Tag: 15 k freestyle individual start

Hoffman Holds Off Patterson in First Race of SuperTour Finals

Noah Hoffman of Ski & Snowboard Club Vail and the U.S. Ski Team (USST) racing to first place in the men’s 15 k freestyle individual start at the U.S. SuperTour Finals on Monday in Craftsbury, Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)

Technique takes practice. Race tactics take practice. What about podiums?

U.S. Ski Team (USST) member Noah Hoffman — currently competing for his club team, Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (SSCV), at the U.S. SuperTour Finals in Craftsbury, Vt. — views the process of winning a race, equally important to the win itself.

“Honestly, it’s nice to get to win a race every once in awhile,” Hoffman, the winner of the men’s 15-kilometer freestyle individual start race on Monday in Craftsbury, said in a post-race phone interview. “I mean, it’s been a long time since I’ve won a ski race outright and I think there’s something to be said for learning how to win.”

The last time the 26-year-old Colorado native won a race was two years ago at 2014 SuperTour Finals in Anchorage, Alaska. There, he won the opening 15 k freestyle as well.

Now, with another victory under his belt, Hoffman is all for practicing how to win as an individual as well as a group.

“It’s not a secret that we’re lagging behind on U.S. men’s distance [racing],” he said. “We have a long way to go as a group … but I have a lot of faith in the athletes that are skiing right now and I think we can all work together to try to improve.”

The top six in the men’s 15 k freestyle at SuperTour Finals on Monday in Craftsbury, Vt., with (from left to right) fifth-place finisher Eric Packer (APU), runner-up Scott Patterson (APU), winner Noah Hoffman (SSCV/USST), Paddy Caldwell (SMS/USST) in third, David Norris (APU) in fourth, and Tad Elliott (SSCV) in sixth. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)

Following the end of the World Cup season two weeks ago at the Ski Tour Canada (STC), Hoffman sees value for both himself and the USST by racing this last set of races on the U.S. circuit.

“I think my teammates and I all prioritize these races,” Hoffman said. “We’re not just doing this for the domestic scene. I think there’s a lot of value for us as well.”

The term “us” can be applied to both the USST members, as well as athletes watching or racing experienced skiers like Hoffman at SuperTour Finals.

“It’s really fun for me to be here with the Vail club,” Hoffman said. “We [SSCV] have a couple of juniors here, plus we’re part of the Rocky Mountain crew, and there’s a junior from Aspen where I grew up and there’s some Steamboat kids. So being a part of this crew and being on a team with these athletes is really fun for all of us here.”

Hoffman Holds Off Patterson’s ‘Fight for the Win’

Finishing just six-tenths of a second behind Hoffman’s winning time of 31:14.3, was Scott Patterson, skiing for Alaska Pacific University (APU), in second place.

“It’s kind of fun getting back to the domestic racing and actually being able to fight for the win instead of getting blown out of the race,” Patterson, who made his World Cup debut this season, said on the phone. “Obviously I would have like it a little more if I had found 0.6 seconds, but I’m happy with [the race].”

As the last A-seeded male in bib 20, Patterson led both the first and third laps of the four x 3.75 k course skiing with APU teammates Tyler Kornfield and Eric Packer.

“Packer started 30 seconds in front of me and I caught him,” Patterson explained. “And then Tyler left the start line right as Packer and I were passing through. So we had a good group … always nice to have a couple people to ski with.”

While the APU trio made their way through the final lap, Patterson pinpointed another cause for his seconds lost on Hoffman.

“I got a split that I was 12 seconds up on the last uphill, so I probably held back a little bit in the finish,” Patterson said.

Scott Patterson (APU) racing to second place in the men’s 15 k freestyle individual start at SuperTour Finals on Monday in Craftsbury, Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)

Still, coming off of the STC and two stages of World Cup racing, Patterson was happy to be back in the fight for the top spot.

“I’m sure we’ll have fun in the 50 k with racing in the front instead of having other people control it and trying to hang on,” Patterson said of the men’s 50 k classic mass start, part of U.S. Distance Nationals, on Saturday. “These races are fun because they kind of bring everyone together at the end of the season.”

Hoffman who started in bib 15, said despite his hot off the start pace, he managed to hold on for the win with the help of Northern Michigan University skier Adam Martin.

“I was pretty aggressive on the first lap, which I intended to do,” Hoffman said. “But I definitely paid for that at the end of the race. I was lucky I had some help, I caught Adam Martin after a lap … He showed me the pace all the way from there to the finish, the last 3 k or so. That was very helpful for me, having not paced it well. I needed that little boost of somebody to follow.”

While both Hoffman and Patterson found the help of other racers on course, Paddy Caldwell, skied the course solo for third place overall.

“I was flying solo for the day, but that was all right,” Caldwell said on the phone.

Caldwell, who skis for Dartmouth College and is also a member of the Stratton Mountain School and the USST development (“D”) team, was the top U23 athlete, finishing 11.4 seconds behind Hoffman

Paddy Caldwell, racing for the Stratton Mountain School, on his way to third place in the men’s 15 k freestyle individual start at SuperTour Finals on Monday in Craftsbury, Vt. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)

“I’m definitely really excited with the result and it was fun to be so close to a teammate, who I for sure look up to as distance skier and overall guy,” Caldwell said, referring to Hoffman. “And same with Patterson. Those two have really been nailing the distance skiing this year so I’m for psyched to be close and I think, within striking range today.”

With the broad conglomerate of athletes and clubs showing up to the final week of SuperTour racing in the U.S., Caldwell is feeding off the energy of others, while also pushing a competitive energy of his own.

“It’s just awesome to have the whole ski community here,” Caldwell said. “All the World Cup guys — whoever is healthy — it’s great to have everyone here. And I think the World Cup skiers bring some of that energy here which is always fun to see. It’s definitely a relaxed setting, but it’s fun because the competition is definitely high.”

Racing continues Tuesday with the men’s and women’s 1.5 k classic sprints.

Results

March 22, 2016
Sandau Completes NorAm Distance Sweep; Beatty Tops Sovereign 10 k

Race winner Kevin Sandau (AWCA) in the leader’s bib ahead of Bob Thompson (NDC Thunder Bay) during the men’s NorAm 15 k freestyle individual start on Sunday in Vernon, British Columbia. (Photo: XTS Photography)

VERNON, British Columbia — Kevin Sandau of the Alberta World Cup Academy (AWCA) has no time for quitters, including himself. Despite not being renominated to the Canadian National Senior Team this spring, Sandau’s decision to carry on with his career as a professional nordic ski racer proved to be worthwhile as he won his third-consecutive distance race of the NorAm season (in as many races) on Sunday, the men’s 15-kilometer individual start freestyle race at the Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre.

“Going up the climbs, I felt super smooth with my V1 skate,” Sandau, 27, said during an in-person interview after winning Sunday’s race by 37.3 seconds in 39:05.9. “I made sure to push the flats using a strong V2 to keep the speed up. … It was one of those days where I just felt invincible.”

Though doubt shrouded Sandau’s ambition for the sport earlier this year, his latest performances appear to cast all queries aside.

After two weekends of NorAm races, the Canadian will head into the New Year with three distance titles already under his belt, which puts him in a position to potentially earn future World Cup starts as the NorAm (Continental Cup) leader.

“Third distance win in a row, I think that is a good way to end the 2015 year,” he said.

Part of Sandau’s first-place performance on Sunday stemmed from not just his in-race focus, but his pre-race routine and weekend training, he said.

Kevin Sandau and his mom after the men’s NorAm 15 k freestyle individual start on Sunday in Vernon, British Columbia. (Photo: Gerry Furseth)

“My warmup this morning felt bombproof,” Sandau said. “I also took [Saturday] off, didn’t do the sprint race, and did volume instead. … It [was] interesting to see how the body reacted to that.”

While Sandau sat out the sprint, his AWCA teammate and second-place finisher for the men’s 15 k, Knute Johnsgaard, of the national U23+ Development Team, competed both days, and reached the podium in second in both races.

“I thought I skied a good race and I am pretty happy with second,” Johnsgaard, 23, said. “But I’m still chasing that win.”

Johnsgaard’s podium on Sunday came from course knowledge and tact.

“I’ve skied this course so many times,” he said. “You’re able to push pretty hard on the uphills because there is quite a few tucking sections where you can recover after the climbs.”

While course experience was on Johnsgaard’s side, he left the Sovereign NorAm wanting a different kind of experience.

“I have a very large stack of silver medals now, and I’d like to get gold soon,” he said.

Just over 41 seconds behind Sandau, Russell Kennedy (Canmore) in third also craved the top spot on the podium.

“Everyone wants to win from the start, but I’m hoping to get better and better as the season goes on,” Kennedy said. “I feel like I’ve got a good stepping stone, and I’m going to try to keep building off of that.”

Kennedy spent most of his race getting splits for second behind Sandau, but and initially finished second 41.2 seconds after him. A later starter, Johnsgaard bumped Kennedy to third by 3.9 seconds.

