October 19, 2011 (Duesseldorf, Germany) – The snow spectacle on the banks of the Rhine river will fascinate visitors from near and far for the tenth time. The World’s best cross-country skiers will again compete on the spectacular course along the Rhine on December 3 and 4. The Old Town banks and Burgplatz will once again be turned into an Alpine winter fairy-tale: culinary delicacies, tobogganing track for children and an attractive music and supporting programme will once again make the FIS Cross-Country World Cup a special event for the whole family.

Tenth Anniversary
Duesseldorf’s Lord Mayor Dirk Elbers, patron of the World Cup in the North-Rhine Westphalian capital: “There is great anticipation for the tenth anniversary of the Duesseldorf World Cup. Nowhere else city slickers can experience modern skiing so closely. The sports city of Duesseldorf will present itself brilliantly again at the tenth event and with its enthusiastic fans impressively emphasise its reputation as the world’s greatest winter sports event.” Thomas Pfueller, Sports Director and Secretary General of the German Ski Federation, DSV, adds: “Duesseldorf has established itself by its successful city event and is also very popular among the athletes.”

Christina Begale, Managing Director of sportAgentur, co-organisers of the FIS Cross-Country World Cup: “This event is a real challenge for all people involved. Smooth and professional co-operation between the Jever Ski Hall Neuss, the West German Ski Association and the sportAgentur is essential for the realisation of the event. In this context the approximately 120 volunteers must be mentioned who’s contribution is also vital for the success of the World Cup.”

August Pollen, Head of the Organising Committee: “The Cross-Country World Cup in Duesseldorf will indeed be held for the tenth time – and we are looking forward to it just as for its premiere.” Pollen announces: “We shall surprise the visitors again with new ideas at the anniversary. Welcome to the Duesseldorf World Cup circuit!”

More than 200.000 Spectators
The FIS Cross-Country Ski World Cup has been the crowning conclusion of the Duesseldorf sports year since 2002 and attracts more than 200,000 spectators along the course annually. Altogether about 3,000 cubic metres of snow from Jever Ski Hall Neuss are needed for the preparation of the 800m long sprint track regularly praised by the athletes for its excellent quality. The snow is produced without any chemical additives but nevertheless withstands almost any weather conditions. Consequently Duesseldorf can boast to be the venue with the best guaranteed snow conditions within the World Cup series.

In addition, the white spectacle on the Rhine is by far the greatest event for the cross-country skiers in the entire winter season, regularly televised on public German TV and is, thanks to its excellent infra-structure, one of the most environmental-friendly World Cup event. Free entrance is also a special feature.

www.worldcup-duesseldorf.de

September 13, 2011 (Toblach, Italy) – One of the most interesting stages of next FIS Tour de Ski will be the one in Toblach/Dobbiaco ITA. During three days, six races will be carried out in this relatively small village in Pustertal. In my article I will use the German name Toblach (there is also Italian version Dobbiaco).

As Toblach has become a frequent organizer in the FIS Tour de Ski it may be interesting for you to know how Toblach organized their first World Cup Competition. We have to go back to season 1987/88 and (as always) the winter was warm in Middle Europe. And perhaps some of you remember that the relay race Dec. 19 in Davos was cancelled due to the fact that the Swiss TV did not want to cover the competition, as the snow situation was very poor. As you had seen before, the men and the ladies competed sometimes at different resorts the same weekend.

The weekend Jan 15-16 was scheduled for Klingenthal DDR for women and Strbske Pleso TCH for men. It was still warm and we had to make changes of the program in Ski jumping as well as in Nordic Combined. The snow situation in Klingenthal did not allow any World Cup competition taking place and no substitute resort could be found in DDR. As always FISI (the Italian Ski Federation), was interested to take it over. The secretary general of FISI Angelo Vergani informed me that Cogne or Toblach were candidates to host the competition and he recommended Toblach. I remembered that I had met a person from Toblach, Herbert Santer, at the men’s Mass-start race in Kastelruth three weeks earlier. He asked me what he should do so that Toblach could become the organizer of a World Cup race in the future. Who could know at that time that the future was within three weeks?

I called Franco Nones, the representative of Italy and asked him to check the possibilities.

The answer was positive and after having involved our decision makers Gian Franco Kasper FIS General Secretary, Odd Martinsen Cross-Country Committee and Stig Roland Bergqvist World Cup Committee, we decided that Toblach would organize its first World Cup event.

This was the paper work, now to reality – how to organize a World Cup race in Toblach?

The OC of Toblach consisted of persons with experiences from the popular cross-country race Cortina-Toblach and from a number of Alpen Cup competitions. You must also be aware of the reality at that time. The weekend January 15-16 was the last competition before the opening of the Olympic Winter Games in Calgary/Canmore 1988, which started February 14. That meant that one month was reserved for preparations before the games.

