January 09, 2011 (Thunder Bay, ON) – Competing on the domestic circuit as part of a plan to return to the World Cup circuit while their Olympic teammates wrapped up the Tour de Ski, Canada’s George Grey and Perianne Jones found their stride by winning the men’s and women’s skate ski races at the Haywood NorAms in Thunder Bay, Ont. on Sunday.

The 31-year-old Grey, of Rossland, B.C., is starting to discover the shape that helped him capture his lone World Cup medal two years ago in a team sprint with Alex Harvey in Whistler, B.C. The two-time Olympian captured his second victory of the weekend after completing the men’s 15-kilometre skate-ski race with a time of 39 minutes, 21.9 seconds at the Lappe Nordic Ski Centre.

“It was good race and a tough course today so I’m happy,” said Grey, who punched his ticket for a spot on Canada’s World Championship squad this weekend.

“Right now I’m going back to the drawing board. I’m working on my distance and getting my shape again. I have six weeks to go until Worlds so it will be good to get back around the team, and Justin (Wadsworth – head coach), to ramp it up to where I want to be.”

Grey has spent most of his summer and early season rebounding from knee surgery this spring.

“Motivation is tough to find for any athlete, and when you have injuries a dark cloud just follows you because you want to go but you have to be patient,” said Grey. “Everyone this weekend was peaking because it was trials for World Championships. To win twice I know I’m not far off so I’ll keep working hard at it.”

Grey was pressed for the podium by Graham Nishikawa, of Whitehorse, who claimed the silver with a time of 39:27.3, while Michael Somppi, of Thunder Bay, Ont., rounded out the podium in third (39:34.6).

Meanwhile Canada’s Perianne Jones is also patiently making her comeback to the elite international circuit. Jones, of Almonte, Ont., won her second race on North America’s premiere development cross-country ski race series after posting a time of 31:02.7 in the women’s 10-kilometre skate-ski event.

“I felt really good out there and I’ve known all year that I’ve just been feeling a lot better,” said Jones, who said her body felt a little bit up last year pushing the paces with the world’s best on the World Cup circuit. “My body was just really tired last year and it is nice to be building that confidence and racing professionally again here. I have been working hard on my technique and things have been going really well.”

Jones was put to the test this weekend with Daria Gaiazova, of Banff, Alta., who made her return from the World Cup. Gaiazova, who won a World Cup bronze medal in the team sprint earlier this year with Chandra Crawford, won the first two races of the weekend but was pushed to the second spot on the podium Sunday with a time of 31:18.3.

“It was awesome to have Daria here and bring the level of racing up a little,” said Jones. “It was a good reminder for me of how fast things are on the World Cup.”

Calgary’s Brooke Gosling claimed the bronze with a time of 32:27.5.

Full results HERE.

Results (brief)

Open Female

1.    Perianne Jones (Nakkertok/NST) 31:02.7
2.    Dasha Gaiazova (Rocky Mountain Racers/NST) +15.6
3.    Brooke Gosling (Foothills/CXC) 1:24.8
4.    Sara Hewitt (Foothills/AWCA) 2:01.7
5.    Brittany Webster (Highlands Trailblazers/AWCA) 2:23.4
6.    Heidi Widmer (Foothills/AWCA) 2:34.4
7.    Alysson Marshall (Larch Hills/AWCA/BCST) 2:36.3
8.    Annika Hicks (Canmore Nordic/AWCA) 2:40.6
9.    Anne-Marie Comeau (Club Nordique M.S.A.) 2:44.3
10.    Erin Tribe (Team Hardwood/NDC Thunder Bay)2:44.6

Open Male

1.    George Grey (Black Jack/NST) 39:21.9
2.    Graham Nishikawa (Whitehorse/AWCA) 5.4
3.    Michael Somppi (Lappe Nordic/NDC Thunder Bay) 12.7
4.    Brent McMurtry (Foothill) 55.0
5.    David Greer (Whitehorse/CNEPH) 56.1
6.    Erik Carleton (Rocky Mountain Racers/RMR) 58.4
7.    Jess Cockney (Foothills/AWCA) 58.8
8.    Graeme Killick (Banff Ski Runners/ NST) 1:20.9
9.    Pate Neumann (Canmore Nordic/AWCA) 1:33.0
10.    Kevin Sandau (Foothills/NST/AWCA) 1:34.1

January 9, 2010 (Alpe Cermis, Italy) – It’s over. The 5th annual FIS Tour de Ski finished atop Italy’s Alpe Cermis today, crowning Swiss super star Dario Cologna as the best all-round ski racer in the world. Cologna had little trouble defending his commanding lead on the 9km uphill climb.

Norway’s Petter Northug claimed 2nd over all, but the real story was Czech Lucas Bauer’s phenomenal display of climbing prowess. Like Therese Johaug (NOR) in the women’s race Bauer hurled himself up the mountain, posting the fastest time of the day and vaulted himself from 10th to 3rd in the over all.

Canadians Devon Kershaw and Alex Harvey, who throughout the Tour have posted some of their country’s most impressive World Cup results ever, finished in 7th and 10th respectively overall.

In come-from-behind moves of their own, Canadian Ivan Babikov and US skier Kris Freeman posted impressive results on the final day. Both skiers have struggled during the Tour, but today they left that all behind, skiing together and snagging the 6th and 7th fastest times of the day respectively – Babikov ended up 21st overall and Freeman was 28th.

For Freeman having the 7th best time up Alpe Cermis behind Babikov in 6th was a final coup for him at the Tour and retribution for yesterday’s waxing debacle in the 20km classic.

“For sure today was an attempt to make good on yesterday which was a 19-km sufferfest. I felt good going into the 20km on Stage 7 but knew after the first kilometre I knew that I was in trouble – it was a frustrating day out there and no one felt good about it.”

An interesting twist to Freeman’s day was forgetting his transponders, “a rookie move” as he put it. “I was distracted today because of yesterday and some personal issues and only realized at 1.5km into today’s race that I’d forgotten my transponders – a rookie move. Chris [Grover, Head Coach] appealed to the jury later and I was super lucky that they understood and allowed my day to count.”

For the first few kilometres of the race things stayed relatively calm. At 3.5km Harvey was skiing very well, having moved into 3rd behind Cologna and Northug with Kershaw in 6th. But by the 5.6km mark, Harvey had been overtaken by Italy’s Roland Clara and France’s Jean Marc Gaillard who had passed Kershaw now in 7th… as Bauer lurked behind in 10th.

Nothing much changed by the next interval at 6.5km but soon after everything did. Just as the skiers hit the toughest point on this toughest of courses, Bauer dropped the hammer and suddenly attacked vaulting himself into 3rd by the 7.4km mark. From there, it was all about masochism, and Bauer certainly knows how to punish himself.

So too, does Babikov, who last year took the win in the Tour’s final hill climb. The former Russian skier, and veteran of three tours said he felt strong on today’s stage.