On the women’s side, Dahria Beatty (AWCA/U23 Development Team) won the women’s freestyle distance race at Sovereign Lake for the second year in a row.

“I love this course,” the 21-year-old Beatty said after winning in 30:30.2, more than 32 seconds ahead of runner-up Jaqueline Mourao, originally from Brazil who trains with the Pierre Harvey Training Centre (CNEPH) in Quebec.

“I’ve been racing on this course since I was 15; I raced here with the Yukon [team when] I was a junior,” Beatty added.

With her course knowledge and Sunday’s snowfall during the race, she powered into the first climb.

Dahria Beatty (AWCA) in the leader’s bib during a snowy women’s NorAm 10 k freestyle individual start on Sunday in Vernon, British Columbia. (Photo: XTS Photography)

“A lot of people take the first climb conservatively because they are worried about blowing up,” Beatty said. “So I skied as hard as I could and as smooth as possible. I think that’s the key to this course, especially when it is snowing.”

On the podium for the second-straight day, Andrea Dupont, (Rocky Mountain Racers) finished third, 1:02.7 after Beatty.

“Today was okay,” Dupont, 25, said. “It was a bit of a slog because it really started dumping snow when the girls got on course.”

A sprint specialist, Dupont found pacing helped her to another top finish.

“I wanted to not go out too hard, because I’m definitely a sprinter and I characteristically go out too hard and can’t hold it,” she said. “[Sunday] I went out easy and tried to hold it … and I think I’m on track.”

Another sprint favorite, Beatty came into Sunday on the hunt for a win after missing out on Saturday’s A-final.

“I was a little disappointed with not making the A-final yesterday,” she said. “I wanted to come hard today and I knew that I could do well.”

After charging up the first climb, Beatty continued to get positive splits and raced to a 32.2-second win over Mourao.

“I kept getting splits saying I was 25 seconds up on second,” said Beatty, “When you get splits like that, it makes you ski faster because of the confidence boost,” she added.

A three-time Brazilian Olympian, Mourao also felt a confidence boost after her race.

“I’ve never thought about podiums,” said the 40 year old, who’s also competed in biathlon. “And now, with the right preparation, the right skis, the opportunity I’m having, I can dream more.”

Also an adept mountain biker, Mourao believed her time spent on the bike helped her during her time spent climbing on Sunday’s course.

“I’m a mountain biker and I like climbing so the course was perfect for me,” she said.

The last weekend of racing until the New Year (and the next NorAm Jan. 14-17 in Thunder Bay, Ontario) for many of the Canadians, most feel the Sovereign Lake NorAm races were a solid close to 2015.

“This is my last race of 2015,” said Beatty. “I won’t be racing until I head to Europe after Christmas [as the Continental Cup leader] and it’s nice to finish on a positive note.”

— Gerry Furseth contributed reporting

December 15, 2015
Olsson Completes ‘Mission Impossible’ with 15 k Victory at World Championships

France’s Maurice Manificat (l), Sweden’s Johan Olsson (c) and Norway’s Anders Gløersen (r) in Wednesday’s 15 k freestyle podium at the 2015 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun, Sweden. Olsson won the race by 17.8 seconds over Manificat. Gløersen finished third, 19.2 seconds back. (Photo: Falun 2015)

FasterSkier’s coverage of the 2015 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun, Sweden, is brought to you by the generous support of L.L. Bean, now featuring a complete line of Kikkan Randall training wear.

FALUN, Sweden — It was a self-described ‘mission impossible’ for Johan Olsson at the 2015 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. The 34-year-old, who plans to retire after the 2015 season, barely raced in the year prior to the championships due to illness. When he wasn’t bedridden, the Swede was separated from his family and wondering whether he should have retired a year earlier.

It appears his mission impossible wasn’t unattainable, after the Swedish skier coasted to victory in Wednesday’s 15 k freestyle individual start with a time of 35:01.6. Olsson won by a large margin, finishing 17.8 seconds ahead of Frenchman Maurice Manificat. Anders Gløerson placed third and crossed the line 19.2 seconds behind the Swede.

An early starter in bib 17, Olsson realized that conditions would deteriorate as skiers traversed the 7.5 k loop and planned accordingly. He skied the first lap aggressively to take advantage of the fast conditions while they lasted. While his loop was the second-fastest by 0.3 seconds behind Manificat, Olsson excelled through the deepening snow to post the fastest finishing time. He remained in the leader’s chair for the rest of the competition, watching skiers fail to best his winning effort.

Johan Olsson of Sweden collapses after posting the best time in Tuesday’s 15 k freestyle at the 205 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun, Sweden (Photo: Fischer/Nordic Focus)

“I knew I had done a really good race – perhaps the best skating race of my life” Olsson told the press after his finish. “I was able to push very hard all through the race. I was trying to be very aggressive in the beginning to get a good first lap as my starting number at 17 would be an advantage in these conditions to go quite early.”

Olsson credited much of his performance to a strong Swedish wax team that provided him with “the best skis in the field.” He said that half of his medal belonged to his personal wax technician, who also serviced the skis teammate Charlotte Kalla used in Tuesday’s 10 k victory.

Olsson has stepped away from World Cup competition in recent years to focus on championship events. He started no World Cup competitions in 2014, and his only race of 2015 was the recent Östersund 15 k where finished fifth. The Swede’s strategy appears to have worked, especially given his championship results from the past three years. In the 2013 World Championships he was second in the 15 k freestyle and first in the 50 k classic. At the 2014 Olympics he was second in the 15 k classic.

“When you have a goal and a mission that’s really impossible, that’s what gets me going,” – Johan Olsson

“I don’t think anyone has invested so heavily in the World Championships as I have,” he explained. “I have left the World Cup behind me completely and had a clear plan for the World Championships.”

Even with a reduced racing schedule, Olsson’s path to success hasn’t been easy.

Johan Olsson of Sweden smiles after his win in the 15 k freestyle at the 2015 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun, Sweden.

The world champion lost a month of training in December when he succumbed to a strong virus that left him bedridden. At the time, he believed his last year of racing might have been for nothing.

“When i was sick, I was wondering why did I continue one more year,” he said. “I was trying to do some mission impossible for the championships. Of course as an athlete you don’t belive in yourself when you can’t train and can’t do anything.”

Despite the low moral, Olsson continued to build fitness with his sights set on the Championships in Falun. After his recovery he trained roughly 100 hours in January and skied over 300 k in just 15 days. The training came at a price, however, as Olsson was unable to see his two children – who were in attendance at Wednesday’s race – for seven weeks prior to the Championships in Falun.

“From the new year, no one has put in as much effort as I have done,” he said in a press conference. “I haven’t seen my kids for seven weeks and that is quite strainful to have two small kids at home and not see them. Every night you think is it worth it to be away from your kids.”

Olsson added that while the decision to be apart from his family was difficult, it was days like Wednesday that he and his wife “are pretty convinced that it was worth it.”

“When you have a goal and a mission that’s really impossible, that’s what gets me going,” he said.

In second, Manificat earned the first French medal at a cross country World Championships event in 10 years since Vincent Vittoz was crowned victor in the 2005 30 k pursuit. He is now one of only four French men to claim a medal at Worlds.

Maurice Manificat realizes his podium placement after the finish of the 15 k freestyle at the 2015 FIS Nordic World Championships in Falun, Sweden. He finished second to earn the first World Championships medal for France in 10 years.

Manificat entered Wednesday’s race with confidence – he hasn’t finished lower than eighth in a 15 k freestyle event in the 2015 season. At the pre-World Championships 15 k freestyle in Östersund, he also placed second.

As one of the day’s late starters in Bib 63, Manificat skied through the worst of the wet, soft snow. While it made the race more difficult, he explained that he excels in such conditions.

“The last lap, the snow was softer maybe. But I like the soft snow and it is no problem” he said to the press. “I felt difficulty so I knew it would be difficult to keep the medal. But I believed it until the end and I did it to the finish line.”

Gløersen also faced a soft course, and explained he believed results were fair to all starters.

“There was good glide in the the snow,” he said. “You have to fight harder the whole way around and try to think too much about the feeling and think about the results to motivate myself to stay in the race.”

Gløersen is one of Norway’s best sprinters, but has demonstrated a shift to distance skiing in the 2015 season. In December, he won the Davos 15 k freestyle. He explained he didn’t want to enter Wednesday’s race with high expectations because of his inexperience in distance racing.

Anders Gløersen of Norway en route to his third place finish in Wednesday’s 15 k freestyle at the 2015 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun, Sweden. (Photo: Fischer/Nordic Focus)

“It’s been my goal this entire season to qualify for the team for the 15 k here. In my head I’ve been preparing to fight for a medal, so for me it’s not surprising,” he said. “I may be a little reluctant to say that I thought I could get a medal. I’ve been a sprinter for now six, seven years on the World Cup, so for me to just suddenly start focusing on the 15 k to say I was going for a medal was a bit too high. I‘m just really happy to achieve my goal today.”

