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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.

Tag: Fabian Riessle

  • Sunday Rundown: Lillehammer, Östersund & West Yellowstone (Updated x6)

    Sunday Rundown: Lillehammer, Östersund & West Yellowstone (Updated x6)

    Matt Gelso (SVSEF) topping the SuperTour podium for the second-straight day on Sunday in West Yellowstone, Mont. Joining him on Sunday's 15 k classic podium: CGRP's Ben Lustgarten (l) in second and APU's Scott Patterson (r) in third.
    Matt Gelso (SVSEF) topping the SuperTour podium for the second-straight day in West Yellowstone, Mont. Joining him on Sunday’s 15 k classic podium: CGRP’s Ben Lustgarten (l) in second and APU’s Scott Patterson (r) in third.

    Welcome to The Rundown, your quick primer of need-to-know information about the day’s racing. We’ll be updating this digest as the day goes on with additional results, photos and quotes. The Rundown is NOT a race report; stay tuned for complete race reports later today with interviews from the day’s top racers.

    (Note: This Rundown has been updated to include comments from U.S. Nordic Combined’s Bryan Fletcher, who placed ninth on Sunday at the World Cup in Lillehammer, Norway.)

    ***

    U.S. SuperTour opener in West Yellowstone: 10/15 k classic

    Matt Gelso made the case that he can win any discipline and format when it comes to cross-country skiing, topping the SuperTour podium for the second-straight day of the circuit’s opening weekend in West Yellowstone, Mont. Gelso, of the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF) Gold Team, won the men’s 15-kilometer classic individual start in 42:57. He finished 32.2 seconds ahead of Ben Lustgarten of the Craftsbury Green Racing Project (CGRP) in second, and Scott Patterson, of Alaska Pacific University (APU), clocked in 1:16.8 back in third.

    In the women’s 10 k classic, Liz Guiney (CGRP) tallied the distance victory in 33:52.8. Katharine Ogden, of the Stratton Mountain School (SMS) and U.S. Ski Team D-team, finished 7.7 seconds back in second place, while Craftsbury put two on the podium with Kaitlynn Miller in third (+28.4).

    Results

    Nordic Combined World Cup in Lillehammer: Two individual comps and a relay

    German winner Eric Frenzel (c) with teammate Björn Kircheisen (l) in second and Norway's Jørgen Graabak (r) in third on Day 3 of the Nordic Combined World Cup in Lillehammer, Norway. (Photo: FIS Nordic Combined/Twitter)
    German winner Eric Frenzel (c) with teammate Björn Kircheisen (l) in second and Norway’s Jørgen Graabak (r) in third on Day 3 of the Nordic Combined World Cup in Lillehammer, Norway. (Photo: FIS Nordic Combined/Twitter)

    [UPDATE) Twenty-second in the jump. Ninth at the finish. That’s a bit more like it for U.S. Nordic Combined’s Bryan Fletcher. The American jumped to 22nd on Sunday on the large hill in Lillehammer, Norway, then raced to ninth in the 10 k Gundersen start cross-country race. He finished 1:22 minutes behind race winner Eric Frenzel, who notched his second-straight individual victory and third win (including Friday’s team event) of the Nordic Combined World Cup’s long weekend in 25:13.6.

    “Going into the race on Sunday I was confident that with a good race I could move up quite well,” Fletcher wrote in an email. “So I just set out to ski my own race and right from the start I was moving up. Top 10 was the goal and I was happy to accomplish that.”

    Germany went 1-2 with Björn Kircheisen in second (+10.8) and Jørgen Graabak of Norway finished third (+23.4) on Day 3 in Lillehammer. Fletcher’s younger brother Taylor Fletcher placed 26th (+2:21.1), moving way up from 48th in the jump (with the fastest overall course time). Also for the U.S., Ben Berend placed 49th (+4:30), and Ben Loomis was 52nd (+5:16).

    The Nordic Combined World Cup is turning out to be all about Germany (most) all of the time, with Frenzel and Johannes Rydzek at the forefront, after Rydzek won both opening World Cup competitions last weekend.

