Tag: 2014/2015 World Cup

Stephen Ninth as Three Americans Finish in Top 20 of Holmenkollen 30 k

USST’s Caitlin Gregg (r), Jessie Diggins (c) and Liz Stephen (r) in the finish of the 2015 Holmenkollen 30 k which served as the last race of the 2015 World Cup season. Stephen led the three in ninth, while Diggins and Gregg Placed 14th and 19th. (Photo: Madshus/Nordic Focus)

Liz Stephen led a trio of Americans placing in the top 20 of Sunday’s 30-kilometer freestyle mass start in Holmenkollen, Norway – the final World Cup race of the season.

Stephen finished in ninth to earn her sixth individual top-10 finish of the 2014/2015 World Cup season. She was 2:06.7 minutes behind Marit Bjørgen of Norway, who sprinted away from teammate Therese Johaug in the final kilometer to win in a time of 1:14:10.5 and put the finishing touch on her overall World Cup title.

Stephen was fifth after 16.3 k, and led the main chase pack throughout much of the final lap. However, she fell behind in the final kilometer and came across the line 17.5 seconds outside the top five.

Stephen finished the season 10th in the overall World Cup standings and seventh in the distance standings.

The East Montpellier, Vt. native said that she entered Sunday’s race with a goal of reaching the top five and had her sights set on Norway’s Heidi Weng. She explained that to fight for her goal, risks were necessary.

“I took some chances and almost blew up at points. A good indicator for me is when my stomach is knotted and I wanted to throw up which came earlier than usual,” Stephen told USSA in a press release, adding that while she finished four spots away from her goal, she considered the day a success.

With the culmination of the 2015 World Cup season Stephen said the many personal and team achievements of the year gave her hope for the future. Stephen earned a historic fifth-place finish in the 2015 Tour de Ski and claimed the best finish by an American woman in a distance World Cup with her silver medal in the Rybinsk 10 k freestyle.

“The top of the race is closer now. It gives me hope for next year and years in the future,” she said to USSA. “I’m really happy with the day. I’m really happy with the season.”

Jessie Diggins, silver medalist in the 10 k freestyle at the 2015 World Championships, was the second American to finish, coming through by herself in 14th (+2:44.0). She claimed her eighth individual top-15 World Cup finish of the season and ended the season 22nd in the World Cup standings.

Diggins wrote in an email to FasterSkier that she was happy with her race and the World Cup season as a whole. “My skis were great and I was skiing with a pack that didn’t exchange skis so I didn’t either, and it worked out great to be on one pair for the whole race.”

However, Diggins explained that she probably went out too hard, as she was with the lead pack around the 8 k mark but had to settle into the chase group shortly afterward. In addition, she began cramping in her lower quadriceps during the final few kilometers.

“I’ve never had cramping in a race before, so it was totally unexpected, and my legs kept twitching and it was really hard to move!” she wrote.

She explained that instead of trying for a top-10 finish, at that point she was just hoping to get to the finish line “in one piece.”

“I was fine once I got out of the hot sun after the race,” Diggins added.

Meanwhile, Caitlin Gregg finished in 19th (+3:07.7), three weeks after taking bronze in the 10 k freestyle at the 2015 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun, Sweden.

Gregg said in a phone interview that in previous seasons she would be more excited about Sunday’s result, but her recent successes have left her with higher expectations.

“I’m a little bit bummed, because I was definitely skiing in a place where I was fighting for a top-ten finish and I was feeling really good,” she said.

Gregg put herself in a good position early in the race – she was eighth at the 8 k mark, just 16 seconds off the lead. At that point, she was in a chase pack of roughly six other skiers and feeling strong.

Caitlin Gregg racing to bronze in the 10 k freestyle at 2015 World Championships in Falun, Sweden. Gregg placed 19th in Sunday’s 30 k freestyle mass start in Holmenkollen, Norway. (Photo: Madshus/NordicFocus)

However, she said she picked her second-best pair of skis for the race, expecting the other skiers to exchange their skis at the 13 k point like in previous years. But when the leaders, Bjørgen and Johaug, did not switch, no one in the chase pack did either.

“The skis I selected were a bit stiffer … and as the course broke down I realized they were way too stiff, and areas where I usually would feel the greatest, on those long inclines through some pretty deep slush, my skis were just bogging down and I was struggling,” Gregg said.

As a result, she was caught by another pack and fell to 17^th by the 24.3 k point, before finishing the race in the back of that pack.

“Skiing Holmenkollen on your second-best pair of skis isn’t really what you want to do, so it leaves you with that ‘what if?’ feeling. But that’s why we do this; it’s a fun experiment. You’re always playing and the strategy is a cool part of it,” Gregg explained.

Gregg is thrilled with the 2015 season, especially given the fact she dealt with shingles early in the World Cup season. In addition to her performance at World Championships, she won the 10 k freestyle and was second in the freestyle sprint at U.S. Nationals and took third in last weekend’s 42 k mass start Marathon Cup race in Engadin, Switzerland.

“Just being on the World Cup is a pretty incredible experience … I feel like I’ve definitely figured out how to ski on the World Cup, how to travel on the World Cup, how the whole system operates,” she said.

She added that it is a great feeling to know she is finishing strong.

Three other Americans finished in the famed 30 k. Sadie Bjornsen took 44th (+6:59.0) and finishes the season 23rd in the World Cup standings, Caitlin Patterson was 53rd (+8:53.3), and Rosie Brennan finished in 55th (+10:22.7).

The lone Canadian in the field, Emily Nishikawa, took 50^th (+8:04.1).

Results

Final World Cup standings

March 15, 2015
Newell 12th, Valjas 14th in Final World Cup Sprint in Drammen

(From l-r) Canada’s Lenny Valjas, Andy Newell of the U.S., and Norway’s Pål Golberg (9) at the finish line of their quarterfinal heat in the World Cup freestyle sprint in Drammen, Norway. Newell advanced to the semifinals and ended up 12th overall, while Valjas narrowly missed advancing and placed 14th. (Photo: Fischer/Nordic Focus)

American Andy Newell ended his World Cup season on a high note, finishing as the top North American in Wednesday’s 1.3-kilometer classic sprint in Drammen, Norway. He reached the semifinals before finishing 12^th overall.

Newell qualified in 28^th, 5.48 seconds behind top qualifier Ola Vigen Hattestad of Norway (2:36.48).

Canada’s Lenny Valjas during of the World Cup classic-sprint qualifier in Drammen, Norway. Valjas qualified 19th and placed 14th overall. (Photo: Fischer/Nordic Focus)

Lenny Valjas of Canada qualified in 19^th (+4.90) and was the only other North American male in the quarterfinals. He and Newell ended up racing in the fifth quarterfinal.

In that heat, Valjas held a slim lead until Newell and Norway’s Pål Golberg passed him in the final stretch. The Canadian finished in third, just 0.72 seconds behind Golberg, who won the heat in 2:39.43, while Newell lunged to a second-place finish, 0.43 seconds back.

Valjas would finish 14^th overall. He did not immediately respond to an email for comment.

Newell said in a phone interview that he felt strong during his quarterfinal heat, deciding to go with kick wax while trying to stay near the front throughout the heat.

“I was able to do that in the first climb and get a good draft on the downhill. I felt good striding up to the finish line and was able to move on pretty comfortably,” he said.

Newell, who is coming off an eighth-place finish in Saturday’s freestyle sprint in Lahti, Finland, explained that he had a yellow card on his record and had to be especially careful to avoid skating, a risk on the steep hill where many of the racers were herringboning.

“You can be skating very easily trying to do that,” he said. “I think there were definitely some sketchy techniques going on out there, so I went into that hill doing my best to be really under control and not herringboning too much.”

In the semifinal, Newell finished sixth, 8.75 seconds behind winner Sondre Turvoll Fossli, who won in 2:35.41.

Newell said that although he was happy to reach that round, he wished he could have been more competitive. The quick turnaround from the final quarterfinal heat left him fatigued, he said.

“I just got stuck in the back going over the tops of the hills and into the drafts,” he explained.

Newell wanted to establish a good position to catch a draft on the long downhill, but became stuck behind Russia’s Nikita Kriukov, who was herringboning the uphill.

“I had to herringbone behind him as well, and he wasn’t going as fast as some of the guys that had kick wax,” Newell said. “We did come back on the downhill, but because he had skate skis he wasn’t a great person to draft behind because he pulled away from me and I was left in no-man’s land on the downhill. And then I didn’t carry quite enough speed on the corner.”

