race to date finishing 8th in the women’s 10km. Liz Stephen from Montpelier, VT, was also on form matching her career best ending up 18th even enjoying a short stint in the “hot” seat.

Norwegian star Marit Bjoergen kept the pressure on with a convincing win while Johan Olsson (SWE) was untouchable in the men’s competition with a 30-second margin over Petter Northug (NOR).  Here’s a selection of great photos and quotes for an inside look at today’s races…

Alex Harvey – Team Canada
I’m super happy with today and even a little surprised. A 15-kilometre individual start is a black horse for me. I really had a goal of getting into the top-10 today, but my skis were awesome so I’m very happy.

Normally in a long skate my legs get cramping at about 10 kilometres. We worked very hard in our camps in Maui and Park City doing lots of climbing because these races are very important – especially the final race on the Tour de Ski. Today shows me that hard work is paying off.

I am now really confident and looking forward to getting to Kuusamo next weekend after today. One of the first goals of the season was to podium at the mini-tour there, and I believe I can do that.

Kikkan Randall – US XC Ski Team
Pretty fun way to start the season and get my first race under the belt!  Especially after almost 8 months away from the circuit! The plan going into today was to just put a bib on and race, and not think too much about it. Both Erik (my coach) and I looked at this first race as a chance to get the engine going and test out a faster pace from the start. All I wanted to do was start hard and try to maintain it.

I did end up starting my first lap pretty aggressively.  The course was deceptively hard because although the hills weren’t so long, there really wasn’t a lot of rest out there – you had to be working the whole time.  The snow was really fast and I think our skis were incredible today.  A little icy and hard to balance in places but overall the snow was in great shape considering the lack of natural stuff!

Results-wise I wanted to be close to or a little ahead of where I was at this point last season, knowing that I usually get stronger as I race.  So it’s nice to be ahead of that goal, and right in where I would like to be racing the whole season.

I had a feeling that my summer and fall preparation had gone really well this year and so it’s nice to get the confirmation that those inklings were correct!  Since we don’t have nice lap times to compare with like in running on the track, it’s always hard to know where you’re at until you race.

Great to see Liz [Stephen] and Holly [Brooks] ski strong today as well.  Really bodes well for our relay tomorrow and we’re all psyched!!

Marit Bjoergen – Norway
I’m really happy with my race today. I was nervous before the start. I did not know how my shape was. The track fit me very well and I kept very good speed all the way. I also had a good last lap. Conditions in Sjusjoen were great – they did a very good job.

Johan Olsson – Sweden
I had some luck today. I had really good skis and I had always some good company all the way. I did not expect anything today and felt little bit bad yesterday. In the relay we will fight with the Norwegians like always. My biggest wish is simply to stay healthy.

Petter Northug – Norway
It was tough race today. I had the feeling that it was tough to make a podium. In the last lap I heard it was pretty tight between the racers so I was fighting on every uphill and also on the easy terrain. I tried to give it all towards the end. I’m happy to be second. It was a tough course and you need to work all the way. You also had to work during the downhills where you can gain some seconds…. and you don’t get rest too much on this course.

Liz Stephen – US XC Ski Team
Thanks for contacting me!  It was a good day here, great to get the season started on such a positive note with a couple personal bests! Results are just part of the whole equation, but it’s always a nice way of being reassured after a long, hard summer of training that your work was done the right way and that you are making progress.

It is so much work and it is a long time between competition seasons so the nerves tend to always be a bit higher for me before the opener, as it’s the first real test. It’s also just the opener, and there is a long season ahead still, so many more chances to improve, even if today was not your day.

I had a really fun last two laps as I had a Norwegian, Astrid Slind, skiing right behind me – really pushing me. It is always much better for me when it is not just me by myself on a lonely ski track. It makes the race feel more real and more exciting and I get fired up. So that was great. I can’t believe how supportive and excited the ski community has been already, too.

I must have gotten 50 tweets of fired up people, e-mails, phone calls, texts. It’s really exciting to have a nation of people that are really coming together and backing each other. I am really happy with how today went and am really looking forward to our relay tomorrow!!!

