From the FasterSkier archive — posts syndicated from athletes’ and coaches’ own blogs between 2004 and 2012, kept online as published. Current coverage is at fasterskier.com.
The men’s all Norwegian 15 k skate podium. Simen Hegstad Krüger (c), Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget (l) placed second and Hans Christer Holund (r) was third. (Photo: Aleks Tangen)
The third and final day of the Norweigan opening races Beitostølen, Norway — during which the conditions hovered around freezin — saw Simen Hegstad Krüger win the 15-kilometer freestyle in 30:16.4. Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget of Norway placed second (+3.7), and Hans Christer Holund was third (+8.7).
Martin Johnsrud Sundby, having a rough reentry to the racing season, did not finish the race.
The U.S. Ski Team, recently arrived in Norway, used the Beitostølen races as a tune up before starting the World Cup season next week in Ruka, Finland.
David Norris (APU) was the top ranked American in 34th (+1.27.5). Scott Patterson (USST) placed 48th (+1:57.6), Simi Hamilton (USST) 51st (+2:02.8), and Kyle Bratrud (SMS T2) 60th (+2:21.2).
The Women’s podium from the World Cup 15 k freestyle in Beitostølen, Norway. Norwegian Theresa Johaug (center) was first, Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla (left) second, and Ingvild Flugstad Østberg (right) of Norway third.
“I feel like the shape was really good today,” Norway’s Therese Johaug told the International Ski Federation (FIS) after Saturday’s 15-kilometer freestyle individual start race in Beitostølen, Norway.
On a day when winter felt like winter, snow fell throughout the race and temperatures hovered around 20 degrees Fahrenheit, Johaug’s shape was never in doubt. Absent two seasons from the World Cup after testing positive for banned steroids in her system, Johaug is back with a vengeance. And when the shape is good for the now 80-time podium finisher in World Cup distance races, we all know how the results look.
Johaug took her fourth win on Saturday in as many distance races this season on the World Cup. In Kuusamo, Finland, Lillehammer, and Beitostølen, Norway, Johaug crushed. Her tempo and raw fitness are leaving only second and third places on the podium to be decided as the season’s distance races unfold.
Her winning time in Beitostølen’s 15 k skate was 38:39.8 minutes. Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla paced third (+1:05.9), and Norway’s Ingvild Flugstad Østberg was third (+1:06.1).
“I think that was my best race this season,” Johaug said to FIS. “I had good energy all the way. I am really happy to be atop the podium here again in Beitostølen. I think this is my place.”
If each time check today were a microcosm, the gains on the would-be-podium placers only increased at every checkpoint. Johaug never let up, the field could only attempt to temper the damage.
At 5 k, Johaug was up 26.1 seconds on Sweden’s Ebba Andersson who marked the second fastest split. At 10 k, the start of lap two of three, the gap to second place skier Andersson was 47.8 seconds. (Andersson faded slightly in the final 2.8 k to place fourth, 1:08.8 minutes back.) For now, at least, Johaug appears to be racing against her own benchmarks of fitness while the remaining stars of the sport minimize time back to a runaway skier.
Johaug is on a record-setting pace. During her last full season on the World Cup, 2015/16, Johaug won a record 12 individual races. We are starting to see this season that unless Johaug withers from an early season fitness peak and the chasers come into form later this season, she could simply run away with a few World Cup globes. She leads the distance and overall World Cup standings.
For Kalla, her second place in the 15 k skate was her best ever in the discipline. Back in 2013 in Davos, Switzerland she finished third in the 15 k skate. Kalla sits second in the overall World Cup with 369 points, trailing Johaug by 131 points. Today was Kalla’s third podium of the season. She finished fourth on one other occasion.
U.S. Ski Team skier Jessie Diggins at the start of the World Cup 15 k freestyle individual start in Beitostølen, Norway. Diggins placed eighth.
The U.S. Ski Team’s Jessie Diggins had her best result of the season finishing in eighth place, 1:29.6 minutes behind the day’s winner, Johaug. From a pacing perspective, Diggins was consistent. At the 6 k, 10 k, and 12 k marks, she was locked in seventh place. Coming off a cold that affected her performances last weekend in Lillehammer, Norway, Diggins told FasterSkier in Beitostølen that her sensations were coming around.