Gløersen’s result comes on the heels of a difficult waxing day for the Norwegian women. In Tuesday’s 10 k the team’s best finish was 22nd, with previous favorites like Marit Bjørgen finishing outside the top-30.

There was no such trouble for Norway in Wednesday’s 15 k, as Gløersen said his skis were gliding well. Norwegian men’s coach Trond Nystad echoed Gløersen saying, “the skis seemed to have worked and they seemed to be a lot better than yesterday.”

With four in the top-nine, Nystad explained the Norwegian national team was pleased with the day’s results given the level of competition.

“We knew it was going to be hard to get a medal,” he told FasterSkier. “The men’s race is pretty tight so one second back or one second forward can mean one or two places. We were in the medals so we were psyched. We were actually pretty happy that we did well as a team.”

The only Norwegian result outside the top-10 was from Petter Northug who finished his day in 62nd. Northug has already been crowned world championships twice in Falun, with wins in the classic sprint and team sprint. According to Nystad, Northug wasn’t feeling well and decided to “tour” so that he could rest for the upcoming relay and 50 k classic mass start.

Racing at the 2015 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun, Sweden continues Thursday with the women’s 4 x 5 k relay.

Results

February 25, 2015
Harvey Leads North American Men in Rybinsk 15 k

Alex Harvey (Canadian World Cup Team) racing to 10th in the men’s 15 k freestyle on a chilly day in Rybinsk, Russia, on Friday. (Photo: Fischer/NordicFocus)

The North American men had mixed results while facing cold-and-snowy conditions in Rybinsk, Russia, during Friday’s World Cup 15-kilometer freestyle individual start.

Canada’s Alex Harvey took 10^th and was the top North American finisher, ending up 1:15.7 behind Switzerland’s Dario Cologna, who won it in 36:53.4. The result elevated Harvey to 11^th in the overall World Cup standings.

Although the field featured fewer top athletes than a usual World Cup race — with many of the leaders in the World Cup standings, including the top Norwegians, opting out of the races in Rybinsk — Harvey said in a phone interview that he was pleased with his top 10.

The 26 year old explained his first lap proved especially difficult, as the 5 k course features five significant climbs.

“I kind of struggled with my legs and everything so I couldn’t push too hard on the first lap, but I was feeling better and better so I was able to pick up some ranks from the 5 k mark on,” he said.

Harvey had the 20^th-fastest time after 3.5 k, but his pace improved throughout the race, and he was 15^th after 11.9 k.

“I think I skied well technically; it was kind of a cold snow so when you were on your edges it was pretty slow, but if you were able to hold onto a flat ski it was good,” Harvey explained.

He said he tried to glide as much as he could, and “took it down a notch” on the climbs for the sake of his legs.

“It was probably the best I could have done,” he said.

Harvey said that before the race he was unsure he would start. He came to Rybinsk thinking more about Saturday’s freestyle sprint and Sunday’s 30 k skiathlon, but decided to race after the temperature was not as cold as predicted.

“Doing three races in a row is always hard, but it was just -11 [degrees Celsius] so it wasn’t so cold. But had it been -15 or colder I probably would have skipped it,” he explained.

Ivan Babikov (Canadian World Cup Team) racing to 22nd on Friday in the 15 k freestyle at the World Cup in Rybinsk, Russia. (Photo: Fischer/NordicFocus)

Also for Canada, Ivan Babikov finished 22^nd (+1:53.3), despite not being able to ski as fast as he would have liked.

“Fresh, cold snow definitely made a big difference in speed compared to yesterday, so it was pretty hard to ski fast out there,” the 35-year-old Russian-born skier wrote in an email.

Babikov said he skied his second lap alongside France’s Maurice Manificat, who finished sixth (+1:03.8), and was able to stay with Manificat on the flat sections and gradual inclines. However, he lost him on the hills and was dropped 4 k into the second lap.

“I’m satisfied that I scored some points but I still lost a lot of time to the top ten,” Babikov explained. “My body was feeling good though and I’m looking forward to the [skiathlon] on Sunday.”

He is now 55^th in the World Cup standings.

Meanwhile, teammate Devon Kershaw was disappointed with his day, in which he placed 36^th (+2:42.3).

“I am sounding like a broken record these days, but it did not play out well out there on the course for me today. I feel devoid of power and on a course like this one — where the climbs aren’t too long or too steep — that’s a bad thing,” Kershaw wrote in an email.

Graeme Killick (AWCA/Canadian Development B-Team) racing to 43rd in the 15 k freestyle at the World Cup in Rybinsk, Russia. (Photo: Fischer/NordicFocus)

The 32 year old described the course as a “real workhorse course” and said it is easy to either make up a lot of time or lose time on a difficult day.

Looking ahead, Kershaw was excited about the 30 k skiathlon.

“The courses here are some of my favorite on the World Cup, so good body, bad body — I don’t have a hard time getting excited to race on these tracks,” he wrote. “Sunday’s race is longer, has some classic, and is a mass start so the key is to be able to have the body to ski the leaders’ rhythm and try and conserve energy early.”

Kershaw’s best World Cup result this season was in Ruka, Finland, last November, when he took 14th in a 15 k classic individual start.

Canadian Graeme Killick, coming off a successful Nor-Am Cup where he won the skiathlon, finished 43rd (+3:18.5).

Erik Bjornsen competing in the 2015 Tour de Ski prologue on Jan. 3. (Photo: Marcel Hilger.)

The two American skiers finished near the back, with Erik Bjornsen taking 40^th (+2:50.0) and Matt Gelso placing 50^th (+4:10.0) out of 53 racers.

However, Gelso was ill the week preceding Friday’s race. He wrote in an email that while suffering through a head cold he was not able to ski for multiple days and only managed a short ski on Thursday. Fortunately, he felt healthy on Friday and was able to race.

The 26 year old explained that he felt solid for the first lap and a quarter of the second lap, but began to struggle when he would have liked to increase his pace and stay competitive.

“There is a lot of sustained V1 on this course, and I did not have the tempo or pop I needed to ski these sections well. I felt solid on the flat and rolling sections, but unfortunately that made up a very negligible part of the course and so I struggled on the steeps with my slow and flat V1,” Gelso wrote.

Gelso explained he knew beforehand that this result was a distinct possibility after a week of sickness and little preparation, though he was still “extremely unhappy” with it.

“But that’s racing,” he wrote.

U.S. Ski Team Head Coach Chris Grover said in a phone interview that despite Friday’s results, the team is excited.

“Now that Gelso is feeling better, everybody is healthy,” he wrote.

He explained that the U.S. team only had five of their ten athletes starting on Friday, as the team is focusing on Saturday’s sprint and Sunday’s skiathlon. However, Gelso will not start on Saturday in order to focus on the skiathlon.

Results

January 23, 2015
Gelso Outlasts Surging Gregg to Earn Victory in SuperTour 15 k

Matt Gelso (SVSEF) en route to a 9.6 second win over Brian Gregg (Team Gregg/Madshus) in Saturday’s 15 k freestyle in West Yellowstone, Mont.

WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont. — Matt Gelso’s strategy in Saturday’s SuperTour 15-kilometer freestyle individual start was to traverse the 5 k course as hard as he could from the beginning of the race. The Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation Gold Team (SVSEF) member saw only two possibilities – he was either going to ‘blow up’ or rely on fitness to earn a place on the podium. Either way he was going all out.

After finishing three laps of the demanding course, it was clear that Gelso had accomplished the latter of the two outcomes, crossing the line in 36:20.2 to earn the top spot in the first domestic distance race of the season.

“I just wanted to go out hard and since it’s early season, see what happens … I struggled the last lap, but I was able to ski smooth and ski smart. I had a flat ski and that’s super important on this course, because a lot of it’s about skiing smooth and powerful,” Gelso said in a post-race interview.

The 26-year-old started the race with little knowledge of where he ranked among his fellow competitors during the course of the 15 k. Because Gelso started near the front of the A-seed, splits had little meaning during his first and second laps.

According to Gelso, it wasn’t until the third lap that he learned he was battling University of Colorado’s Mads Strøm for first place from on-course splits. Gelso said the splits gave him confidence to keep himself going and hang on to the top position.

On a day where many racers had slow skis due to warmer-than-average temperatures and winds that showered a mix of new snow and dirt on the trials, Gelso said the Sun Valley wax crew gave him impeccable skis.

Brian Gregg (Team Gregg/Madshus) finished second in Saturday’s SuperTour 15 k freestyle in West Yellowstone, Mont.

Furthermore, Gelso pointed to a 10 k time-trial that he and fellow Sun Valley teammates performed earlier in the week as a reason for his succes. Utilizing the same 5 k loop as Saturday’s race, Gelso said the time-trial helped him understand how to ski the course’s terrain, which is known for its lack of rest.