The key persons were Herbert Santer as Chief OC, Elvira Bachmann as competition secretary and Karl Walder as Chief of track. The TD was Madeleine Vion FRA. With excitement we waited for the teams but which nations would come? SOV and FIN did not come and NOR came with a B-team.

The preparations were underway and I remember that we had troubles with how to improve an uphill.

However at the end we had fantastic competitions with many engaged spectators and a new organizer was born. At last I want to mention one thing that happened during the team captains meeting that never will happen again. The technical delegate suddenly asked is it okay that we will start at 09.30? One captain said that is more convenient to start at 10.00. And that was confirmed by Madeleine Vion the Technical delegate without any control. Such things could occur as late as 1988.

Simone Greiner Petter DDR won before the Swedes Anna Lena Fritzon and Marie Helen Westin. In the relay SWE, DDR and NOR were the three best.

For me personally I got a close friendship through the years with the Family Santer with the parents Herbert and Live and the three daughters Natalie, Saskia and Stephanie.

Thank you Toblach and good luck for the future.

March 18, 2011 – New scientific studies have found that chemicals from ski wax can build up in the blood, causing potential health risks, according to an article recently published at scientificamerican.com. The studies tested wax technicians of World Cup ski teams and found they had high levels of perfluorochemicals (PFCs) in their blood. PFCs may lead to cardiovascular disease, liver damage, hormone disruption, and cancer.

Read the article HERE.

February 12, 2011 (Fort Kent, Maine) – Emile Hegle Svendsen of Norway took the men’s 12.5km pursuit competition today after a thrilling final lap duel with Martin Fourcade (Fra) than ended in a photo finish. Both men had a single penalty and were timed at 35:46. Third went to Tarjei Boe of Norway, with three penalties, 1:00.3 back.

From the outset, the battle was between Svendsen and Fourcade. Although both shot clean in the first prone stage, Svendsen held a 9-second lead leaving the stadium. Fourcade quickly closed the gap and was locked on the Norwegian’s shoulder for the next two loops. They both shot clean simultaneously in the second prone. Their initial tight battle ended when Fourcade had a penalty in the first standing stage, while Svendsen shot clean and got a gap.

The tables reversed in the final standing stage, when Svendsen had to tour the penalty loop and Fourcade was perfect. They went back into the Maine woods separated by just 2 seconds. Fourcade quickly closed the gap and they were elbow-to-elbow for the next 2.2km. They entered the stadium in a full sprint side-by-side. Fourcade seemed to have the edge until the final five meters when Svendsen pulled up just a bit and out-leaned Fourcade who tumbled to the ground.

Svendsen almost seemed relieved that he won the competition after the battle with Fourcade. “I saw Martin shoot clean as I was on the penalty loop and thought, ‘Oh my god’. We were not actually skiing that fast in the first part of the final loop. I knew he was a very strong skier and I knew he was there with me.

“I tried to save some energy for one last attempt. I tried to do that over by the wax cabins and hold it until the finish. But he was super strong and stayed with me. It came to a sprint and I was sure he was before me at some point. But I think I was stronger in the final meters. I managed to pull it off and am very happy about that.”

Fourcade had similar feelings to Svendsen as they approached the final loop. “I saw Emil on the penalty loop and had to make a decision, take it easy and go on the final loop by myself or try to catch him. I decided to go after him and hit all five.”

He was philosophical about second place. “This is a strange weekend. In the sprint I missed the podium by a half second and today miss the win. I hope tomorrow to reverse that trend.”

Boe retained the yellow Jersey, but said he let down a bit in the final standing stage, missing two shots while knowing he could not move up. “I saw Martin hitting all of the targets and knew Emil was away. I thought ‘no chance to take the top two.’ I knew there was a big gap and I had no chance so I took it too easy.”

Lowell Bailey of the US continued his run of strong performances with a move from 31st at the start to 25th at the finish despite a rookie move as he came into his third shooting stage two clips short losing about 40 seconds. Despite the blunder, which likely cost him a top-20 result, he maintained his composure shooting clean and missed only two shots – one in the first prone stage and the second in the final standing stage – to finish 3:23.7 behind Svendsen.

“That was such a stupid mistake. I can’t blame anyone but myself,” said Bailey in a US Biathlon release. “I just took two out of the four needed clips with me. I had some troubles zeroing and focused more on the wind and my problems in prone. I simply forgot to take the two other clips with me. I waved at the coach but I probably lost more than 40 seconds waiting for some extra clips. Of course it’s not their fault. Something like that shouldn’t happen in the first place.”

American Jay Hakkinen also had another solid day, as he got away with just three penalties to finish 34th at 4:35.5 back. Beyond those two men, it was another less-than-stellar day for North Americans.

Canada’s Brendan Green had three penalties in 39th place at 4:51.1 back, just ahead of the USA’s Leif Nordgren, with five penalties. Canuck JP Le Guellec finished 44th, while Scott Perras was 48th, one place ahead of Tim Burke of the USA.

