Tag: 2012/2013 Tour de Ski

Canadians Bid Farewell to Tour Bus

Canadian Alex Harvey snapped a photo of his team’s tour bus for the Tour de Ski, tweeting: “Quick pit stop on the way to Val Mustair. #TdS #rocknrollbus”

It was a sweet ride, only rivaled by Petter Northug’s personal tour bus on the Tour de Ski. But the Canadians had the one-up on the Norwegian: they had it first.

Three years ago, Canadian head coach Justin Wadsworth proposed a rather bold idea to its nonprofit investor, B2ten. All the additional training and coaching support was great, but the their World Cup team could really use a tour bus when navigating Europe for the Tour de Ski.

Co-founder Dominick Gauthier laughed.

“Every rock star wants his own, but it doesn’t make sense,” he recalled thinking.

Wadsworth made a strong case, and Gauthier thought more about it. A former freestyle skier who started the Montreal-based B2ten to provide Canadian athletes with the best resources, Gauthier decided it was worth some $15,000 dollars or so.

“I know how demanding it is to be at an event all squished together,” he said. “And having treatments while moving to one venue to the other, we loved the idea. For us, it’s all about finding things that do affect performance and we thought this was directly impacting their performance in the Tour de Ski so we talked to Justin and he made all the connections in Europe.”

Wadsworth went to work, after having first researched motor-home rental companies overseas. But all the ones he found were too small, he explained in an email.

“So I started to look into buses for rock bands touring Europe,” Wadsworth wrote. “I contacted a lot of companies, but only Marco from MZES wanted to work with us on a good deal, even helping with the promotion of some logo costs.”

First a supporter of Alex Harvey and then the Canadian National Ski Team as a whole, B2ten signed on. In a phone interview, Gauthier explained that they considered renting the bus for the entire season, but “it would be more complicated and a logistical nightmare.” Better to keep it simpler, rent the 14-meter long and 3-meter wide (45 x 9-foot) bus from Dec. 20 to Jan. 7 and let the team enjoy its perks in between.

Among them, according to Harvey: a front section with a couple couches, mini kitchen, table, sink and bathroom, middle area with 12 beds stacked three high, and a lounge in the back with couches and a PlayStation for Lenny Valjas and Ivan Babikov. They also had a massage area back there, all for four athletes (the three women on the team did not compete in the Tour).

“After the race and for the long commute, it’s good to be able to sleep a little bit and even get a massage at the back with Wolfman our massage therapist,” Harvey said. “It’s really good.”

With three Canadians finishing in the Tour’s top 25 and Harvey vying for an overall top-five before pulling out for the final race, Wadsworth wrote that he feels as strongly as ever the bus aids their performances.

“There’s not much worse then finishing a hard ski race then hopping in a car for a 6-7 hour drive,” he wrote. “During the transfers the athletes get massage on the bus, hot meals, and can relax play video games or watch movies in one of the two lounges. Another benefit is it gives us a mobile clubhouse for our athletes to do their pre and post race prep. In a lot of the venues the athlete rooms are small and crowded, and having the bus as a spot of tranquility is huge.”

The way B2ten sees it, the bus is a moving billboard. This year, an image of Devon Kershaw decorated one side of the bus, and Chandra Crawford’s face was on the other. Gauthier said the B2ten logo is most prominent since “we’re the ones paying for the bus,” but they also included team sponsors.

As for the cost of a Greyhound-size bus, which is reconfigured specifically for the four guys, plus a driver, Gauthier said it’s justifiable.

“It’s not as crazy expensive as it seems and the reason for that is Justin has some great connections,” he said. “If you count everything around the bus, it’s gonna be more or less around $15,000 so its substantial, but not that bad in the scheme of things.

On Monday, the Canadians bid adieu to the bus, with Harvey tweeting: “See you next year…” Hopefully they won’t get locked out again.