The other two members of the Sun Valley’s Gold Team also benefited from the team’s preparation, as both finished in the top-ten with Ben Lustgarten placing seventh (+58.2) and Miles Havlick finishing eighth (+1:13.2).

While Gelso was working to outlast Strøm, another skier was getting dangerously close to winning the race.

Brain Gregg (Team Gregg/Madshus) began his 15 k conservatively and was 13 seconds back from Gelso at the 5 k mark. However, as the race continued Gregg maintained his pace while others slowed.

It was a conscious strategy by Gregg, who has seen what it takes to be successful in West Yellowstone over his years of racing. He pointed to retired Bridger Ski Foundation athlete and multiple West Yellowstone SuperTour victor, Leif Zimmerman, as a prime example of someone who was able to make up ground in the final kilometers.

That’s exactly what Gregg did. According to the 30-year-old, he was 23 seconds behind Gelso at the 12.5 k mark but was able to reduce the deficit to 9.6 seconds by the time he crossed the finish line.

Although Gregg was unable to overcome the entire 23-second deficit he was happy to finish the day in second.

Mads Strøm (CU) fought for first but ultimately ended third in the 15 k freestyle in West Yellowstone, Mont. as part of the opening SuperTour weekend.

Strøm, who eventually finished third (+12.4), won the same event in the 2013 West Yellowstone SuperTour.

While he couldn’t match his previous performance, he fought for the victory throughout the majority of the race.

Strøm explained that the previous day’s sprint had left him lethargic throughout the first third of the race. However, around the 6 k mark he began to feel fresh and energized as he learned there was a contest for first between him and Gelso.

“I tried to fight as much as possible but I wasn’t able to get as much as I hoped to in the last 3 k,” the University of Colorado skier said.

Rounding out the top five were two skiers who faced the stomach flu only three days prior: Kris Freeman (Team Freebird) and Tad Elliott (Ski and Snowboard Club Vail Elite).

“Both Tad and I got a stomach virus, so I was vomiting three days ago. Yesterday I felt really, really flat and you have to be sharp in a sprint… Today was a step in the right direction but I didn’t feel like myself and I’m a little bummed,” Freeman said of Friday’s sprint race and Saturday’s fourth place finish.

Freeman, a favorite to win the the 15 k, had strong first lap in which he posted the second-fastest time. Once on the second and third laps, however, he was unable to maintain his speed after losing much of his energy to the illness.

Kris Freeman had a strong first lap in West Yellowstone but ultimately finished fourth in the SuperTour 15 k freestyle.

“I’ve had a great lead up to the season. I felt like I was in awesome shape here and I really thought I was going to stomp it, but instead life happens. I’ve been here before and I can’t let it bother me too much,” he said.

Elliott, who dealt with the Epstein-Barr Virus for most of the previous year, said that he had been feeling especially strong before he came down with the flu on Thanksgiving night. While he was unsure whether he would start Saturday’s race, he made the final decision to give the 15 k a shot after warming up just minutes before the race.

Once on course, Elliott explained that a combination of coaching, fast skis, and experience helped him progress from ninth place after 5 k to fifth as he crossed the finish line.

“Having the flu and having the fever wasn’t ideal but I think part of the reason for [my success] today was our coaches…I felt like my skis were some of the best in the field, to be honest, they were super quick. Being an experienced skier I think helped too. I did well on my splits out there,” he said of his race.

The two skiers finished roughly thirty seconds apart, with Freeman crossing the line 18 seconds from the lead and Elliott finishing 43.4 seconds back from Gelso.

Other notable results from Saturday’s race include Colorado’s Rune Ødegård in sixth (+49.2), GearWest/United XC’s Matt Liebsch in ninth (+1:18.8), and the USST’s Paddy Caldwell in tenth (+1:25.7).

All of the top-five finishers expressed that their races were solid starting points for the season, but were wary of putting too much emphasis in Saturday’s results

Tad Elliot (SSCV) progressed from 9th to 5th over the course of three laps in Saturday’s SuperTour 15 k freestyle in West Yellowstone, Mont.

“It’s always good start on a positive note so that you have so you have that positive feedback on your training, but it’s the last week of November and we’re racing all the way through the end of March,” Gregg said of his takeaway from the race.

For Gelso, the biggest benefit of winning Saturday’s race was the FIS and USSA points he would earn from the day’s effort.

“Today will be good in FIS and USSA points and that’s a consideration for World Championships,” he said, referencing USSA’s consideration of USSA points for World Championship selections.

The fact the they are distance points is especially promising for Gelso and other top finishers, as it is likely the U.S. coaching squad will be looking for more domestic distance skiers rather than domestic sprinters to fill their quota for the championships.

Gelso also explained that the SuperTour points he earned from the victory would be important in his quest to be SuperTour leader so that he could earn starts on the World Cup in either period 2 or period 3 of this year.

However, such a feat is a far away, and to maintain his momentum throughout the season, Gelso said that he’s working to maintain his fitness and consistency.

“I’ve got to keep my training consistent and focused so I don’t peak up here and then dive off into the great depths when U.S. Nationals and the rest of the season comes around. So, I’m definitely going to be focused on keeping the race fitness and general fitness up,” he said.

Men’s 15 k freestyle top ten (full results)

1. Matt Gelso (SVSEF) 36:20.2

2. Brian Gregg ( Team Gregg/Madshus) +9.6

3. Mads Strøm (CU) +12.4

4. Kris Freeman (Team Freebird) +18

5. Tad Elliot (SSCV) +43.4

6. Rune Ødegård (CU) +49.2

7. Ben Lustgarten (SVSEF) + 58.2

8. Miles Havlick (SVSEF) +1:13.2

9. Matt Liebsch (GearWest/XC United) +1:18.8

10. Paddy Caldwell (USST/SMST2) +1:25.7

November 30, 2014
Hoffman Works His Way into 15 k Skate, Wins Day 1 of SuperTour Finals

Noah Hoffman (SSCV/Team HomeGrown/USST) racing to a 10.9-second win in Saturday’s 15 k freestyle at SuperTour Finals at Kincaid Park in Anchorage, Alaska. (Photo: Rob Whitney)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Separated by 30 seconds at the start, nearly 70 men in Saturday’s 15.9-kilometer freestyle raced around Kincaid Park individually on Saturday in the SuperTour Finals opener.

One by one, they ascended massive hills, like Elliott’s Climb at the end of each 5.3 k lap, and descended a winding section of the course known as S Turns. They made their way back to the stadium World Cup start area via trails named Burky’s Climb and Roller Coaster.

Some made up ground on their competitors; others lost it.

With one lap to go, it was pretty obvious which side of that Noah Hoffman of the U.S. Ski Team (USST), Ski & Snowboard Club Vail and Team HomeGrown was on.

University of Vermont senior Scott Patterson racing to second in Saturday’s 15 k freestyle at SuperTour Finals in Anchorage, Alaska. (Photo: Rob Whitney)

Watching him climb Elliott’s the second time around 10 k was unlike anyone else. Scott Patterson of the University of Vermont (UVM) led Hoffman by half a second after the first 5 k loop, then fell behind by 4.6 seconds by the end of the second.

“There’s no recovery out there,” Hoffman said after the race. “You’ve got to work the whole thing. The downhills are turny, really require you to work, but for the most part it’s just rolling terrain and no big uphills, no big downhills, quite different than anything I’ve raced [overseas] all year. It was fun.”

With about 5 k to go, Hoffman, 25, put the hammer down on the hills he knew were his strength. The lone skier at Spring Series from his Colorado club, Hoffman stood out in white — and in his ability to attack when most were visibly slowing.

“My strategy was try just to ski really high energy but keep it relaxed, knowing that I couldn’t really go over the line because there was no place to recover,” Hoffman said. “There were limited opportunities out there to attack on the uphills so I had to really focus when I did have that opportunity.”

Hoffman continued to gap Patterson, a UVM senior from Anchorage, on the final lap and ultimately beat him by 10.9 seconds for a victory in his first SuperTour Finals since 2012.

“I knew I was close to Scott,” Hoffman said. “I was getting word out there, ‘Tied! Up by two, down by two,’ so I knew it was a close race and you’ve just got to work for every second out there and see what happens.”

While Patterson gave Hoffman a run, nobody else came too close. Erik Bjornsen of Alaska Pacific University (APU) and the USST was in a three-way fight for third with Patrick Johnson (Far West Elite Team) and David Norris (Montana State University) with one lap to go.

Erik Bjornsen (APU/USST) racing out of the World Cup start area to third place in Saturday’s 15 k freestyle at SuperTour Finals in Anchorage, Alaska. (Photo: Rob Whitney)

Bjornsen ended up third, 59.3 seconds behind Hoffman and 3.1 second ahead of Norris in fourth, and said he lost time on the second loop and didn’t have the finishing punch he’s used to.

“I really didn’t find that top gear in the last lap that I was looking for, so that was a little disappointing,” Bjornsen said.