    On Friday, the German teammates started off the three-day series with a victory in the first 4 x 5 k team event of the season. They teamed up with Kircheisen and Fabian Riessle for first, beating Norway by 31.5 seconds with a winning time of 49:34.9.

    Norway’s squad, with Mikko Kokslien, Espen Andersen, Håvard Klemetsen, and Graabak, finished second without anyone else in sight. Austria took third (+1:23.7) with David Pommer, Mario Seidl, Wilhelm Denifl, and Phillipp Orter.

    Finland placed fourth, Japan was fifth, France sixth, the Czech Republic seventh, Italy eighth, and the U.S. ninth (+4:19.1), ahead of Russia in 10th.

    The order for the U.S. team was Bryan Fletcher, Berend, Loomis, and Taylor Fletcher. They rose as high as sixth during Bryan’s first leg, but dropped to eighth and finally ninth.

    On Saturday, in the individual normal hill/10 k competition, Frenzel overtook Rydzek for the win in 24:35. Rydzek started the day by winning the jump, and Frenzel ranked fourth heading into the 10 k Gundersen start. Frenzel overcame a 24-second deficit at the start to pass Rydzek and beat him by 15 seconds at the finish. Germany ended up sweeping the podium with Riessle in third (+25.8), after Riessle improved from 11th at the start with the second-fastest course time.

    Also on Saturday, Taylor Fletcher led the Americans in 26th (+1:51.2) after jumping to 44th and starting 2:02 minutes back from Rydzek. Fletcher skied the ninth-fastest course time.

    Bryan improved from 43rd at the start to 32nd (+2:32.9), Loomis ended up 43rd (+5:02.6) and Berend 44th (+5:33.4).

    “Going into this weekend I was feeling good and had some solid jumps in training so I knew that I was capable of a decent performance,” Bryan wrote on Sunday. “However, I struggle to put all the pieces together through the weekend. The team event was a good performance on my part and it was fun to ski with our young guys too. In Saturday’s event, I was close but had a rather unusual race in which I just couldn’t get going and fell off the pace quickly. Sunday however it all came together with a decent jump and race to finish 9th. This is more indicative of my true level at the moment so I was happy to finally fall into form.

     

    “This is definitely a result that I was hoping for in this period,” he continued. “I would like to finish in the top 10 consistently this year and it was a bit of a shaky start but I am starting to find the rhythm now. I hope to continue this momentum in Ramsau.”

    Results: Friday’s relay | Saturday’s normal hill/10 k | Sunday’s large hill/10 k

    ***

    IBU World Cup in Östersund: 10/12.5 k pursuits

    Men’s report | Women’s report

    Lowell Bailey came oh-so-close to fourth place on Sunday. Just two fewer misses and he could’ve been in the hunt, but that’s how biathlon goes.

    US Biathlon’s top man so far this season, Bailey started 13th in the IBU World Cup 12.5 k pursuit on Sunday in Östersund, Sweden, and by the first prone stage, he was up to seventh with clean shooting. Two-and-a-half kilometers later, he was back in the range and shooting without a miss again. Bailey headed out on his third loop in fourth, and more or less held that position through the third shooting — cleaning yet again in standing.

    Russia went 1-2 in the men's 15 k pursuit on Sunday at the IBU World Cup in Ostersund, Sweden, with Anton Babikov (l) winning his first World Cup and Maxim Tsvetkov (r) placing second. (Photo: IBU)
    Russia went 1-2 in the men’s 15 k pursuit on Sunday at the IBU World Cup in Ostersund, Sweden, with Anton Babikov (l) winning his first World Cup and Maxim Tsvetkov (r) placing second. (Photo: IBU)

    But two misses on the final standing dropped him to ninth, and on the final loop, Bailey slipped six spots to 15th at the finish. With two penalties (0+0+0+2), Bailey finished 1:21.8 behind the winner, Russia’s Anton Babikov, who hit 19-of-20 targets en route to his first World Cup victory and podium. Russia took second place as well with Maxim Tsvetkov shooting clean (0+0+0+0) and finishing 10.5 seconds behind his teammate, and France’s Martin Fourcade pushed through four penalties (2+0+0+2) to place third (+15.2).