Michal Slesingr of the Czech Republic after falling back in the middle of the competition had a brilliant last 2.5km to move into fourth, with three penalties, at 1:19.6 back, just ahead of Sweden’s clean-shooting Carl Johan Bergman, 1:20.1 back. Sixth went to Christoph Sumann of Austria, with three penalties, 1:56.2 back.

Full results HERE.

February 02, 2011 (In Transit to Alaska) – There must be something magical about Liberec, Czech Republic because I seem to be able to pull out top performances there, even if I don’t always see them coming!  Despite feeling like a zombie for most of this post-Tour week, I was able to shake off the daze and overcome some challenging snow conditions to take my second World Cup victory!

dQuote of the Day
“A couple meters before the finish line I realized that I had the race and threw my arms up in celebration.  As I slid to a halt, I couldn’t believe what had just happened.”

What’s Coming Up
– 2/19/11-2/20/11 World Cup – Drammen, NOR
– 2/24/11-3/6/11 World Championships!!

The Cliff Notes
By ignoring the heavy feelings in my legs during the warm-up, I started off the day with a third place in qualifying.  Then in my loaded quarterfinal (I drew both Majdic and Follis) I came second and advanced to the semis.

In the semis, I drafted early and then put on a strong finish to win the heat and make it to the final.  The final played out much the same way and I passed Hanna Falk of Sweden on the homestretch to take the win.

After two months on the road, I now get to head home for a short break and then training camp to prepare for the World Championships in Oslo next month.

The Full Story
After two solid months in Europe chasing World Cup races through different six countries, I was finally down to my last few days before I would get the chance to go home.  The last stop would be a skate sprint in Liberec, Czech Republic.

This post-Tour week has been a bit of a haze.  Without the stimulus of daily racing, my energy took a dive and for the first few days of the week, all I really felt like doing was sleeping and watching movies.   I managed one short ski and a couple walks.

On Wednesday, Andy and Grover and I loaded up in the cargo van and made the 8-hour journey northeast to Liberec.   Upon arriving, we found a very different scene than the one we had left two years ago at the World Championships.  Warm temperatures and rain had taken all but a little bit of the natural snow.

We had a couple days to prepare for the race and I hoped that I could wake my body out of its stupor.  The conditions on the course were challenging, reminding me of my summer training time on Eagle Glacier and we were limited to a 2km loop.

The morning of the race I definitely had butterflies in my stomach, but this time for a different reason.  Having never done a Tour de Ski before, I wasn’t sure how much the high load of racing was going to affect my sprint speed.  I had confidence from my solid sprinting earlier in the season, but would that extra gear be there this week?

It was pouring rain as we headed out to the venue on a big shuttle bus.  My buddy Chandra Crawford and I shared a seat and rocked out to some new Swedish stuff she had just found.  As we pulled into the venue we could see that it was not only just raining, it was windy too.  We braced ourselves for a wild day.

The race organizers were spreading salt all over the course to keep it firm. The snow was so fast that it was hard to tell which skis out of the three pairs we were testing were actually the fastest.  So we went on the pair that just intuitively felt the best.  I made sure to get in a hard warm-up to get my body as awake and ready as possible, but it wasn’t easy.  My legs felt heavy and my balance a little awkward.

For my qualifying lap I was pleasantly surprised to find the heaviness in the legs gone, replaced by a lightness in my stride.  I made it up and over the first climb feeling good and dropped into a low tuck.  I carried good speed into the next climb and made it through the hodge-podge of hard and soft snow.  On the final climb and into the finish stretch, I still had plenty of power in the tank and charged to the line. I crossed with the third fastest time.  A nice surprise!

The sun had come out briefly during the women’s qualifier, but soon after the rain returned.  I threw on my running shoes and jogged my cool down.

The Canadians were nice enough to let Andy and I crash in their wax cabin between the rounds.  I changed into some dry clothes, downed some Powerbar Recovery drink and Gel Blasts, and drifted off into a semi-comatose state while listening to my iPod.  A little less than two hours drifted by and it was time to get going again.

The heaviness in my legs returned for my second warm-up of the day and I wondered if it was just a trick of my nerves like earlier.  I did some harder skiing and hoped for the best come race time.

Thankfully the rain stopped and the sky actually cleared a bit.

Third qualifying position put me in the fifth and last women’s quarterfinal.  As the other heats went out, there were less and less women left in the start pen.  I noticed Petra Majdic and Arianna Follis were both still around.  “Ha, wouldn’t it be funny if they were BOTH in my quarterfinal,” I thought.  Turns out, they were!

In my quarterfinal I got off to a good start and going up the first climb, I held back a little bit hoping someone else would want to lead.  As we got to the top of the hill, Hanna Kolb made a break for it and I tucked myself into second.  I made sure to stay low off the downhill and pulled up alongside her going up the gradual section and took the lead over the top.