But a podium is a podium at a race series that ranks right up there with U.S. nationals prestige (on March 28, the 30 and 50 k classic mass starts will serve as U.S. Distance Nationals).

“It’s been cool this year going to the Olympics,” Bjornsen said. “I think Anchorage has started to notice my name. Just a ton of fans out there. It was so fun.

“I thought I was fourth,” he continued. “I’m happy with [third]. … It’s a tough race. You’ve just got to keep working the whole time and keep moving. As soon as you kind of rest or chill for a little bit I think you lose a lot of time.”

“I think Anchorage has started to notice my name. Just a ton of fans out there. It was so fun.” — Erik Bjornsen (APU/USST), third in SuperTour Finals 15 k freestyle

Patterson didn’t let off the brakes, especially with Anchorage spectators lining the course, but thought he came undone a little bit on the final climb. At the halfway point, he recalled being two seconds ahead of Hoffman in the lead — an accomplishment for any non-USST member, let alone a college racer.

Noah Hoffman on his way to winning his first SuperTour Finals race in two years. He did not compete in Truckee, Calif., last season. (Photo: Rob Whitney)

“It seemed like every person was giving me splits, every volunteer was cheering for me so it was pretty cool. Definitely had a good crowd out there that knew me well,” he said.

“Scott’s a great skier, I’ve known that for a long time,” Hoffman said. “It was never a guarantee I’m going to win this race. I’m just glad to edge it out. I hope to ski Scott at the World Cup level sometime soon.”

If Patterson, the younger of the two siblings at the Finals (Caitlin of the Craftsbury Green Racing Project is the other), has his way, that’s exactly how his career will go down. The first step is not being intimidated by a USST athlete. The second: learn how to deal with limited splits on when you start ahead of the person you’re trying to chase down.

“It was hard to kind of know — up, down, going back and forth — so I tried to push it in, but I was a little slow on the last hill,” Patterson said. “He definitely picked it up towards the end.”

For Hoffman, the attack made all the difference. Besides Patterson and Bjornsen on the podium, Hoffman beat everyone else by more than a minute. Norris was fourth (+1:02.4), Lex Treinen (APU) fifth (+1:06.2). Johnson placed sixth, Matt Gelso (Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation) took seventh, Reese Hanneman (APU) was eighth, Brian Gregg (Team Gregg/Madshus) ninth, and the former APU skier Mark Iverson (Rossignol) 10th.

Hoffman and Bjornsen were among four in the top eight getting wax help from APU this week, including Norris and Hanneman.

“I don’t really know how my fitness is at the moment; it was a lot of travel,” Hoffman said after flying from Sweden to Anchorage earlier this week. “I’ve been sleeping pretty well for the most part this week, but it’s a hard transition, it’s also just been a long season.”

Results

The men’s 15 k freestyle individual start podium at SuperTour Finals in Anchorage, with winner Noah Hoffman (c), runner-up Scott Patterson (third from l) and Erik Bjornsen (second from r) in third.(Photo: Rob Whitney)

March 22, 2014
Strøm Overcomes Fatigue for West Yellowstone SuperTour Win; Gregg Second in 15 k Skate

Mads Strøm (University of Colorado) starting his first of three times up Tele Hill in the SuperTour 15 k freestyle individual start on Saturday in West Yellowstone, Mont. Strøm won the race by more than 14 seconds.

WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont. – Mads Strøm is a 22-year-old full-time student in his freshman year at the University of Colorado (CU), yet he’s been training like it’s his job.

In Saturday’s SuperTour 15-kilometer freestyle individual start – the second and final race in West Yellowstone – it showed as Strøm beat more than 120 men, completing the three-lap course at the Rendezvous Ski Trails in 34:22.9 minutes. He finished 14.1 seconds faster than runner-up Brian Gregg (Madshus/Team Gregg) and was 20 seconds ahead of Sylvan Ellefson (Ski & Snowboard Club Vail/Team HomeGrown) in third.

“I know I’m fast, but we’ve been training almost 30 hours this last week so [on Friday] I didn’t feel that good,” said Strøm, who spent the summer working out with his home club Bærums Verk IF in Oslo, Norway. He was coming from a good place after last season, when he tallied placed 26^th at Norwegian nationals in April in the 50 k classic.

It could’ve been West Yellowstone’s altitude of nearly 7,000 feet, about 1,500 feet higher than that of his college town in Boulder, or the effects of the first race of the season: the 1.3 k freestyle sprint. Strøm didn’t advance through the quarterfinals on Friday after being knocked out in a photo finish with eventual winner Emil Johansson, of Sweden, and Skyler Davis (Stratton Mountain School T2 Team).

Mads Strøm, a Norwegian freshman at the University of Colorado (r), passes Moritz Madlener (University of Denver) on Tele Hill during Saturday’s SuperTour 15 k freestyle individual start in West Yellowstone, Mont.

That left Strøm “kind of pissed off actually,” he said, which he used as fuel as the fifth starter on Saturday. Without many splits to work with early on, Strøm simply went fast. After the first lap, he heard was fighting for a top three – mostly with Ellefson – and 14 seconds out of first. One lap later, he was within 1 second of the lead, and by the third time around, up to 17 seconds ahead.

“I was really pushing it really hard on that last lap,” Strøm said.

Meanwhile, Ellefson and Matt Liebsch (XC United/Team StrongHeart), who started 30 seconds apart, respectively, were duking it out as well. Starting 6 minutes behind Liebsch, Gregg was also gunning for a top three, making all three SuperTour favorites push even harder along the working course, with little opportunity to rest.

From the splits Ellefson was getting, he heard Strøm was “just crushing it” on the first lap, but slowing on the second lap. “Then [he] got pissed off on his third lap and finished hard,” Ellefson said. “My goal being the first person in the A-seed was to set a good time. I think I went out just a little bit too hard.”

Ellefson said he suffered the effects on the last two laps, feeling less snappy like he would’ve liked, but “was able to hold a solid pace.”

“I have mixed feelings about today,” Ellefson said. “I am really happy with the result, but I wasn’t totally happy with the way my body felt.”

Brian Gregg (Madshus/Team Gregg) en route to second in the West Yellowstone SuperTour 15 k skate.

Gregg knew where he stood in regards to Ellefson and Liebsch, who ended up fourth, but wasn’t sure about Strøm. Down by 20 seconds on the first lap, he focused on building into the race, like his former coach Scott Johnston of the Methow Olympic Development squad had advised.

“I have a tendency to start out too hard and sort of fade in that last little bit,” Gregg said. “[I] tried to stay a little relaxed, but I was a little worried that I was so far back from those guys.”

Ultimately, Gregg’s plan worked. “I was able to pace pretty well,” he said as the second-place finisher (and top American), which puts him in a good spot for early season racing.

“My two focus races are this 15 k and then the 15 k at Silver Star next weekend,” Gregg said.

Unlike many SuperTour skiers, including his wife, Caitlin, Brian Gregg won’t be heading to Bozeman for the second series next weekend, instead opting to race the season-opening NorAm in British Columbia. Several Americans will venture to Canada for the first two weekends of NorAms (in Silver Star and Rossland) in an effort to boost their FIS points.

On Saturday, Caitlin won the women’s 10 k skate for her second win of the weekend. That puts her in a prime spot as the overall SuperTour leader shooting for World Cup starts in January.

“It was very good to have a win yesterday, and I actually was pretty happy about my sprint result, too,” said Brian Gregg, who qualified in 26^th and narrowly missed advancing out of the quarterfinals in third. “We’re pretty excited about where our fitness is, and we have the whole family out here for Thanksgiving.”

Team Gregg gathers Saturday after Caitlin won and Brian placed second in West Yellowstone (from left to right): Jim and Jan Gregg, Brian and Caitlin Gregg, and Chad and Alieta Gregg.

Standing with his parents, brother and sister-in-law, and Caitlin after Saturday’s races, Gregg referred to them all as Team Gregg.

“My mom brought the sewing machine to sew all the [sponsor] patches on our uniforms,” he said. “And then my brother and sister-in-law and my dad were out there doing the splits, [and I had] a couple friends out there …”

One of his good friends, Liebsch was missing his family, which typically travels from the Twin Cities to watch him in West, but he understood the decision. His wife, Marybeth, wanted him to focus on racing, he said. And she was also due with their third child in late March/early April.

“I just talked to her, she’s a saint,” Liebsch said. “I was pretty sad that she didn’t make it out here with the kids this year, but we will make it out another year as a family. … This was not quite the result I was looking for today, but a good start.”

Despite feeling pretty good, Liebsch said he was still working into the race season.

“I didn’t have top gear when I tried to push it,” he said. “I didn’t feel like I went any faster that effort. I just skied really big and smooth and then tried to close as hard as I could.”

Up on Gregg for the first two laps, he knew what his friend was capable of. “I did intervals with him a week ago and he was moving really fast,” Liebsch said. “So I knew he would probably ski pretty well out here.”