“I felt better than last weekend, Diggins said. “I started to feel more like myself. Which is nice because I was definitely still sick last weekend, so feeling healthy was really nice and I felt like I could really breathe out there. That was really positive and I had some really good skis and I just went out there and I kept trying to focus on skiing every part of the course as smart and as good as I could. And focus on my technique and so I was happy with it. It was a step in the right direction. … We are still in period 1. I think I am in a pretty good place right now and I am where I need to be.”
Diggins had her first podium last season, a season when she placed second in the overall World Cup, on January 1, during the Tour de Ski’s third stage 10 k skate pursuit in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.
Sadie Bjornsen (USST), finished 13th (+(+2:22.9) for her sixth top-15 of the season on the World Cup. Bjornsen’s best finish thus far was a third place in Lillehammer’s skate sprint.
“I feel worked,” Bjornsen said in the mixed zone. “That was definitely a very very challenging race out there today. I think what makes it challenging [for me] is the flat terrain. There’s just no recovery out there and especially with falling snow it is extra difficult to move across the snow and so today was just race of toughness for 15 k.”
Of the tough conditions due to the freshly fallen snow, Bjornsen noted her skis felt solid. Her legs, on the other hand, were fatigued. Additionally, Bjornsen, who lives in Anchorage, Alaska, a community that suffered a major earthquake last week, has had home on her mind.
“I felt like my legs were particularly tired today,” Bjornsen said. “I think it has just been a long week with a lot of things going on. So I think I have to set a goal next week to not have any stress or my mind on anything about home, so I can truly recover.”
U.S. Ski team athlete Sadie Bjornsen (bib 37) at the start of the World Cup 15 k freestyle individual start in Beitostølen, Norway. Bjornsen placed 13th.
Bjornsen is ranked ninth overall on the World Cup.
Also for the U.S., Rosie Brennan has proved the U.S. pool of women remains deep. Skiing for Alaska Pacific University (APU), Brennan’s renewed prowess earned her a fifth top-30 this season, which includes three top-15s.
In Beitostølen Saturday, Brennan placed 15th (+(+2:33.9).
“I am definitely getting a little tired from all the racing, especially after the mini-tour last week,” Brennan said after the race. “But I am happy with my shape and I think I can hold through one more weekend and then I will get a little rest.”
Despite earning the 15th best time after two laps, and maintaining that position at the finish, Brennan explained, like many skiers, the third lap was difficult.
“I was really happy with my first and second lap but I wished I would have had a little bit more energy to give on the last lap,” Brennan said. “I just tried to keep a steady pace and always be trying to make up a little time here and there. I mean it is slow out there so there is just more work. It is the same for everybody.”
Caitlin Patterson, skiing for the U.S. and training with the Craftsbury Green Racing Project (CGRP), placed just outside the points in 32nd (+3:46.0).
“It was a good fight,” Patterson told FasterSkier in Beitostølen. “This is a fun course. I liked a lot of the working gliding sections and I think I skied the transitions better than I have in other races. I am feeling fairly solid about it. I was getting some good reinforcing splits out there.”
Patterson explained she is feeling good while still adjusting her skiing and looking for that top-end World Cup gear.
“I am smoothing out the way I am racing with better transitions now,” Patterson said of her racing. “The fitness still feels like it is coming around. Last year, I felt like I had a little more than a top gear than I have tapped into this year. It’s still coming around.”
Also for the U.S., Kaitlynn Miller placed 50th (+5:02.8).
Emily Nishikawa of the Canadian National Team (CNT) was the best placed Canadian in 34th (+4:01.6). Cendrine Brown (CNST) was 38th (+4:16.4). This was the first World Cup of the season in which Canada has entered a women’s team.
“I am happy with this start to the season,” Nishikawa wrote in an email. “I am encouraged by my race and know that I have some room for improvement next weekend in Davos.”
Both Nishikawa and Browne spent time in Davos, Switzerland, the site of next weekend’s World Cup, prepping with a pre-race season camp.
Racing continues on Sunday in Beitostølen with a women’s 4 x 5 k and men’s 4 x 7.5 k relay.
The U.S. has eight women in Beitostølen and will field two women’s teams in Sunday’s relay. Team one will consist of Bjornsen, Brennan, Patterson, and Diggins. The second team will feature Sophie Caldwell, Ida Sargent, Kelsey Phinney, and Kaitlynn Miller.