Andy Newell (U.S. Ski Team) at the 1.3 k classic sprint in Drammen, Norway. He placed sixth in his semifinal for 12th overall. (Photo: Fischer/NordicFocus)

Newell finished the season 18^th in the overall Sprint World Cup, despite missing one sprint and failing to score in two others.

He explained he was pleased to be able to turn his season around after suffering from a slow start, injuries and adversity, particularly a neck injury and a reoccurring allergic reaction, earlier in the season.

“As far as an overall sprint year, it was not super successful, but I was able to learn some things and turn it around at the end of the season,” Newell said. “It’s always nice to finish pretty strong.”

Canada’s Alex Harvey, who took a silver medal in the classic sprint at the 2015 World Championships and bronze in the skiathlon, missed qualifying by 0.7 seconds in 33^rd (6.53 seconds behind the qualifying winner) and ended the season 13^th in the sprint standings.

Other American men racing on Wednesday included Erik Bjornsen in 38^th (+7.16), Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess in 42^nd (+7.55), and Simi Hamilton in 65^th (+13.56). Hamilton crashed late in his qualifier to take him out of contention.

Sadie Bjornsen Qualifies Ninth

Sadie Bjornsen was the lone North American woman to qualify for the heats, finishing ninth, 5.22 seconds behind Norway’s Ingvild Flugstad Østberg, the top female qualifier in 3:01.25.

Sadie Bjornsen (U.S. Ski Team) racing to ninth in the 1.3 k classic-sprint qualifier on Wednesday at the World Cup in Drammen, Norway. In the last sprint of the season, Bjornsen went on to place sixth in her quarterfinal for 26th overall. (Photo: Fischer/NordicFocus)

However, Bjornsen ended up in the fastest quarterfinal, which Norway’s Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen won in 3:00.33, and placed sixth (+2.87) to finish 26^th overall.

Bjornsen said in a phone interview that it is unfortunate she was put a heat with so many fast skiers, but her time in the heat still left her encouraged.

“Even though I was last in my heat, I was skiing faster than most of the other heats, so there’s definitely some positive things to take away,” she said.

Bjornsen explained that her strategy in the quarterfinal was simply to ski as hard as she could and try to keep contact with the front. She said she had a strong start, but became caught behind the other skiers. Once she had to slow down, she had a difficult time regaining speed. It is something she says she has struggled with throughout the season.

“I ended up skiing from the back the whole time, and every time I tried to find a hole, it was quickly covered,” she explained. “It was a bit frustrating, but those are all really good skiers so it was hard to find my way to the front.”

Bjornsen was able to make contact with the leaders at the bottom of the course’s steep hill, but got tangled up in the back while climbing the other side and was not in an ideal position when she reached the finishing stretch.

“The hills were steep and narrow and tricky,” she said.

Despite temperatures above 50 degrees Fahrenheit, skis were not an issue for her.

“I definitely had awesome skis,” she explained.

Even though she was not able to reach the semifinals, Bjornsen is encouraged by how she qualified.

“I feel like this year I’ve sort of struggled. There have been many races where I’m just barely qualifying or on the other side of not qualifying,” she said. “I was definitely really happy to finish the last sprint of the year knowing that I can qualify in the top 10.”

Although she has not had as many top results as during the 2013/2014 World Cup season, Bjornsen said this season has been a step in the right direction. She finished 24^th in the sprint standings.

“It’s easy to be greedy and just want to have those high races … but I’ve finally found a level of consistency. And I do believe this is the next step,” she said.

She explained that this winter she has raced more than ever, and hopes for even better results next season after a good summer of training.

American Sophie Caldwell placed 35th in qualifying in Wednesday’s World Cup freestyle sprint in Drammen, Norway. (Photo: Fischer/Nordic Focus)

Meanwhile, her teammate Sophie Caldwell missed out on qualifying by 1.18 seconds, placing 35^th (+11.59). She finishes the season 20^th in the sprint standings.

She wrote in an email that she was not very satisfied with her qualifier and felt like she skied frantically.

“I’ve been fighting a little sickness the past few days, but it never got bad enough to consider not racing. I felt a little flat and tired, but mostly just frantic,” she explained.

She wrote that she tends to struggle with the Drammen course due to the power striding and double poling, and is going to work hard to improve those techniques during the offseason.

“I’ve never qualified in Drammen, but one of these years that’s going to change!” she wrote.

American Kikkan Randall, who reached the podium in third in Saturday’s freestyle sprint in Lahti, qualified in 45^th (+18.03), while Caitlin Patterson was 51^st (+19.73) for the U.S.

No Canadian women competed on Wednesday.

The 2014/2015 World Cup season finishes this weekend at Holmenkollen in Oslo, Norway, with the men’s 50 k and women’s 30 k freestyle mass starts.

Results: Men | Women

March 11, 2015
Canada’s Harvey 17th in 15 k, Nishikawa Tallies Career-Best 23rd in Lahti 10 k Classic

Canada’s Alex Harvey finished 17th in the men’s World Cup 15 k classic individual start in Lahti, Finland, on Sunday, 35.7 seconds off the pace of winner Francesco de Fabiani of Italy. (Photo: Fischer/NordicFocus)

Even after earning two medals at the 2015 World Championships, Canada’s Alex Harvey is still OK with a 17^th-place finish in Sunday’s 15-kilometer freestyle individual start in Lahti, Finland.

“It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great,” he said in a phone interview.

In 17th, Harvey ended up 35.7 seconds behind Italy’s Francesco de Fabiani, who won in 34:51.2, and 31.1 seconds from a podium spot.

“I thought it would be a tight race and it was a really, really tight race,” he said. “I was never really in it, but never too far out of it, either.”

Harvey placed better in last year’s Lahti 15 k, finishing eighth, but was 55 seconds behind the winner and farther from podium contention than he was on Sunday.

Harvey had a good start – he was 10^th at the 6.2 k point and just 9.5 seconds off the pace.

“I opened hard and thought that was the right speed to fight for the top five or top 10, and I just faded a bit near the end, but I didn’t completely blow up and the wheels didn’t completely fall off,” he explained, adding that he slowly lost time and position near the end.

“I was skiing on my own the whole time, so I knew I had to make the work on my own,” he said.

Harvey explained that he took quite a bit of rest in the last week since World Championships and that it typically takes him a while to get back into normal skiing shape.

“My body was kind of asleep this weekend, I think,” he said.

He had hoped for a top five or the podium in Lahti, but knew he would be affected after an exhausting World Championships and subsequent rest.

Canada’s Emily Nishikawa finished 23rd in the 10 k freestyle individual start in Lahti, Finland. (Photo: Fischer/NordicFocus)

Meanwhile, Emily Nishikawa of the Canadian Development Team notched a career-best 23^rd, 2:01.6 off the pace of Norway’s Marit Bjørgen, who won in 25:27.8. Previously, Nishikawa’s World Cup best was 29th in the 10 k classic in Davos, Switzerland, earlier this season.

“I’m really happy with my race today,” she wrote in an email. “I started faster than I normally do and I think that made a difference in my result.”

However, she explained that she thought she might have started too fast, as she faded in the last two kilometers. At the 8.4 k point, she was in 18^th and 1:42.4 minutes behind Bjørgen.

“I was really struggling to keep up my speed,” she wrote.

On the men’s side, Graeme Killick – who was 19^th in the 50 k classic at World Championships – finished 41^st (+1:36.6), and Ivan Babikov placed 48^th (+1:59.8).

Alberta World Cup Academy (AWCA) teammates and national development team members, Kevin Sandau finished 61^st (+3:09.3), while Michael Somppi was one place behind in 62^nd (+3:17.4).

Graeme Killick (AWCA/NST-Dev. B) racing to 41st in the men’s 15 k classic on March 8 at the World Cup in Lahti, Finland. (Photo: Fischer/NordicFocus)

The other Canadian women racing included Cendrine Browne, of the Pierre-Harvey Training Centre, in 52^nd (+4:10.7), Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt (Rocky Mountain Racers) in 54^th (+4:36.0), and Andrea Dupont (Rocky Mountain Racers) in 58^th (+5:08.0).

“We had good skis yesterday and today,” Canadian World Cup Coach Tor Arne Hetland told Cross Country Canada, noting the soft snow and warm temperatures. “We saw good racing out of Alex – I expect him to do well in Drammen later this week, and in the 50 k in Oslo. Emily skied very well and came out with a personal best, and Cendrine should be happy with how she has skied the last two races.”