Holly Brooks – US XC Ski Team
It was a decent start to the season. I can’t say that I’m ecstatic but I’m not disappointed either.  World Cups in Norway tend to the deepest fields, especially for women. So I’m a bit happier with my placing considering that fact that there were 14 Norwegians ahead of me (and I believe they are typically only allowed 9 starters…?).

I was only nine seconds out of the points and that tells me that I should be gunning to be in the points every single day, every time I toe the start line. I’m excited for the next couple of weeks as I have many race starts ahead of me! Aside from my own race, I’m also really pumped for my teammates, many of whom had their best season openers ever – Kikkan with her best distance result and Liz with hers as well. (regular WC). The relay tomorrow should be fun!

Sadie Bjornsen – US XC Ski Team
I was pleased with my race today, results aside. I started mixed in the red group, so I got the opportunity to ski a few minutes with some of the best skiers. That is the sort of race you learn a lot from.

I have always been one to start my season slow and then race into it by mid-season, which is why I chose to start my season racing at the World Cups this fall. A year like this is the perfect opportunity to work on this weakness. I had a good feeling today and hope to just increase my speed with each race.

Unfortunately, the day before I left, I lifted some heavy stuff the wrong way and I have been struggling with my back all week, trying to decide if it’s smart to race this early in the season with such a problem. Luckily the Canadians were beyond generous, and their PT [physio therapist] has been working on me when he has time which I am so thankful of, because I don’t think I would have been able to race today otherwise.

It was a great start to the season, mostly because of the US motivation that came out of today. I have been training and doing practice races with Holly and Kikkan this fall, so it was beyond exciting to see some of our girls sit so high in the results. I think it will be the perfect motivational push to start our season out!

Lenny Valjas – Team Canada
Coming off a pretty good distance result for me last weekend [in Bruksvallarna, SWE] I was really hoping for a top 40 today. Unfortunately I wasn’t feeling it out there today. The first two laps were hot garbage for me. It felt like I was trying too hard to go fast, I needed to relax and let my skis just glide out there. But the last two laps really went well, I was skiing much more relaxed and my lap times improved big time. Overall I am not too upset about this result, for a tough 15km course it went well for me.

We are all happy with the start of the season, even though some of us did not have the best day, we are still much improved from the start of last season. I am so pumped for Alex, that is a huge result considering he has never cracked the top 30 in an individual start WC. I am not surprised whatsoever, after watching him train in Quebec all fall, I knew he was in ridiculous shape this year.

I am looking forward to Kuusamo next Friday, I am very happy with my shape and I can’t wait to sprint!

Graham Nishikawa – Team Canada
The snow and course in Sjusjoen were amazing, unfortunately I had a horrible race. My legs felt like bricks right from the first km. The season is long so I will shake this on off and get ready for next weekend.  On the bright side, Alex showed he is in amazing shape.

Andy Newell Newell – US XC Team
Today wasn’t a great race for me but it was a good chance to put a bib on and go hard. I haven’t done anything close to a ski race since the Climb to the Castle [in September], just mostly intervals and stuff. The course was really rolling which meant you had to be working the flats so if you weren’t able to recover well while free skating it was a tough day.

Matt Whitcomb – US XC Team Coach
Kikkan and Liz were each happy with their races today. It was a career best distance race for Kikkan – only 25 seconds out of the medals, and Liz tied her best results from La Clusaz last season – just 18 seconds out of top 10.

It’s also very promising to see Holly skiing competitively in this first race. We’ve worked hard this year to build our U.S. women’s team presence, and Holly finishing 36th and only narrowly missing the points shows we are ready to do business.

Having five girls on the road gives us some exciting options for relay teams as well. While Sadie will sit out tomorrow to recover from a sore back, we are able to turn to Ida to ski a classic leg. Relays are a big focus for this team, and I know these girls take a lot of pride in their teammates and skiing hard for one another.

November 19, 2011 (Sjusjøen, Norway) – If Sweden’s Johan Olsson was feeling any lingering effects from a shoulder injury suffered earlier in the fall, he wasn’t showing it at this morning’s opening World Cup race of the season, an individual start men’s 15k freestyle race in Sjusjoen, Norway.