“I always felt pretty confident on this stage,” said Babikov. “I knew I had a chance for a good time on the day, so I went for it hoping to get some points.”

He said this year’s edition of the challenging stage was especially tough.

“Every year it seems longer, or maybe I’m just getting older. Either way, it’s tough. Some places are very narrow and it’s hard to pass. With the 6th fastest time, I’m happy,” commented Babikov.

Devon Kershaw was quick to agree with his teammate.

“Hill climbing is super hard,” said Kershaw. “I moved into 7th, and I’m happy to have stayed in the top 10. Losing time in the overall is a little disappointing, but with four podiums and such solid races, we must have done some good training.”

With one bronze, two silvers and a gold medal from this Tour, Kershaw also takes home some significant prize money. Cologna will take home 150,000 Swiss Francs ($155,000US) for the overall win, with Northug picking up 100,000. Bauer get’s 50,000 thanks entirely to today’s powerful showing…not bad for a day’s work.

All told Kershaw will head back to Canada with 25,000 Swiss Francs. When asked about his plans for the cash, Kershaw joked, saying “The guys have been razzing me about my old ’96 Saab…maybe it’s time I passed it along and might get something newer in the spring.” A new set of wheels is certainly a well-deserved reward for Kershaw’s impressive results of late.

Canadian head coach Justin Wadsworth couldn’t be happier with how this year’s Tour has gone.

“I knew Dev and the guys would ski well,” said Wadsworth. “They’ve been working hard. I thought one podium for sure, but four… I couldn’t have predicted that.”

U.S. coach Chris Grover was also gratified with Freeman’s solid day to end the Tour. “Considering our wax issues yesterday it was really important for Kris to have a good day – it was a great finish for him on good skis.”

Freeman heads to Munich later today and will be home tomorrow where he’ll take a short break and then prepare for the Nordic Worlds in Oslo in Feb.

Alex Harvey echoed his teammates enthusiasm for their accomplishments over 10 days of grueling racing.

“It’s like a circle,” he said. “Dev medals, and we all get pumped, and it pushes us. Then it happens again and it keeps coming around.”

Harvey posted some very strong splits early in today’s race, even taking over 3rd place for a short while.

“It was really good, I’m really happy with how my body felt. The real skiing, in the stadium and early on felt really good…but when I hit that wall, man, with all that off setting…my legs just cramped up. That climb is just so hard.”

Harvey also heaped praise on the coaching and wax staff, pointing out how well taken care of he, Devon and Ivan were.

“Justin’s been really good, pushing us on recovery and stuff like that. Having the bus was a huge advantage. It’s a great lounge for us after the races. We’ll have it again next year.” The Canadians may just be on to something. The tour bus has been such a hit that it’s likely other teams will follow suit.

For now, the Canucks are heading home. Kershaw and Babikov will head back to Canmore, and Harvey home to Quebec for a month of recovery and prep training before returning to Europe for World Championships. But Harvey will first make a quick stop at the U23 World Champs.

“It’s my last year U23,” he said. “And I want to use that. I’d like to go for a U23 World Champs title while I can.”

Men’s 9km Pursuit Results HERE.
Men’s 9km Pursuit finishing order HERE.
Final Overall HERE.
Final Overall detail HERE.

January 9, 2010 (Alpe Cermis, Italy) – Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) claimed her second consecutive Tour title on Sunday but all eyes were on Norway’s Therese Johaug who put on a show of force as the fastest woman up Alpe Cermis this morning, dominating the final stage of the 2011 Tour de Ski.

Johaug flew up the 9km uphill handicap start pursuit course to take the win by over a minute ahead of second place finisher, teammate Marte Elden. Third place completed the Norwegian sweep, going to Marthe Kristoffersen.

Kowalczyk finished 4th on the day, good enough to become the first person to defend the overall title. Johaug’s stellar performance earned her 2nd overall, atop Italy’s Marianna Longa who finished 3rd.

Overall winner Kowalczyk started cautiously compared to Johaug, who started strong at 3:21 behind the leader in the handicap start race.   Johaug picked off racer after racer, passing Slovenia’s Petra Majdic by 3.5km. By 5.6km Johaug had overtaken Italy’s Arianna Follis to claim 3rd.  Her charge continued up the mountain, taking 2nd away from Longa by 7.4kms.

Closing in on the finish she was taking huge chunks out of Kowalczyk’s lead but wasn’t able to close the final 1:21 gap, though certainly not for lack of effort. Though she wasn’t able to take the overall away from Kowalczyk, Johaug still put in a 100,000 Swiss Frank performance, her prize for 2nd overall. Kowalczyk takes home 150,000 for the win and Longa got 50,000 for her trouble.

“It is a really good victory to me,” said Kowalczyk post-race in a FIS XC interview. “It has been 10 tough days. I am very happy about being on top of Alpe Cermis, and next week will be all about resting.”

Johaug was triumphant with second place. “I had a dream about finishing second today – my shape is really good and I had great skis. This is the best I have done in my career so far. It will be good to come home and take a break – Oslo is of course my dream of the season.”

With large chunks of change on the line, considering the shocking attrition rate for a race like this, it’s safe to say the winners earned it. Of the 58 women who began the Tour, only 32 finished.

Among them was top American sprinter, Kikkan Randall, who became the first American woman to complete the Tour de Ski, finishing 23rd on the day and 21st overall. Completing the Tour was a landmark in Randall’s career and her strong effort on the final Stage 8 up Alpe Cermis was uplifting compared to yesterday’s 10km classic.

“Yesterday was pretty disappointing so for sure I wanted to have a strong day to finish the Tour,” Randall told SkiTrax in a phone interview. “This is by far the toughest, hardest, steepest climb I’ve ever done – nothing compares. And to complete it after the last seven stages…whew – I’ve got a lot of respect for the women at the front.”

“Kikkan felt like she missed a few opportunities out there today,” said US head coach Chris Grover. “But overall she’s satisfied. The whole Tour has been a learning experience us. It’s the first time these guys have attempted it.”

Randall said she thinks the Tour is cool – she loves the different stages and the concept. In fact she told us the rest days were almost an intrusion. “I like the back-to-back racing and felt good each stage. It was hard to get going again after the rest days and almost felt like it was better not to have them. Now that I’ve completed the Tour I know what it takes. The mental element is huge – you need to dig in when you’re really tired – that’s the biggest part of the experience that I’m taking away from Tour.”

Randall, teammate Andy Newell and Grover will stay on in Val di Fiemme preparing for the upcoming WCup skate sprint in Liberec next weekend transferring there on Monday. She said she’ll take it easy over the next few days in preparation and looks forward to it and the possible match up against Norway’s Marit Bjoergen who sat out the Tour.

“I’m looking forward to the Liberec sprints after some rest. The next 2-3 sprints are all skating which is my strongest suit so I’ll be ready. Haven’t heard if Bjoergen will be in Liberec or not. But if I do get the chance to race her it will be sweet practice for Oslo!! Hope Follis and Majdic will be there too.”