    Fourcade started the day in first, after winning Saturday’s sprint, and lost the lead on the final stage, with two misses sending him to the penalty lap. On that last shooting, Babikov (the seventh starter) took control, and Tsvetkov (who started 11th) moved up from skiing in third for most of the race to second place.

    Also for the U.S., Tim Burke placed 35th (+2:39.2) after starting 29th, with four penalties (0+1+2+1).

    Canada’s Scott Gow finished 47th (+3:34.8) with three misses (0+0+2+1), Brendan Green was 50th (+3:45.5) wit five misses (1+3+0+1), and Macx Davies 51st (+3:54.6) with four penalties (0+0+2+2).

    Gabriela Koukalová of the Czech Republic with her first-place prize after winning Sunday's 10 k pursuit at the IBU World Cup in Ostersund, Sweden. (Photo: IBU)
    Gabriela Koukalová of the Czech Republic with her first-place prize after winning Sunday’s 10 k pursuit at the IBU World Cup in Ostersund, Sweden. (Photo: IBU)

    In the women’s race, Gabriela Koukalová (formerly Soukalova, you’ll get used to it, we promise), took her third-place finish in Saturday’s sprint and catapulted herself into first on Sunday in the 10 k pursuit. Koukalova shot 19-for-20, missing just one on the first standing (0+0+1+0) to cross the finish line first, 8.4 seconds ahead of Germany’s Laura Dahlmeier.

    While Koukalova, of the Czech Republic, took the win in 31:43.3, Dahlmeier placed second (after starting fourth) with two penalties (0+1+1+0). Italy’s Dorothea Wierer improved from 19th to third (+21.4) at the finish, with perfect shooting (0+0+0+0).

    Switzerland’s Lena Häcki also cleaned for fourth (+36.3), after starting 12th.

    The first out of the gate (the winner of Saturday’s sprint), France’s Marie Dorin Habert dropped to seventh, more than a minute and 15 seconds back, with six penalties (2+1+2+1).

    American Susan Dunklee moved up to 22nd (+2:55.7) after starting 27th, despite five penalties (2+2+0+1).

    Also for US Biathlon, Clare Egan improved to 30th (+3:35.4), up from 44th, with three misses (0+0+1+2).

    Joanne Reid (US Biathlon) finished 47th (+4:59.6) with four misses (1+1+1+1), and Canada’s Julia Ransom finished 58th (+6:36.8) with eight misses (2+0+4+2).

    Results: Men | Women 

    ***

    FIS Cross-Country World Cup in Lillehammer: 10/15 k classic pursuits

    Women’s report | Men’s report 

    Martin Johnsrud Sundby is the man to beat once again after winning the men’s 15-kilometer classic pursuit on Sunday in Lillehammer, Norway. The Norwegian started seventh and overcame a 50-second deficit to Sweden’s Calle Halfvarsson, the leader going into the final day of the mini tour. Halfvarsson dropped to fifth, while Sundby rose to first and brought another Norwegian Johannes Høsflot Klæbo to the top with him. Klæbo started sixth, 3 seconds ahead of Sundby, and placed second, 2.3 seconds behind him. Finland’s Matti Heikkinen took the final spot on the podium in third (+2.7), by 0.9 seconds over Norway’s Emil Iversen in fourth. Halfvarsson was 6.3 seconds back in fifth, his Swedish teammate Marcus Hellner sixth (+6.8), Norway’s Pål Golberg and Finn Hågen Krogh seventh (+9.9) and eighth (+15.0), respectively, and Canada’s Alex Harvey ninth (+16.2), ahead of Finland’s Iivo Niskanen in 10th (+52.0)

    Canada had two in the points with Devon Kershaw rising from 43rd to 27th (+2:08.5). Len Valjas placed 48th (+3.44), Graeme Killick was 53rd (+3:53.9), Knute Johnsgaard 72nd (+6:20.3), Bob Thompson 81st (+8:16.3), Andy Shields 83rd (+9:57.3).

    For the U.S., Noah Hoffman rose to 36th (+2:39.5) after starting 48th, Erik Bjornsen finished 57th (+4:33.3), and Eric Packer finished out his first overseas mini tour in 68th (+5:45.1).