Olsson bested a deep men’s field that included most of the sport’s biggest names, beating local favourite and second place finisher, Petter Northug Jr, by 31 seconds. Italy’s Roland Clara captured his first WCup podium in third, a mere 0.2 seconds behind Northug.

Sweden’s Calle Halfvarsson was an early starter whose initial time held up for a while before he was knocked out of the big furry chair, although it was still good enough for a career-best 4th place in the end.

Leading the North American contingent was Alex Harvey, who finished 5th at less than 10 seconds off the podium. However the rest of the North American men finished well back. Among the Canadians, Devon Kershaw raced to a 37th place finish, followed by Ivan Babikov (42), Len Valjas (64th), and Graham Nishikawa (71st).

On the US side, Kris Freeman was 55th, followed by Tad Elliot (60th), Andy Newell (63rd), Lars Flora (65th), and Noah Hoffman (79th). Simi Hamilton was a DNS. In a post-race comment to SkiTrax Newell said, “Today wasn’t a great race for me but it was a good chance to put a bib on and go hard.

“I haven’t done anything close to a ski race since the Climb to the Castle [in September], just mostly intervals and stuff. The course was really rolling which meant you had to be working the flats so if you weren’t able to recover well while free skating it was a tough day..”

Full results HERE.

Results (brief)

1. Johan Olsson (SWE) 32:40.3
2. Petter Northug (NOR) 31.2
3. Roland Clara (ITA) 31.4
4. Calle Halfvarsson (SWE) 38.6

5. Alex Harvey (CAN) 40.6
37. Devon Kershaw (CAN) 1:37.1
42. Ivan Babikov (CAN) 1:41.3
55. Kris Freeman (USA) 1:55.0
60. Tad Elliott (USA) 2:07.4
63. Andy Newell (USA) 2:10.3
64. Lenny Valjas (CAN) 2:11.1
65. Lars Flora (USA) 2:11.2
71. Graham Nishikawa (CAN) 2:27.6
76. Noah Hoffman (USA)
DNS Simi Hamilton (USA)

November 19, 2011 (Sjusjøen, Norway) – Marit Bjoergen (NOR) has fired early warning shots at the opening round of the 2011/12 Viessmann FIS XC World Cup Series season opener in Sjusjøen taking her 48th WCup win with a commanding 27-second margin over her nearest rival, Charlotte Kalla (SWE). Bjoergen’s compatriot, Vibeke Skofterud was third.

USST skiers Kikkan Randall and Liz Stephen both had excellent starts to the season, finishing in 8th and 18th respectively, with Stephen enjoying a short stint on the hot seat. For Randall it’s her best distance result ever showing her training and good form are on track – her previous best was 11th in a skiathlon in Lahti, Finland last year.

This morning’s women’s 10km Freestyle race on man-made snow resembled the Norwegian national championships, with seven of the top ten positions going to competitors from the host country. Norwegian biathlon star, Tora Berger, lived up to the pre-race hype surrounding her participation in the event, posting an early top time that was bested by only three other women in the end.

Bjoergen’s arch rival Justyna Kowalczyk (POL), who struggled to match the pace and never looked comfortable on her skis, eventually crossed the line in 10th place at 1:12 behind.

Also racing for the US were Holly Brooks in 36th, Sadie Bjornsen in 54th, and Ida Sargent finishing in 66th. No Canadians competed.

Final results HERE.

Results (brief)

1. Marit Bjoergen (NOR) 24:22.32. Charlotte Kalla (SWE) 27.1
3. Skofterud (NOR) 29.0
4. Tora Berger (NOR) 43.0

8. Kikkan Randall (USA) 58.1
18. Liz Stephen (USA) 1:30
36. Holly Brooks (USA) 2:03
54. Sadie Bjornsen (USA) 2:39
66. Ida Sargent (USA) 3:33

November 18, 2011 (Morrisville, Vermont) – While many ski races in Scandinavia were being canceled due to lack of snow, the 3rd Annual  SkiErg World Sprints took place last weekend in locations around the world and drew a record number of participants. Races were hosted by ski clubs, high school ski teams, CrossFit gyms, fitness centers, and elementary schools, in ten different countries, with competitors ranging in age from 5 to 80. There were over 800 participants-a 50% increase over last year!