Despite feeling like he is “running on fumes,” Harvey said he was looking forward to the last two World Cup races of the season.

He is hoping for a podium finish on Wednesday at the classic sprint in Drammen, Norway, explained that the sprint in Drammen is always fun and that he has vastly improved his classic sprinting this season.

“I’m still really motivated; I’m hungry to race, but the body needs to be there, so it’s kind of hit and miss for the body by mid-March,” he said. “But I’m motivated so that’s important.”

After the classic sprint in Drammen, the 2014/2015 World Cup season ends next weekend in Oslo with the 50 k men’s and 30 k women’s freestyle mass start races.

Results: Men | Women

March 8, 2015
Bjornsen, Diggins Earn Top-20 Finishes for U.S. in Lahti 10 k Classic

Sadie Bjornsen led all Americans at the World Cup on March 8, placing 14th in the women’s 10 k classic individual start in Lahti, Finland. (Photo: Fischer/NordicFocus)

The American women’s team looks to be in good shape in the final stretch of the 2014/2015 World Cup, as Sadie Bjornsen and Jessie Diggins finished in the top 20 of Sunday’s 10-kilometer classic individual start in Lahti, Finland.

While Norway’s Marit Bjørgen collected her second victory of the weekend, winning in a time of 25:37.8, Sadie Bjornsen led all Americans by finishing in 14^th (+1:41.4).

Jessie Diggins followed a fourth-place finish in Saturday’s freestyle sprint by placing 17^th, 1:48.1 minutes behind Bjørgen.

Bjornsen wrote in am email to the press that the conditions made for a challenging day, as the course offered a mix of soft, spring-like conditions and icy spots.

“I just kept trying to tell myself that conditions were similarly hard for everyone,” she wrote. “I had a great first lap, and then spent the second lap trying to hold my technique together as the tracks become more challenging to kick in.”

Bjornsen added that this season, there have been more races on soft, klister conditions than on hard wax, which has traditionally been her strength.

“I am being forced to find some new skills and strengths this winter,” she wrote.

U.S. Ski Team Women’s Coach Matt Whitcomb said in a phone interview that he was impressed with Bjornsen’s effort and that it was a positive result.

“It’s pretty difficult to get a top 20 at a classic race in Finland,” he said. “She mentioned that she struggled in the herringbone sections on the course, but she was able to put together some very competitive striding and double poling sections.”

Sophie Caldwell placed 31st on Sunday in Lahti, Finland, for her best World Cup distance result. Here she is pictured in bib 21 in the classic-sprint quarterfinal at 2015 World Championships in Falun, Sweden. (Photo: FlyingPointRoad)

Diggins said in a phone interview that based on her two performances, she feels this is the best weekend she has ever had in Lahti.

Though she placed much higher on Saturday, she was happy with her result on Sunday, as neither classic racing nor the Lahti course play to her strengths, she said.

“On a course like this that was all about the steep climbs, I felt like there wasn’t a whole lot of double-pole and glide sections,” she said. “It wasn’t really a great course for me traditionally, but I had to try and wrap my head around that and get psyched about it.”

She said the tricky conditions made it difficult to determine whether she should stay in the track, especially when exhaustion set in during the second lap. However, when Bjørgen passed her, she was able to replicate what Bjørgen was doing.

“I was just trying to copy her, and that helped at the end of the second lap,” she said.

She added that, despite the conditions, her skis had a “really good kick.”

Meanwhile, Whitcomb said he thought the best race of the day went to Sophie Caldwell, who finished in 31^st and missed out by 0.2 seconds on earning her first 10 k classic points. Interestingly, before the race Caldwell was not sure if she was even going to participate.

“Her body wasn’t quite feeling right, but she decided to just go for it,” Whitcomb said.

It ended up being the right call, as she earned her best-ever distance result in a World Cup.

Whitcomb said she did an impressive job attacking the most difficult sections of the course – particularly the tops of long climbs.

“She was really competitive against the field in those sections,” Whitcomb said. “Today was an impressive step in the right direction.”

Liz Stephen finished right behind Caldwell in 32^nd (+2:27.8), while Caitlin Patterson of the Craftsbury Green Racing Project finished 50^th (+3:55.2).

Erik Bjornsen Leads American Men

In a close men’s race, Erik Bjornsen – who was 28^th in the skiathlon at the 2015 World Championships – led the Americans by placing 38^th, finishing 1:34.9 behind Italian winner Francesco de Fabiani (34:51.2). Noah Hoffman was just behind in 43^rd (+1:38.2).

Erik wrote in an email to FasterSkier that he felt decent, and that his goal was to go out strong and try and hold on for a good place, despite the tricky conditions.

“It’s been great getting so many starts this year because I’m starting to feel more comfortable skiing in crap,” he wrote. “My distance form seems to be at a new level since my pre-World Champs camp in Davos.”

He added that it is great to be able to go out strong and “not have the wheels fall off completely.” He said he felt great on the last lap despite not being able to find the kick he needed.

Erik Bjornsen led the American men to take 38th in the World Cup 15 k freestyle individual start in Fahti, Finland. Here he is pictured hunkering down on his last loop in the 2015 World Championships relay.

“I’m sure part of the problem is technique but I also wonder if I chose a classic ski with too high of a camber,” Bjornsen wrote.

Bjornsen started in bib 1, and Whitcomb said that racing first led to a strategy adjustment. He explained that they wanted to attack the conditions as they held up.

“In a normal race, you’re checking your split and maybe trying to lay down your fastest final lap,” Whitcomb said. “Today with the earlier bib numbers we were trying to lay down fast first and second laps before the conditions fell apart, and I think Erik did that.”

However, he reiterated that Bjornsen struggled with the kick in the final lap.

Other Americans in the field included Noah Hoffman in 43rd (+1:38.2), Kris Freeman in 57^th (+3:00.5) and Andy Newell – who was eighth in Saturday’s freestyle sprint – in 59^th (+3:07.7).

Despite his performance on Sunday, Whitcomb said that Newell is finally coming into form, and that he expects him to challenge for a podium spot during Wednesday’s classic sprint in Drammen, Norway.

In addition, he said Kikkan Randall – who was third in Saturday’s sprint – will threaten for a podium, while Simi Hamilton will also be a contender. Hamilton was seventh in the Drammen sprint in 2012.

After Wednesday’s classic sprint in Drammen, the 2014/2015 World Cup ends next weekend in Oslo, Norway, with the 50 k men’s and 30 k women’s freestyle mass start races at Holmenkollen.

Results: Men | Women

March 8, 2015
Randall Returns to Podium as Bjørgen Claims Victory in Lahti Skate Sprint

From l-r, Kikkan Randall (USA), Hanna Falk (SWE), Marit Bjørgen (NOR), and Ingvild Flugstad Østberg (NOR) in the final stretch of the World Cup freestyle sprint final in Lahti, Finland (Photo: Fischer/Nordic Focus)

Norway’s Marit Bjørgen won a close final in Saturday’s 1.5-kilometer freestyle sprint in Lahti, Finland, while American Kikkan Randall earned her first World Cup podium of the season.

Bjørgen took the final in a time of 2:59.79, barely outlasting teammate Ingvild Flugstad Østberg (+0.14). The two Norwegians are battling for the lead in the overall sprint standings, and Saturday’s victory puts Bjørgen 40 points ahead of Østberg.

It was a great day for the American team, as Randall took third (+0.24) and Jessie Diggins was close behind in fourth (+0.38).

“Lahti has been a good venue for me the last few years so I was looking forward to racing here this week, especially after a personally disappointing World Championships,” Randall wrote in an email to the press.

Randall – who won last year’s skate sprint in Lahti – snuck into the heats, qualifying in 28th. She was 7.87 seconds behind the fastest women’s qualifier, Hanna Falk of Sweden, who posted the top time of3:03.84.

The International Ski Federation (FIS) tested out a new system of assignment for quarterfinal heat selection, as the top-30 athletes were able to choose their quarterfinal heat based on their results in qualifiers. As bib 28, Randall was able to choose between two heats. She decided to go with the heat that featured the top two qualifiers, Falk and Østberg, as she thought being in a fast heat would give her a better chance of moving on.

The strategy worked, as Randall took third in her quarterfinal – just 0.33 seconds behind winner Østberg – and advanced to the semifinals as a lucky loser. In her semifinal, Randall finished 1.29 seconds behind Bjørgen and placed second.