Syvlan Ellefson (SSCV/Team HomeGrown) leads a train his second time up Tele Hill in Saturday’s 15 k skate at the West Yellowstone SuperTour. Ellefson had skiers racing behind him most of the race.

Liebsch focused on catching Ellefson, who put time into Liebsch on the first lap. Liebsch ended up 10.8 seconds behind Ellefson, just off the podium. Next weekend, Liebsch will also race at Silver Star.

“This is a big season, trying to make the Olympic team,” he said. “I really would like to ski that 50 k skate at Sochi. We are all kind of gunning for race wins and low FIS points. We are not overseas racing, but maybe some of us might go over, it depends. I know nationals is really important, so I am targeting that this year.”

Strøm said he was excited for the NCAA season and will try to race at Norwegian nationals in January. “We’ve been training a lot and trying to do good races here, too, to show that we are able to ski fast even though we are living in the U.S. and studying full time,” he said.

In fifth place, NCAA champion Rune Ødegaard (CU) finished 55.7 seconds behind Strøm, and Miles Havlik (Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation) was sixth (+1:06.6). Tyler Reinking (Bridger Ski Foundation) finished seventh, Niklas Persson (Utah) was eighth, Pierre Guedon (Denver) placed ninth, and Sawyer Kesselheim (Montana State University) was 10^th.

— Lander Karath and Matt Voisin contributed reporting

Complete results

Matt Liebsch (XC United/Team StrongHeart) skiing ” big and smooth” before placing fourth in Saturday’s 15 k skate at the West Yellowstone SuperTour.

December 1, 2013
Babikov Gets His, Fourth in World Champs 15 k Individual Start

Ivan Babikov (l) leads fellow Canadian Graham Nishikawa (r) of the Alberta World Cup Academy during Wednesday’s 15 k freestyle individual start at 2013 World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy.

FasterSkier’s coverage of the 2013 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy, is brought to you by the generous support of Fischer Sports.

VAL DI FIEMME, Italy – Ivan Babikov had no doubt this season would be tough. At 32 years old, the Canadian World Cup skier was coming in with high aspirations in a sort-of test year before the Sochi Olympics in his native Russia.

Not sure how much longer he’d stay in the game, Babikov planned to compete through Sochi and the year after in 2015. But he’d have to see how things went, Babikov told FasterSkier in early November.

As long as he was still competitive, he’d continue, he said. But with a wife, infant and 10-year-old at home in Canmore, Alberta, dedicating himself to full-time international racing wasn’t easy. Babikov prepared for the season ahead knowing the first half would be manageable. He’d be back for the Canadian World Cups in December and able to spend some time in Canmore with family. After that, it would be a bit of a grind from the Tour de Ski at the end of December through late March.

Babikov put his head down early and notched his best overall finish in the Tour in seventh, which appeared to be a good indicator of things to come.

The focus, however, remained on World Championships.

Ivan Babikov (CAN) racing to a career-best fourth in Wednesday’s 15 k freestyle individual start at World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy. (Photo: Fiemme2013)

On Wednesday at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Val di Fiemme, Babikov had one of the best races he could ask for, finishing fourth in the 15-kilometer freestyle individual start.

Ultimately ranking 32^nd the 1.8 k checkpoint, the oldest member of the Canadian national team picked up the pace on the second lap to end up with the seventh-fastest time through 9.4 k. His 11.8 k time ranked sixth of more than 90 competitors, and when he finished in bib 69, he took the lead.

While extremely satisfying, the moment was short lived. Norway’s Tor Asle Gjerdalen was 31.3 seconds faster across the line, bumping Babikov to second less than a minute later. A couple minutes passed before Johan Olsson captured the lead, and Petter Northug later topped the Swede by 11.8 seconds to win in 34:37.1.

Babikov was 53.6 seconds back in fourth for Canada’s best men’s result in a World Championships distance event. Thirty-one years ago, Pierre Harvey (Canadian National Team member Alex Harvey’s dad) set the previous record of 16^th in the 15 k freestyle event at the 1982 World Championships.

Three years ago at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Babikov was fifth in the 30 k mass start pursuit and helped the men’s 4 x 10 k relay place seventh. At the 2009 World Championships the year before, he captured fifth with Harvey, Devon Kershaw and George Grey in the relay.

With an individual start to tackle Wednesday, Babikov said he was encouraged by the splits he heard throughout the three-lap course. It also didn’t hurt that Russian favorite Alexander Legkov started 12 minutes behind him and the two skied together on Babikov’s second lap.

“When I heard he was starting behind me I thought, ‘OK, it could be a good ride, at least for a little bit,’ ” Babikov recalled. “But when I realized I could stay with him and maybe even a little bit faster, that was the plan. When I heard the splits going my way, I was getting more psyched and could push even harder.”

At the finish, Babikov soaked up the possibility of standing on the podium as he awaited his fate, but wasn’t disappointed when he came up short.

“Too bad I didn’t have enough time to sit in the chair,” Babikov joked. “Damn!”

But in all seriousness, he said this World Championships has finally shaped up into what he’d hoped after coming off an illness last week. He was 31st in Saturday’s 30 k skiathlon.

“It’s all turned around for me,” he said. “It feels so good to feel my body back, my legs. Today felt really good, much, much better than past races here and the skis felt amazing … So it’s a fourth place, a wooden medal, how do you say it? But still pretty happy.”

Historically, however, Val di Fiemme hasn’t been a bad place for Babikov. On Jan. 5, he was seventh in the Tour de Ski’s 15 k classic mass start there and went on to place second on the nearby hill climb up Alpe Cermis on Jan. 6, the last day of the Tour. Back in 2009, he won the final climb in Val di Fiemme and was fourth on the last stage of the Tour in 2010.

“I love those trails, they’re hard, and I love Italy,” Babikov said in November about the 2013 World Championships venue, predicting, “It’s gonna be awesome.”

He was right. The result was his best at World Championships and tied his top World Cup result of fourth in 2005 Canmore 15 k freestyle race.

“Then was a surprise for me,” Babikov said. “Today, maybe surprise, too, after feeling so bad. I’m still really happy.”

Head coach Justin Wadsworth said Babikov’s personal best was a long time coming, especially after the two worked hard on consistency in his training throughout the offseason.

“Consistent strength training, consistent easy on the easy days and stuff like that,” Wadsworth said. “And he’s finally started to do it.”

Before the race, Wadsworth thought Babikov was capable of the top five.

“He’s been leading our team almost all season in the distance events … but that was incredible,” Wadsworth said. “He’s made some big sacrifices, like being away from his family on this period, and this makes it totally everything worthwhile I think.”

Babikov agreed.

“I’m sacrificing a lot of time with my kids and my wife, but that’s how it is,” he said. “It’s maybe the last two years of my career and they understand it and they try to make my life easier. Every day I work super hard and just thinking of the Olympics and the World Champs … I’m happy to be here.”

Canadian World Cup Team member Devon Kershaw (l) leads Japan’s Akira Lenting up one of several climbs in Wednesday’s 15 k freestyle individual start at World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy.

Kershaw, who wasn’t pleased with his own race in 33^rd (+2:54.0), was inspired by Babikov’s performance.

“Ivan was absolutely stunning today,” Kershaw wrote in an email. “To take advantage of the grueling course and conditions and light it up like that – wow. It was amazing to witness. I am so proud of him – to call him a teammate and buddy.”

Wadsworth said the soft snow conditions on a balmy 8-degree Celsius afternoon suited the man they affectionately call Babs the Bulldog.

“The harder it is [the better],” Wadsworth said. “We knew it would play into his hands a bit.”

However, it wasn’t so great for Kershaw.

“The slower conditions are not his style,” Wadsworth said. “I was bummed to see that new snow and I knew would slow it up enough that that could be a factor. He likes to glide and have it fast and hard. It was hard, it just wasn’t real fast today.”

“Not much to say about my race today. It was another nightmare,” Kershaw wrote. “I am so disappointed it’s actually pretty stupid. It’s only ski racing, I know that – but it’s hard to describe how bad I’ve felt in pretty much every single race this season. Not much fun. I’m just glad I have such amazingly talented teammates … Alex, Lenny, Babs – those guys are the best.”

With Kershaw, they’re also the anticipated starters for Friday’s 4 x 10 k relay, where Valjas remains somewhat of an unknown. Wadsworth said he had a good workout on Wednesday and is trying to get back up to speed after a bout with strep throat.

Canada’s fifth man, Graham Nishikawa of the Alberta World Cup Academy was 39^th (+3:03.6) on Wednesday for a much-improved result after he was 51^st in the skiathlon.

“It’s getting better for me, but that was really hard,” Nishikawa said. “I just wanted to have a good race, feel good. There were some sections that were positive, starting to feel better for sure. In the middle, I died quite hard.”