    Heidi Weng (c) held onto her lead to win the Lillehammer mini-tour by 16.1 seconds over Norwegian teammate Ingvild Flugstad Østberg (l). Finland's Krista Parmakoski was third after losing a shot at second thanks to a crash. (Photo: FIS Cross Country/Twitter)
    Heidi Weng (c) held onto her lead to win the Lillehammer mini-tour by 16.1 seconds over Norwegian teammate Ingvild Flugstad Østberg (l). Finland’s Krista Parmakoski was third after losing a shot at second thanks to a crash. (Photo: FIS Cross Country/Twitter)

    Heidi Weng of Norway started the 10 k pursuit in first place, and that’s where she finished it, 16.1 seconds ahead of teammate Ingvild Flugstad Østberg. Finland’s Krista Parmakoski rounded out the podium in third, after skiing up from a fifth place starting position and passing Østberg near the end of the race but then crashing on a downhill and losing valuable seconds. Nevertheless her effort gave Parmakoski the fastest ski time of the day.

    Jessie Diggins, who started the race in third position after winning yesterday’s 5 k skate, made an early bid to ski with Østberg but ultimately lost ground, ending eighth, +1:39.4.

    Instead it was Marit Bjørgen who took fourth, +57.5. Stina Nilsson of Sweden was one of the biggest movers of the day, skiing from 27th at the start all the way up to fifth, +1:26.1.

    Following Diggins, Sadie Bjornsen finished 11th, +1:51.2. The American had started in a pack of skiers and stayed there for most of the race. Liz Stephen was 38th (+3:31.8), and Rosie Brennan and Caitlin Patterson 41st (+3:50.2) and 42nd (+3:56.8). Ida Sargent rounded out the U.S. results in 57th (+5:39.7).

    Emily Nishikawa led the Canadians in 46th (+4:08.5), with Cendrine Browne and Dahria Beatty 52nd (+4:41.5) and 59th (+6:08.2).

    Results: Women | Men

  • Taylor Fletcher Seventh on Day 2 of Summer Grand Prix

    Taylor Fletcher Seventh on Day 2 of Summer Grand Prix

    Taylor Fletcher racing to the fastest time on the day and 7th overall in Oberwiesenthal, Ger. (Photo Sandra Volk, FIS).
    Taylor Fletcher (26) racing to the fastest time on the day and several overall at the Summer Grand Prix in Oberwiesenthal, Germany. (Photo Sandra Volk/FIS)

    End of August. It’s not quite transition season yet. Leaves are green, there’s still the possibility of sweltering humidity, and if you’re inclined to fly off 100-meter ski jumping hills sans snow, the International Ski Federation (FIS) Nordic Combined Summer Grand Prix has you covered.

    Last weekend, Oberwiesenthal, Germany, hosted the two-day opening round of the Summer Grand Prix. Although months away from on-snow events, jumping and racing on rollerskis against some of the best in the world is an incomparable way to size up dryland training.

    Saturday featured a team sprint (teams of two) with a combined score jump followed by a 15-kilometer (2 x 7.5 k) race. Host Germany took the top prize. Germany I, with Björn Kircheisen and Eric Frenzel, placed first. Norway I (Jan Schmid and Magnus Moan) took second (+18.8), and Austria I (Bernhard Gruber and Philipp Orter) finished third (+19.7).

    The U.S. entered two teams: Taylor Fletcher and Ben Berend for U.S. I and Jasper Good and Stephen Schumann for U.S. II.

    Fletcher and Berend finished the jumping round in 14th; Good and Schumann ranked 19th. U.S. I held its 14th place after the ski portion, finishing 2:24.5 behind the winners. U.S. II ended the day in 18th overall.

    Sunday’s normal hill/individual 10 k was a new day for U.S Nordic Combined’s reigning national champ Taylor Fletcher. (Of note: The race weekend featured half of the Fletcher clan. Taylor’s older brother Bryan remained in Park City, Utah, as he and his wife were expecting their first child. They welcomed their baby girl, Ellery Ardene Fletcher, on Monday, Aug. 29.)