For an inside look, check out Alex Harvey’s photos below:

The Canadian Ski Team’s “Tour” bus. (Photo: Alex Harvey)

Inside Canadians’ tour bus

Inside Canadians’ tour bus

Inside Canadians’ tour bus

Sleeping quarters

Canadian Alex Harvey snapped a photo of his team’s tour bus for the Tour de Ski: Quick pit stop on the way to Val Mustair. #TdS #rocknrollbus

January 8, 2013
American Men Plug Away in 35 k Despite Obstacles; Newell Breaks Two Poles

Kris Freeman (MWSC/USST) ascending the final climb of last year’s Tour de Ski up Alpe Cermis near Val di Fiemme, Italy. He placed 32nd for 43rd overall.

Starting 52 spots back and just over four minutes out of first, U.S. Ski Team member Kris Freeman wasn’t too worried what was going on up front. But he did wish he hadn’t crashed into that fence on the second day of the Tour de Ski.

The 32-year-old, who also races for the Maine Winter Sports Center, was thinking about the resulting position he had been dealt – falling from 35^th to 57^th during the single pursuit race. The next stage – a sprint – he placed 41^st to rank 52^nd overall.

So on Thursday, during the grueling 35-kilometer freestyle pursuit from Cortina to Toblach, Italy, Freeman was thinking about what he could realistically do. And the group he was skiing with wasn’t doing it for him.

“I wasn’t in a group that was interested in doing a lot of work,” Freeman said. “So we just kind of faded as we went along.”

Hovering in the 40’s for most of the race, he ended up leading his pack to try to get them to pick it up. Without much luck, Freeman settled for 43^rd, 5:51.9 minutes back from Tour leader Petter Northug (NOR).

“It wasn’t a great day by any means,” he said. “The Tour has been a pretty big disappointment for me thus far, but the next three days are all good individual races for me.”

And that’s all that remains in the Tour de Ski, with one more stage in Toblach on Friday (5 k classic individual) and the last two in Val di Fiemme, Italy (20 k classic mass start on Saturday and 9 k pursuit hill climb on Sunday).

Two years ago, Freeman placed seventh in the same hill climb up Alpe Cermis. He ended up 28^th overall.

“I’m so far out of the top 10 now that that [top-30] goal is pretty far behind me,” he said. “Just trying to stay focused and move forward.”

Starting exactly 10 spots behind Freeman, 4:37 out of first, teammate Noah Hoffman (Ski & Snowboard Club Vail/Team HomeGrown) moved up to 57^th, but is now 8:12 behind the leader.

Disappointed with his result after crashing around 20 k on the downhill into Toblach, Hoffman said he had been skiing well, skiing alone then leading a group up the climb until the 16-kilometer mark. A few kilometers from the top, another pack caught his group, including Great Britain’s Andrew Musgrave. The two groups combined and all was going well for Hoffman until he fell.

“Unfortunately on a road crossing about three or four kilometers down the other side towards Toblach, it was like 6 or 8 inches of sugary, really sugary snow, and I just lost my balance and crashed pretty hard and lost contact with the group,” Hoffman said. “Once that happened, it was really, really difficult to ski that downhill on your own anywhere as close to as fast as you could ski it in a group.”

The group he lost sight of ended up catching Freeman’s pack. Hoffman skied alone again and was caught by another group with a kilometer or two to go.

“So I would say, encouraging signs, but disappointing result,” Hoffman said. “I would say that top 30 in the Tour as a whole would be pretty hard to come by at this point, but I’m really glad that the next three races are all scored individually and I feel like there’s still a lot for me to race in. Basically I can get as many World Cup points in the next three races as I could in three individual world cups.

“Tomorrow might not suit me super well, being a short race,” he added. “I’m hoping certainly for a better result than the opening prologue, and I think I can actually do decently in a race like tomorrow. But I’m really looking forward to the mass start on Saturday and the hill climb.