Anne Hart (SMST2) racing at last year’s 5 k classic FIS race in West Yellowstone, Montana, where she finished 12th. A year later, Hart placed 19th in the Beitostølen, Norway, 10 k freestyle race. (Photo: Ian Harvey/Toko)
In one weekend of racing, Anne Hart has already learned a lot, the types of things you can only learn from careful observation and reflection. And for Hart, a 25-year-old member of the Stratton Mountain School (SMS) Elite Team, the season doesn’t truly begin until Dec. 2.
After racing to 19th in the women’s 10-kilometer freestyle individual start on Sunday in Beitostølen, 2:41.9 minutes behind Norwegian winner Marit Bjørgen, Hart talked about being inspired by numerous speedy Norwegians there — many of which are gunning for a spot on Norway’s World Cup team.
Hart ventured to Norway earlier this month to jumpstart her season before heading back to the U.S. to race the SuperTour opener in West Yellowstone, Montana, Dec. 2-3. In two previous races in Beitostølen on Friday and Saturday, she finished 31st in both the 10 k classic and classic sprint.
On Sunday, she resolved to leave it all out there, just as she’d seen Norwegian World Cup regular Finn Hågen Krogh do.
“Today we were watching the men’s race [before our race], and we watched Finn Hågen Krogh halfway up the hill the last time, the third time. I kid you not, he just stopped, bent over and he went on and finished fifth,” Hart reflected. “He went out hard, he blew up, but he made up so much time at the beginning that he just had to make it in.”
That’s precisely what Hart’s been working on.
“I really just pushed it from the go,” she said of her race. “After watching the [top] women start the classic race [on Friday], and then watching how fast they go in the sprints [on Saturday], there is just no easy pace out there … You just keep on going, and you suffer. But the harder you suffer the faster it is over.”
The women’s podium (and top six) after Sunday’s 10 k freestyle in Beitostølen, Norway, with Norway’s Marit Bjørgen (1) in first, Ragnhild Haga (2) in second, Heidi Weng (3) in third, Ingvild Flugstad Østberg in fourth, Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen in fifth, and Tiril Udnes Weng in sixth. (Photo: Aleks Tangen)
Hart finished her 10 k, in what she described “beautiful skiing” conditions, in 26:37.1. Bjørgen raced to first for her second distance win of the long weekend in 23:55.2, 12.6 seconds ahead of Ragnhild Haga in second place. Norway once again swept the podium with Heidi Weng in third, 30.1 seconds behind Bjørgen.
“It’s a course that doesn’t have a lot of rest in it … basically I was just trying to V2 as much as I could, because I noticed that’s another thing they do over here,” Hart said. “It’s like riding a bike; it’s easier to go in a lower gear. … I know I am a stronger V2-er, and the longer I can V2 up the hills, I figured the better I would do overall. Then [I] backed off, worked on quick turnover, and then really tried to push the V2-ing.”
For much of the race, her split times hovered between 19th and 20th. But after a strong effort from 7 to 9.8 k, where she clocked the 15th fastest time in 7:58.2, Hart secured 19th, 8.5 seconds behind 18th-place finisher Silje Theodorsen, of the Norwegian National U23 Team, and 12 seconds ahead of 20th, which went to Norway’s Magni Smedås (Lillehammer Ski Club).
That stands as Hart’s best international finish outside of an Alpen Cup last season in Seefeld, Austria, where she notched two top 20’s. Each year, Norway’s season-opening FIS races in Beitostølen attract most of Norway’s top skiers and upcoming talent.
So 19th in Beitostølen is a big deal.
At the time of her post-race interview with FasterSkier, Hart wasn’t sure where she ended up. But she knew she pushed herself to the limit.
“I think last year I suffered from over-pacing, and it’s gonna hurt no matter what you do,” she said. “And I am very much of the mentality, for me anyways, to just go all in, no fear. And the worst thing that happens is you blow up.”
In terms of how her results in Beito will affect her moving forward, she said it was about building confidence with each race and “having faith in my training and my fitness. The worst feeling in the world is when you finish and are like, ‘Damn, I could have gone harder.’ I would much rather literally collapse out on the course.”