    Best off the jumping hill on Sunday, Aug. 28, was Norway’s Jarl Magnus Riiber. Taylor Fletcher jumped to 26th place. He started the ski portion 2 minutes and 25 seconds after Riiber.

    Reading between the lines, Fletcher made progress in the jump portion. He flew eight meters farther on Sunday compared to his effort the previous day.

    “Today was a good step forward,” Fletcher said Sunday about his Day 2 jump in a USSA press release. “I am pleased, for sure, but know I still have my work to do. I have had some really good jumps lately but haven’t had them in the competition yet. Today I put in a great jump after my miss yesterday (in team sprint) so that was a great feeling. I think this will help me relax knowing that with a jump like this I am in the hunt with my skiing, but of course the goal is to make it easier on the cross country side.”

    Schumann jumped to 31st, while U.S. teammate Ben Loomis was 33rd.

    Making it easier on the cross-country side was Fletcher’s performance trademark of tracking down early starters. On Sunday, he was true to form and strategy.

    Norway's Jarl Riiber rolls in first. (Photo: Sandra Volk FIS)
    Norway’s Jarl Magnus Riiber crosses the line first last weekend for Day 2 of the Summer Grand Prix in Oberwiesenthal, Germany. (Photo: Sandra Volk/FIS)

    Fletcher’s 24:28.9 marked the fastest rollerski time of the day, and brought him within 10.2 seconds of race winner Riiber, who finished in 26:43.7 . The hard-charging effort earned Fletcher seventh-place overall.

    “I was happy with the weekend for sure,” Fletcher wrote in an email to FasterSkier. “I have been focusing on the jumping way more this year and with the addition of our new jump coach and philosophy I have been able to improve way more. I had pretty solid jumps in Oberwiesenthal but still not my best jumps so that is exciting knowing I can still jump better. I will try to keep those feelings with me as we get ready for competition [on Wednesday] in Villach, Austria.”

    Behind Riiber on the podium were Austria’s Mario Seidl (+2.8) in second and Germany’s Kircheisen in third.

    For the U.S., Schumann finished 42nd (+3:23.3), Ben Loomis was 45th (+4:11.7), while Adam Loomis did not start the ski portion after being disqualified for a suit violation during the jumping portion.

    Asked why the team headed to Europe for the Grand Prix, Fletcher explained the race series provides a fitness litmus test against some of the best in the world.

    “We come to Europe for these races to see where our form is at the moment, but also to get some competition and practice in,” he wrote. “These races are no different than the World Cups in the winter with the exception that a few people may be absent. Another reason we come over is for the equipment. All the jumping manufacturers are based in Europe and it is difficult to get equipment sent the USA. Also, every year the rules for jumping are changed and unless you are at a competition, it is hard to know if you bindings, suits, skis, gloves, helmets, undersuits are legal or not. Coming to Summer Grand Prix allows us to check out our equipment with the officials so we know we are inline with the rules and won’t get disqualified for unknown reasons.”

    Fletcher elaborated on how jumping differs in the summer compared to jumping in colder, more dense, wintertime air. “The only thing that is different in the summer and winter is the air pressure really,” he wrote. “The surface is different but over time it starts to feel more like snow and the landing and in-run start to feel close. In the summer the temp is high causing the pressure to drop a little, especially in Park City and that makes the jumping a little harder. So without the air pressure, it sometimes feels like you are falling instead of flying through the air. The best jumping happens when the temperature is very cold(-F) as the air is very thick and you feel way more pressure under neath you! The speed is relatively the same as, the slope the hill doesn’t change from summer to winter.”

    Bryan Fletcher holding his newborn, Ellery Ardene Fletcher. Fletcher and his wife Nikki welcomed their baby girl on Monday. (Photo: USSA Nordic)
    Bryan Fletcher holding his newborn, Ellery Ardene Fletcher. Fletcher and his wife Nikki welcomed their baby girl on Monday. (Photo: USSA Nordic/Facebook)

    On Wednesday in Villach, Fletcher did not start the normal hill/10 k competition and final day of the Grand Prix. His teammate Berend led the U.S. in 33rd after posting the 19th-best jump, Ben Loomis finished 42nd after jumping to 31st, and Adam Loomis was 50th, improving upon his 57th-ranked jump.