Women’s 9km Pursuit Results HERE.
Women’s 9km Pursuit finishing order HERE.
Final Overall HERE.
Final Overall detail HERE.

January 09, 2011 (Rumford, ME) – We caught up with Tad Elliott (CXC) who claimed the men’s 30km skate race title and Liz Stephen, the winner of Thursday’s 20km women’s freestyle race at Black Mountain, Maine, site of the 2011 US XC Nationals.

Elliott talks about being the U23 National Champion in both mountain biking and cross country skiing. He plans to remain on the East Coast before traveling with the US Ski Team to compete in the U23 Worlds in Estonia.

Stephen, a member of the 2010 Olympic team in Vancouver, talks about that experience compared to her welcome result at the US Nationals and her future plans for the winter racing at WCups in Europe and later in Sun Valley.

January 08, 2011 (Val di Fiemme, Italy) – Norway’s Petter Northug is finally back on form, taking the win on Saturday’s 20km classic, stage 7 of the FIS Tour de Ski. Northug’s patented crushing finish line sprint has been absent from much of this year’s tour, but today he pulled out the big guns to reel in Canada’s Devon Kershaw who made a bid for the win in the final few hundred meters.

Tour leader Dario Cologna (SUI) was also in the fight for the line, finishing just ahead of Kershaw who’s daring last minute charge landed him in 3rd. Canadian teammate Alex Harvey finished solidly in 5th. With this podium, his 4th World Cup medal, Kershaw betters the record set by Alex’s father, the great Pierre Harvey, who won three World Cup medals – one in 1987 and two in 1988.

Kershaw now sits in 4th over all and both he and Harvey (currently ranked 7th) are well within striking distance of 3rd place Martin Jaks (CZE) heading into tomorrow’s final 9km freestyle hill climb up Alpe Cermis.

“There is not much else I can do now,” said Kershaw in a CCC release. “Four podiums is unbelievable. I’m still fired up. I have always dreamed of being on the World Cup podium and winning a World Cup race so to be a part of it is amazing.”

Harvey was also satisfied with his performance today. “I’m happy with my race for sure but it’s hard to be 5th two races in a row. I’d exchange those two 5th place for a 15th place and a podium,” Harvey told SkiTrax by email after the race.

Waxing conditions were very challenging, with temperatures hovering around 0 degrees Celsius. Many top athletes could be seen struggling with their grip including Marcus Hellner (SWE) who was second overall starting today but is now in 11th. Harvey had nothing but kind words for the Canadian wax team.

“I didn’t have any trouble kicking my skis, and the speed was good too. Our wax techs have been so good during the Tour, we have to give them a lot of credit for theses kind of results,” said Harvey.

The race started conservatively, with a lead pack of about 18 racers forming early on including Northug, Cologna, Kershaw, Harvey, Lucas Bauer (CZE), teammate Martin Jakz and Daniel Rickardsson (SWE). The leaders stayed together till the end despite some dramatic sprints for time bonuses.

At 3.3km Northug put on a surge, double polling hard to take the first time bonus of 15 seconds but Cologna countered grabbing 10s.

At the 6.6km Northug again devoured the 15-second bonus, glancing back over his shoulder Lance Armstrong-style as though taunting Cologna. Though he never made any serious attempt to break away, Northug made his dominance clear, eventually taking all five available bonuses. This gave the Norwegian a 1:15 leg up on the field. The rest of the bonuses (10 seconds for 2nd and 5 seconds for 3rd) were a mixed bag, with Cologna taking the lion’s share and leaving the scraps for the rest of the pack.

By the halfway point Kershaw and teammate Alex Harvey were comfortably positioned near the front of the pack.

“I still feel pretty strong,” said Harvey. “I was able to ski near the front for most of the race, the pace never felt too hard. I tried pushing it a bit on the 4th lap, but everybody was coming back in the downhills,”

Kershaw skied very tactically smart, keeping his time in the wind to a minimum. Harvey spent a little more time in the lead, pushing the pace at times and making a brief get-a-way before being reeled back in. The 18-skier lead pack now had just over 30 seconds lead on the chase pack containing Canadian Ivan Babikov in 28th spot.

At the final 18.3km time check Rickardsson put on a surge, but Kershaw, now in 4th, countered with an attack on the final climb and opened a small gap. Coming into the finish it was Kershaw in the lead being chased down by Northug and Cologna. They stormed by him as Northug finally got the chance to use his favourite double pole move, dusting his competitors at the line.

“People are surprised. I’m surprised too but we really shouldn’t be,” added Kershaw. “We are not a bunch of bums skiing in Canada. We have a great group of skiers in our country and our men’s team has taken our turns at the podium over the last few years.”

Harvey fought hard with Jaks to finish 5th behind the Czech who is having a great Tour and sits third overall, just ahead of Roland Clara (ITA). Hellner, who fell off the pace early ultimately wound up in 23rd spot, just ahead of Ivan Babikov in 27th. American Kris Freeman also had a tough day finishing in 38th position.

“I had a good feeling today, I knew that I had to be offensive from the start and fight for the bonus seconds,” Northug said post-race in a FIS XC interview after the race. “I wanted to go for the last 30 second bonus at the finish because I need it for tomorrow.”

The standings heading into tomorrow’s final stage are Cologna in 1st followed by Northug in 2nd at 1:18.1, and then it’s Martin Jaks in 3rd at 2:46.5 down with Kershaw nipping at his heels in 4th, only 5.5 seconds out of third. Curdin Purl (SUI) is 5th, Jean Marc Gaillard (FRA) is 6th and Harvey is 7th just over 11 seconds out of 3rd.

Look for more fireworks on Sunday on Stage 8, the final stage at the 2010/11 Tour de Ski.

20km Classic results HERE.
Overall Standings HERE.

January 08, 2011 (Rumford, ME) – Junior skiing phenom Jesssica Diggins (CXC) from Afton, MN and Olympian Torin Koos (MOD) from Wenatchee, WA battled an intensely motivated national championships field to take the top spots at the 2011 U.S. Cross-Country Championships in the 1.4km and 1.6km freestyle sprint competitions on Sunday.

Diggins, skiing for the Mid West’s CXC program has shown great promise at the weeklong championships at Black Mountain in Western Maine. This week she was named as a member of the U.S. Junior Worlds team which will compete in Otepea, Estonia from Jan.26-31.

The championships proved to be an eye-opener for the 19 year-old Diggins “I was really, really surprised, I couldn’t not have done it without the great support of my team,” said the new champ after the race.

“I don’t know what to think, I’m like ‘did that just happen’? This year is the first senior nationals I have been higher than 20th. I have been pretty competitive in the junior field, but this is the first year for anything like this. I’m training and racing more and that’s been a big help,” added Diggins who graduated from high school last spring.

Dartmouth skier Sophie Caldwell took second while APU’s Sadie Bjornsen was third, APU’s Holly brooks was 4th and Alaska Nordic’s Lauren Fritz was 5th.