When we hit the final climb, Majdic pulled out of my draft and put on a big surge.  I countered but she got a little ahead and then slowly drifted into my path as she made for the corner.   I didn’t panic and just slipped in behind her until we got on the home straight.   With 100m to go, I knew Follis could be attacking, so I picked the wide lane and turned up the speed.  Just before the line I could tell I was solidly in 2nd, advancing to the semis.

As we lined up for the second semi-final, the first women’s semifinal was underway.  Marit Bjoergen had handily won her quarterfinal by skiing from the front but appeared to be taking a different strategy and was hanging back in 2nd.  Midway through the course, she bumped skis with another racer and dropped back to 5th.  She tried desperately to get back up to the front but couldn’t find the space and ended up third in her heat, unbelievable!  She would now have to wait to see if she would make the final as a lucky loser.

We lined up for our semifinal next.  When the gun went off I reacted a little slowly and got out of the lanes a step behind.  Everyone seemed to drift left towards the best line, so I decided to stay right and got a clear lane up the first climb.  I was able to tuck myself into third over the top of the hill.

I made sure to stay nice and low, and came out of my tuck with good momentum.  I stayed to the right again and used clear snow to move myself up into second over the top of the hill.  I shadowed Falk of Sweden into the final climb and this time I used the slingshot to get around (like Majdic had in the quarter) and was able to get past Falk before the turn.  I put it into high gear and hammered to the line unchallenged.

Our semifinal ended being over three seconds faster than the first, meaning Bjoergen was out of the final.  I was actually bummed.  I had been looking forward to another chance to match up against the Queen!

Finally, I was down to the last race of the day.  Just three more minutes and then I could head home for a nice break.   Just three more minutes!

In the final would be myself, Falk, and Majdic, the Norwegians Brun-lie and Falla, and Barthelme of France.  The camera came by for our introductions, I gave one last smile, and then crouched for the start.

Bang!  I had a slight delayed reaction again, and as my poles slipped a bit in the soft snow, I came out of the lanes a little behind.  Falk charged to the lead with Brun-lie in tow.  I worked my way up the right side again, using a quick V1 to move up and get into 3rd over the top.

My skis were running really well and dropping down into my best alpine tuck, I came zinging up on the girls ahead and steered right into the open lane.  I could feel Majdic going for the same lane and made sure to throw in a few free skates to keep my momentum.  We V2’d madly up the next climb and I slipped in behind Falk going over the top.

I pushed hard into the downhill and got the draft.  As we came flying into the final climb and I made a mad dash on the outside and narrowly pulled even with Falk before the corner.  Once onto the homestretch I veered left into an open lane and turned on the jets.  I felt the power transfer directly into my skis and poles as I came by Falk and went into the lead.  This is where I had lost the gold medal at World Championships and I wasn’t going to lose it this time.

A couple meters before the finish line I realized that I had the race and threw my arms up in celebration.  As I slid to a halt, I couldn’t believe what had just happened.  I almost didn’t even feel tired.  I was filled with exhilaration.   After a three-year drought it felt incredible to take another World Cup win!  What a fun race!

I exchanged hugs and high fives with the rest of the racers.  Falk had held on for 2nd and Brun-lie took the bronze.  Then I got to celebrate big hugs with Joqui, Randy and Grover, whom I have to thank for my great skis!!  And most special, I got to share a big embrace with my husband, who was on site working with the Australian team.  What would a victory be without those to share it with!

While the men’s final took place, there was a whirlwind of TV interviews and chasing after some dry clothes.  Then we got to do the flower ceremony, press conference and the mandatory pee test for doping control.  All the while, I couldn’t stop smiling!

After two months, time was suddenly in hyper drive.  We came back to the hotel and had just an hour to shower, throw the wet clothes in a ski bag and grab a little dinner before catching a shuttle to Prague.  Despite my excitement to get home, I was a little sad not to have that evening to hang out and celebrate a little.  I said goodbye to my husband (luckily just for a week this time), wished Grover a safe drive and boarded the shuttle.

(Thankfully, we did manage to get in a champagne toast at the airport hotel before hitting the pillows for a short night of sleep.)

As I write this I am now on my way back to Alaska for a three-week break and training period at home.  I just heard that my win yesterday has put me in the lead of the overall Sprint World Cup, yeehaw!  It’s too bad I won’t be racing in Otepaa next weekend to actually get to wear the bib!

It will be hard for sure to miss the next two weekends of World Cup racing, but my focus now turns to the World Championships in Oslo.   The win in Liberec is a great confidence booster and I am feeling more motivated than ever.

Thanks to everyone for all the wonderful emails and posts.  It’s really special to share all these moments with you.

I’ll be back in a few weeks with the final tune-up races at the World Cup in Drammen in mid-February.  Until then, enjoy winter!