The third American in the Tour, sprint specialist Andy Newell (Stratton Mountain School T2 Team) hung in for the duration, starting 61^st (+4:30.9) and finishing 67^th (+11:55.5).

“Long skate races aren’t my thing, I was actually surprised at how [good] I felt,” Newell said. “But I lost a ton of time just because of some bad mistakes out there. I broke a pole right out of the start.”

Because of the nature of the point-to-point race, he couldn’t find a coach for the first five kilometers and skied with the broken one for that long.

“[My pole] was big enough that I was able to use it,” he said. “The one pole was down at my waist, it was kind of a stub of a pole and then I had a normal size skate pole so I skied the first five k like that and obviously dropped a bunch of places.”

Once he got a pole around five or six kilometers in, Newell skied ahead and successfully caught a pack, but broke another one when he kicked it near the top of the climb. He skied another kilometer or two with a broken one, and was unable to catch the group on the downhill.

“I skied the whole descent by myself, which sucked, but I felt good so I’m not too disappointed,” Newell said. “It was a good experience to do that race and I’m looking forward to do it again in the years to come.”

Looking ahead, he expected to be tired on Friday – but that’s his last race of the Tour and “kind of the one I’ve been focusing on in the last few days so I’m going to hopefully go ski fast,” he said. “My goal is to be in the points tomorrow, that’s all I’m working on doing, and then I’ll be done.”

Results

— Topher Sabot and Matti Rowe contributed reporting

January 3, 2013
Unsure of Future in the Tour, Harvey Rises to Fifth in Stage 2

Canadian Alex Harvey pushes early in the Tour de Ski 15 k classic pursuit Sunday in Oberhof, Germany, where he went on to finish fifth. (Marcel Hilger photo)

For someone who said a couple months back he wasn’t interested in pursuing the Tour de Ski overall and unsure he’d even finish it, Alex Harvey has done pretty well through the first two stages.

On Sunday, he put himself fifth in the standings with his best result of the season, knocking off one place in the 15-kilometer classic pursuit after finishing sixth on Saturday. One could speculate he’s on a similar track as last year, in which he started the Tour in sixth and ended up 12th, but last year, he didn’t place fifth in Stage 2 — he was 27th.

“I feel like it’s the best technique I’ve ever been skiing with right now and I think it’s just good timing,” Harvey said on the phone Sunday after finishing 7.7 seconds behind Russian winner Maxim Vylegzhanin, positioning himself 22.7 seconds back (based on bonuses) overall.

With tricky snow conditions both days with high humidity and temperatures above freezing, Harvey said his technique was what got him near the podium. While some – like Swiss favorite and defending Tour champion Dario Cologna – appeared to be slipping behind him, Harvey felt like he stayed on top of his skis, kept his hips high and took advantage of fast boards.

He almost secured third just 500 meters from the finish after chasing Vylegzhanin and another Russian, Alexander Legkov, who placed second. Harvey built a few meters on Cologna and Petter Northug (NOR) behind him, but it wasn’t enough to hold them both off. The two passed Harvey as they battled for third, which Northug took, and Harvey settled for fifth.

“I didn’t feel bad or blown out or anything, I just didn’t have the extra gear to sprint,” Harvey said. “I didn’t burry myself today so it’s good looking ahead.”

Two months ago, Harvey, 24, predicted he wouldn’t finish the Tour, given some lingering leg and back problems that historically intensified with too many races in a short time span.

“I’m not going for the overall,” Harvey said on Nov. 5. “We did last year just because that was the only thing to go for.”

This year, they’ve got World Championships. Canadian head coach Justin Wadsworth said the final climb didn’t really suit Harvey with a long uphill skate.

“But I think the other days there’s lots of possibilities for stage wins and really good overall placing,” Wadsworth said. “It will just be fun to take things one day at a time on this year’s Tour de Ski.”