Veteran campaigner, Koos, now skiing out of the Methow Valley Olympic Development program, not currently on the U.S. Ski Team, demonstrated strong form and fitness at these championships, but there was plenty of heat down the home stretch.

Second place went to Simi Hamilton (Aspen, CO) skiing for the Sun Valley Ski Educational Foundation while third went to APU’s Lars Flora (Anchorage). Chris Cook from Rhinelander, WI took 4th and Dakota Blackhorse-Von Jess from Bend, OR finished in 5th.

Koos said the race was fast and furious. “I just had to put myself in a position to make it happen at the end, and I am pretty satisfied because in previous years this may not have been the finish for me. I have been working on some technique for the really fast double pole skating and it seemed to pay off today. I feel day in and day out I am now in the kind of shape that I can be a top ten world cup skier.”

In three days time Koos heads back to Europe to train with the Swiss ski team in Davos, Switzerland.

The freestyle sprints were the final event capping off the four- day championships which will return to Rumford, Maine in 2012.

Final Women’s Sprint results HERE.
Final Men’s Sprint results HERE.

Results (brief)

Women

1. Jessica Diggins, Afton, MN
2. Sophie Caldwell, Peru,VT
3. Sadie Bjornsen, Winthrop, WA
4. Holly Brooks, Anchorage, AK
5. Lauren Fritz, Chugiak, AK

Men

1. Torin Koos, Wenatchee, WA
2. Simeon Hamilton, Aspen, CO
3. Lars Flora, Anchorage
4. Chris Cook, Rhinelander,WI
5. Dakota Blackhorse-Von Jess, Bend, OR

January 08, 2011 (Val di Fiemme, Italy) – Poland’s Justyna Kowalczyk racked up another win and has a tight grip on the overall, taking Saturday’s Stage 7 women’s 10km classic mass start in Val di Fiemme in fine form. With superb skiing matched only by Norway’s Therese Johaug (NOR) who finished 2nd, Kowalczyk claimed both 15-second time bonuses and now has a 2-min plus lead over Italy’s Marianna Longa in third today.

The USA’s Kikkan Randall put on a valiant effort finishing 27th on a tough day and is now only one stage away from being the first American woman to finish the 8-stage Tour de Ski.

Conditions deteriorated from the morning. With rain showers and temperatures hovering around zero, nailing the right wax proved tricky, especially for the Americans.

“We had a rough day waxing,” said US head Coach Chris Grover in a USSA press release. “We made a critical last minute error on waxing – there’s no other way to get around it. Kikkan didn’t feel 100% on her game today and we also didn’t hit a home run with her skis,” added Grover. “But that’s the ebb and flow of the Tour. On a given day, people are moving up and moving down. It’s all about managing your energy day to day.”

Kowalczyk opened the race with Slovenia’s Petra Majdic beside her, and they were quickly joined by Johaug, Krista Lahteenmaki of Finland and Longa. Before 1.7km a 10-skier lead pack had already formed.

By 2km, Kowalczyk and Johaug had escaped and opened a 10-second gap on the pack, with Majdic, Lahteenmaki and Longa scrambling to catch up.

At the 3.3km bonus marker, Kowalczyk grabbed 15 bonus seconds ahead of Johaug taking 10. Behind Lahteenmaki was starting to lose time as Saarinen charged through to claim the remaining 5-sec bonus. Longa moved into 4th leaving Majdic, Arianna Follis (ITA) and the others strung out behind.

After securing the first time bonus, Kowalczyk relinquished the lead to Johaug, and the two of them continued to hold their 10-second gap over Saarinen and Longa.

As the racers closed in on the halfway mark, the two leaders were stretching their lead. Saarinen was now 22 seconds back, and Longa 27 down. Lahteenmaki had now dropped to 16th, just ahead of the Charlotte Kalle (SWE) also struggling today in 18th.

Kowalczyk also claimed the 2nd time bonus at 6.6km, with Johaug taking the 10-second bonus for second and Saarinen nabbing 5 seconds again for 3rd.

Just after the bonus marker, Johaug attacked hard, but Kowalczyk covered it well as Longa took over 3rd from Saarinen.

Closing in on the finish, Kowalczyk and Johaug widened their lead to nearly a minute, and prepared to duel for the win. The pace proved too high for Saarinen, who started dropping back through the field.

With 900 meters to go, Kowalczyk attacked and managed to get away from Johaug who was too spent to respond. The move gave Kowalczyk the win, with Johaug in 2nd at 6.3s and Longa in 3rd at 55s as the rest of the pack trickled in.

“Today was another tough one,” Randall told SkiTrax by email.  “I had a great opening 2k, I got right up near the front of the pack.  Then lost a few places coming back down into the stadium.  Lost touch with the pack going into the 2nd lap and the effort really got hard…  I struggled from there.”

After tomorrow’s race, Randall will be the first US woman to complete the demanding Tour. She said it’s been a rewarding experience, but she hopes to see other North American women on the start list with her next season.

“It definitely feels a little lonely and I hope I’m not the only North American woman for long.  This is a sweet experience and it would be cool to have more North American women here in the future.”

While her skis might have stymied Randall’s efforts today, the winner Kowalczyk said it wasn’t a problem for her.

“This was a really good race, my skis were perfect, my shape was also good, and Therese Johaug was perfect,” Kowalczyk said an in interview with FIS XC after the race. “It was really good to work with her, almost like a Polish-Norwegian team work.”

Heading into tomorrow’s final 9km hill climb up Alpe Cermis, Kowalczyk now has a commanding 2:08.3 lead over Longa with Follis is in 3rd, t 2:33.0 down followed by Majdic and Johaug in 4th and 5th. Despite a rough day today, Randall is excited about tomorrow’s race.

“We previewed the course yesterday,” said Randall.  “It’s going to be tough for sure but I think it’s a pretty cool course. It’s the last race and I’m looking forward to attacking it with everything I have left.”

10km Classic results HERE.
Overall Standings HERE.

January 06, 2011 (Thunder Bay, ON) – Cold conditions and a moderate wind made for a frigid race, dropping to 20 below at Lappe Nordic Centre, but this did not dampen the enthusiasm and drive of 174 racers on site for the competitions. The continuous pursuit races held today were trials to determine who would qualify for positions on Canada’s team at the 2011 World Senior Nordic Championships in Oslo, Norway and the World Junior/U23 Championships in Oteppa, Estonia. A perfect set of classic tracks and a challenging, lung-bursting skate leg, greeted the skiers.

In the senior Men’s category National Ski Team (NST) member, George Grey, of Rossland, B.C. earned a spot to go to Oslo edging out Graham Nishikawa, of Whitehorse in the final meter of the men’s 30km race. The race was described by Grey as a tactical one with several unsuccessful breakaway attempts by NST members Drew Goldsack and Stefan Kuhn in both the classic and skate portions.

