Tag: 2014 Davos World Cup

Notes and Quotes: Davos Round Two

USST’s Sadie Bjornsen racing to 29th in the Davos World Cup 10 freestyle, Dec. 20, 2014. (Photo: Fischer/Nordic Focus)

World Cup racing returned to Davos, Switzerland, for the second weekend in a row, marking the last races of period one. With a 10/15 k freestyle individual start and a 1.3 k freestyle sprint, the international circuit wrapped up racing as competitors enjoy a holiday break before starting the Tour de Ski Jan. 3 in Oberstdorf, Germany.

Below are quotes from the U.S. Ski Team interviews that didn’t make it into our weekend race reports:

On feelings going into the weekend of racing…

“I got sick going into the week of Lillehammer and didn’t want to miss the chance to race three races in a row. [I was] definitely a bit under so having done three races after fighting a cold kept me under going into last weekend. I have been taking it easy, trying to get back to zero so I can build from there.”

– Kikkan Randall, describing factors that resulted in a “strange start” to the season. She explained that she felt more like herself this weekend of racing. Randall earned her first top 10 of the season with a ninth place finish after falling in the semifinal.

“I had a head cold for the week and took most of it off. I woke up yesterday and felt it move into my chest. I was a little worried about that because I have a bad history with respiratory stuff. I decided I still wanted to go for it this morning.”

– Simi Hamilton, who sat out last weekend’s races in Davos to recover from illness.

“I think this hard block of racing and training is starting to catch up with me. Racing every weekend for four weeks doesn’t sound too bad but when you tack on race prep every Friday, and intervals on Wednesday to keep the body from falling asleep, it adds up. After tomorrow I will have completed my first period of racing on the World Cup. That right there was my goal – I got to start every race and I really think this experience is going to pay off.”

– Erik Bjornsen, who was the lone USST male in the 15 k classic. He finished the race in 56th, and in the sprint he placed 41st.

On Saturday’s distance race…

“We were hoping for a little better overall. Liz had a great race for her, definitely the highpoint to today’s race. This race was her best she been able to put together [in Davos].”

– USST Head Coach Chris Grover, on the 10/15 k races and Stephen’s performance.

“I keep trying every weekend to not start slow and it just keeps happening. I think eventually I’m going to figure this out after some mass starts, but I have this tendency to be conservative. At altitude I have more of a tendency because I don’t want to redline too early. It’s something I need to figure out before I have some spectacular races. That’s a goal for my next period of racing.”

– Sadie Bjornsen, on her tendency to start conservatively in distance races. She finished 29th in Saturday’s 10 k and 36th in Sunday’s sprint.

On Sunday’s sprint race…

“We practiced that course a lot this week, as did everybody else… We were as well prepared as we could have been. We never would have guessed that there would have been that many slips and tangles out there. In general it was more on the bad luck side. That’s part of sprinting. Last weekend [Federico] Pellegrino fell and he went on to win today.

“At the same time we made some great corners out there. The last corner, a lot of people scrubbed speed coming into the final stretches. We knew how to ski that and we tried to take the wide line around that corner and carry momentum into the finish. Everyone was ready to do that, but unfortunately they didn’t get a shot because some people didn’t make it that far.”

– Grover, on the abundance of USST crashes in Sunday’s sprint. All five skiers in the finals either fell or tangled with another competitor.

“I came through and I was very out of breath and Guss [Kaeding] was in the finish pen, and he was like ‘Sophie, you finished lucky loser, that heat was three seconds faster than any other one,’ and I was just like, ‘thank God.’”

– Sophie Caldwell, on her quarterfinal strategy in the 1.4 k sprint. She ‘blew up’ after attempting to stay with Ingvild Flugstad Østberg of Norway, but still advanced to the semifinals after earning lucky loser. She ended her day in 11th after placing sixth in her semifinal heat.

“I came around the downhill corner and I saw someone else had fallen, and as soon as I saw a dark suit out of the corner of my eye I thought, ‘oh no, I hope that’s not Kikkan.’”

– Caldwell, on witnessing Randall’s fall in the semifinal. Caldwell fell earlier in the same heat and the two finished fifth and sixth in the round.

On the holiday break….

“I’m going to be here [in Davos] with my husband Jeff. Because of the snow conditions, most of my team members have decided to stay here in Davos and train. We will probably get together a few times and we got invited to the FIS chief of marketing’s house for Christmas Eve. It will be nice to be in a home for a little bit of Christmas tradition. I am looking forward to some nice training and spending some time with my husband.”

– Randall, whose husband Jeff Ellis works for the FIS cross country marketing team.

“[Davos] seems to be one of the few places in the world that has snow. So we’re just going to be here, training. I’m very excited to do some family skis on Christmas day.”