Wadsworth noted the Tour’s “more casual” schedule this year, which could benefit Harvey, with seven stages in nine days (as opposed to nine stages) and rest days on Monday and Wednesday. At the same time, the Tour isn’t the pinnacle of the season, especially not for Harvey, who wants to peak at world champs in late February.

“We’ll see how he gets to the final day [of the Tour] and then going up the hill, it’s a totally separate race,” Wadsworth said. “It changes things a lot.”

“I have no expectations for the overall, but I want podiums every race,” Harvey told Cross Country Canada. “I feel I belong in this top group, but this year is a good reminder to not take anything for granted. My slow start this year reminds me to appreciate the good days.”

Canadian Ivan Babikov (32) works alongside American Andy Newell (21) in the Tour de Ski 15 k classic pursuit on Sunday in Oberhof, Germany. Babikov went on to place 19th and Newell was 74th. (Marcel Hilger photo)

Coming off a personal-best prologue finish on Saturday, Canadian Ivan Babikov had another solid day Sunday, climbing from starting 32^nd (40 seconds back from Northug) to finishing 19^th (+1:44.4 overall).

For part of the race, Babikov skied with teammate Devon Kershaw, who moved up to 22^nd around 7 k after starting 48^th(+46.1). Kershaw finished 27^th – a drastic improvement in placing – yet remained 2:10.4 minutes back in the standings through two stages.

“I’m doing everything I can, but it feels like I’m missing two gears out there; I’m not snappy,” Kershaw said. “I have no power at all and because of that I’m not really able to ski the way I normally ski and it’s super frustrating.”

Devon Kershaw (48) skis with Sweden’s Johan Olsson (33) and Italy’s Dietmar Noeckler (36) out of the start in Sunday’s Tour de Ski 15 k classic pursuit in Oberhof, Germany. Kershaw ended up 27th. (Marcel Hilger photo)

While the first three laps went pretty well, Kershaw said he struggled on the last two. Early on, he attacked with Johan Olsson (SWE) and Jens Filbrich (GER), who ultimately placed 10^th and 13^th, respectively, but couldn’t hang onto Babikov as he continued to make up ground.

“Babs’ group gapped me hard and I think Lenny [Valjas] probably put 30 seconds on me in the last 3 k,” Kershaw said with a laugh. “Just another really rough day at the office for me. … The Tour is overall looking grim unless I can have a big sprint.

“I just want one good race. I just want to feel good once,” Kershaw added. “These races I’ve been feeling so far from what my top form is. I know what I’m capable of and if I can have a race where I’m even 70 percent … that would be a bit of a success. I just haven’t felt good, not even once this whole season.”

In his first Tour, Valjas placed 33^rd after starting 52^nd. Heading into the third stage, skate sprints New Year’s Day in Val Müstair, Switzerland, the 24-year-old sprinter is 2:14.9 back.

“[Sunday] was really good for Alex. … Ivan also had a good day,” Wadsworth said. “Lenny had a solid race and I think Devon was OK. He’s disappointed for sure, but it was at least moving forward and not backward so you’ve gotta take the small things at this point.”

Lenny Valjas (CAN) skiing to 33rd in the second stage of the Tour de Ski on Sunday, 15 k classic pursuit in Oberhof, Germany.

***

Pursuit results

Tour standings (through two stages)

December 30, 2012
Gutsy Skiing Lifts Russians in Tour Pursuit; Northug Third

Russian Maxim Vylegzhanin (bib 8) tailing teammate Ilia Chernousov on his way to 15 k classic pursuit victory in the second stage of the 2012/2013 Tour de Ski on Sunday in Oberhof, Germany. It was his first World Cup stage win. Photo: Marcel Hilger.

Being No. 1 isn’t always best, at least that’s how Petter Northug and his coach felt Sunday in Oberhof, Germany.

The Norwegian constantly vying to be on top secured his wish the day before, winning Saturday’s skate prologue, the first stage of the Tour de Ski. Given the red leader’s bib for Sunday’s 15-kilometer classic pursuit, Northug became the hunted.