Both skiers and non-skiers alike earned top finishes. Christopher McLaughlin, who uses the SkiErg at home for fitness, is the overall men’s winner for the second year in a row with a time of 3:04.3, while Jennie Bender, also last year’s winner, won the women’s event with a time of 3:52.9. Other results of note include a tie for second place overall and first place in the men’s 30-39 category. Jack Nunn of California and Ats Pärnaste of Estonia both came in with a time of 03:12.9.

McLaughlin, 40, of New Jersey, started rowing and skiing after years of lifting, work and running had injured his knees. The Concept2 Indoor Rower and SkiErg provide him with a low impact, full-body workout. He uses the Concept2 rankings and logbook for motivation while he works out at home.

On the women’s side, Jennie Bender is a strong US skier living in Minnesota and training with the CXC program in Wisconsin. The SkiErg is a regular part of her training program, especially when she can’t get out on rollerskis due to darkness or bad weather. In the next couple weeks she’ll start her competitive season on snow.

In the adaptive field, the men’s win goes to aspiring paralympian for Biathlon David Leach of New York with a time of 4:03.9 (LTA) and the women’s  to Christina Kouros (TA)of Maine in 6:56.0. Kouros is one of the first sit skiers to compete in high school ski races. Full SkiErg World Sprints results can be found HERE.

All host sites with at least 20 participants were entered in a drawing for a new SkiErg. Pat’s Gym in Madison, Wisconsin was the lucky winner.

The SkiErg World Sprints, coordinated by Concept2 in Morrisville, Vermont, is an annual indoor ski race of 1000 meters on the Concept2 SkiErg held in locations around the world. Participants can accurately compare their times from one location to another because the SkiErg includes a self-calibrating Performance Monitor. The SkiErg provides measurable and specific training for Nordic skiers, while also offering a high-quality low impact exercise option for non-skiers of all ages. Concept2 offers rankings and challenges to help keep skiers motivated throughout the year. More information on the SkiErg is available HERE.

Concept2 was founded by Dick and Peter Dreissigacker in 1976. Both competitive rowers and engineers, the two brothers designed and manufactured carbon fiber racing oars, then went on to create the world’s first air_resistance indoor rower. The SkiErg, launched in 2009, builds upon the Dreissigackers’ love of skiing and Concept2’s years of experience in designing and manufacturing high-performance training equipment. For more information about Concept2, visit HERE.

November 18, 2011 – Wow, another race season is roaring into action already! With one race under my belt and my first World Cup start of the year just over a week away, it’s high time that I update you on what the heck I’ve been up to all summer! I apologize in advance for the lack of detail but in lieu of a novel, I figured it’d be best to just give you the Coles Notes…

As it seems to be the case with most summers of training, the time flew by. I regret not writing an update sooner but my website was being held hostage by my previous web hosting company (long story) and I have finally completed the arduous task of moving my website to a new host. I hope you enjoy the newly designed drewgoldsack.ca, check back often for updates throughout the winter!

As is the case with most years, I started off the spring pretty much living at the ski hill. Sunshine Village near Canmore is generous enough to comp NST members lift tickets, so come April I’m a full time hill rat. Springtime in the Rockies almost always brings big dumps of snow and I enjoyed some incredible steep and deep days this spring!

From the majestic snow covered peaks of the Rockies, I headed across the prairies to Eastern Manitoba and the rugged terrain of the Canadian Shield to try my hand at ranching. For a guy who grew up in the prairies, I am embarrassingly green when it comes to anything ranch.

However, it didn’t take long to tune into the cowboy blood that, as it turns out, has been coursing untapped through this Alberta boy’s veins…well at least that’s how I saw it anyway! I spent an incredible week horseback riding, crust skiing, sauna-ing, being entertained by newborn lambs, eating freshly laid eggs and relaxing next to a wood-fired stove.

Three lambs were born just before my arrival, which was good news as delivering lambs may have been just a little outside of my abilities. Plus, I got to experience all the fluffy cuteness and none of the gooey sponginess! After being repeatedly stared down and stomped at by the mama sheep, one thing’s for certain: “The older they get, the cuter they aint!” to steal a classic line from The Simpsons.