– Jessie Diggins, whose family will be with her in Davos until Dec. 30

On the upcoming start of the Tour de Ski…

“I loved starting the Tour last year. I think it’s a really good way to get used to racing a lot. You learn that you can’t get nervous about each race because you’re doing it every single day. So I think both physically and mentally it’s a good test. The races I’m planning on doing are two short skates and two longer classics. That’s what I prefer, skate sprinting and classic distance.”

– Caldwell, who will appear in the Tour for the second time in January.

“I’m always excited about the Tour as it’s always fun. I guess we’ll see how the snow situation is and see where we’re racing. I’m looking forward to doing it and finishing with Liz – that’s always really cool.”

– Diggins, who has plans to race the entirety of the Tour alongside Stephen this year.

On the rest of the season…

“It was a slower start to the year, and I’m really happy with the way the form is coming and where I’m at. I’m really happy with where our team is as well. It’s a big season with the World Championships and that’s where we want to be performing best. Our sights are there and we’re all happy with the small breakthroughs we’ve had each weekend.”

– Liz Stephen, who was 4.9 seconds out of the top-10 in Saturday’s 10 k after finishing 12th.

“We’re all super motivated and we know that we want to be on our game 100% in February for World Champs and I think we’re all headed that direction. So the energy is good around here and we’re all super positive.”

– Hamilton, who finished 23rd in Sunday’s sprint.

“I’m excited to have some breakthrough performances, maybe, in the next periods, so I think it’s going to be just great to take a few weeks of rest for a mental recovery and come back with confidence and excitement.”

– Sadie Bjornsen, who has consistently placed in the top-30 throughout the first period of racing.

On public perceptions of the USST’s results…

“I’d like to point out something really interesting that we’re hearing a lot from the media and from other people – ‘Oh, obviously you must be so disappointed in your race.’”

“You can never take for granted a top-30 on the World Cup and you can never take for granted qualifying. If you’re just the tiniest bit off in this field you’re way off the back.

“I think it is interesting that everyone always immediately says, ‘oh you must be kind of disappointed but good job anyway.’ I think it’s important for us to look at that and realize we are doing our best and we’re doing everything that we can. There’s literally nothing we could be doing to try harder to do our job.”

– Diggins, who finished in the top 30 in both races this weekend.

December 22, 2014
Valjas, Cockney Make Davos Sprint Quarterfinals for Canada

Jesse Cockney races during qualifiers of the World Cup 1.3 k freestyle sprint in Davos, Switzerland. Cockney would be the 23rd qualifier and finish 29th overall. (Photo: CCC/Twitter)

Two Canadians finished in the points in the men’s World Cup 1.3-kilometer freestyle sprint on Sunday in Davos, Switzerland, though neither made it beyond the quarterfinals.

Lenny Valjas, of the Canadian World Cup Team, followed a strong performance last week in Davos — when he finished 13^th overall — by finishing in 18^th after qualifying in 12^th. Meanwhile, national B-team member Jesse Cockney qualified in 23^rd and finished 29^th overall — his best individual World Cup result since taking ninth in a 2012 freestyle sprint in Canmore, Alberta.

Frederico Pellegrino of Italy won the final for his first-ever World Cup victory.

Valjas, who has been coming back from knee surgery for over a year, was pleased with his qualifying round. He explained in an email that he took advantage of the fast conditions, which were preferable to the icy conditions of Saturday’s 15 k freestyle.

He also felt strong during his quarterfinal heat, but fell just short of qualifying for the semifinals, finishing in the fourth, 0.56 seconds behind Sweden’s Calle Halfvarsson. He was behind the leaders for most of the heat and was not able to make a pass during the finishing surge.

“It’s hard to move through people on the tight course, and I wish it was a bit longer in the finishing straight,” the 26-year-old Valjas wrote.

Cockney was also happy with his qualifier.

Lenny Valjas on his way to taking 12th in qualifier and 18th overall during the World Cup 1.3 k freestyle sprint in Davos, Switzerland, on Sunday. (Photo: CCC/Twitter)

“I’ve been skiing relaxed and smooth in qualifiers all year and it feels awesome to finally get into the heats again,” the 25-year-old Cockney wrote in an email.

However, Cockney ended up in the fastest quarterfinal heat, which was led by eventual third-place finisher Finn Hågen Krogh of Norway (2:16.37). Cockney finished sixth, 4.88 seconds behind Krogh.

“I wasn’t strong enough [to stay] with them at that speed so I ended up skiing the whole race in sixth place,” he wrote.

Canadian World Cup Coach Tor-Arne Hetland was pleased with the results, but disappointed that no one pushed through the quarterfinals.

“We had good races today from both of them [Valjas and Cockney], but when you’re in the heats, you always hope to get to the next level so that is a little bit disappointing,” he said on the phone. “When you’re starting in the heats you want to be in the final.”