The final featured an exciting and closely contested sprint to the finish between Randall, Bjørgen, Østberg, and Diggins. While Randall could not outsprint the two Norwegians, she held on to collect her best World Cup result of the season and first podium since last year’s victory in Lahti.

From l-r, Ingvild Flugstad Østberg (NOR), Marit Bjørgen (NOR), and Kikkan Randall (USA) on the podium after the World Cup freestyle sprint in Lahti, Finlad. Bjørgen won the final by 0.14 seconds over Østberg, while Randall was close behind in third and earned her first World Cup podium of the season. (Photo: Fischer/Nordic Focus)

“Making the podium today felt really good after such a frustrating season. I’ve always believed I could get back to fighting for the medals but this year has been a lesson in patience,” Randall explained.

She also wrote that it was fun to ski with Diggins in the final, saying they both made use of fast skis.

“My skis were rockets today and that really came in handy on some tactical downhills,” Randall wrote.

Diggins, who is coming off a second-place finish in the 10 k freestyle at the World Championships in Falun, had a strong qualifier, advancing in fifth, 2.60 seconds behind Falk. In her quarterfinal, the first heat, she finished 0.15 seconds behind Germany’s Denise Herrmann before winning her semifinal in 2:59.12, 0.33 seconds ahead of Østberg.

Though she just missed a spot on the podium by placing fourth in the final, Diggins still earned her World Cup career best, excluding World Championships.

The sprint yesterday was so exciting and I was so happy to be in contention for the medals, I wasn’t even bummed out that I didn’t get one, I was just so psyched to be that close and right there in it. And to see Kikkan get back on the podium was really great, I was so happy. And our skis were good all weekend.

Diggins called the sprint “exciting” in a phone interview, and said she was just happy to be in contention for the medals.

“I wasn’t even bummed out that I didn’t get one [a medal]; I was just so psyched to be that close and right there in it,” she said. “And to see Kikkan get back on the podium was really great, I was so happy.”

Meanwhile, the 2015 Overall World Cup champion Bjørgen said she was very pleased about her victory.

“Today was much better than I thought. It is little bit surprising for me to be so good after Falun,” she told FIS. “I am looking forward to the next competition in Lahti and then in Norway.”

Østberg, who failed to reach the podium in her two individual events at World Championships, was also happy with her result. She told FIS that she had to fight to catch back up to Bjørgen in the final after a slow start, and Bjørgen was stronger in the final stretch. “I am happy for Kikkan to be back,” she also added.

The other finalists, Herrmann and Falk, finished in fifth (+2.49) and sixth (+3.64), respectively.

The American team had other skiers race in the qualifiers that did not manage to reach the heats. Sadie Bjornsen qualified in 32nd (+9.31), 0.94 seconds away from a spot in the top 30, while Sophie Caldwell was 34th (+9.94). Ida Sargent was 43rd (+11.35), Liz Stephen took 46th (+12.04), and Caitlin Patterson finished in 51st (+13.92) in her first World Cup race of the season.

Five Canadian skiers also raced, though none qualified. Andrea Dupont led the team in 42nd (+11.27), while Cendrine Browne was 47th (+12.36). Olivia Bouffard-Nesbitt took 56th (+17.41), Heidi Widmer was 58th (+18.63), while 21-year-old Dahria Beatty – racing on her birthday – took 65th (+23.76).

The World Cup in Lahti, Finland, continues Sunday with the women’s 10 k and men’s 15 k classic individual starts.

Results

March 7, 2015
Diggins Rides Fast Start to 17th; Stephen 26th in Östersund 10 k

Rosie Brennan racing to 33rd overall in Saturday’s World Cup classic sprint Östersund, Sweden. She placed 32nd in Sunday’s 10-kilometer freestyle individual start. (Photo: Ian Harvey/Toko)

In the final World Cup race before the 2015 World Championships, Jessie Diggins led the American women’s team by taking 17^thin Sunday’s 10-kilometer freestyle individual start in Östersund, Sweden.

Diggins finished 1:47.7 behind winner Charlotte Kalla of Sweden, who posted a time of 23:26.1 in front of a large home crowd. Marit Bjørgen of Norway took second (+36.4) to seal her fourth overall World Cup title, while Norway’s Therese Johaug placed third (+53.6).

Diggins had the fifth-fastest time at the 1.8 k mark, but slowed to 14^th by 6.8 k into the race.

U.S. Ski Team (USST) Women’s Coach Matt Whitcomb said in a phone interview, “You might look at the pacing and say, ‘There’s an athlete that went out too hard’ … but I look at it as, there’s an athlete that went out and tried to win a race.”

He explained that while Diggins faded throughout the race, he preferred her intense approach to a more conservative start, adding that she showed integrity and her body responded well to her effort.

“Seventeenth is a great result, and I know she felt good and looked good doing it. So I’m excited for her,” he said.

Diggins could not be reached immediately for comment.

Liz Stephen, who placed fifth overall in the 2015 Tour de Ski, ended up 26^th (+2:08.6).

“I was not checked into race mode either in the body or the head, so I have a bit to work on over the next week,” Stephen wrote in an email.

She explained that the course was difficult and consisted of many steep climbs and fast descents, in addition to some icy spots under a layer of crushed corn snow. However, with the large crowd of fans, she wrote that it made for a great ski-racing atmosphere.

Liz Stephen was 26th in Sunday’s 10-kilometer freestyle individual start in Östersund, Sweden. Here she is pictured racing in the 2015 Tour de Ski prologue in Oberstdorf, Germany. (Photo: Marcel Hilger)

“I am feeling good, physically and mentally,” she explained. “I am really excited to be heading to Falun tomorrow and can’t wait to get the World Champs started.”

Whitcomb said that while they were hoping for a stronger race, he is not concerned about Stephen’s performance. He remains confident about where she is heading into World Championships.

“My guess is that we need a couple more significant doses of rest – a day here, a day there – before her first target event at World Champs, which will be the skiathlon. And the plan has that in it already, so no emergency action will be taken,” he said.

Rosie Brennan took 32^nd (+2:26.6), a day after finishing 33^rd in the classic sprint. She was 2.7 seconds from cracking the top 30.

Brennan wrote in an email that she felt she had a decent day, but thought some parts of the race could have gone better. She explained that she enjoyed the course’s steep-and-numerous uphill sections but struggled in the downhills and “undulating terrain.”

“They lost a lot of snow here last week so most of the course was fast, manmade snow breaking down into sugar-like snow,” she wrote.

Brennan added that she feels confident about her fitness and training, and that it was great preparation for World Championships to race twice this weekend.

“After a few weeks off racing, it usually takes me a race or two to get back in my groove,” she wrote.

Meanwhile, Kikkan Randall finished 33^rd (+2:27.7), 3.8 seconds out of the top 30.

Kikkan Randall raced to 33rd in Sunday’s 10-kilometer freestyle individual start in Östersund, Sweden. Here she is pictured during qualifiers in Saturday’s classic sprint, where she placed 51st. (Photo: Felgenhauer/NordicFocus)

She explained in an email to the press that she had a strong start and found a rhythm in the first lap, but found it difficult to “kick it into full race gear.”

“While the pace was not as aggressive as I had hoped to find today, the feelings were a lot more positive than earlier in the season. This confirms that my preparation over the past month has been productive. Now it’s just a matter of getting my body back into race mode,” she wrote.

She added that the weekend was a good boost as she prepares for the World Championships classic sprint on Thursday.

Overall, Whitcomb said Sunday was not a confidence-building day, especially as the team looks toward World Championships. He said the team would prefer to enter Worlds with season-best results.

“But the fact is, no one race can capture where we are as a team,” he explained. “We’re leaving Östersund with some really valuable feedback, and we feel perfectly comfortable with where we need to be right now … We’re an eager team, and we’re really looking forward to putting on a show in Falun.”

Results

February 15, 2015
Kalla Untouchable in Östersund World Cup 10 k; Bjørgen Takes Overall World Cup Crown

Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla came up big in front of a home crowd in Östersund, Sweden, winning Sunday’s 10 k freestyle by more than 36 seconds over Norway’s Marit Bjørgen. (Photo: FIS)

With only days to go until the 2015 Nordic World Ski Championships in Falun, Sweden, nobody could touch home-crowd favorite Charlotte Kalla in the women’s World Cup 10-kilometer freestyle individual start on Sunday in Östersund, Sweden.