Sometimes that kind of pressure works wonders. Other times, it can swallow you whole. Despite getting overtaken by the 3 k mark by a charge led by Russia’s Alexander Legkov, Northug hung on to the front group and pulled off third at the finish. It wasn’t what Northug or his national-team coach, Trond Nystad, had envisioned, but it wasn’t the worst thing, either.

Petter Northug striding early. Photo: Marcel Hilger.

“Today is the one race, nothing more,” Nystad told NRK. “It’s about making great effort, it is a long Tour. It is not always an advantage to win.”

Russian winner Maxim Vylegzhanin (who finished in 39:47) and Legkov (+0.1) in second saw it differently as they celebrated atop the podium. The two had successfully bested Northug from nearly start to the finish, passing him within the first few kilometers and leading through the end.

Vylegzhanin and Legkov worked with teammate Ilia Chernousov, who started fifth and eventually placed sixth (+20.5), holding off competitors like Canadian Alex Harvey and Dario Cologna of Switzerland.

“It was good to ski in front with Legkov and Chernousov, but it was not planned and we did not apply any tactics,” Vylegzhanin said at a press conference. “In the last lap Alexander Legkov was pushing hard and I followed him. In the finishing stretch I had a bit more power. It feels great to be in the lead of the Tour.”

While Vylegzhanin and Legkov picked up the pace on the final lap, Chernousov fell behind, and Harvey, who had been skiing around third or fourth, tried to go with them. With 150 meters to go, the Russians double poled ferociously to the finish. Meanwhile, Northug and Cologna battled behind Harvey, passing him in the final stretch to finish third (+6.5) and fourth (+6.7), respectively, while Harvey settled for fifth (+7.7).

Vylegzhanin (8) and Cologna (4) work up front during the Tour de Ski 15 k classic pursuit on Sunday in Oberhof, Germany. Cologna placed fourth behind Norway’s Petter Northug (r) in third. (Marcel Hilger photo)

After starting nearly 27 seconds back from Northug, the 30-year-old Vlegzhanin edged Legkov by a fraction of a second for his first World Cup stage win. He placed 22^nd in the same pursuit last year, where Legkov was fourth behind German winner Axel Teichmann, who did not start Sunday.

While the Russians generally took turns leading, it was Legkov who appeared to be orchestrating the charge. Often, the 29-year-old jolted ahead, glancing back and at least once standing up completely to let his teammates catch up. Harvey said he was content skiing behind them and ahead of Cologna and Northug, who seemed to be struggling with their skis.

“When we caught Northug, I expected the pace to die a little bit, but then the Russians started going crazy,” Harvey said on the phone. “So then I was like, ‘Man maybe we’re gonna keep our gap.’ Usually the guys are bunched up together in the middle of the second lap, but today they decided that they were gonna keep charging.”

With a total of five laps, all seven guys hung on, including Finland’s Matti Heikkinen, who climbed up from 29^th. Heikkinen finished seventh despite tripping on a lane change around 10 k and nearly taking out Harvey. According to Harvey, Heikkinen was issued a written warning and apologized to him at the finish.

“I was kind of weirded out because I was riding in my track and he kind of came on me. It was close,” Harvey said. “Then he came back with us then he kind of blew up a bit later. If I fell, that might’ve been me so I was lucky to stay on my skis.”

Harvey also kept his distance from the Russian ahead of him in the soft and sugary snow. He prepared for a crash by allowing them space at the top of the hills then made up time on the downhill corners.

“The Russians, they go so hard on the hills, their legs are pretty shaky,” Harvey said with a laugh. “They’re not the best downhillers. If you can stay away from Legkov on the downhill, it’s probably a good thing.”