    Austria’s Seidl won at home with a 12.9-second victory over Germany’s Fabian Riessle, and Norway’s Håvard Klemetsen placed third (+15.1).

    Now an uncle, Fletcher planned to head home to Park City after the Grand Prix series and spend the month prior to the start of the winter season training in Europe.

    Results: Day 1 team sprint | Day 2 individual 10 k | Day 3 individual 10 k

  • Fletcher Brothers 6th for Best Team Sprint in Three Years; Frenzel Locks Up Overall Title

    Fletcher Brothers 6th for Best Team Sprint in Three Years; Frenzel Locks Up Overall Title

    Germanys Eric Frenzel secures 4th Noco World Cup overall in a row. Celebrating with the team in Val Di Fiemme. (Credit: FIS, @ Nordic Focus)
    Germany’s Eric Frenzel secured his fourth-consecutive overall Nordic Combined World Cup title over the weekend and celebrated with his team in Val di Fiemme, Italy. (Photo: FIS/Nordic Focus)

    Picturesque Val di Fiemme, Italy, was the latest to host a three-day round of Nordic Combined World Cup events that began last Friday with the large hill/2 x 7.5 k team sprint.

    The two person teams had their jumping points combined to determine the start order for the race’s ski portion. Norway I’s Magnus Krog and Jørgen Graabak amassed the highest total with 283 points on the jump hill. Francois Braud and Maxime Laheurte of France I jumped to second with 282.6 points. Austria II skiers, Philipp Orter and Mario Seidl were third with 277.8 combined points.

    The U.S. entered two teams. Bryan and Taylor Fletcher jumped to ninth, with 242.3 points, for U.S. I. Adam Loomis and Ben Berend comprised U.S. II, which finished the jumping portion in 16th with 223.2 points. Twenty teams in all entered the competition.

    Norway's Magnus Krog and Joergen Graabak win the Val Di Fiemme, Italy NoCo team sprint. (Credit: FIS, @ Nordic Focus)
    Norway’s Magnus Krog and Jørgen Graabak won the Nordic Combined World Cup team sprint last Friday, Feb. 26, in Val di Fiemme, Italy. (Photo: FIS/Nordic Focus)

    From the start, Krog proved unmatchable. He distanced Braud, France’s first skier who started 1 second after Krog. Graaback, Norway’s second skier, was able to maintain the lead and secure first place for the Norwegians, claiming the team-sprint victory in 32:50.

    Germany I, with Tobias Haug and Tino Edelmann, jumped to fourth and began the ski 16 seconds behind Norway I, raced to second place (+6.7). France I held onto the final podium spot in third place, finishing 7.1 seconds behind Norway. Austria II, which had been third after the jump, slipped to eighth overall (+1:37.3).

    The Fletchers skied up in the standings for the best U.S. finish in a Nordic Combined team sprint since 2013. Back then, in Ramsau, Austria, Bryan Fletcher and Todd Lodwick placed fourth overall. At 2013 World Championships, Taylor Fletcher and Billy Demong finished sixth in the team sprint (at the same World Championships in Val di Fiemme, U.S. Nordic Combined’s four-man relay earned bronze in third.)

    On Friday, Bryan and Taylor skied the third-fastest combined race to place sixth (+1:07.8). Loomis and Berend did not finish.

    “The team sprint was for sure Taylor’s and I’s highlight of the weekend,” Bryan Fletcher wrote in an email. “It was nice to have some decent jumps and a solid race to get us into the fight. It’s the best team sprint result we have had as a duo and the best since Todd Lodwick and I were fourth in Ramsau in 2013 I believe.  Honestly, while 6th is a solid result, Taylor and I were hoping for a little more but our legs were really tired after the long travel day from Finland to Val di Fiemme.  It showed in our racing on this day a little, but we were able to hold it together just enough to move up to the 6th place finish.”

    According to younger brother Taylor, he wasn’t feeling 100 percent on Friday.