The 27-year-old Kalla polished off the challenging, hilly, two-lap course in 23 minutes and 26.1 seconds for her first World Cup win since March 2010, when she won the 10 k freestyle at World Cup Finals. She was more than half a minute ahead of Marit Bjørgen of Norway in second place, and nearly a minute ahead of Therese Johaug of Norway, who have been dominating the World Cup since the first races in November.

“It feels great to win a World Cup again,” Kalla said to FIS reporters after the race.

Kalla was quick to thank the spectators for carrying her through the challenging course and also noted that she felt like she had some home turf advantage.

“The crowd here in Östersund was so encouraging. I know the courses here very well, and I felt strong,” she said, adding that Feb. 15 marks a special anniversary for her.

“I won Olympic gold in Vancouver on this day, and again last year in Sochi we won the relay on this day, and now a World Cup win today,” Kalla said.

Kalla chose to sit out the 2014/2015 Tour de Ski in favor of training and peaking for the World Championships on home turf later in the season, a strategy she chose with success also leading up to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

Left Bjørgen in the dust

Saturday’s sprint winner and Overall World Cup leader, Bjørgen was clearly ahead of her primary rival Johaug, starting a minute after her teammate and beating Johaug by more than 15 seconds. But even the queen of cross-country skiing was more than half a minute behind Kalla, who started 50th, over 10 kilometers.

Bjørgen in bib 72 never came close to matching Kalla at any point of the race, with Kalla leading by 10.4 seconds at 1.8 k, then 25.4 seconds at 6.8 k. At 8.3 k, Bjørgen remained in second, but was 31.5 seconds behind Kalla.

“I didn’t feel as strong today as yesterday, but I am really happy for Charlotte,” Bjørgen told FIS after the race. “It is so nice to see her back on top of the podium. It’s great for her, and it is important for the sport, especially with the World Championships here in Sweden.”

“It’s great for her, and it is important for the sport, especially with the World Championships here in Sweden.” — Marit Bjørgen, runner-up in Sunday’s 10 k freestyle to Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla

Despite finishing second, Bjørgen locked up her fourth Overall World Cup title on Sunday with a 565-point lead on Johaug (last year’s overall winner) with four World Cup races to go.

Kalla skied confidently for the start. Low to the ground, she pushed off calmly and powerfully, getting the most out of every stride. The Norwegians skied with higher turnover, but on Sunday, their style resulted in less speed.

At 1.8 k, Kalla remained more than 13 seconds ahead of Johaug and Weng. At 8.3 k Kalla was a whopping 48.2 seconds ahead of Johaug in third.

While Kalla left the Scandinavian Cup races in January in Falun in tears (where she won the 10 k freestyle and took fourth in the classic sprint and skiathlon), she gave a taste of what is in store during the Swedish national championships two weeks ago when she dominated the rest of the field in both the skiathlon and the 10 k freestyle in Örebro.

On Sunday, Kalla won with 36.5 seconds to spare to Bjørgen in second place. Johaug was third, 53.6 seconds behind Kalla. Norway’s Heidi Weng and Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen finished fourth and fifth, respectively, 1:01.3 and 1:08.3 back.

Scandinavian dominance

Nicole Fessel of Germany in sixth place was the top non-Scandinavian in the 10 k skate race, more than a minute behind Kalla, and about 20 seconds out of the podium. Riitta-Liisa Roponen of Finland was seventh, Martine Ek Hagen of Norway was eighth, Yulia Tchekaleva of Russia was ninth, and Ragnhild Haga of Norway was 10th.

Jessie Diggins in 17th place was the top American in the final test run before the World Championships, which open with classic sprints for both men and women on Thursday. Diggins was 1:45.7 behind Kalla. Liz Stephen was 26th, Rosie Brennan was 32nd and Kikkan Randall was 33rd for the U.S., while Emily Nishikawa placed 36th for Canada.

Prior to the World Cup round in Östersund, both the Swedish and the Norwegian national teams have been training and preparing for the World Championships at altitude in the Italian Alps.

After this weekend, Kalla travels to Falun, to start the final preparations for the World Championships. For her, the first event will be the 15 k skiathlon on Feb. 21.

— Alex Kochon contributed reporting

Results

February 15, 2015
Hamilton Takes 11th, Newell 12th to Lead Americans in Östersund Sprint

Simi Hamilton placed 11th overall in Saturday’s World Cup classic sprint in Östersund, Sweden, after taking sixth in his semifinal heat. Here, he is pictured en route to his first distance points in a World Cup race earlier this season in Oberstdorf, Germany. (Photo: Marcel Hilger)

On what U.S. Ski Team (USST) Women’s Coach Matt Whitcomb called a “wild-and-crazy course,” Simi Hamilton was the lone American to reach the semifinals in Saturday’s 1.2-kilometer classic sprint in Östersund, Sweden.

However, Hamilton would fall while ascending a hill during the first lap of his semifinal heat and took sixth, ending up 6.33 seconds behind semifinal winner Sondre Turvoll Fossli of Norway (who won the heat in 2:27.83) and finishing 11^th overall.

Hamilton explained in a phone interview that the difficult course was breaking down quite a bit throughout the day, and the snow was getting deeper on the steep hills that required the skiers to herringbone.

“My right ski just got caught behind me a little bit in the powder, and I just put my right pole right through the top of that ski,” he said. “When you’re trying to hammer a herringbone your poles are just coming so close to your ski it’s definitely a pretty thin margin between a good pole plant and planting right on top of your ski.”

After falling, Hamilton focused on getting up as fast as he could and surged through the end of the first lap in order to make up lost time.

“I made contact with the back of the group again, but just didn’t have a ton of energy left after that to try and get around anyone,” he said.

After qualifying in 12^th, 2 seconds behind Norwegian qualifier winner Timo André Bakken, who posted the fastest time in 2:28.25, Hamilton won his quarterfinal in 2:31.97.

“My energy felt really good all day, so I knew I’d be able to put in a good, sustained effort, hoping that a few of those guys in the quarterfinal would start to drop off a little bit,” he said.

Hamilton explained that he was able to put himself in second place, behind Finland’s Toni Ketelä, as they went up the hill above the stadium for the second time. By the last climb before the short, final descent into the stadium, he went as hard as he could and took an open lane on the left.

“I had some room to do my own thing, so I could hammer up and over the top of that climb and focused on having a good double-pole finish,” he said.

“I felt like some times in the past, especially with classic sprinting I haven’t been able to lay down a really good qualifier and haven’t been able to find the energy,” he continued. “So I was definitely pretty happy with the quarterfinal.”

Rosie Brennan racing to 33rd overall in Saturday’s World Cup classic sprint Östersund, Sweden. (Photo: Ian Harvey/Toko)

Meanwhile, Hamilton’s teammate Andy Newell took third in his quarterfinal after qualifying in 17^th(+2.68). He finished 12^th overall for his best World Cup result of the season.

Newell explained that if he had made “one or two better moves” going into the final uphill of his quarterfinal, he might have had a shot at placing into the semifinals or moving on as a lucky loser. But he ended up 2.61 seconds behind Norway’s Thomas Northug, who was second in his heat, and 1.10 seconds short of a lucky loser spot.

“It was a pretty unique course, that’s for sure. It’s fun in that we don’t get to race courses like that very often,” Newell said in a phone interview. “You had to have a unique technique of herring bone in order to do well.”

Newell was happy with the result, especially in light of his struggles earlier in the season due to both allergies and physical injuries.

“You have years where a 12^th-place finish is a disappointment … But at the same time I’m feeling really good, and it’s not always reflected in the results,” he said. “As an athlete you have to gauge your excitement and your momentum on how you’re feeling and not necessarily on your results.”

Norway’s Finn Hågen Krogh would eventually win the men’s final in 2:25.28, holding off Canada’s Alex Harvey by 0.47 seconds. Bakken took the final spot on the podium in third (+1.41).

Bjornsen, Caldwell Lead U.S . Women

In the women’s sprint, Sadie Bjornsen qualified in 27^th, 10.02 seconds behind Norwegian qualifier winner Kari Vikhagen Gjeitnes, the fastest in 2:47, while Sophie Caldwell qualified in 24^th (+9.84). They raced in the same quarterfinal heat against Sweden’s Stina Nilsson and overall World Cup leader Marit Bjørgen of Norway.

Bjørgen won the heat in 2:50.88, while Bjornsen placed fourth (+4.53) to finish the day 20^th overall, and Caldwell took fifth (+5.57) to place 22^nd.

