January 08, 2012 (Val di Fiemme, Italy) – The US women’s team has been evolving rapidly lead by team leader, Kikkan Randall, who finished 10th overall at the Tour this year, ample proof that her distance skiing is almost as strong as her sprinting.

Following her lead Liz Stephen has been upping her game each year and nailed the 8th best time up Alpe Cermis for a spectacular finish placing 24th overall. Fans may not know that Randall and Stephen still had something in the tank after they recovered from their race up Alpe Cermis as they won a night team sprint race …see Randall’s Training Rap.

The final team member Holly Brooks has been turning heads for some time winning the SuperTour title last season with breakthrough results at early season WCups to earn a trip to the Tour. Brooks is a fighter would not let a broken wrist take her off her path with heart as she completed the Tour as well finishing 39th overall.

We also caught up with Matt Whitcomb, U.S. Ski Team Women’s Cross Country Coach, for his take on the team’s awesome Tour.

Kikkan Randall on finishing 10th overall at the Tour

How were you feeling this morning after eight gruelling days knowing the challenge ahead.
KR: Felt decent this morning. A little groggy and achy but anxious to race the final day.

Did having two teammates with you this year make a difference?
KR: Having teammates definitely made this Tour more enjoyable and helped me stay relaxed.  It’s so encouraging to see our team more and more respected and more competitive each year.

Was Alpe Cermis as tough as you remembered…?
KR: Yep!  Those steep sections really eat your legs up and the “flatter” section with 400m to go was just as hard this year.

Last year you finished 21st this year 10th – that huge improvement has to feel good.
KR: Yes, it was so much fun to be in the fight for top ten places this year. This is always where I’ve felt I was capable of skiing and it has been satisfying to now be getting consistently solid results.

The US women’s program is on the right track – this augurs well for Sochi in 2014.
KR: Yes, incredible momentum right now and still climbing.  We finally have the makings of a real team and we have some big team goals for the next two years!

What happens now for you going forward… ?
KR: On our way to a show team sprint an hr from vdf.  Figured why not pack in one more race and make it 10 in 11 days!  Tomorrow the rest starts! Will take it pretty chill this week to absorb and recover from this big load of racing. Hoping to recharge in time for Milan sprint and team sprint.

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Elizabeth Stephen on yesterday’s 10km Classic

How were your skis today – what wax choice did you make?
ES: My skis were great today, though I need to learn how to relax a bit in the race and use the tracks a bit more instead of freaking out and herringboning up the side!  But big improvements from last year with classic, so I have to focus on those strides mostly and then look to improve more in coming races and years.

How were you feeling this morning and what was your strategy today…?
ES: Go hard, try and hang with the pack, enjoy every second of this race and event.  I love mass starts, there is so much that can happen, girls all up in your business, tracks that merge into other tracks with no notice, I just love the craziness of it all.  And above all else, I love to cross country ski race. Two minutes before the race today, Holly pulled us together for a USA cheer and it was just what I needed to calm the pre-race nerves and remember that this is all about loving this moment.  I am doing exactly what I want to be doing and don’t want to be anywhere else in the whole world doing anything else right now – and that is the best feeling in the world.  Win, lose or draw, I am completely invested and excited each day I wake up and realize that I am living this incredible dream.

What were conditions and the course like today out there… ?
ES: PERFECT!  It was classic skiing at it’s finest.  Bomber tracks, not too cold, fast, it was perfect.

How’s your energy with one more stage to go and what’s your strategy for Cermis…?
ES: I am constantly surprised at what the body is able to handle.  Here I am, facing the last of 9 races in 11 days, and it is by far the hardest one of the whole tour, and yet, I can only feel excitement as I think about waking up tomorrow and skiing backwards up a downhill mountain.  I mean, if I ever thought for a second I wasn’t completely nuts, this is a really good reminder at just how weird us Nordis are. The energy seems good, and the strategy is to catch as many people as I possibly can tomorrow.

You’re about to complete your first TdS – how does it feel… ?
ES: Awesome. I am pumped to have finally gotten to do my first one and have a shot at a top-30 finish with a good race tomorrow.  It has been everything I thought it would be, fun, tiring, and completely and totally rewarding.