    “The cross country race was better on the result page then how it felt for me,” he said, according to a USSA press release. “My legs were heavy from the last couple races, but I was stoked to see I had a strong race with how I felt.”

    Team jumping results | Final team results

    Day 2 in Val di Fiemme

    The second day of Nordic Combined competitions in Val di Fiemme featured the 134-meter large hill/10 k Gundersen start. The overall World Cup leader, Germany’s Eric Frenzel, posted the best jump with 142.3 points. Austria’s Bernhard Gruber jumped to second with 137.1 points and a 21-second deficit at the start of the ski. Takehiro Watabe of Japan flew third farthest, scoring 132.1 points.

    Germany's Bernhard Gruber won the Day 2 individual competition in Val Di Fiemme, Italy. (Credit: FIS/Nordic Focus)
    Germany’s Bernhard Gruber won the Day 2 individual competition in Val Di Fiemme, Italy. (Credit: FIS/Nordic Focus)

    The U.S. entered four skiers, none of whom jumped into the top 30. Berend posted the 35th-best jump (99.2 points), Bryan Fletcher was 36th (98 points), Taylor Fletcher 39th (93.2 points), and Loomis 42nd (86.7 points).

    Frenzel, having already won seven races this season, seemed to be a shoo-in for an eighth victory. But Gruber, with fast running skis, overtook Frenzel and finished first by more than 30 seconds. Gruber skied the fourth-fastest time of the day to win, finishing in 30:59.7. Frenzel placed second (+37.5) with the 19th-ranked ski time. Norway’s Graabak, who was positioned 14th after the jump raced up to third (+46.0).

    Two Americans skied themselves into the points. Taylor Fletcher ended up 24th (+3:32.5) and Bryan Fletcher finished 26th (+3:37.6). Loomis skied to 35th (+5:56.7), and Berend to 38th (+7:19).

    Jumping results | Final results

    Day 3 in Val di Fiemme

    Day 3 started off identical to Day 2, with a large hill/10 k Gundersen. And just like the day before, Germany’s Frenzel flew to first, with 116.3 points. His teammate Tobias Simon scored 110.2 points for the second-best jumping total. Norway’s Håvard Klemetsen was third after the jumping round with 104.6 points.

    Berend posted the best jump for the Americans in 10th with 94.5 points. He started the 10 k race 1:27 minutes after Frenzel. Bryan Fletcher jumped to 35th, Taylor Fletcher to 42nd and Loomis to 46th.

    Norway's Magnus Krog celebrates across the line after winning the third day of the Nordic Combined World Cup in Val di Fiemme, Italy. (Credit: FIS/Nordic Focus)
    Norway’s Magnus Krog celebrates across the line after winning the third day of the Nordic Combined World Cup in Val di Fiemme, Italy. (Photo: FIS/Nordic Focus)

    Norway’s Krog, winner of Friday’s team sprint, proved too strong on the ski, which featured wet and slow conditions. Krog began the ski in fifth, 1:04 behind Frenzel. That gap dwindled as the racers neared the finish line. By the end, Krog, who finished first in 31:33.5, had put 28.1 second into Frenzel — who ultimately missed the podium in fourth overall.

    Norway’s Graabak finished second (+5.8), and German Fabian Riessle placed third (+18.4).

    For Frenzel, fourth place proved good enough. He locked up the season’s overall World Cup title for the fourth year in a row. Frenzel had a season-long duel with Japan’s Akito Watabe for the overall title. However, due to an injury, Watabe did not compete in Val di Fiemme.

    The Fletcher brothers were able to ski into the points. Bryan placed 25th (+2:55.3), while Taylor was 26th (+3:00.8). Berend fell out of the top 30, placing 34th (+5:33), Loomis finished 36th (+5:44.1).

    Bryan pointed out that Berend’s jump — the 10th best on Sunday — was a strong sign.

    “The rest of the weekend the highlight was Ben Berend jumping to 10th,” he wrote. “It was awesome to see him step up his game there and he hung tough in the race narrowly missing out on points in some incredibly hard conditions.”

    Bryan also noted the weekend’s slow and soggy snow made it a difficult one for both skiers and wax technicians.