Cheers,
Kikkan

Check for more updates at www.kikkan.com

December 19, 2010 (Ramsau, Austria) – Christmas came a week early for Bryan Fletcher (Steamboat Springs, CO) who set himself up with a strong jump then carried his own with the big boys to finish a career best eighth in the FIS Nordic Combined World Cup in Ramsau. It was his fourth point scoring finish of the year. Austrian Mario Stecher led the jump and hung on for an 8.6 second win over a hard charging Tino Edelmann of Germany. Fellow German Eric Frenzel was third.

In the jump, Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO) was 11th and Fletcher 13th, staring 24 and 29 seconds respectively. Lodwick held his position in the opening laps. Fletcher started moving up after the first kilometer and by 2.5k was on the heels of Lodwick and World Cup leader Jason Lamy Chappuis of France. From the back, German Tino Edelmann began moving up and the pace quickened as the field came through the stadium after the first of four 2.5k laps, featuring two huge hills and a wide track for passing.

But then the race took a dramatic turn. At the start of the second lap, a ski tip or tail from another racer in the pack clipped one of Lodwick’s bindings. As he took a skate step, his ski released. He was forced to wait out the pack, scramble back, clean his boot and re-attach the ski. By that time, he had been dropped.

“It happens sometimes,” said Lodwick. “I had good technique on the jump for this early [in the season]. While I was able to catch up to the back of the pack I was skiing with the guys who were getting dropped. It was panic mode to keep going.”

By midway through the second lap there was a chase group of five battling for second with another pack of seven a few seconds back. Midway through the race, with Lodwick dropping back, Fletcher settled in with a growing chase group that was hot on the heels of leader Stecher.

Moving into the second half of the race, Fletcher found himself in an unusual position – leading an aggressive pack of veterans. He held his own, pacing the group into the final two kilometers before Edelmann sprinted ahead to breakup the group in a field sprint to the finish for second. No one could catch Stecher.

“It was pretty crazy,” said an excited Fletcher. “I kept thinking to myself, ‘Holy Cow! I’m in second.’ At the same time I was still thinking race strategy. Our train was messing around a little bit with what to do. Dave [Nordic Combined Head Coach Dave Jarrett] said it was time to hammer and get moving. I felt good and said ‘why not try to bridge the gap.’ I got into the front, started pulling and was surprised I was feeling so good.”

“Bryan jumped well and he’s really stepped up since summer,” said Jarrett. “Summer Grand Prix was a big step for him. In Kuusamo, he stepped right in there. Yesterday and today he was really solid.”

“Now I  know what’s possible for me to do every weekend,” said Fletcher. “I don’t feel like what I did today was anything really special. I still don’t think I’ve shown my best jumps. And the cross-country race was where I was expecting myself to be. Knowing I was able to do it today gives me confidence.”

Fletcher opened the season in Kuusamo, Finland three weeks ago with a then career best 18th. That started a string of four points finishes leading up to his top 10 in Ramsau.

He also credits a more disciplined approach to fitness and greater focus on nutrition. “I’m eating better and have lost close to 20 pounds,” he said. “That puts my actual weight closer to my BMI (body mass index) which is a big help on the jump hill and I feel better in cross country.”

Lodwick, who just missed the podium in fourth Saturday, ending up 18th. Bryan Fletcher’s brother, Taylor, had an impressive cross country segment – sixth fastest to move up from 58th in jumping to take 37th. Young Nick Hendrickson (Park City, UT) was 22nd in cross country to finish 45th overall.

“Taylor had a great race today – more like what we have had for expectations,” said Jarrett. Taylor Fletcher finished third a week ago in a Continental Cup in Utah.

Lamy Chappuis was fourth and continued to lead the World Cup at the midway point in the season.

The Team will now head back to the USA for the holidays before the World Cup resumes in Schonach, Germany Jan. 8-9. The main focus for the U.S. athletes will be the FIS Nordic Ski World Championships in Oslo, Norway with the opening nordic combined event on Feb. 26.

Lodwick plans to sit out the Schonach weekend, but come back for Seefeld, Austria and Chaux-Neuve, France later in January. Olympic champion Billy Demong is also expected to be on a very selective schedule leading to Worlds, anticipating the birth of his first child. Three-time Olympic silver medalist Johnny Spillane is still recovering from a summer knee injury but is back training and hopeful to be back in action soon.

Full results HERE.

Results (brief)
Individual Normal Hill/10k Gundersen

1. Mario Stecher, Austria (1/20) 24:22.3
2. Tino Edelmann, Germany (20/8) +8.6 seconds
3. Eric Frenzel, Germany (7/14) +10.2
4. Jason Lamy Chappuis, France (8/16) +12.4
5. Johannes Rydzek, Germany (5/21) +17.3

8. Bryan Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, CO (13/15) +19.0
18. Todd Lodwick, Steamboat Springs, CO (10/33) +46.0
37. Taylor Fletcher, Steamboat Springs, CO (58/6) +1:47.5 minutes
45. Nick Hendrickson, Park City, UT (59/22) +2:32.8
59. Eric Camerota, Park City, UT (44/59) +5:17.0

December 18, 2010 (La Clusaz, France) – With every race the headline gets more cliché – Marit Bjoergen Wins Again. The Norwegian racing queen proved once more that she’s neigh untouchable, winning the women’s 15km freestyle at WCup #5 in La Clusaz, France today in sprint to the line over Poland’s Justyna Kowalczyk at 1s back. Third went to Bjoergen’s teammate Kristin Stoermer Steira.