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Holly Brooks talks about the final day and finishing the Tour de Ski

How were you feeling this morning after 8 gruelling days facing the challenge ahead?
HB: Thanks for checking in. It feels really, really good to have finished the race… in fact, I just tweeted, “There should be “finisher” t-shirts for the TDS! FIS could learn something from citizen’s races! Haha!This morning was great – we didn’t have to wait for a 3:45 start!  I was nervous for sure but also excited and anxious to finish up. Liz & I skied down the Alps Cermis the other day so we had a small idea of what to expect.  There was a lot of hurting going on out there and even some granny skating. However, I watched Dario do it as well so that made me feel better 🙂

Does anything come close to Cermis…?
The wave start with the majority of the women’s field was utter chaos. I liken it to a gigantic cat fight.  The entire flat section to the base of the Cermis is 1.5 skaters wide and you can imagine, a bunch of hungry girls vying for position the entire time, broken poles, yelling, etc.  (I would certainly like to give some feedback to organizers to widen the trail) Once we got to the climb things sorted themselves out a bit but my best skis took a gigantic beating – lots of holes and scratches from other girls.  People were attempting to pass on the inside of the uphill switchback corners and skis would get tangled or girls would get their skis caught in the gates.

You’ve watched the Tour and now you’ve completed it – is it as tough as you thought it would be ?
HB: As for toughness of the Tour, it’s about what I expected. Granted, I didn’t ski anywhere near my goal coming into the Tour but my energy level was functional, considering.  Also, for the next two years the Tour will have fewer stages as they are trying to encourage participation during World Champ and Olympic years.

You must feel really proud to have completed your first Tour considering your injury…
HB: Coming into the Tour I was aiming for a top 20 finish overall.  I obviously didn’t come close to that but considering my injury, I’m really happy and proud to have finished.  It’s funny because I think I’ll look back on this experience years from now and laugh: “Remember the Year I did the 9-stage Tour de Ski with a broken wrist?!”  At this level, just about everything has to be perfect if you want to be able to compete.  Even small injuries and sickness can make your results plumet.  Every competitor here is aiming for the best finish possible; everyone is doing everything they can to ski as fast as possible. It takes a good body, a clear mind, a bill of good health, and a huge ability to absorb pain to succeed here.

The US women’s team looks solid which augurs well for Sochi in 2014.
HB: I’m proud of our entire team for fighting through some hard days.  Liz’s climb today was absolutely brilliant and Kikkan put together an amazing set of races.  I’m proud to be a part of this team and yes, I think it speaks positively looking ahead to Sochi. Everyone seems to be improving every year and everyone gets along really well.  Positive team dynamics are crucial and I think we have a good thing going!

What’s the game plan with your wrist and recovery… ?
HB: Now that the Tour is over, I have some rest, recovery, and healing planned.  I have some friends from Anchorage that recently moved to Aviano, one hour North of Venice. I’m going to spend a couple of days with them talking about non ski related things, sleeping in a house rather than a hotel room, and seeing a couple of sights in Europe.  Then, I will head to Ramsau for some rehab and a training camp. I plan to skip Milan, Oteppa & Moscow in hopes that I can be ready to go in time for Rybinsk. Doctors have told me that my injury would usually require a cast for six weeks but I’m crossing my fingers and toes that 3 weeks of really proactive recovery and rehab will be enough to get me back on track.

Thanks Benjamin,
Holly 🙂

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Matt Whitcomb U.S. Ski Team Women’s Cross Country Coach

It was a big day for the US Women’s Team at the TdS – can you tell us your thoughts on this year’s Tour?
MW: Today is a great day for the American women. Top 10 for Kikkan and a huge charge from Liz to steal 24th. Holly skied up as well to finish the Tour strong. The results of Kikkan and Liz are remarkable, but I’m particularly happy with Holly. She has toughed out the entire tour with an injury. She’s struggled to lay down results on par with her pre-Tour performances, but has been an incredibly supportive teammate. I think everyone can take a lesson from Holly on how to handle tough times in a team setting. It takes a supportive team to have good individual races, and Holly is not done. She’s beginning a two+ week healing process today. Stay tuned for a lot more from her.