Great Britain’s Annika Taylor, who grew up in Truckee, California, and raced at the University of New Hampshire, placed 23rd (+3:09.9). Taylor, 24, finished 29th in the 10 k classic two days earlier
At the front of Sunday’s race, the final time between Bjørgen and runner-up Haga was what made the news. One Norwegian journalist asked Norwegian women’s team coach Roar Hjelmeset if “this was almost like a victory since the gap was so small”. He replied “no” but added that it was “a very good performance” for Haga.
Bjørgen started last in bib 63 and, as she typically does, clocked the fastest times through essentially every checkpoint and put more time into her competition with each passing kilometer. Haga’s time from 4.9 to 6.1 k was actually 2.5 seconds faster, but Bjørgen later told reporters that she expected a strong performance from her 26-year-old teammate.
“The race was acceptable,” she told NRK. “I was prepared for Ragnhild’s approach since she’s better at skating, but I felt like I was somewhat in control.”
Haga was pleased to hold on to second ahead of fellow World Cup Team members Weng (who ended up third) and Ingvild Flugstad Østberg in fourth (+32.3).
“I had hoped to kick harder from the start so that Ingvild wouldn’t catch up to me,” Haga told NRK. “I didn’t tighten up and was able to keep pushing. I couldn’t really do anything about Marit, but I was closer than normal.”
Both Weng and Østberg told NRK how impressed they were with Haga’s performance.
“Ragnhild has shown strength over a lot of years,” Østberg said.
Weng added that she was impressed Haga gave Bjørgen a fight for first place.
“[Haga] does this because she’s been able to train well over the course of long time, and she has done very well leading up to this season,” Hjelmeset explained to a group of reporters.
Krüger: ‘It’s a big deal’
In the men’s race, Norway’s Simen Hegstad Krüger took advantage of the optimal conditions — with temperatures between -6 and -9 degrees Celsius, firm tracks and a clear blue sky — to win the 15 k freestyle by 16.5 seconds in 32:59.6.
He did so after starting in bib 122 of 124 and taking control of the race at 2.1 k. Krüger led from that point on, clocking the fastest splits in every stretch except from 11 to 11.9 k. At the finish, he beat out the likes of fellow Norwegian World Cup Team members Hans Christer Holund in second, Hågen Krogh in fifth (+42.1), Sjur Røthe in sixth (+42.8), and Martin Johnsrud Sundby in seventh (+52.9).
The men’s podium after Sunday’s 15 k freestyle FIS race in Beitostølen, Norway, with Norway’s Simen Hegstad Krüger (1) in first, Hans Christer Holund (2) in second and Jan Thomas Jenssen (3) in third. (Photo: Aleks Tangen)
“This is incredibly cool,” Krüger told NRK. “Even if it’s early in the season, it’s not common to win at this level. It’s a big deal when entire Norwegian elite is here.”
Notably, 21-year-old Norwegian Jan Thomas Jenssen, of Hommelvik Il, placed third (+30.7). He’s never raced on the World Cup.
“What should I say? This is amazing,” he told NRK, adding that the experience was “indescribable.”
Great Britain’s Andrew Musgrave raced to fourth place (+37.1) as the only non-Norwegian in the top 24. American Noah Hoffman was next in 25th (+2:09.6), and Andy Newell (U.S. Ski Team) finished 52nd (+2:56.0).
“It was better than the other day, a step in the right direction and I feel pretty good and looking forward to next weekend,” Hoffman, who finished 29th in Friday’s 15 k classic, told FasterSkier on Sunday. “Part of it is just having a race under my belt, but beyond that, I think on these more gradual courses I’m better at skating than I am classic, and the conditions were better for me today.”
While he was able to navigate traffic on the course by picking off several racers, Hoffman was frustrated with his “lapse of concentration” that caused him to clip a V-board on the biggest downhill and fall on his second lap.
“[I] went down really hard, lost my glasses, but at least I didn’t hurt myself,” Hoffman said. “Got a little bit of whiplash, I think I might be sore from it. … I probably lost 10 seconds. It was just silly. It still was a good effort and it doesn’t make too big of a difference.”
Andy Newell (c) racing to 52nd in the men’s 15 k freestyle FIS race on Sunday in Beitostølen, Norway. (Photo: Aleks Tangen)
Newell started out skiing around 70th and made his way up to 38th mid-race, but lost time over the final three kilometers to finish 52nd. When he spoke with FasterSkier immediately after, he was unsure of how he placed.