“Many of the skiers in this race are at a very similar fitness level so it was difficult to establish any gaps,” said Grey a two-time Olympian. In the end his World Championship spot was decided by toe over Nishikawa as NorAm leader Goldsack claimed the bronze.

“It was awfully tight and very technical out there today,” added Grey. “I don’t really have my shape but I think my experience put me in the front in the end. The last few weeks of training have been challenging because my fitness isn’t there. But it will come around. I’d love to be in Europe even just to watch Devon (Kershaw) and Alex (Harvey) because those guys are flying. It will be fun to get them home and train beside them again, and get ready to race with them again at the World Championships.”

In the Senior women’s category, National Ski Team member Dasha Gaiazova held off a skate leg charge by Brooke Gosling (Foothills Nordic/CXC) to take the win. Ottawa’s Perianne Jones took the bronze after skiing closely with Gaiazova in the classic portion but was overtaken by Gosling in the final 7.5km skate section.

“It was really hard today. I’m not going to lie,” said Gaiazova.“I had really good skis and it was fun to be racing in Thunder Bay. I have really good memories of racing here at the Nationals in 2006, and I was just excited to be racing in Canada and on these trails again.”

In the Under 23 competitions Kevin Sandau and Emily Nishikawa took top honors.  Sandau, of Canmore, Alta., was the top under-23 male, while Emily Nishikawa was the fastest under-23 woman.

Heidi Widmer of Banff, Alta., was the top Junior woman in their 10-kilometre pursuit race with a time of 32:38.8 while Thunder Bay-based National Development Centre skier Andy Shields dominated the junior men’s 20-kilometre pursuit. Shields skated away in the final 10km to a 51-second victory.  Both Widmer and Shields are now guaranteed to go to the Junior Worlds in Estonia.

Races continue Saturday and Sunday and predicted warmers temperatures will likely heat up the action.

With files from CCC.

Full results HERE.

January 06, 2011 (Rumford, ME) – Liz Stephen, East Montpellier, VT, took charge in the women’s 20km freestyle event winning by just under a minute over APU’s Holly Brooks who landed on the podium for the second time at the US XC Ski Championship in Rumford. Stephen’s USST team mate, Morgan Arritola, from Fairfield, ID, who raced out of the Sun Valley Education Foundation before being named to the U.S. Ski Team, placed third.

Stephen was encouraged by her result. “I felt great out there and the course held up well,” said the winner. “I tried to put myself in a world cup race and make it even a bigger deal to get all that I wanted out of myself. I got some splits along the way but mostly was just going off the body. A big thanks to all the volunteers for making a great course.”

Full results HERE.

Results (brief)

1. Liz Stephen (Burke Mountain Academy/U.S. Ski Team), 50:03.5
2. Holly Brooks (Alaska Pacific University), 51:01.3
3. Morgan Arritola(Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation/U.S. Ski Team), 51:19.1
4. Caitlin Compton (Central Cross Country Skiing), 51:27.2
5. Kate Fitzgerald (Alaska Pacific University), 52:01.2
6. Evelyn Dong (Cross Country Oregon), 52:29.5
7. Chelsea Holmes (Sugar Bowl Academy), 52:43.5
8. Morgan Smyth (Alaska Pacific University), 52:44.7
9. Nicole Deyong (Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation), 52:47.9
10. Jennie Bender (Central Cross Country Skiing), 53:07.9

January 06, 2011 (Rumford, ME) – Tad Elliott (CXC) took no prisoners as he claimed the senior men’s 30km skate mass start title at the 2011 US XC Nationals at Black Mountain in Rumford, ME edging out yesterday’s 15km classic winner, Lars Flora (APU) by 1/10th of a second for win in a final lunge at the line. USST member Noah Hoffman, who is back from his first kick at European World Cup racing, snagged the final podium spot. It was a beautiful crisp, sunny day and conditions for today’s races were great with a pretty fast course that held up well.

For Elliott, the son of two-time US Olympian Mike Elliott, it was his second national title – his first was last spring at Ft. Kent, Maine where he won the national 50km freestyle. Flora was second in that race as well.

Elliott got good information while he was racing which helped him out. “I was getting a lot of great information out on the course. I knew it was going to be close, and I knew that my good friends Lars and Noah were close. Lars has been so good this year, and he’s a hero of mine. It just been awesome to ski with him.”  Elliott said that he had a good feeling when he awoke this morning. ” I just felt great and I put on my race skis from CXC and they were just crazy fast, which was so sweet.”

Full results HERE.

Results

1. Tad Elliot (Central Cross Country Skiing), 1:10:16.2
2. Lars Flora (Alaska Pacific University), 1:10:16.3
3. Noah Hoffman (Aspen Valley Ski Club/U.S. Ski Team) 1:10:19.2
4. Leif Zimmerman (Bridger Ski Foundation), 1:11:9.0
5. Michael Sinnot (Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation), 1:11.13.5
6. Brian Gregg (Central Cross Country Skiing), 1:11:13.7
7. Alexander Treinen (University of Alaska Fairbanks), 1:11.39.6
8. James Southam (Alaska Pacific University), 1:12.10.3
9. Garrrott Kuzzy (Central Cross Country Skiing), 1:12:14.4
10. Sylvan Ellefson (Ski and Snowboard Club Vail), 1:12.25.9

January 06, 2011 (Cortina, Italy) – Dario Cologna (SUI) hammered out a lonely 35km from Cortina to Toblach, Italy to maintain his dominant overall lead in today’s 6th stage at the FIS Tour de Ski. As leader of the Tour, Cologna started first in today’s handicap start, and no one could catch him. Swede Marcus Hellner came the closest, finishing second at 1:11.4 behind. Norway’s Petter Northug was the strongest in the chase group to finish third at 1:50.3 behind.

Canada’s Alex Harvey skied a very strong race today, finishing 5th. He helped control a chase pack of about 10 skiers that formed behind Hellner who broke away on his own attempting to bridge to Cologna to no avail. The group was intent on hunting down the leaders and by km 16, Harvey was pulling for Kershaw.

“It feels pretty good sitting in 5th! I’m kind of surprised, I was always coming to the Tour with the ambition of having 2-3 good days, not going for the overall,” said Harvey by email.

With Cologna skiing off the front at 5km, Canada’s Devon Kershaw had initially gained about 5 seconds on the leader and  was followed closely by Hellner but couldn’t maintain the pace.

“Today’s race was frustrating. I felt good again but when Hellner went by me he was on another level,” Kershaw told SkiTrax.  “I was going for it – but alone in the wind with a chase group of 10 breathing down hard on me – I was quickly swallowed up. I know I will celebrate my two 2nd place finishes and my career-first win when I get home, and I know I’ll be thrilled about them, but today I was left frustrated.”

Harvey said Kershaw’s three recent medals were on his mind as he raced. “I was motivated by watching Devon yesterday,” he said in a CCC press release.  “We saw Devon win a race and have three podiums – we know it’s possible. Today I was right there myself and I know I can get on the podium too.”