“I’m very happy – it is amazing,” Bjoergen told FIS XC after the race.  “I have 42 victories, as Bente Skari and I will hopefully beat her. I felt great, my skis were excellent and my shape was very good today. I am also happy for Kristin to be on the podium. She attacked in the uphill in the last lap as well as Kowalczyk and I had to fight hard. We created quite fast a gap on the rest of the field.”

US skiers Liz Stephen and Morgan Arritola both skied to their best-ever World Cup finishes, placing 18th and 19th respectively. Until today, the Stephen’s previous best individual result was 15th in the 15km pursuit at the 2009 Nordic Worlds in Liberec while Arritola racked up a 22nd in the 30km free there. Today’s WCup field was deeper and definitely more challenging.

“I had a tough start but it’s a long race so I stayed calm and increased my pace along the way,” Stephen told SkiTrax. “Morgan had a better start and I was glad to catch up to her – I really enjoyed skiing with her.”

“Liz had a poor start out of the stadium,” said U.S. coach Matt Whitcomb.  “She was second to last out of the gates. But when they met up they skied together, pushing each other, as they have done a million times.  I am so proud of these gals, most of all they were patient out there, and they worked together.”

The two skied most of the race together, getting split times from their coaches.   Towards the end, as the splits were getting lower Stephen said they realized how well they were doing, and upped the pace, shooting for the top 20.

They got it, and the good result came as a relief for Arritola.  “I’m really pleased with my result after a rough start to her season,” said Arritola.  “It’s good to see the hard work pay off and it feels like I got a money off my back.”

“They had similar results at the World Championships in Liberec, but in a full world cup field with full world cup quotas, this is by far their best,” US top racer Kikkan Randall (who is in Davos and chose to rest today instead of racing) told SkiTrax in an email.

“I knew they had it coming and I’m super stoked for them. I’m also excited to see what Kris [Freeman] can do in the men’s race.  Man it’s hard to be sitting on the couch right now!!”

“It was great to see Morgan and Liz work through the field today as teammates,” added Whitcomb. “While they missed the leadership of Kikkan today in the mass start, they stepped up to the plate with a great combination of patience on the flats and aggression on the climbs. They are heading home with some needed confidence after being knocked around a bit last weekend in Davos. It is not always easy as a developing racer on the World Cup, but today they got a taste of progress.  A top-20 is a career best for both of these girls on the World Cup, and I’m confident that the ball is just starting to roll.”

No Canadians competed as Chandra Crawford and Daria Gaiazova returned home after Davos. The impressive results made a nice pre-Christmas present for the US girls, who are going home for the holidays before heading to the US Nationals in Maine in the new year.

Full results HERE.

December 18, 2010 (Pokljuka, Slovenia) – Bjorn Ferry (SWE) beat out last weekend’s double winner Tarjei Boe (NOR) at today’s IBU World Cup 10k men’s sprint in Pokljuka, Slovenia. The Olympic pursuit champion shot clean and won by a 5s margin over second place, Boe, who missed one shot. Michael Greis (GER) took third place. Conditions were ideal with clear skies and light wind. Canada’s Brendan Green (CAN) once again led the North American men in 29th place. Tim Burke (USA) was the top US skier in 35th.

In the 7.5k women’s race, it was double Olympic champ Magdalena Neuner (GER) who grabbed the victory despite two missed shots in the standing stage. Anastasiya Kuzimina (SVK) finished second with only one penalty and an 11.2s deficit, followed by Kaisa Makarainen (FIN) and Olga Zaitseva (RUS) in a tie for third at 17s behind the winner. Canada’s Zina Kocher (CAN) found her form and was the fastest North American with one penalty in 17th place while Sara Studebaker led the Americans in 58th with two misses.

Results

Men’s 10km Sprint HERE.
Women’s 7.5km Sprint HERE.