For a majority of the race, Northug and Cologna switched positions near the back, hovering between fifth and seventh. Occasionally, one moved toward the front, but given the Russians’ relentless attack, neither made significant ground. Coming into the stadium for the last time, it came down to a sprint between Northug and Cologna, which the Norwegian won. Despite the mutual hard effort, both seemed to let up at the finish, acknowledging that it didn’t matter whether they finished third or fourth.

While Northug wasn’t OK with losing to two Russians, he followed his plan of sticking with them and the lead group through the finish.

“I figured that there would be war and the Russians came quickly at the end,” Northug told NRK. “I didn’t mean much to win today. Had it been on a World Championship gold medal, it had probably been a different war.”

As for Cologna, the three-time Tour champion: “He’s where he wants to be,” Northug said.

Personally, Northug, who has yet to win a Tour de Ski, wasn’t exactly happy. He felt heavy in the wet snow and struggled with his poles sinking.

“I really wished I had been a little bit better shape both Saturday and today,” he told Langrenn. “I hope the good feeling that comes after the sprint in Val Müstair [Switzerland on Tuesday], and hopefully I get my best days late.”

Men’s results

December 30, 2012
Northug Casually Claims Tour Prologue Opener: ‘I Still Have More’

Norway’s Petter Northug holding his own to win the 2012/2013 Tour de Ski opener on Saturday, the 4 k freestyle prologue in Oberhof, Germany. Northug won the same race last year. (Photo: Fischer/Nordic Focus)

Starting 95 bibs back in Saturday’s prologue, the first of seven stages in the Tour de Ski, Petter Northug broke down the task ahead of him. Ski faster than everyone. No problem.

Despite draggy conditions in above-freezing temperatures and a headwind and thick fog to match, the 26-year-old Norwegian did what he needed to do on the 4 k freestyle course, beating Swedish rival Marcus Hellner by 6.1 seconds to win the prologue in 8:28.7 in Oberhof, Germany.

The men’s Tour de Ski prologue podium on Saturday in Oberhof, Germany: 1. Petter Northug of Norway (c), 2. Marcus Hellner of Sweden (l) and 3. Alexander Legkov of Russia (Photo: Fischer/Nordic Focus)

And he didn’t even feel that great, or so he said.

“I did not have the best feeling in the day, so it was good to win and feel that the form is on the way,” Northug told NRK. “The form is going to rise beyond the tour. I still have more to go on than what I showed today.”

At 1.7 k, Northug sat in seventh, four seconds behind Russian Ilia Chernousov, who ended up fifth in the Tour prologue for the second-straight year. It had been Northug’s plan to hold back early, which he told media before the race. Reasoning he wasn’t in top form, Northug said his goal was to focus on technique and conserve for the final stages.

Tour de Ski defending champion, Dario Cologna of Switzerland, told NRK he’d believe it when he saw it.

“He will never be able to take it easy if someone gets ahead of him,” predicted Cologna, who finished fourth, 10.1 seconds behind Northug.

“When Petter says something, newspapers [are] stupid enough to write it,” Cologna said Saturday.

Northug had a whole field ahead of him and successfully outdid all his competitors to claim the red leader’s bib heading into Sunday’s 15 k classic pursuit. He won the same stage last year and went on to finish third in the Tour behind Cologna and Hellner, respectively.

On Saturday, Hellner, who started nearly 15 spots ahead of Northug, was first for some time until the Norwegian crossed the line. Hellner settled for second and considered it a good start.

“I wasn’t sure of my fitness before the Tour, but I am feeling good,” Hellner said at a post-race press conference. “Tomorrow I will try hard, but classic is not my best so I will see how it goes.”

Northug also took Saturday’s result as a positive affirmation, adding that it hardly decided the outcome of the nine-day event.

“I have won just the first stage; nobody will remember it on [the final climb up] Alpe Cermis,” he said. “I am going to take it easy in the first round tomorrow. For sure Dario and others will be strong and will be chasing me. It will be important to find the right spot in the pack.”