Though it was hard to leave the serenity of ranch life behind, the beach was calling, and I soon headed off to Miami for some sun and last bit of non-athlete fun before starting up with training for yet another season. Elated to find out that I had been named to the National Team for another year, I was also really looking forward to building on a great season of training with the Alberta World Cup Academy. This year’s training kicked off with the AWCA at an on snow camp in Silver Star in May, followed by a great road bike camp in Kaslo, BC in June.

From there, I made a quick trip up to the Haig Glacier (the best kind of trip to The Haig imho) with the National Team that was actually delayed for a week by TOO MUCH snow, so much snow in fact that they couldn’t find the buried Pisten Bulley on the glacier! The glacier camp was followed by a great month spent training at home in Canmore and a quick trip to the eastern beaches of Cape Breton Island for a friend’s wedding.

The late summer brought a training camp in Whistler with the Academy and then an incredible high altitude camp in Park City, UT with the National Team. From there, I headed back to Whistler with the NST for an intensity block which included four hard intensity sessions in six days and a week of torrential rain… luckily, spending the week shacked up at the Four Seasons Whistler offset the lousy weather!

With fall in the air and more leaves on the ground in Canmore than feral bunnies, I returned home for some much needed rest. It wasn’t long before Frozen Thunder (Snow stored under sawdust from the previous winter… I know, it sounds crazy but it actually works!) was rolled out at the Canmore Nordic Centre (October 15th) and before I knew it the ski season was under way! The last two weeks of October delivered outstanding ski conditions in Canmore and I was able to log a lot of hours on snow before taking off for Europe and the start of the World Cup season….

It’s shaping up to be a great year of racing, see you out there!

– Drew Goldsack

Overheard:
‘I’m going to log out of Facebook, Seriously.’ – Alex Harvey

In the Tape Deck:
Artist: Ben Howard, Album: Every Kingdom
Artist: Bon Iver, Track: Calgary (Cillo Remix)
Artist: Devil Makes Three, Track: Chained to the Couch
Artist: Active Child, Track: When Your Love is Safe

On the Tube:

November 17, 2011 (Torsby, Sweden) – Check out the second installment of our all-new SkiTrax audio series, Talkin’ with the Gravy-Train, featuring legendary commentator and sports reporter Peter Graves. Our second guest is top US distance skier, Kris Freeman, now in Sweden who shares his thoughts with Graves about the lack of snow in Scandinavia and the upcoming World Cup season that begins this Saturday in Sjusjoen, Norway… last week Peter spoke with Kikkan Randall and if you missed that interview click HERE.

Audio Interview with Kris Freeman

November 17, 2011 (Lillehammer, Norway) – I said my goodbyes to Muonio and traveled to Norway yesterday. While it was great to be able to do a big block of training on snow before the season started, after three weeks in Muonio, the darkness was setting in, and I was ready for a change of scenery.

The first World Cups of the season are this weekend in Sjusjoen, Norway.  There is not any snow here either so we will be racing on another short manmade loop of snow.  The organizing committee is doing everything they can to protect the snow so the loop is closed until the races with the exception of a three-hour inspection period tomorrow.

Since there isn’t any skiing here today the US team decided to stay as long as possible at the tunnel in Torsby where they are currently training and they will not be arriving to Norway until later tonight.  I already had a ticket booked for yesterday and since I skied many kilometers around the track in Muonio, I knew it would be alright to have a day off from skiing and I was excited for a solo day in Lillehammer, where our team is staying for the weekend.

After eating as much delicious breakfast at the hotel buffet as I could hold – soft boiled eggs, toast, brown cheese, yogurt, cereal, keifer, smoked salmon, pickled herring, crepes, and more!! – I was ready to go for a run.  By this time it was fully light outside and the sun was up and shining brightly OVER the hills.  I asked the lady at the front desk if there were running or ski trails nearby and she replied, “Of course, everywhere.”  Stupid question, this is Norway.  I left the hotel, picked a random direction and didn’t run more than a few hundred meters before I came across a single track path.

The trail headed uphill away from the town and paralleled a rocky brook.  After being in Muonio, it felt so hilly here!  It was cold outside with a thick layer of frost but still no snow.