Bjornsen said in a phone interview that the course was fun, and much different than what the skiers are used to on the World Cup circuit.

“I knew it was going to be very dependent on my herringboning skills, which I’ve been working a lot on the last couple of years, because I used to be terrible at it,” she said, adding the course featured very little striding and consisted mostly of herringbone, double pole and downhill tucking.

Because of the chevron start, Bjornsen and Caldwell had to begin the quarterfinal heat in unfavorable, outside positions.

“I didn’t have a great start, but I tried not to panic,” Caldwell wrote in an email. She explained that it was difficult to move around skiers because of the constant herringboning, so she spent most of the race in fifth place.

Sophie Caldwell placed 22nd overall in Saturday’s World Cup classic sprint in Östersund, Sweden. Here she is pictured during the 2015 Rybinsk, Russia sprint, where she took seventh. (Photo: Fischer/NordicFocus)

Bjornsen described the race as a “busy scene.” She said that with six skiers trying to funnel into small areas, there were a lot of tangles and opportunities for blocking.

She explained she was not able to close in on the leaders as much as she wanted to at the end, but she said that she definitely felt confident about her fitness.

“I didn’t want to set a goal this weekend that was going to dictate how I felt about my fitness – so it was kind of just for fun today. I’m definitely going into [World Championships] feeling happy and confident,” she said.

Whitcomb said in a phone interview that it was a solid result for the American women and its team’s sprinters would not leave Östersund discouraged.

“You’re always hoping for a top 10 … but it was a tricky course, with a variety of unique demands,” he said.

Based on their positions after qualifying, Caldwell and Bjornsen made the most of what they had, he said, as it was nearly impossible for them to be better than fifth and sixth coming off the top of the steep hill leaving the stadium.

“For Sadie to mix it up in third and fourth, and for Sophie to be able to finish fifth – in good contact with people – I was pretty happy with that. It was a course that was really difficult to move around on, and your place at the start in many cases didn’t change,” he explained.

Rosie Brennan narrowly missed the quarterfinals, qualifying in 33^rd(+11.03), 0.72 seconds out of the top 30.

Brennan said in a phone interview that while it is frustrating to be so close to qualifying – especially three weeks after placing 31^st in the Rybinsk, Russia freestyle sprint – she is still happy with the result.

“I am really happy with the way I skied so I will just have to work on perfecting the details … As with every race I enter, my goal is simply to push as hard as I can and ski well,” she said.

Whitcomb said that Östersund does not suit Brennan’s strengths, as the Alaska Pacific University skier benefits from powerful striding and not the herring boning the course requires.

“Thirty-third is definitely a success, one of the successes of the day,” he said. “It’s an indication that she’s in the best shape of her life and she should be looking forward to a really positive World Championships.”

Two other American women raced in the qualifying round – Ida Sargent finished 41^st (+13.11) while Kikkan Randall was 51^st (+16.92).

Whitcomb said that Randall and Sargent were not pleased with their results. He said Sargent reported that she was skiing frantically, while “it took Kikkan a lap to get things going, and you don’t have time for that in a short sprint like this.”

Randall wrote in an email to the press that her qualification was not as strong as she was hoping for after a month-long break from racing.

“I skied too tense and didn’t quite have enough tempo out there, kind of like I was blowing the cobwebs out,” she wrote.

However, she added that she is still confident in the recovery and preparation she has undergone over the last month, and believes it was a good decision to go home and “get a chance to complete reset and get back to basics.”

Bjørgen would end up expanding her overall lead by comfortably winning the final in a time of 2:46.82, 1.80 seconds ahead of teammate Maiken Caspersen Falla. Nilsson placed third (+2.03) in front of a roaring home crowd.

World Cup racing in Östersund continues on Sunday with the 10/15 k freestyle individual starts.

Results: Men | Women

February 14, 2015
Harvey Captures Ninth in Messy 30 k Skiathlon in Rybinsk

Canada’s Alex Harvey, who took ninth in Sunday’s 30 k skiathlon, competes in the qualifier of Saturday’s 1.3 k freestyle sprint in Rybinsk, Russia. (Photo: Fischer/Nordic Focus)

Canada’s Alex Harvey notched his second top-10 finish in a weekend of World Cup racing in Rybinsk, Russia, leading all North American men by taking ninth in Sunday’s 30-kilometer skiathlon. He finished 16.0 seconds behind winner Maxim Vylegzhanin of Russia (1:21:54).

Harvey said in a phone interview that the 15 k classic portion was fast and challenging, as a contingent of young Russian skiers fought to position themselves in the font of the pack.

“There was a lot of stress in the pack,” he said.

Harvey explained that he crashed five times in the classic portion: three times with Russian Alexey Vitsenko, once with Dario Cologna of Switzerland, and another time with Russian Evgeniy Belov.

“My goal was to kind of stay relaxed and save energy but that’s not exactly what I did … I had to move to the back of the pack again and again and again,” Harvey explained.

However, Harvey maintained contact with the leaders and was 13^th after the classic portion, just 4.7 seconds behind 15 k leader Stanislav Volzhentsev of Russia (42:54.5).

The leaders established a slower pace at the start of the 15 k skate portion, which allowed Harvey’s legs to recover.

Ivan Babikov (Canadian World Cup Team), seen here during Friday’s World Cup 15 k freestyle in Rybinsk, Russia, took ninth in Sunday’s 30 k skiathlon. (Photo: Fischer/NordicFocus)

“It was super slow the whole time until near the end, on the second-to-last lap. That’s when Cologna and [Finland’s Matti] Heikkinen went … and then they kept pushing the whole way,” Harvey explained.

He said Cologna and Heikkenen opened up a gap of “five-to-ten seconds” while he was sitting in fifth. The pack was not chasing, so Harvey decided to take on the chase himself, and was in third position going into the last lap.

“But then I paid for it,” Harvey said. “I slipped from third to ninth. My legs blew up a bit in the end, but still the top 10 is always a good result. That’s what I’m aiming for every time I put a bib on.”

Harvey said it was an especially good result when considering he was one of the few skiers to do all three races in Rybinsk. He was 10^th in Friday’s 15 k freestyle individual start and 28^th overall in Saturday’s 1.3 k freestyle sprint.

“For sure, after three races there was fatigue in the body,” Harvey said.

Teammate Ivan Babikov used a strong skate portion to finish in 19^th (+31.5) after completing the classic portion in 29^th, 41.9 seconds behind Volzhentsev.

“I struggled a bit in classic … I got stuck behind some skiers crashing and after the second time I wasn’t strong enough to breach that gap between our group and main pack,” Babikov wrote in an email.

Babikov explained that he was able to position himself in the leading group during the skate portion, but expended too much energy doing so, and struggled during the last lap while finishing in the back of the leading group.

However, he wrote that he was still happy with the 19^th-place result.

Graeme Killick (AWCA/Canadian Development B-Team), who took 40th in Sunday’s 30 k skiathlon, seen racing to 43rd in Friday’s 15 k freestyle at the World Cup in Rybinsk, Russia. (Photo: Fischer/NordicFocus)

Devon Kershaw was 20^th after the classic portion and just 8.3 seconds behind Volzhentsev, but wrote in an email that he had a rough skate on his was to a 34^th-place finish (+1:35.2)

He wrote that most of the skiers stayed close together in the classic portion, which made things messy and unpredictable.

“There were lots of falls … sketchiness all around, really,” Kershaw wrote.

He explained that despite the messiness he still felt good and was able to stay out of trouble, and skied as relaxed as he could in order to save energy for the skate.

“In the skate portion the first 2.5 k was okay, but then it was rough. My calves cramped pretty badly, which was awful, and then I yo-yoed off the back of the big lead group for four laps before finally getting dropped with about 4-5 k to go,” he wrote.

Kershaw explained that not being able to ski with the big group during the final laps of the skate, along with the wind blowing through the stadium, did not help his position.

“Today’s result was disappointing. But today there were some positives … so I’ll take those with me moving forward,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, Canadian Graeme Killick ended up 40^th (+2:36.3). He was 31^st (+44.2) after the classic portion.

During a break in World Cup racing until Feb. 14, The Canadian team will head to Livigno, Italy, for 10 days of training, followed by another 10 days in Seiser Alm, Italy.

“It’s going to be a lot of volume; a lot of three-plus hour skis at altitude to get more efficient at altitude and be in really good shape for World Champs in Falun,” Harvey said.

