November 21, 2012 (Long Lake, MN) – Team XC United (formerly Team Birkie) is a Nordic race team comprised of master skiers that have come together to support elite skier Matthew Liebsch in his pursuit of the next Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
The idea behind the team is two-fold. One: to provide master skiers with the same access to equipment, waxing, technique work and race support as top level athletes, and two: provide direct support for elite athletes attempting to achieve higher international results. The need for this support is more important now than it ever has been with the USST and USSA dramatically cutting their funding for national and international level athletes.
This year, XC United secured a commitment from Borton Volvo that included a Volvo XC60R as our team vehicle. Look for the Borton Volvo XC United team vehicle at Nordic events throughout the season, and ask one of our team members how to schedule a test drive.
The vehicle from Borton Volvo was wrapped with the names of team sponsors that have joined the XC United family this year and last. These supporters include: Borton Volvo, Gear West, Zel Skin and Laser, The Fix Studio, Swix, Fischer, Team Strong Heart and Swenor.
Team Membership includes the following individuals:
– Matthew E. Liebsch
– Bruce Wain
– Eric Lindquist
– Marcus Magnuson
– Steve Waryan
– Greg Bernhardt
– Brian Zelickson
– Josh Riff
– Josh Simonson
– Noah Rounds
– Tom Camp
– Laszlo Alberti
We all look forward to a very snow-filled season, and some great racing results. We thank our sponsors for their commitment to Team XC United, powered by Borton Volvo.
Please contact Bruce Wain for information or sponsorship opportunities: TeamXCUnited@gmail.com
February 06, 2012 (Minneapolis, MN) – The City of Lakes Loppet on Sunday drew nearly 600 racers, despite an organizer’s nightmare that forced relocation of the event just one week before the date. Because recent snowfall weakened the ice resulting in puddles on the original Chain of Lakes route, the event was moved to a man-made snow loop in Theodore Wirth Park in north Minneapolis.
After snatching the men’s victory at the Boulder Mountain Tour in Idaho on Saturday, Matthew Liebsch (Team Strongheart/Team Birkie) continued his winning streak the following day in the freestyle discipline at the City of Lakes Loppet in Minneapolis, finishing the 17km race in a time of 37:06, with second place, Brian Gregg (CXC) right on his tail in second, only one second behind. Eric Wolcott placed third with a finishing time of 38:33.
Caitlin Gregg (CXC) took home the women’s title in a time of 40:32 with more than two minutes to spare over her teammate in second place, Jennie Bender. Natalia Yakimova picked up the final podium spot for third place.
February 06, 2012 (Sun Valley, ID) – The Boulder Mountain Tour (BMT), one of America’s longest running and most respected cross-country ski races, took place this past weekend in Sun Valley, Idaho, drawing a field of over 900 racers from across the country.
Clear skies allowed for a morning low of -12F, leaving cold sharp snow on the track. The BMT traversed the spectacular Boulder Mountains for 32km of breathtaking beauty and world-class competition. Thanks to race founder, the late Rob Kiesel, the BMT enjoys a stellar reputation that includes some of the finest skiing to be found anywhere on the planet combined with warm hospitality and first rate race organization. This year’s edition of the event was dedicated to Kiesel, who passed away last October.
Matthew Liebsch (Team Strongheart/Team Birkie) was the victor in a tight men’s competition completing the course in a time of 1:13:34.7, while Lars Flora (APU) won the two-up sprint for second against Nils Koons by a mere four-tenths of a second. Flora’s finishing time was 1:13:47.1.
Rebecca Dussault won the overall women’s race with a blistering time of 1:18:13.8 in an exciting sprint to sort out the podium order. Morgan Arritola was less than a second back for silver, with Chelsea Holmes right behind for bronze.