But Hetland was optimistic about future races, especially based on Cockney’s performance, saying Cockney has been steadily improving and that he was happy to see him break the top 30.

As for Valjas, “he’s showing that he is back on his level and I think he will be improving in each week coming up,” Hetland said. After Sunday, Valjas stood 52^nd in the World Cup standings.

“I’m happy with grabbing a few more points this weekend, and look forward to a small Christmas break and then racing the Tour de Ski,” Valjas said.

On the women’s side, the lone Canadian starter was Perianne Jones, who placed 39^th in qualifiers and failed to make the heats. She was 7.53 seconds behind the qualifying leader and eventual winner, Marit Bjørgen (2:37.59).

Results: Men | Women

December 21, 2014
Canadians Finish Outside Points in Davos World Cup

Canadian Greame Killick skis to 54th in Saturday’s 15 k freestyle individual start in Davos, Switzerland. (Photo: FIscher/Nordic Focus)

While Norwegians continued to assert their dominance on the World Cup podium, the Canadian National Team had a difficult day in Saturday’s 10/15 k freestyle in Davos, Switzerland.

Ivan Babikov posted the strongest North American result in the men’s race, finishing 34^th overall. He trailed race winner, Anders Gløersen of Norway, who crossed the line in 34:27.9, by 1:18.4. Teammate Alex Harvey finished in 38^th (+1:24.1), while Devon Kershaw was 52^nd, and Graeme Killick was 54^th (+1:49.9 and +1:56.1, respectively).

Babikov, who skipped the last weekend of World Cup racing in Davos for a quick trip back home to see family and train in Canada, was unable to match his most recent World Cup finish, where he earned the 10th-fastest time in the 15 k classic pursuit in the Lillehammer mini tour. In Saturday’s race, he was 12.7 seconds out of the top 30.

With no Canadians in the points, Harvey said the team was disappointed with the results.

“It’s not a good picture of where I’m at physically and shape-wise, and it’s the same for Ivan and Devon,” he said in a phone interview.

The 26-year-old Harvey explained that the team went for “a pretty aggressive hand structure” on their skis, as they expected the sun to provide wetter snow conditions. However, the snow remained fairly dry and granular throughout the course, leaving the team’s skis “biting” along the stadium and during the long climb.

“I think today we missed on the skis a little bit … we just have to forget about this one,” he said.

However, the leading Canadians made up a ground after the early splits — Harvey was 73^rdafter the first 2 k, while the 34-year-old Babikov was 64^th.

Harvey’s result comes after his 17^th-place finish in last week’s 15 k classic, which also took place in Davos. Despite his lack of points from Saturday’s race, he is now fifth in the World Cup distance ranking and 12^th in the overall ranking. Babikov is 28^th in distance and 48^th overall.

Canadian World Cup coach Tor-Arne Hetland said in a phone interview that the team was “disappointed” but emphasized that “there will be new chances,” including in Sunday’s freestyle sprint. In addition, he said that because Babikov had arrived from Canada a few days prior to the race, he did not have much time to adjust and prepare.

He also explained that Killick had the speed for a top-10 finish (he was 20^th after 7.8 k) but “blew up” in the last 5 k. Despite the final result, Killick’s effort demonstrated the 25 year old’s potential.

In the women’s 10 k race, the lone Canadian starter was Emily Nishikawa, who finished 49^th. She finished 2:32.4 behind World Cup leader Marit Bjørgen of Norway, who earned a time of 24:57.7 and continued her progression of strong performances. Nishikawa’s result follows a 29th place finish in the Davos 10 k classic earlier in December.

Nishikawa’s race was thrown off by a tricky downhill section where she crashed and broke a pole.

“I came into the corner too fast, and didn’t have enough control,” she wrote in an email.

Despite the crash, Nishikawa, 25, said she was pleased with how she skied the final 7 k following the crash, making up enough time to crack the top 50.

Results: men | women

December 20, 2014
Despite Slow World Cup Start, Gregg Optimistic and Working Toward World Champs

Caitlin Gregg (Team Gregg/Madshus) skiing to 56th place in the Davos World Cup 10 k classic on Dec. 13. (Photo: Toko)

Caitlin Gregg had big plans before arriving in Europe to race the World Cup circuit as the 2014 SuperTour leader. Aiming to qualify for the 2015 World Championships in Falun, Sweden, Gregg intended to ski for World Cup points. If she accumulated enough, a top-50 ranking would mean automatic qualification for World Championships.

After three World Cup weekends, that strategy appears to be out of reach for Gregg.

In the first few weekends of the 2014/2015 season, the 34-year-old Minneapolis native has been near the back of the World Cup pack. Choosing not to start in November’s opening World Cup races in Kuusamo, Finland, Gregg’s first World Cup competition was the mini tour in Lillehammer, Norway, where she placed 78^th in the sprint. The following day, she was 62^ndin the 5-kilometer freestyle. In the final 10 k pursuit, she skied the 70^th -ranked time and finished 68^th overall in the mini tour out of 74 women.