Even mentally tougher is having people pass you on their first lap while you’re on the second or third time around. “[Switzerland’s Dario] Cologna came through me just like a rocket on my last lap,” Nishikawa said.

Unsure whether he’ll compete in Sunday’s 50 k classic mass start, Nishikawa said he’s enjoyed his first World Championships so far.

“The fans are great, the course is so hard, great atmosphere and we’re having pretty good success on the team,” he said. “It’s pretty cool to see Ivan get fourth, it was an awesome day for him. Alex has been on fire and they just missed another medal on the team sprint. Everything’s super positive on our team, and it’s pretty cool. Everybody’s stepping up.”

Results

February 27, 2013
Northug Adds 15 k Title to His Resume; ‘When He’s at His Best, No One Can Beat Him’

Norway’s Petter Northug charging hard up to the high point of the course on his second of three laps in Wednesday’s 15 k freestyle individual start at the 2013 World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Northug won the race by 11.8 seconds for his first individual-start title and eighth at World Championships.

FasterSkier’s coverage of the 2013 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy, is brought to you by the generous support of Fischer Sports.

VAL DI FIEMME, Italy – For Norway, Sunday’s men’s team sprint letdown at the 2013 Nordic World Ski Championships turned out to be a blessing. It was hard to see then, but Petter Northug not advancing to the finals with teammate Pål Golberg was a good thing.

While the 22-year-old Golberg recovered after blacking out, Northug slept off the frustrations and woke up Monday anxious to get back out there. That’s when it hit him: why not do the 15-kilometer individual start on Wednesday?

Sure, it wasn’t historically his best event. Heck, he hadn’t won a 15 k freestyle individual race on the World Cup before. But with seven World Championship golds behind him, Northug, 27, figured he didn’t have much to lose. And he had energy to spare.

The 89^th of 95 starters, Northug went into Wednesday’s race with a specific plan: attack for gold. The first of three laps went exceptionally well as he clocked the fastest time through the 1.8 k checkpoint. The mass-start specialist held his high pace for the second 5 k loop, reaching 9.4 k faster than anyone else, and put his head down the third time around.

With race favorites Dario Cologna of Switzerland and Russia’s Alexander Legkov behind him, Northug knew he couldn’t let off and was most concerned with Sweden’s Johan Olsson in front of him. The last starter in soft, sluggish conditions with temperatures up around 8 degrees Celsius (46 Fahrenheit), Cologna struggled early, ranking eighth through 1.8 k at the high point of the course. At the tail end of the second lap, he was third fastest, but fell to fifth at 11.8 k.

“I heard the times of Dario so I knew that it’s going to be a fight between me and Johan Olsson,” Northug said at a post-race press conference. “When I was out on the second lap, then I just focused on the time of Johan.”

Losing some time on the third lap, he focused on staying upright for the long downhill back toward the stadium.

“I started to get a little bit worried, but I knew my plan the last two downs was more to stay on my legs and not to fall,” Northug said. “I knew I had the seconds to win.”

As Olsson, who started six minutes before Northug in bib 77, sat in the leader’s chair at the finish, Northug cruised down into the stadium with a 40-second lead. Looking exhausted, he mustered a final sprint and barely made it through before losing control and veering sharply to the left – almost into the boards.

His head then his back hit the ground, and he exhaled. A few moments later, Northug realized what he had done in winning his first title at this year’s World Championships in an event he didn’t typically dominate.

“When you’re so tired as I was today you don’t hear any crowds; it feels like you’re racing alone,” he said of coming into the stadium for the last time. “You just want to cross the finish line because you’re tired … and then you cross the line and you get a couple minutes to rest and you hear the crowd and you hear the speaker announce that you are world champion. That’s an amazing feeling.”

Petter Northug just before becoming a 15 k freestyle World Champion on Wednesday in Val di Fiemme, Italy. (Photo: Fiemme2013)

Northug took the individual crown with a time of 34:37.1. Olsson was second, 11.8 seconds behind, for his first individual silver medal at World Championships. Norway’s Tord Asle Gjerdalen earned his second individual bronze at worlds (+22.3) after placing third to Northug in the 50 k freestyle mass start two years ago in Oslo, Norway.

Ivan Babikov made history for Canada in fourth, 53.6 seconds behind Northug and 31.3 seconds off the podium, notching his nation’s best finish in a 15 k skate individual start since Pierre Harvey was 16^th in 1982. Norway’s Sjur Røthe placed fifth (+1:03.0) and Cologna ended up eighth, 1:21.1 behind. Starting a minute in front of Cologna and skiing with him near the finish, Legkov ended up 25^th (+2:28.7).

In a race that was by no measures easy with at least six steep climbs per lap, Northug attributed his success to being hungry for redemption and feeling in great shape after last week’s classic sprint (where he was second), Saturday’s skiathlon (where he was fourth) and Sunday’s team sprint (where he and Golberg placed 11th).

“Today is a day you dream of when you’re an athlete,” Northug said. “You wake up, you feel that you have a lot of power, you want to compete, you want to give your all and also when you then win, it’s amazing.”

Asked what his eighth World Championships gold meant to him compared to the rest, Northug said nothing could rival his 50 k victory in Olso. “To win a 50 k in a world championship is one of the biggest things I’ve done,” he said.

Even so, this individual win was pretty significant and counted just the same, he said.

Sweden’s Johan Olsson pushing to the finish of Wednesday’s 15 k freestyle individual start at the 2013 World Championships in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Olsson took second, 11.8 seconds behind Norway’s Petter Northug.

His closest challenger on Wednesday, the 32-year-old Olsson knew what Northug was capable of. Early last season in Kuusamo, Finland, Northug romped the field in a World Cup 10 k freestyle by 23.8 seconds. A month later, he won a World Cup 30 k freestyle in Davos, Switzerland, by nearly a minute.

“I know when he’s at his best, no one can beat him,” Olsson said.

Aware of the splits throughout the race, with Olsson posting the fastest times through the 9.4 and 11.8 k checkpoints before Northug blew them away, he mostly focused on himself.

“If you should take a medal on the individual start, I think you cannot focus too much on the other competitors,” he said at the press conference. “My biggest enemy on the course is the voices that say, ‘Give up.’ But you have to fight all the time, that’s the way I ski.”

Olsson stole the spotlight and leader’s position from Gjerdalen, who started 71^st and bested Babikov in bib 69 to reach the podium. Notably, the 29-year-old Norwegian senior team member didn’t know he was racing until Wednesday morning, when he received a text message that teammate Martin Johnsrud Sundby was out sick, FIS tweeted.

“I knew it was my turn to go,” Gjerdalen said. “I must admit I wasn’t very happy because … it’s been four or five years since I’ve been fast in this individual start. I actually wanted to trade this race for the 50 k.”

Tord Asle Gjerdalen of Norway on his way to his second World Championships bronze in Wednesday’s 15 k freestyle individual start in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Originally not on the start list, Gjerdalen raced in place of teammate Martin Johnsrud Sundby, who was out sick.

Regardless, he gave it his all, attacking the course in his signature Aviator sunglasses. Starting 12 minutes before Cologna, Gjerdalen used the Swiss superstar as fuel when Cologna passed him on the second lap. Gjerdalen thanked him at the finish.

“He turned an individual start into a mass start for me so that’s perfect,” he said.

“Before I started, I knew the skis would get slower and slower so I was really surprised that I made the podium,” Gjerdalen said of the softening conditions. “When I realized that I knew I had a chance and the coaches were shouting, ‘A medal!” I thought, ‘What?’ That was incredible. It gave me speed.”

And the Aviators?

“I use them all the time; they’re fogging, I can’t see,” he joked. “No, they’re really good and it’s become an image for me. I have only one [pair] with me so I hope they don’t break or I lose them, then I have to go buy some new gear. But I suppose [Italy] is the right culture to buy them.”

Results

February 27, 2013
The Big Guns are Back: Notes, Quotes & Video from Canadian Nationals

MONT SAINTE-ANNE, Québec — While Alex Harvey was the man of the day at Canadian Ski Nationals on Tuesday, Devon Kershaw, Lenny Valjas and the remaining World Cup crew (including Chandra Crawford, Dasha Gaiazova, Alysson Marshall and Kevin Sandau) also met a strong welcome after flying into Québec late Monday night and racing the next day.

Cross-country ski fans, friends, family and media outlets came out to Mont Sainte-Anne to catch a glimpse of the nation’s top skiers in their flashy red suits. Several competitive skiers showed up as well for a shot at contending with some of the world’s best.

Some quotes from the 15 k:

Marc-André Bédard (Canadian Biathlon Team/Québec), 4th

The first thing I did was ask Alex if he was coming to nationals. He was like, ‘Of course I’m coming.’ I was like, ‘OK, I need to go just to see how I do against them.’ That was fun. I’ve been friends with him since I was a kid when we were in Mont Sainte-Anne together.