Men
1. Bjorn Ferry (SWE) 27:25.9
2. Tarjei Boe (NOR) +5.1
3. Michael Greis (GER) +8.7
4. Jakov Fak (SLO) +18.2
5. Evgeny Ustyugov (RUS) +23.9

29. Brendan Green (CAN) +1:31.4
35. Tim Burke (USA) +1:43.8
68. Lowell Bailey (USA) +2:37.6
69. Leif Nordgren (USA) +2:38.3
75. Nathan Smith (CAN) +2:47.4
86. Russell Currier (USA) +3:27.9
90. Jean Philippe Leguellec (CAN) +3:51.8
93. Jeremy Teela (USA) +4:16.3

Women
1. Magdalena Neuner (GER) 23:05.2
2. Anastasiya Kuzimina (SVK) +11.2
3. Kaisa Makarainen (FIN) +17.0
3. Olga Zaitseva (RUS) +17.0
5. Anais Bescond (FRA) +22.9

17. Zina Kocher (CAN) +1:04.4
58. Sara Studebaker (USA) +2:45.7
59. Annalies Cook (USA) +2:46.1
91. Rosanna Crawford (CAN) +5:10.0
92. Laura Spector (USA) +6:08.3

December 16, 2010 (Davos, Switzerland) – My first few days here in Switzerland were pretty sweet. The sun came out, there were perfect tracks and settling in at the Hotel Kulm felt a little like home. It was nice to relax for a couple days, absorbing the excitement from my podium in Dusseldorf and getting ready for another big weekend of World Cup racing with a 10km classic and a skate sprint. Quote of the Day “It was pretty cool to be back on the podium for the 2nd time in a week, and a nice redemption after the rough classic race!” What’s Coming Up 12.25.10 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 12.31-1.9 Tour de Ski – GER/ITA For more news and photos check out the new: www.kikkanrandall.com The Cliff Notes: It’s been a week full of the highs and the lows here in Davos! In similar fashion to last year’s races in Davos, we raced distance on Saturday and a skate sprint Sunday. While I had hoped and expected to put in a strong performance in Saturday’s 10km classic race, I was again disappointed with a lackluster result of 47th place. I struggled in the snowy conditions and ended backing off in the final kilometers to reserve some energy for the sprint. Thankfully, day two provided some redemption. I started off the day with 8th position in qualifying. I used fast finishes in both my quarterfinal and semi-final to advance to the final. In the final, after sitting in fourth for most of the race, I was in position to challenge for second place on the homestretch when Poland’s Justyna Kowalczyk suddenly changed her trajectory and blocked my momentum. I ended up finishing 4th. A few minutes later however, Kowalczyk’s move was ruled as obstruction and she was relegated to sixth, moving me into third position. So I got to stand on the podium for the second week in a row! I had planned to race in France this coming weekend but due to some sickness this week I have decided to stay in Davos to get healthy, enjoy Christmas, and prepare for the Tour. I’ll be back in action on New Year’s Eve for the start of the Tour de Ski. Until then, Merry Christmas everyone! The Full Story: It’s been quite a week! Here is the update from Davos… 10km Classic Going into the classic race, I had confidence and optimistic expectations. Even with heavy snow falling the morning of the race, I felt I would be able to conquer the course and race to a solid result. I even got a little pre-race advice from Bjorn Daehlie. My plan was to attack the flats, ski with a light and quick tempo, and approach the climbs with a little reserve to be able to come on strong on the 2nd lap. By the middle of the first lap however, I was struggling with the glazed track and the effort was already feeling hard and heavy. Midway through the 2nd lap I was fighting myself physically and mentally. I knew I had already lost too much time for a good result, and with the sprint the next day, I opted to ease off a little and save that extra “dig” for the sprint. It’s never an easy decision to let up and it haunted me for the rest of the day. In the end I was 47th place and a whopping four minutes off the lead. Doh! While I didn’t have the distance performance I had wanted of myself, I knew from experience to just put the disappointment behind me and focus on the next opportunity, Sunday’s skate sprint. To help keep myself in a positive mood, I watched a couple episodes of Glee. 1.4km Skate Sprint The sprint day was going to be a long one. Qualifying didn’t begin until 12pm and the heats wouldn’t go off until 3pm, so the morning was a long, anxious wait. I definitely had some butterflies in my stomach this time. The sprint course here in Davos has changed every year and this time we would be racing two laps around a 700m loop. As I warmed up on the course, doing a couple laps at level 3, I felt heavy and labored. This was going to be a tough one! Since each racer had to complete two laps, that meant the starters were sent out in blocks of 5 racers at 10-second intervals, with 2 minute holds in between. I was able to watch several racers complete their qualifiers before I started and noticed that many went out aggressive on the first lap and then seemed to fade on the 2nd lap. So when I got on course, I thought about being quick and relaxed and worked on building speed through the two laps. Coming through the lap lane, I was feeling strong and picked up the tempo. I hammered up the big climb and had good energy over the top. I came out of the final turn and really built speed over the last 100m. When I crossed, I was in sixth position. After all had finished, I was 8th fastest. A good sign! Walking out of the finish area, I marveled at how good I had felt compared to my feelings from the warm-up. The day was off to a better start than I thought! I got a quick laugh when the coaches told me they had been a little concerned watching my first lap only to be relieved with I turned it on for the 2nd lap. There was a long 2.5hr wait until the heats started. Fredericka, our PT, gave me another good rub-down and I waited out the rest of the time bundled in my parka, listening to my iPod, and going over strategy in my head. Eighth position in qualifying put me in quarterfinal heat #5 for the second week in a row. I watched a few of the other heats go and noticed that some of the early leaders faded at the end. There was a pretty stiff headwind blowing through the stadium, so I decided I would try to draft. In my quarterfinal I got off to a good start and right away Kowalczyk bolted to the front. Perfect! I tucked in right behind her and skied the wide line up the steep climb to hold my position. I followed her around the 2nd lap as well and when we came off the final turn I shot wide and turned on the jets. I was able to overtake Kowalczyk before the finish line and win my heat. To my surprise, the semi-finals played out exactly the same as the quarters, I was able to draft Kowalczyk, and come off the final turn with a lot of speed to take the lead. I was feeling stronger every round and was psyched to move on to the final! There was just 15 minutes in-between the semi and the final, and it was quickly turning to dusk. The final was stacked with an accomplished field: Bjoergen-multiple Olympic medalist, Follis-World Champion, Me-World Championship silver medalist, Majdic-Olympic medalist, Kowalczyk-multiple Olympic medalist, and Jacobsen-World Champion. Unlike the final in Dusseldorf, this time I got off to a good start and came out of the double-pole lanes even with the others. With a couple of strong skates I was in good position. But I didn’t want to take the lead, so I backed off and Follis and Majdic squeezed me into fourth. Going up the steep climb I took the outside lane and came over the top side-by-side with Bjoergen. She had faster skis though and pulled in front of me on the downhill, and so I remained in fourth as we came through the stadium. I was able to match the pace of the others just fine but was tentative to go around. Majdic was leading across the flat, but then Kowalczyk made a big move, coming from fifth to go around Majdic on the right. At the same time Bjoergen and Follis made a move to the left. I followed Follis and as we came into the tight turn I was able to just sneak ahead of Majdic. I again went to the outside lane on the uphill, following Follis, while Bjoergen and Kowalczyk broke right. At this point I was hoping to make a move with my V1 climbing speed, but then, “oh no!” I was trapped by Follis!! Still stuck in fourth over the top, I was barely able to sneak back in front of Majdic going into the tuck. In a tight pack we all sailed through the s-turn and I crouched for the final turn. Bursting onto the homestretch, Bjoergen had gotten away but Kowalczyk, Follis and I were in a battle. Follis went left, Kowalczyk appeared to be going toward the middle and so I went for the open lane on the far right. I built speed quickly and was gaining on the others when all of the sudden Kowalczyk changed her trajectory and came right into my path. I tried to fight her off but she forced me towards the fence. I tried to double-pole for a second but realized I would never get past and had to slow up and switch directions to the left. I made a few quick strides in an attempt to get past, but having lost all my momentum, I came across the line in fourth. My first reaction was disbelief and instant remorse for having just missed the podium. I had seen my open lane and had the speed to challenge for 2nd before being suddenly blocked. Unbelievable! Darn!! Oh well, that’s the unpredictability of sprinting! “Next time I’ll just have to put myself in a better position coming into the finish,” I told myself. I shook hands with everyone, offering my congratulations and walked over to where the coaches were standing with a can-you-believe-that-just-happened look on my face. So close, ahhh! It wasn’t until Grover asked me what had happened with Kowalczyk that I realized that something potentially unjust had possibly occurred. A few minutes later, a FIS official came up to me announcing that Kowalczyk had been disqualified for obstruction and I was being upgraded to 3rd position. OMG! Another unbelievable turn of events!!