In the latest World Cup in Davos, Switzerland, Gregg improved on her previous results, skiing to 56^th in the 10 k classic and 60^th in the 1.3 k freestyle sprint. However, it wasn’t close to the top-30 she had been aiming for.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit disappointed with the results,” Gregg said after the Davos 10 k. “I was gunning for a little bit higher, especially in that 5 k skate. I was looking to be in the points.”

Some of Gregg’s fellow U.S. competitors have started their seasons slower than they’d hoped as well, with several of them outside the points.

While not everyone has posted strong results, the difference between the U.S. Ski Team (USST) women and Gregg is that they have each cracked into the top-30 at least once.

According to Gregg, members of the USST also have more wiggle room at the beginning the season, while she doesn’t as a Continental Cup leader.

“Obviously the ideal thing would be to be on the ski team, because they have a little bit of leeway in terms of, OK, are they firing on all cylinders now or are they waiting for World Champs?” she said. “In my position, or really anyone on the SuperTour, we don’t really have that opportunity.”

She said she was in a similar situation last year, when she started the season on the SuperTour circuit in the U.S. She believed a fast start was necessary to earn a spot on the Olympic team.

Gregg delivered in late 2013, earning a podium in every nationally attended race she competed in before leaving for Europe in January for the Word Cup. However, she was not selected to the Olympic team.

“But it’s a tough position on either side,” she acknowledged.

Caitlin Gregg (Team Gregg/Madshus) racing to a nearly four-minute victory in the 20 k freestyle mass start at the 2014 U.S. Cross Country Championships at Soldier Hollow in Midway, Utah. (Photo: U.S. Ski Team/Sarah Brunson)

Her current situation is reminiscent to that of Alaska Pacific University’s Rosie Brennan last season.

The 2012/2013 SuperTour leader, Brennan started her winter on the World Cup with the hope of earning a spot at the Olympics. However, her best result was a top 60. While she earned a national title and several podiums at the 2014 U.S. national, she did not make the Olympics.

Even with the fast track to pre-qualification rapidly escaping, both Gregg and her husband, Brian, are still gunning for World Championships — they’ll just have to be picked by discretion or USSA points.

“We’ve seen people turn around some maybe slower starts to the season. We’re still optimistic,” she said. “We put in some good training this year. We want to go as the husband-and-wife duo. We got blocked last year, so now we have to go again strong.”

Gregg believes her best chance for qualification is to perform well in the upcoming World Cup 10 k freestyle in Davos this weekend. Now that she’s already raced the course, Gregg believes that knowledge and experience will help her accomplish a strong result.

When she returns to the domestic circuit for the 2015 U.S. national in Houghton, Mich., Gregg will again look to make an impression in the 10 k freestyle.

“A good statement in the 10 k at nationals and hopefully [it will] really put that little thought in the back of their minds again to bring us. Again, it’s all based on USSA points, so really looking to chase those down and see what we can do there,” she said.

Despite the challenge of skiing at the international level, Gregg said that the trip to Europe has been worthwhile for a variety of reasons.

“I wouldn’t trade this – even if it means that I don’t make World Championships because I came over here. I just have learned so much,” she said.

“I wouldn’t trade this – even if it means that I don’t make World Championships because I came over here. I just have learned so much.” — Caitlin Gregg (Team Gregg/Madshus) on starting the 2014/2015 season on the World Cup

Gregg explained that after racing two weekends on the World Cup, she’s seen improvements in her skiing, especially in classic skiing.

Traditionally stronger in skating, Gregg’s 56^th in last Saturday’s 10 k classic is her strongest result thus far on the 2014/2015 World Cup. She started amongst some of the strongest skiers on the circuit including Krista Parmakoski of Finland and Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland. She said that her race felt better than the earlier distance races of the season.

“I think last weekend I was like, ‘where did I give up all that time?’ Today was one of those days where you think, OK, that’s where it was,” she explained on Saturday. “I was happy when I got to the line with what I did out there, and I couldn’t have done anything else. My skis were dialed, I felt great, everything was great.”

As she enters the last World Cup weekend before returning stateside, Gregg said she’s excited to take advantage of the opportunities skiing on the World Cup has given her.

“[I’m] disappointed, but still really taking it in and learning so much. Psyched for the opportunity and knowing that it will make me a stronger skier down the road,” she said.

If she doesn’t make World Championships, you can expect to see Gregg competing her “other passion,” the American Birkebeiner on Feb. 21 in Hayward, Wis. “I don’t want to say [that’s] the second choice or anything like that, but that’s the plan,” she said.

December 17, 2014