Results

Note: This article was updated to reflect that Matti Heikkinen is of Finland, not Russia.

January 25, 2015
Sadie Bjornsen Ends Tour on a High Note, Finishes Eighth in Toblach Women’s 5 k

Kikkan Randall racing in the 5 k classic in the fourth stage of the 2015 Tour de Ski. She placed 42nd and will race in Thursday’s 15 k pursuit before exiting the Tour. (Photo: Fischer/Nordic Focus)

While Norwegian Marit Bjørgen continues to grab headlines in the 2015 Tour de Ski, American Sadie Bjornsen is quietly having a fine Tour of her own.

Bjornsen finished eighth overall in Wednesday’s 5 k classic interval start in Toblach, Italy, 22.7 seconds behind winner and Tour leader Bjørgen who finished the course in 12:48.5. The 25-year-old – who is participating in her first Tour – is now seventh overall in the Tour standings.

Despite her high standing, Bjornsen, like the majority of her American teammates, is deciding not to compete in the last three stages. She said over the phone that she would like to save her energy before World Cup races in Otepää, Estonia, two weekends from now.

“It’s really hard to stop now … but I made the decision already. I’ve been talking about it for a month, and that was the plan,” Bjornsen said.

In Wednesday’s race Bjornsen explained she did not want to start out as conservatively as she has in recent races. To help herself out, she broke up the course into six sections and treated each section as a separate interval session.

“I was just going to go out there and lay it all out,” she said. “I was going to go absolutely as hard as I could on every uphill section. And I think that I started more aggressive than I maybe ever have.”

Throughout the race she could hear her splits and knew she and eventual fourth place finisher Emma Wiken of Sweden were neck-and-neck. However, Bjornsen said she “forgot to conserve some energy for that last climb” and lost some momentum while attempting to pass another skier in the final descent into the stadium, which resulted in lost time.

Despite what could have been, Bjornsen is still excited about how her final 2015 Tour race played out.

Sadie Bjornsen in the Prologue of the 2015 Tour de Ski. (Photo: Marcel Hilger.)

“I’m pretty stoked … it’s good to finish the race and know you went as hard as you could,” she said.

The excitement extended to USST Head Coach Chris Grover who said Bjornsen’s performance was the highlight of the day.

“She seemed to have good energy all day, and I know she had been really looking forward to this particular race, being a strong classic skier and knowing that the 5 k is a good event for her,” he said in a phone interview. “Fortunately we were able to get her some pretty good skis.”

Meanwhile American Jessie Diggins skied to a 19^th place finish, 52.1 seconds behind Bjørgen.

“I’m really psyched with [the result]. Any time I can score points in a classic race is a good day, and especially a top-20 in a classic race for me is a really good thing,” she said in a phone interview.

She explained that Wednesday’s strong finish was a much needed effort after a frustrating 10 k classic pursuit on Sunday, where she finished 56^th and lost nearly four minutes to Bjørgen.

The 23-year-old skied the 38th fastest split 2.1 k but made up time on the second half of the course, which featured a long downhill section. She said her goal was to be as smooth as possible on the uphills and be aggressive on the downhills.

Although Diggins’ kick and glide looked smooth and focused on the short course, the moments before the race were stressful due to the difficult waxing conditions. According to Grover, the USST the team was “scrambling” to find the correct wax combination, as hard-wax too slick and and klister was too slow.

“With all the man-made snow and all the strange weather, the waxing conditions have been really tricky. It was actually really stressful before the race because we couldn’t be on the course until after the boys were done,” she explained.

Unlike Bjornsen, Diggins plans to finish the Tour. She said that during the last few years she used the Tour as “a huge training stimulus” before the World Championships and Olympics – a strategy that Diggins said has continued to work in her favor.

“If it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” she said.

Teammate Liz Stephen will join Diggins in the remainder of the races. She is ranked 16^th overall in the Tour after a 29^th place finish (+1:01.6) in Wednesday’s race.

The 27-year-old wrote in an email that she was able to ski with plenty of energy, despite historically having difficulties in short classic races.

“The conditions were great. I had great skis and though it is green grass all around, the course was in great shape,” she wrote, adding that she is looking forward to the next three stages. Stephen has historically performed well in the final hill climb of the Tour, where she clocked the third fastest time in 2014.

Kikkan Randall led the remaining Americans in 42^nd (+1:20.6) after a fast start where she clocked the 17^th fastest time after 1.7 k. Sophie Caldwell was just behind in 45^th (+1:25.6). Neither will finish the tour, though Randall will race in Thursday’s 15 k pursuit in Toblach.

Caldwell wrote in an email that she got off to a slow start due to fatigue, but picked up the pace in the second half and managed to climb from 49^thposition after 1.7 k.

“Usually the opposite of what happens to me,” she explained of her slow start.

“I wouldn’t say it was a great race, but I felt okay and feel like my distance skiing is moving in the right direction,” she wrote.

Ida Sargent was 46^th (1:31.0) despite having the 20^th fastest time after 1.7 k and the 22^nd fastest after 2.1 k. She wrote in an email that she went out too hard and just “blew up.”

Though Sargent will not complete the final three stages of the Tour, she explained the experience was valuable.

“This has been my first time racing it,” the 26-year-old wrote, “and overall my results are definitely not what I was hoping for. But it has been a really good experience to race and travel this much.”

Once Randall finishes Thursday’s 15 k pursuit, the team, with the exception of Diggins and Stephen, will travel to Ramsau, Austria where they will recover and train before the World Cup classic sprint and freestyle team sprint that will take place Jan. 17 and 18 in Otepää, Estonia.

Both Diggins and Stephen will compete in the remaining three races of the Tour, after which they will rest in Italy with U.S. assistant coach Jason Cork and travel to meet up with the rest of the team in Russia in late January.

— Lander Karath contributed reporting

Results | Tour de Ski Standings

January 7, 2015
Randall, Caldwell Finish in Top 10 in Val Müstair Skate Sprint

Sophie Caldwell (USA) shows her cornering skills in Val Mustair (SUI). (photo: Fischer/Nordic Focus)

While she may not be back to her winning ways, American Kikkan Randall still put together a solid performance during the women’s Tour de Ski 1.4 k freestyle sprint in Val Müstair, Switzerland.

“It was fun to return to Val Müstair where I had a great performance two years ago. We didn’t get to compete under the lights this time but it was sunny and beautiful,” she wrote in an email to the press. Randall won that Tour stage, a freestyle sprint on the first day of 2013, over Weng and Norway’s Ingvild Flugstad Østberg.

Randall took care of business during qualifying, finishing 13^th and +8.77 behind Norwegian Marit Bjørgen (3:38.62), who would win the final heat and earn her third straight Tour victory. The 32-year-old then finished third in the final and fastest quarterfinal heat of the day to earn a lucky loser spot, +1.95 behind Norway’s Heidi Weng (3:36.35).

“[The Norwegians] set a hard pace the whole heat and I did my best to stay in close,” Randall wrote. “I tried to come out of the draft off the final turn but didn’t put together a great final sprint … Thankfully it was good enough for lucky loser.”

Maiken Caspersen Falla (NOR) and Kikkan Randall (USA), (l-r) during the heats in Val Mustair (SUI). (photo: Fischer/Nordic Focus)

In the semifinal, Randall maintained a position in the back of the pack throughout the race, but Østberg set a pace that prevented her from making a decisive move. She finished the heat in fifth, 3.20 behind Østberg (3:35.84), and ended up tenth overall.

While Randall was disappointed that she did not have the strength to keep up with the Norwegians, she wrote that she was happy to be close to advancing to the final.

“I still haven’t quite found all my gears yet but it’s good to keep getting in hard efforts and inching my way back to top form,” she explained.

Meanwhile, American Sophie Caldwell had a fine day of her own. The 24-year-old qualified in seventh (+7.16) before winning her quarterfinal heat. In a moment reminiscent of her semifinal heat in Sochi, when she defeated Østberg in a photo finish by 0.01 seconds, Caldwell narrowly outlunged Italy’s Gaia Vuerich to win by 0.05 in 3:42.25.

Caldwell explained over the phone that she made the tactical decision to remain behind Norway’s Therese Johaug, who “is not known for her sprint finishes,” and Vuerich, who Caldwell has often competed against in sprint finishes. She made her move on the final stretch, setting up another exciting battle with Vuerich.