“I don’t think my time will be great, but it was a good workout and my body felt good despite being a little tired and sore from yesterday,” said Newell, who placed 16th in Saturday’s classic sprint. “It was a good training race, and these guys are so fast, and since skating is not my best, I just looked for a good feeling in the body. …. I think I have a little more in the tank. I can save that for next weekend.”
The World Cup opens next Friday, Nov. 24 with the three-day Ruka Triple in Kuusamo, Finland.
Of the four Canadian men that raced on Sunday, Scott James Hill of Barrie Cross Country (BXC) led them in 64th (+3:09.8).
“Today was good, a lot better,” said Hill, who placed 84th in Saturday’s sprint and 99th in Friday’s 15 k classic. “The classic race was kind of my first race and time trial of the year so I wasn’t expecting much, but today I felt like I was ready to race.
“I think everything worked out well,” the 23 year old continued. “I was never skiing alone other than maybe the first half lap, so I was always being pushed, which was really good.”
Ryan Jackson (Team Asker) followed in 102nd, Maks Zechel (Team Asker) was 113th, and Joey Foster (BXC) finished 118th.
Martin Johnsrud Sundby racing to his second-straight win in Beitostølen, Norway, on Saturday in the 15 k skate FIS race. (All photos: Inge Scheve)
BEITOSTØLEN, Norway — Martin Johnsrud Sundby skied into his second victory in as many days in Beitostølen, winning Saturday’s 15-kilometer freestyle FIS race by 16.6 seconds over Petter Eliassen in second. Another Norwegian, Didrik Tønseth, who was second on Friday, placed third.
Sundby covered the course in 32:22.2, and told reporters after that he gave it “an 82 to 87 percent of max effort.”
After winning Friday’s 15 k classic by nearly 23 seconds, he had “a horrible long day,”, he told NRK, with a final drug test at 10:30 that night. That left him a little groggy heading into Saturday’s 15 k skate.
“I didn’t have any good feelings,” Sundby, 30, said. “My legs felt as if they were well over 30 years old today.”
“My legs felt as if they were well over 30 years old today.” — Norway’s Martin Johnsrud Sundby, after winning his second-straight race in Beitostølen on Saturday.
But he found a way to lead very early on, starting last of 155 men on Saturday. Three seconds behind 2 k, he took control of the race and led by a comfortable margin for the remaining 13 k — increasing the gap as he went.
“I just felt like every push was a slow-motion effort, but I was able to capitalize on my strengths,” Sundby told reporters afterward.
“Technically, I stood well on my skis and won it,” he said to NRK.
Deep and competitive field
Petter Northug (Norway) on his was to 23rd in the FIS 15 k skate race on Saturday in Beitostølen, Norway. He finished more than a minute behind winner Martin Sundby.
Behind him, there was a fierce fight for the remaining spots on the podium. Tønseth lost out on second to Eliassen by 2.7 seconds, and Norway’s Anders Gløersen and Kristian Tettli Rennemo tied for fourth, 3.3 seconds after Tønseth.
“I was one spot worse today, but it was really big for me to podium in the skate race,” Tønseth told FasterSkier. “I didn’t expect that.
“It’s important to ski fast here in order to be named for the World Cup team next week, so now I just hope to maintain my performance until Finland next week,” he added. “It’s always fun to ski fast, but it’s really just a prep for what’s coming next.”
Norway occupied all of the top 10 with France’s Maurice Manificat placing 11th.
Still a few pounds to go
Norway’s Petter Northug finished 23rd, more than a minute behind Sundby, but he didn’t sound worried about the gap.
“I still have a few steps and a few pounds to go in order to reach peak performance,” he told reporters after the race. “This is still training, but whenever you get a bib on, it becomes a tougher effort than just a hard intensity workout, and you see where you are in relation to your competitors.”
“I still have a few steps and a few pounds to go in order to reach peak performance. This is still training.” — Petter Northug, after placing 23rd in Saturday’s 15 k skate in Beitostølen, 1:01.7 behind the winner
Beitostølen’s races wrap up with a classic sprint on Sunday.
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![Petter Northug (Norway) on his was to 23rd in the FIS 10 k skate race on Saturday in Beitostølen, Norway. He finished more than a minute behind winner Martin Sundby.](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/11/Petter-Northug-Scheve.jpg")