There’s lots of biathletes who make podiums on lots of World Cups … so we know that the top biathletes are pretty much the same as the top cross-country skiers. I’m not a top biathlete; I’m just hoping to do good and those guys [Devon Kershaw, Alex Harvey, etc.] are the best skiers so it’s really cool to be not so far behind them.

I wish I could do more cross-country, but it’s rare that the opportunity comes, especially with the strong guys.

[Note: Bédard said he last competed at Canadian cross-country nationals in 2007.]

David Greer (Pierre-Harvey National Training Centre), 5th

Alex was really moving today. He started 45 seconds behind me and caught me at about 2 k. I tried to stay with him for about 10 seconds and decided I’m probably better off just racing my own race. That wasn’t very encouraging, but later in the race I felt better and better and then got encouraging splits.

End of the season, a lot of people are fried and not super pumped about the racing, but it was definitely super fun having those guys here because we don’t get to race with them very often. You see them racing World Cups all year so it’s the one chance we have to measure ourselves against them. I was definitely looking forward to it.

Brent McMurtry (Pierre-Harvey National Training Centre/Senior Development Team), 6th

I was getting splits off of Devon and Ivan [Babikov] I was third. Devon caught me for 30 seconds after two-and-a-half kilometers or something, but I was not going the same speed as him. It was good motivation because once he caught me and went by, I was able to keep him in sight for the next two laps so I sort of knew I was at least a little bit competitive.

Devon was second in the World Cup, Alex last weekends had two podiums. You know that when you’re two minutes back, it’s two minutes off the best in the world. It’s not where I want to be and not where I think I can be, but at the same time, it’s not so bad.

I’m staying at Alex’s house; they’re good friends of mine. It was funny sitting around at breakfast [Tuesday] morning with Devon and Alex. Their season is done and talking about things other than skiing and just life. It’s nice to have them around.

Erik Carleton (Rocky Mountain Racers/National Para-Nordic Team), 8th

It’s my only chance to race against our World Cup team. … I knew it would be, for sure, at a different level. When Alex passed me [about halfway through], I just saw the pace he was going. I stayed with him a bit, then the last lap was pretty tough after that. … You can just see he’s really efficient and he keeps pulling away. He was gone on the last lap.

Tuesday’s complete results

March 21, 2012
Harvey Embraces Homecoming, Wins 15 k at Canadian Nationals

Canadian National Ski Team member Alex Harvey rounds the stadium at his club's trails in Mont Sainte-Anne, Québec, in the 15 k freestyle individual start on Tuesday. Harvey won the race by nearly 33 seconds.

MONT SAINTE-ANNE, Québec – Alex Harvey had no idea what he was in for. Or maybe he did.

Fourteen hours after he and several other Canadian National Team members stepped off a plane in Québec City and concluded a 32-hour trip back from the World Cup Finals in Sweden, Harvey was back in his native Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Québec, preparing to race again.

If it had been up to Harvey, he would have slept in a little later. His mom woke him up with a kiss on the cheek at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday before she left for work. Regardless, he was pretty excited about his his first day at Canadian Ski Nationals, hosted by his Club Nordique Monte St. Anne.

Alex Harvey talks to the media after posting what turned out to the fastest 15 k freestyle time at Canadian Ski Nationals on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old generated about as much hype as one can expect at a cross-country ski race in North America. Several news outlets flocked to the Quebec City International Airport at 10:30 Monday night to see Harvey and his celebrated teammates, including overall World Cup runner-up Devon Kershaw and Lenny Valjas.

Late Wednesday morning, Harvey’s fans followed him to the trails where he warmed up. They asked for his autograph, snapped photos and showered Kershaw with attention as well.

After both finished Wednesday’s 15-kilometer freestyle individual start, Harvey and Kershaw hardly made it out of the finish pen. Sweaty and spent after racing in nearly 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit), both found they were even more sought after as two of the top finishers.

Harvey crushed his competition with the help of resounding cheers every time he skied through the stadium, winning the three-lap race in 40:54.1. His World Cup teammate, Ivan Babikov was second, 32.9 seconds back, and Kershaw finished third (+1:44.8).

“It was hard,” Harvey said of the combination of travel, lack of sleep and challenging snow conditions on Tuesday. “I talked with Devon after the race. It might have been the hardest race of the season for both of us. It was so slow out there.”

Alex Harvey (CNST) on the second of three laps in the 15 k freestyle individual start at Canadian Ski Nationals on Tuesday.

Harvey pulled through by pushing hard from the start. Five kilometers in, he led by 18.6 seconds over Babikov, Tuesday’s 10 k classic champion. Kershaw was 19.7 seconds back in third, affirming that the local hero was truly on a roll.

He kept up the pace through the second lap, coming into the stadium 11.7 seconds ahead of Babikov. Kershaw was still in third, but nearly 52 seconds back.

“I didn’t know how it was going to be here,” Harvey said, referring to his recent highs, including a World Cup Finals victory in Falun, as well as some of the lows this season.

“It ended up being good and with the fans, the crowd, just everybody being so psyched. I didn’t have a choice to ski fast or not,” he said.

Just minutes before his race, Harvey spoke to a group of young children in French. They sent him off with a chant that echoed around the stadium throughout the afternoon: “Ahh-lex! Ahh-lex!”

“They had banners and singing songs so it was really special to see all these 8-year-olds just having the best time,” Harvey said. “It motivated me for the win, for sure.”

Kershaw said the homecoming experience was humbling. Seeing how famous Harvey was in Québec and how excited people got about him, the team and the sport, was great for cross-country skiing, he said.

It also made Harvey that much harder to outdo.

“There was no chance I was going to beat Alex today,” Kershaw said.

With a tendency to open hard in races, especially individual starts, Kershaw discovered he was six seconds down on Harvey about 2 or 3 kilometers in.

Canadian National Team member Devon Kershaw (l) leads Eric Wolcott (Black Jack) up a hill during the 15 k freestyle individual start at Canadian Ski Nationals on Tuesday.

“He closes way harder than me so the victory was going to be Alex’s, absolutely,” Kershaw added.

While skating in soft conditions wasn’t his specialty, Kershaw said he felt good until about 7 k, where he broke a pole. The handle ripped off and he skied the next kilometer without a pole.

“There was nobody out there; it’s not the World Cup,” he laughed.

When he did get a pole, it was 140-centimeters long, which was about 20 centimeters too short. He found better replacement soon after and finished the race with a 157 ½.

“It was a real struggle today and the conditions were really hard,” Kershaw said. “It’s kind of frustrating for some bad luck to happen, but the World Cup season’s over so let’s not get too greedy.”

Babikov was happy with his result considering he started ahead of Kershaw, Harvey and nearly 160 others in the men’s open race.

“I was just trying to ski my race, ski strong throughout the whole three laps,” Babikov said. “It was really hard to do because it’s so soft and it was hard to pole. It didn’t matter if you had poles or no poles.”

Ivan Babikov (CNST) wears the leader's jersey at Canadian Ski Nationals in the 15 k freestyle individual start on Tuesday after winning Monday's 10 k classic race. Babikov placed second on Tuesday.

He was impressed with his teammates’ performances after one long day of travel.

Upon leaving Falun, Sweden, at 2 a.m. on Monday, they flew to Frankfurt, where their flight to Canada was delayed. Once in Montreal, the men’s and women’s national team members found they had five hours to kill because of a missed connection. Harvey said they enjoyed some St-Hubert Chicken for a pre-race meal and arrived in Québec City around 10:30 p.m.

By the time Harvey fell asleep, he said it was 6 a.m. Falun time.

While he and the rest of the national team planned to recover for Thursday’s sprints, recently moved from Québec City’s Plains of Abraham to Mont Sainte-Anne, several outsiders to Canadian cross-country were also looking forward to the competitive sprint day.

Canadian biathlete and World Championships team member Marc-André Bédard was encouraged by his performance in Tuesday’s 15 k, where he placed fourth (+2:25.7) despite starting nearly 45 minutes after the frontrunners. Because he and several other biathletes didn’t have FIS points, they were seeded near last.

“What was really hard was to pass people all race,” Bédard said. “It felt like I said ‘track’ 200 times today.”

Without any splits throughout the race, he had no idea where he stood or where he finished for several minutes after the race.

“I had no expectations … I was hoping to be in the top 20, top 30, it’s hard to say,” he said. “I’m really tired, too. I wanted to have fun and I’m really happy with the result.”

Pierre-Harvey National Training Centre athletes David Greer and Brent McMurtry placed fifth and sixth, respectively. Baptiste Gros of France was seventh and Erik Carleton (Rocky Mountain Racers/National Para-Nordic Team) finished eighth before catching a flight to Finland with Brian McKeever for the IPC World Cup on Thursday.

Michael Somppi (Thunder Bay National Development Centre/NST) was ninth and Kevin Sandau (Alberta World Cup Academy/NST), who flew in with the national team Tuesday night, was 10^th.

Men’s 15 k freestyle results

March 20, 2012