Along with the Canucks, the 10-skier chase pack included top skiers like Petter Northug (NOR), Lucas Bauer (CZE), Martin Jaks (CZE) and Daniel Rickardsson (SWE). The group skied well together at first, but by km 21 they seemed disorganized. When it became apparent that they weren’t likely to close in on Cologna or Hellner, they began to lose time as they each worried about the approaching finish line.

In the final few kms the pack began to splinter and it was every man for himself.

“The pack was very disorganized out there coming down the hill,” said Kershaw.  “Northug and Alex’s skis were definitely a notch above the rest, but with an opportunity for 3rd place in that pack – no one was willing to sacrifice to get back on Hellner.”

“I was pushing hard on the downhill part with Northug,” said Harvey.   “It seamed like people gave up on chasing Hellner and started racing for 3rd place, which is kind of stupid in a handicap start.  Who cares about the 3rd place really? I’d rather be 9th 30sec down on Hellner than 3rd 55sec down.  I was surprised that Northug was pushing the pace… he’s not known for doing that, but was 3rd in the end.”

Harvey said he felt that Kershaw’s pack could have done more to catch Hellner early on instead of resigning themselves to third, but as for catching Cologna, “No way in hell. He’s just better than anyone else right now, calm, strong and always putting himself in the right spot.”

As the skiers closed in on the finish line, Northug was able to best the few survivors of the chase pack, with Harvey taking a photo-finish over Rickardsson and Curdin Purl (SUI) to finish 5th. Kershaw finished 10th behind Matti Heikkinen (FIN) and Jean Marc Gaillard (FRA).

“It was OK for the guys today,” said Canadian head coach Justin Wadsworth. “Alex was in good company to move up well. I would say it was a good day for him. Devon was OK too – he maintained his spot for the whole way up the hill, but succumbed to the group on the gradual down. It would have cost a lot of energy today for him to really go for it, and it might have been too much of a risk, especially with the 20km classic coming up. Ivan had a good day and moved up which puts him in a spot to improve more in the following days.”

Wadsworth said the team’s “rock-star” bus proved yet again to be a great tool for the athletes. “The bus is really serving it’s purpose with great recovery between stages, and a sanctum for the guys to prepare for battle. It came in really handy this morning in Cortina where there was no good place for the athletes to be.”

Canada’s Ivan Banikov finished 25th and the USA’s Kris Freeman placed 28th after starting in 20th and is 28th overall. Freeman’s teammate Andy Newell decided to call it quits and didn’t start today’s race. He joins 34 others who have abandoned the grueling Tour including Tobias Angerer (GER), Axel Teichmann (GER), Alexander Legkov (RUS) and Emil Joensson (SWE).

“Kris wanted more for sure and was hoping to move forward instead of falling back,” said US coach Chris Grover. “However, I was proud of his effort, especially for his first time seeing and skiing such a specialized course. I think this course requires some experience.”

As for Newell’s decision to withdraw, Grover said, “Andy and I decided it was best for him to stop the Tour. His distance skiing has not been close to his ability or potential this week, so we feel we need to take some days off and re-evaluate his preparation for the second half of the season.”

January 05, 2011 (Toblach, Italy) – In dramatic style that’s been building since his two silver medals at the Tour de Ski, Canada’s Devon Kershaw went for broke and claimed the gold medal win he’s been craving as he brought the nation to it’s feet.

His coach predicted it and Kershaw delivered winning today’s 1.3km freestyle sprint in Toblach, Italy, the fifth leg of the FIS World Cup Tour de Ski.

Kershaw is only the third Canadian man to win a World Cup. Ivan Babikov won the final 10km freestyle uphill stage at the 2009 Tour de Ski while the great Pierre Harvey (father to Kershaw’s teammate Alex Harvey) won three World Cups, one in 1987 and two in 1988.

Kershaw’s been on fire lately laying down incredible results in the Tour this year. He racked up back-to-back silver medals first in the classic sprint, and then in the 15km classic. After his classic sprint performance, coach Justin Wadsworth predicted that “Devon’s first win was imminent.”

“I’m thrilled. I’m more than thrilled. I absolutely cannot believe it,” said Kershaw describing his win in a CCC press release. “Justin [Wadsworth – Canadian Ski Team head coach] kept telling me all year to be patient and the win would come. I wanted to believe him and I just kept staying with the plan. This is just unreal.”

Kershaw only narrowly sneaked into the final, taking the second lucky loser spot. Clearly, he took that near miss to heart, skiing an absolutely perfect final for the gold. He held back early on, staying in 4th and 5th position.

On the first climb he made a move to take over the lead, but it wasn’t until the final climb that he really blew the doors off, dropping the field and making for the finish like a man possessed. He opened a large gap heading into the final stretch and it proved enough to stave off the hard-charging Dario Cologna (SUI) and Petter Northug (NOR).

His break-away, which he called a “suicide move” wasn’t something he’d planned, said Kershaw.  “It kind of just materialized. I was tucked in the pack while some other guys were working for the first lap. When I saw [Marcus] Hellner making a bit of a move, I just went with it,” said Kershaw in a phone interview.

Waiting to hear about the lucky loser spot while the second semifinal raced must have been nerve wracking, but Kershaw said he was pretty relaxed.   “The reality is the goal was just to get through the quarters today,” he said. “I knew that worst case scenario I’d end up 7th…and the pace had seemed pretty high, so I was nice and relaxed.”

Kershaw had stellar skis under him today, and has throughout the Tour.

“Our hats go off to Yves (Bilodeau) and all our wax guys,” said Wadsworth. According to the NST head coach, their skis are turning heads in a big way. Even Cologna commented to Wadsworth that the Canadians have consistently had “the best skis in the field.”

American fast man Andy Newell qualified strongly in 6th this morning, and skied well taking the win in his quarterfinal. In his semifinal, he had some difficulties, getting boxed in on the last corner and finished third, but the pace in his heat was not fast enough to snag a lucky loser spot, both of which went to the 3rd and 4th skiers of the first heat – including Kershaw.

Newell’s teammate Kris Freeman qualified in a World Cup sprint for the second time in his career but was paired with Newell in the quarter finals and did not advance.

Canada’s Alex Harvey, 8th in the qualifications was also out early placing third in his quarterfinal heat – but gets more time rest is not a bad thing at the Tour de Ski.

Now with a win – and the 60-second time bonus that accompanies it – under his belt, Kershaw is closing in on Tour de Ski leader Cologna, but he said taking the over all win isn’t a priority for him.

“No, it’s definitely not a goal right now.” He said his goal for the Tour was never the overall, but to have solid races. He’s had four impressive results, including two silvers a now a gold medal, and he said he’s happy with that and is already thinking about preserving his form for World Championships.