“I think one of my strengths has always been the final stretch in sprinting for as long as I can remember, and I’m not sure why that is; I just find an extra gear there and have a pretty quick sprint finish,” Caldwell said.

United States Ski Team Head Coach Chris Grover expanded on Caldwell’s race over the phone, saying that during one of the major turns on the first lap she took a less icy, outside line while all the other skiers took an inside line. He said Caldwell’s line was not the ideal one for carrying momentum.

However, “to her credit, she saw that preferred line during the race and the second time down when she came to the finish she just nailed that [corner], and was able to catapult into a position where she was able to go and win the quarterfinal,” Grover said.

Grover said Caldwell has the unique ability to preserve and create speed through a transition instead of gripping or locking up and losing speed.

“She really sets herself up to carry a lot of momentum out of the corners and I think that is really one of her strengths,” he continued.

Caldwell explained her tactics for the semifinal, saying she wanted to stick with the leaders for as long as possible. She stayed true to her tactics and spent most of her semifinal behind the leaders, though failed to challenge Bjørgen or Sweden’s Stina Nilsson down the stretch – “they opened up a bit of a gap on me on the uphill,” Caldwell said. She finished in third, 1.24 seconds behind Bjørgen (3:39.04).

Unfortunately, the fast pace of the second semifinal prevented Caldwell from moving on as a lucky loser. She finished seventh overall, which is her best World Cup result of the season. Especially after a summer during which she broke both of her elbows, she is happy about where she is.

“I’ve been really psyched about how things have been going lately. I feel like I’ve been taking a big step each weekend, and doing a little better and a little better in sprints, and I think physically I’m getting stronger,” she explained.

American Sadie Bjornsen is in ninth place on the Tour after finishing 13^th overall on Tuesday. She had a strong qualifier, finishing in 12^th (+8.64), before being outsprinted for the second-place spot by Norwegian Ragnhild Haga at the finish of her quarterfinal heat. She finished 3.44 seconds behind Østberg, who comfortably won the heat in 3:39.58.

Grover said it was a great qualification for Bjornsen, especially after the frustrations of the last sprints in Davos, where she failed to qualify in two consecutive weekends.

Meanwhile, American Jessica Diggins qualified in 26^th and ended up 23^rd overall after finishing fifth in her quarterfinal heat (+4.66) behind Nilsson. She skied off to a fast start and was in first place until about halfway through the race, “but by her own admission I guess she ran out of a bit of gas,” recalled Grover.

Results

Tour de Ski overall standings

Sadie Bjornsen (USA) and Ragnhild Haga (NOR), (l-r) during today’s Tour de Ski action in Val Mustair (SUI). (photo: Fischer/Nordic Focus)

January 6, 2015
Hamilton Takes Eighth in Val Müstair Skate Sprint; Harvey Knocked Out in Quarterfinals

Roman Furger (SUI) is followed by Len Valjas (CAN), (l-r) in quarterfinal action in Val Mustair (SUI). (photo: Fischer/Nordic Focus)

It looked like Canada’s Alex Harvey would easily advance to the semifinals of Tuesday’s Tour de Ski 1.4 k freestyle sprint in Val Müstair, Switzerland. But by making what Harvey called a “rookie mistake,” Harvey allowed Sweden’s Simon Andersson catch him in the final stretch and outlunge him to take second in their quarterfinal heat.

Going around the final corner, Harvey – who was second in Sunday’s stage, a 15 k classic pursuit – controlled the second-place position behind Sweden’s Calle Halfvarsson.

“I thought I was second for sure, so I looked on the left to see if anybody was coming. I thought that nobody was coming so I started easing up a little bit, which is the last thing you need to do. I mean, the first thing you learn as a ski racer is to ski over the line,” Harvey explained over the phone.

Until the final moments, the 26-year-old raced well, especially after being caught behind an early crash by Germany’s Thomas Bing. He stayed behind but within striking distance of the leaders, then made his move on the steep hill before the descent to the stadium, where he went from fifth to second.

“I kind of messed it all up in the last 50 m. So that was really dumb of me,” he said. He ended up 0.23 seconds behind Halfvarsson, who won the heat in 3:17.43. Andersson finished 0.16 seconds behind.

Petter Northug (NOR) controls the pace during the a quarterfinal heat with Len Valjas (CAN), Simeon Hamilton (USA), Ilia Chernousov (RUS) (l-r) following behind. (photo: Fischer/Nordic Focus)

Meanwhile, American Simi Hamilton – who won last year’s Tour freestyle sprint in Lenzerheide, Switzerland – was the lone American to qualify, making it through to the rounds even after suffering a crash on an icy corner during qualification. He qualified in 30^th(+8.53), just 0.04 seconds ahead of the 31^st place skiers.

A year after winning in Lenzerheide, Hamilton said he was not putting any extra pressure on himself.

“A ski race is a ski race,” he said over the phone. “This is a totally different course, much longer, and I think when you try to compare one day to another day it never works out very well because everything changes so quickly.”

About the crash in the qualifier, Hamilton said he was on the ground for a few moments, but fortunately his skis were still pointed downhill. He explained that there was probably one place were a skier could crash on the course and not lose much time, and he happened to fall at that spot.

Hamilton then skied a strong quarterfinal in the fastest heat of the day. He spent most of the first lap in back of his heat, before making his move in the descent to the stadium and challenging Dusan Kozisek of the Czech Republic and the leader, Northug. Northug won the heat in 3:13.51, and Kozisek outlunged Hamilton for second (+0.60). Though Hamilton took third (+0.65), he made it to the semifinals as a lucky loser.

In his semifinal heat, the 27-year-old maintained a position just behind the leaders for most of the race, but despite his final push he finished the heat in fourth, 1.69 seconds behind Russia’s Evgeniy Belov (3:16:20). He ended up eighth overall, and is 52^nd overall on the Tour.

Hamilton said in the semifinal he was trying to replicate his tactic of hanging in the back and trying to make a move during the second lap.

“I felt really relaxed heading into that second lap and when I tried to make another move my body just felt a little bit flatter than it had in the quarterfinal, and I wasn’t able to put in quite the surge that I needed to or wanted to,” he explained.

Despite the feeling of flatness, Hamilton is excited about his fitness, saying today’s result is not an indication of where his body is now.

“I think it’s a fluke flat day and I’m looking forward to more racing to come soon,” he said.

American teammate Andy Newell had a frustrating day, finishing 83^rd out of 83 finishers in qualifying after crashing ironically in the same corner which had taken his teammate Hamilton down.

“When he came through on his split I think he was in fifth or so,” USSA Cross Country Head Coach Chris Grover said over the phone. “But he spun out on an icy berm on the top corner of the course, unfortunately, and then he tried to get up and basically ended up into the signage so his day was over.”

Newell was actually the last skier left on the course so, had he not crashed, would have knocked Hamilton out of the quarterfinals, as Hamilton was sitting in 30^th.

“[This is] so disappointing for Andy because he looked really good, and he is of course just having such a disastrous Tour right now,” Grover said.

“It sucks because it has been so hard for me trying to score points on the World Cup this year. I am pretty frustrated with that,” Newell told FasterSkier. However, he at least was happy that Hamilton was not bumped out of the quarterfinal.

“We still had one person in the heats. It was kind of a lose, lose situation on that one.”

Canadian Devon Kershaw, who had a disappointing first two stages in Oberstdorf, qualified in 19^th, 7.76 seconds behind top qualifier and Tour leader Petter Northug of Norway (3:10.60).

Kershaw stayed in the back of the pack during his quarterfinal heat, which was won by Poland’s Maciej Starega (3:16.24), and was never able to make a move in order to challenge the leaders. He finished the heat in fifth, 3.19 behind Starega, and ended up 22^nd overall. However, this was his best finish on the Tour and his best overall result in a World Cup race since finishing 14^th in the Ruka, Finland, 15 k classic distance race on Nov. 30.

Canadian Lenny Valjas qualified in 20^th, but struggled with the pace of his quarterfinal heat – the fastest heat of the day, which Northug won. Valjas finished it in sixth (+3.74), and was 28^th overall.

“It was good to qualify for the heats, but I wanted a little more,” Valjas said to Cross Country Canada. “I went out really fast today, and just had nothing left up the final hill. I just didn’t have the energy today, but I gave it all I had.”

Valjas has dealt with a cold throughout the week, and has decided to pull out of the Tour’s remaining four races.

Results

Tour de Ski overall standings

January 6, 2015
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