After claiming five bonus seconds on Saturday, Northug will start 11.1 seconds ahead of Hellner in the pursuit, and Alexander Legkov of Russia, who was third, will start 17.2 seconds back.

On Saturday, Legkov was 7.2 seconds off Northug’s winning time.

“I felt very good today,” Legkov said at the press conference, adding that the course – not as icy as it was Friday during training – suited him. “I will think about the plan for tomorrow’s pursuit in the evening, but there are many good skiers out there. I have to focus on my skiing tomorrow and find my way out of the pack.”

For Legkov, the podium was his first in a Tour prologue after he finished fifth overall in last year’s event. Canadian Alex Harvey tied his prologue result from last season in sixth and was 11.3 seconds behind Northug and 0.6 behind Chernousov.

“For the same result I feel like it cost me a bit less than last year,” Harvey said of feeling smooth on Saturday. “It could be good moving forward. Nobody wins the Tour today nobody loses the Tour today. It’s just a snapshot of who’s in shape at the moment. It’s just good to know that I’m back where I belong in the top ten and it’s good to have good sensations when I’m going hard.”

Results

December 29, 2012
What Can We Expect from Northug?

Petter Northug Jr. working hard up the Alpe Cermis during the final climb of the 2011/2012 FIS Tour de Ski, where he was 24th in the 9 k pursuit on Jan. 8 in Val di Fiemme, Italy.

By all accounts, Petter Northug’s 2011-2012 campaign was an unexpected failure. The high-profile Norwegian star, who usually finished at or near the top of every podium he contended for, specifically set out to do two things last winter: take the Tour de Ski and win the Vasaloppet.

He came up short on both counts; Switzerland’s Dario Cologna and Marcus Hellner of Sweden both beat him in the Tour in first and second, respectively, and a stomach bug kept him from starting the Vasaloppet. The Marcialonga in northern Italy was his only marathon showing of the year, and there he fell to 10th place behind Norway’s Aukland brothers, Jorgen and Anders, who were first and second.

Northug’s World Cup season subsequently ended prematurely in mid-February, and the 2010 Crystal Globe winner watched his overall ranking slip from second to third in his absence. But despite failing to meet his and everyone else’s expectations, Northug is still as unabashedly ambitious as he ever was.

Northug at 2012 Norwegian Nationals in late January, where he was 40th in the 15 k skate.

In a recent interview with the Swedish daily Expressen from a team training camp in Livigno, Italy, he laid out exactly how many races he’ll win: seven World Cups, the Tour de Ski and three golds at World Championships.

“The [World Cup] premiere in Gällivare [Sweden] I will win,” Northug said, according to a translation. “It’s so damn good to win on home ground.”

He took the opportunity to make another jab at Sweden: “In Sweden, of course, I win all the races. It’s most important of all,” he said.

Before last season, ski fans could generally count on Northug to be true to his word. The 26-year-old would reliably deliver unreal finishing kicks that landed him on the top of the podium again and again. But now, after a disappointing winter?

Norwegian coach Trond Nystad affirmed that Northug appears to be in good shape.

“He looks very good,” Nystad said. “Petter has had better results than ever before in the tests we’ve done this summer.”

For all his bravado, Nystad said that Northug manages every aspect of his life and training to a T.

“I usually say that he has steel control of everything he does,” he said.

And despite poking fun at his Swedish rival at every chance he gets, Northug takes Hellner and Cologna seriously.

“Take the last Tour de Ski, while I just became more worn it seemed Marcus became more alert every day. It was impressive,” he said. “Every time Marcus defeats me it hurts inside.”

In Northug’s opinion, the only two skiers to keep track of next winter apart from himself are Hellner and Cologna.

“I think it is Marcus, me and Dario Cologna who will be the strongest over the whole season,” he said.

There are 67 days to go until the season kicks off in Gällivare, and with that kind of confidence, Northug has at least ensured that all eyes will be trained on him.

September 18, 2012