Kershaw sounded a little nervous about Thursday’s 35km handicap start freestyle race, saying “I’ll be out there on my own for a lot of it, which isn’t the best. I just hope I can hang on.”  Even so, coach Wadsworth thinks Saturday’s 20km classic will be perfect for Kershaw. “That’s a race he could potentially win by 20 seconds or more,” said Wadsworth.

Tomorrow’s 35km handicapped freestyle race will be a challenge for Kershaw, but look for him to continue his medal streak in the 20km classic on Saturday. Finally there will be the infamous 9km hill climb in Val di Fiemme, Italy for the racers to contend with.

Video of Kershaw’s win HERE.
Press Conference HERE.

Sprint results HERE.
Overall HERE.

January 05, 2011 (Rumford, ME) – Lars Flora brought APU another victory making it three golds so far and then some for the stalwart crew from Alaska as he put the hammer down to win the men’s 15km classic at the 2011 US XC Nationals. Winter is definitely back at Black Mountain as light snow fell on a hard packed track under gray skies. Flora kept the APU flag waving following Sadie Bjornsen’s dominant win earlier in the day in the women’s 10km and was followed 20+ seconds later by team mate James Southam for 1-2 APU punch with Dave Norris (UAF) 3rd on the podium.

Lars Flora quotes

On winning US Nationals
Yea, today was really good, I was very happy with the race. After the sprint I was a little disappointed with my final result – the qualifier was amazing – so I knew I had it in me. Today I went out in the first two laps and just pushed the pedal. I was a little worried out there that I might blow up. But I had really good splits on Noah [Hoffman], and I was building my lead and James [Southam] and I were pretty much staying even. I’ll tell you James came on pretty hard at the end. But I am so happy with the race. Great skis, great course and really impressed with the course and all the people that worked on it.

On the Worlds….
World championships are my major goal for this season. The last two years have been pretty hard on me. I had some health issues and my biggest goal for this year is to race from November to March healthy and have every weekend solid. It seems now that each week keeps getting better. It makes me very confident.

Full results HERE.

January 05, 2011 (Rumford, Maine) – I have always loved sports writing, and especially Nordic journalism over the course of over thirty plus years. In recent times I am no longer coaching or traveling to JOs, or going to every ski national, or announcing at many local races.

There are so many wonderful new faces on the scene which fills me with boundless hope and encouragement about skiing and our potential in the global community. There was a time when I knew just about everyone in the sport by name, but now realize there are fewer skiers from the latest generation that I’ve actually come to know well. I find this so encouraging as it demonstrates that the programs across the USA are bigger than ever and I wish I could know each and every one of them.

With that in mind, I tracked down Aspen, Colorado’s Noah Hoffman for a sit down interview in his motel during the 2011 US XC Ski Nationals – one down, 500 skiers to go.

The Hoff
As he readies for the serious task at hand of racing at the 2011 US Cross-country Championships in Rumford, Maine, Noah Hoffman seems remarkably calm and collected. This Aspen skier, who hails from Evergreen, CO, is at once both calm and confident when it comes to racing. His eyes, looking directly at me, are bright and youthful.

The “Hoff” skis out of the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club and is coached by former US Olympian John Callahan.

At 21, he’s already a veteran of the World Juniors and U23 Championships and is ready to meet the challenges of this week, while embracing all the possibilities that loom before him.

Bitten by the Bug
Hoffman started xc skiing in the seventh grade in Aspen. He was a multi-sport athlete and enjoyed the wonderful diversity sport engenders.

“I always felt like I had more talent for endurance sports, despite the fact that I love soccer a lot and tennis, too. I could have seen myself as a competitive tennis player. So I was bummed when I gave it up.

“I didn’t really focus on skiing over running until my later years in high school. I guess it was first running and then skiing.”

Now despite all his training for cross-country skiing, Hoffman loves to cycle (road and MTB), alpine ski and still hits a mean tennis ball, I’m told. Running came naturally to him.

On the Virtue of Patience
“I would say patience is something that I have struggled with for sure it’s something that I have tried to learn, and I am still learning. Kikkan [Randall], along with [Andy] Newell and Bird [Kris Freeman] are all so good at that. So patient. So relaxed. Taking everything in stride. I think there a lot of lessons to be learned from them. Last year was a pretty frustrating year for me and I struggled to take it well.”

On Last Season
Hoffman figures he didn’t ski up to his potential last year, and naturally it bothered him.

“I think mostly it was changes in my training that didn’t necessarily give me the gains I was looking for. My technique focus was not at the same place – or as good a place – as it is this year. I am on a brand new program this year working with Zach Caldwell… and that has been awesome. I really feel like the focus is on maximizing my speed for the length of time I need to ski fast. How do you ski fast over 15, 30 or 50km, as opposed to being able to produce speed over 100 or 200 meters and at what cost? I’m also doing way less intensity training than I did last year and really focusing on energy management, and volume, and having a base – and having something that I will be confident in … my aerobic fitness.”

“Almost once a moth this summer I went down to Boulder to work with Zach for three or four days at a time – and got to work with him. We would do six sessions in a row, morning and afternoon, and then I would go home. In those six sessions I felt like I made tremendous gains and was able to solidify some of those gains over the month I was home. I think it worked really well for me. I am really happy with the way that all turned out.

“Now I am skiing more fluid and, well… it’s all about skiing without tension, without pulling on any one muscle group and all while being relaxed. The whole goal this year was being able to get into my aerobic capacity. Last year I felt like my fitness wasn’t that far off, but I was not able to utilize it all. I would get so tense. So the goal this year is ‘how do I ski, without getting in my own way?’ For me it’s all about feeling. Watching a video of myself does nothing for me,” he said with a grin.”

On Being on the European World Cup This Year
The pace, the travel, the crowds, perhaps even the hero worshipping can make the first several trips to Europe a daunting experience, so we wondered what he’d learned.

“I guess I’m learning to relax, and treat a World Cup race like any other. The pace is the biggest thing. I mean in the US there’s a bigger gap. Depending on where you fall on the seed list you can blow by the four people in front of you, and still not have a fantastic race, and not win it. Whereas, over there, if you catch your 30-second man you’re probably going pretty fast, because nobody is slow over there.

“So even in an individual start race and especially in a mass start race just it takes getting used to how fast everyone is and how fit everyone is. You just can’t ski away from people, which is a completely different mental deal. In all the races, especially earlier in the trip at Gallivare and Kuusamo, I felt like I was flying but I was just going the speed of everyone else. It’s kinda tough mentally to say ‘why am I not passing people, I am going so fast.’ It’s something you have to get used to.

He’s also keen on seeing new places and all the travel the sport affords him.

On Freeman
“I have spent so much time looking up to him and I’ve really taken a lot of his ideas and worked them through with Zach – he has a lot of experience working with Kris so it helps. I have never beaten Kris, though I hope I can someday and he is racing so well right now. He’s a role model for me.”

On Training
“I love to train and I love feeling like I am out working hard, even though this year I’ve had much more rest than last year. Sometimes in the past I’ve over done it – you need to rest. I haven’t really trained at all since I came back from Europe and now I feel super recovered and super ready to go. Hope it translates into some fast skiing on Wed. and the next days here at Nationals.”