While being accompanied by a doping control chaperone, I quickly changed clothes and prepared for the flower ceremony. It was pretty cool to be back on the podium for the 2nd time in a week, and a nice redemption after the rough classic race! The rest of the evening went by pretty fast. I had to report to doping control shortly after the flower ceremony for blood testing. Then we got the word that the Polish team would be appealing the disqualification and there was a chance I would be dropped back to fourth. That decision however wouldn’t come for a week, so I decided to just enjoy the podium for now since I felt I deserved it. Part of the team was leaving for the airport, so we got to enjoy a quick champagne toast and then said goodbye. I didn’t get out of my ski clothes until 10pm after catching up with everyone on the phone. It was a whirlwind day! My intention had been to race the 15km mass start skate this upcoming weekend in France to close out Period I. However, I’ve been fighting some sickness over the last few days post sprint, and yesterday I decided to stay in Davos to get healthy and rest up for the Tour de Ski. My husband will be here in a few days and with a successful few weeks of racing under my belt, I can now take a little break and enjoy the Christmas holiday. Thanks to everyone for the notes and encouragement, and for all the support that helped me kick off this season with a bang! I wish everyone a very merry Christmas, and I’ll be back to you in the New Year with some more action! Cheers, PS I just received word that Poland’s appeal was denied and therefore my third place stands. Whew!