Looking at his computer he adds, “I have trained 594 hours so far.” Noting that he really has no specific number in mind to meet.

Hoffman and fellow Colorado skier Tadd Elliott have already pre-qualified for the USA’s U23 Worlds team, and he’d like to make the USA Nordic World’s team as well. It looks like it will be a busy winter for him.

When asked about the Sochi 2014 Olympics he said, “Yes, I want to be on that team, but it’s not just about being on the team – I have performance as my goal.”

Hoffman would like to go to college and perhaps even ski on the circuit. “I think my dad will be happy to hear that,” he added with a large smile.

Life in the world of skiing has already been on a pretty fast track for this young man from Aspen, and one thing’s for certain – he’s enjoying the ride.

January 01, 2011 – The Tour de Ski packs plenty of punch both with it’s grueling courses and daunting race timetable beginning Dec. 31 and ending Jan. 9 – covering 10 days, 8 races, and 4 venues in two countries. The Tds caravan is a wonder of logistics and stamina for the organizers, the teams and the skiers. So Team Canada decided to try and ease the pressure and add some comfort by renting a so-called magic bus for the Tour that sleeps eight and includes a kitchen, two lounges, two flat TV screens, internet and more.

According to head coach Justin Wadsworth they were interested in renting the rig belong to pro cycling’s Team Radioshack and Lance Armstrong fame, but the logistics didn’t come easy so they found a local rock band’s travelling home and Wadsworth says, “So far it’s working like a dream. We made it to Oberstdorf in comfort and good time and the guy’s love it.”

So do FIS and the Tour de Ski – apparently this is the first bus of it’s kind at the Tour so check out this video for more on Team Canada’s TdS Magic Bus.

December 16, 2010 – Canadian National Ski Team (NST) member Drew Goldsack is a veteran of the cross-country ski-racing world. Goldsack, who trains with the Alberta World Cup Academy, has been racing World Cups since 2003. He has one Olympics and two World Championships under his belt, with a top showing of 6th in the team sprint at the 2007 Championships in Sapporo, Japan.

Compared to Goldsack, National Development Center (NDC) athlete Andy Shields is a relative newcomer, though he’s quickly racking up his own impressive resume, having represented Canada at the 2010 World Junior Championships in Hinterzarten, Germany last season.

Despite their difference in years, both athletes shared moments atop the podium at Sovereign Lakes last weekend, Goldsack winning the open men’s classic sprint and Shields taking the junior men’s 15km free event. SkiTrax had a chance to sit down with both racers after the 15km to talk about their races and goals for the future.

Goldsack, who’s won all his NorAm and SuperTour starts until now, was a little disappointed with his 5th place finish in the distance race on Sunday. “The winning streak is over, but it was bound to happen. The 15km skate is definitely not one of my strengths… so I didn’t really expect to win today,” said Goldsack.

Over 30 centimeters of snow fell Saturday night (Dec. 11), leaving the Sovereign Lake crew scrambling to eke out a raceable course, which they accomplished admirably under pressure.

“It was a hard race today, the conditions were pretty difficult; lots of soft, kind of punchy snow. It got pretty chopped up on the climbs… definitely not the best conditions for me,” continued Goldsack. He said he typically does better on hard, fast courses and the soft conditions on Sunday definitely gave the advantage to smaller, lighter racers.

Racers like the light and agile Shields who had a much easier time in the deep snow.

“I was pretty excited to ski in that kind of snow. It really plays into my hands,” he said. “The grooming was amazing too, considering how much snow fell.” Shields’ win was his first ever on the NorAm circuit.

“I’ve been second a few times, so it was nice to finally stand on the top spot.”

Waking up to over a foot of fresh powder was a shock to the racers, but both said their training center teams handled the situation extremely well.

“The team handled it really well,” said Shields. “It went smoothly for us. Eric [Bailey, NDC coach] had a good handle on it… got some really good wax on our skis, and we were all really happy with how well they were working.”

“I had three pairs [of race skis] ready to go and a couple of them were specific to soft conditions,” said Goldsack. He, too, had plenty of kind words for his wax support team even though they’ve only been working together a short while.

“It’s been a pretty painless transition [from the NST] and things are working well,” he said. “Because it’s a bigger team I end up waxing some of my own skis, which I’m definitely not used to, but it’s good for me for sure.”

Both athletes are training with national training centers. Shields is with the National Development Center in Thunder Bay, while Goldsack trains jointly with the National Ski Team and the Alberta World Cup Academy. While it might be a partnership born of NST budget constraints and a necessity, it’s one that the veteran thinks has a lot of potential.

“So far, it’s been really good,” he says. He credits both NST coach Justin Wadsworth for collaborating well with Mike Cavaliere and the AWCA coaching staff. Each coach and team has his own style and ideas, making for powerful synergy. It also allows for some unique role modeling, given the wide age spread of skiers on the AWCA team.

“It’s nice to have the young energy and excitement. The pressure to perform is less than the NST’s intense environment,” said Goldsack. He said he enjoys being able to share his wealth of racing experience with the younger athletes.

“Some of them think you have to be in bed at 8 p.m. every night and train 900 hours a year,” said Goldsack. “I thing its been good for them to see that my training’s not much different than theirs.”

Despite, or perhaps thanks to the wisdom of his years, Goldsack is smart enough to keep an eye on the up-and-comers, many of whom have their targets set on the same World Cup and World Championship races that he does. The U23 field is exceptionally strong right now, he says, with many of the world’s top U23 skiers capable of holding their own on the World Cup stage.

“Domestically and internationally the U23 field has some very solid skiers. I mean, there were two [U23’s] in the sprint final in Davos.” That says a lot about the strength of younger skiers, he said. Ontario’s 22-year-old Lenny Valjas finished 17th in the Davos sprint last weekend, enough to land him a spot at the Nordic World Championships in Oslo, Norway later this winter.

Seeing younger athletes racing that fast is a huge motivator for Shields. After his win on Sunday, he’s looking ahead to the three-race NorAm mini-tour this coming weekend in Rossland BC. The first race in Rossland is a skate sprint, which is a qualifier for World Championships as well and shields said he’s excited.

“It’ll be nice to start the tour off with my best event,” he said. “I’m looking for a good solid performance there, and to ski well overall.” After that, said Shields, it’s home to Cambridge, Ontario, for Christmas to rest up for World Junior Championship trials which will be held on his new home course at Lappe Nordic, in Thunder Bay.

Goldsack is also setting his sights on the Rossland sprint on Dec. 17 and the World Champ’s spot that’s on the line.

“Best case scenario I’d like to be on the podium in Oslo. I’ve been on the verge in the pastŠso if I can get back to that form I don’t think it’s an unreasonable goal,” said Goldsack. “At this point in my career, if I’m not shooting for the podium then I don’t know what I’m doing.”