    “The racing this weekend was a battle of will for the athletes and a stressful weekend for wax techs,” he wrote. “It was very difficult conditions to wax for and that was reflected throughout the racers. Some teams had skis that were incredibly good while others had skis that were incredibly bad.  The extremes were just much further apart than normal and that made for some interesting racing as well. All in all it was not my best weekend, however with one weekend left I am motivated to try and finish the season on a strong note.”

    Jumping results | Final results

    The Nordic Combined World Cup concludes after this week, with three days of competitions in Schonach, Germany, beginning March 4.

    Ben Berend leads the U.S. in fourth in the ski jump on a foggy morning at start of the Nordic Combined Continental Cup at Utah Olympic Park in Park City, Utah. (Photo: U.S. Ski Team/Tom Kelly)
    Ben Berend led the U.S. in fourth in the ski jump on a foggy morning at the Nordic Combined Continental Cup last December at Utah Olympic Park in Park City, Utah. (Photo: U.S. Ski Team/Tom Kelly)
  • Riiber’s Bad Luck in Lahti; Frenzel Keeps NoCo World Cup Lead; Fletchers in Top 30 Overall

    Riiber’s Bad Luck in Lahti; Frenzel Keeps NoCo World Cup Lead; Fletchers in Top 30 Overall

    Norway's 18-year-old Jarl Magnus Riiber posted the best jump on Friday, Feb. 19, and started the 10 k cross-country race first at the Nordic Combined World Cup in Lahti, Finland, but was disqualified for taking a wrong turn. (Photo: JoJo Baldus)
    Norway’s 18-year-old Jarl Magnus Riiber posted the best jump on Friday, Feb. 19, and started the 10 k cross-country race first at the Nordic Combined World Cup in Lahti, Finland, but was disqualified for taking a wrong turn. (Photo: JoJo Baldus)

    Here is a name to remember for both youthful audaciousness and absent mindedness: Jarl Magnus Riiber.

    At 18 years old, the Norwegian seems to treat the Nordic Combined World Cup as just another rung in the hierarchy of competition that sooner rather than later he will dominate.

    From Friday, Feb. 19, through Sunday, Feb. 21, three Nordic Combined World Cup competitions were held in Lahti, Finland.

    That first event, a large hill/10-kilometer Gundersen began with Riiber ruling the jumping round. He flew the farthest, earning 137.5 points. The jump gave Riiber a 28-second gap at the start of the ski over his nearest competitor. That second jumper was Norway’s Håvard Klemetsen, who scored 130.5 points. Overall World Cup leader, Germany’s Eric Frenzel, jumped to third with 127 points. Second in the overall, Japan’s Akito Watabe, was fourth, with 126.4 points.

    American Taylor Fletcher (40) leading Norway's Mikko Kokslien (38) and Germany's Björn Kircheisen (37) during the 10 k cross-country race at Friday's Nordic Combined World Cup in Lahti, Finland. Fletcher raced from 40th at the start to 24th at the finish with the seventh-fastest ski time. (Photo: JoJo Baldus)
    American Taylor Fletcher (40) leading Norway’s Mikko Kokslien (38) and Germany’s Björn Kircheisen (37) during the 10 k cross-country race at Friday’s Nordic Combined World Cup in Lahti, Finland. Fletcher raced from 40th at the start to 24th at the finish with the seventh-fastest ski time. (Photo: JoJo Baldus)

    All three U.S. men struggled to crack the top 40 on the hill, with Taylor Fletcher leading the team in 40th, Ben Berend jumping to 44th and Bryan Fletcher 47th.

    The time gaps Riiber had on Frenzel and Watabe were incrementally negated. On the last lap, the duo caught Riiber.

    Yet the young Norwegian held his ground, gapping the chasers slightly on a short hill before a turn into the stadium and the final straightaway. But Riiber, who looked as if he’d cruise in for the win, took the lap lane before realizing his mistake and righting his course. Frenzel won in 23:57.7, Watabe placed second (+1.7), and Norway’s Jan Schmid secured third (+32.2).

    For Riiber, not minding the small things has cost him again. On Jan. 29 in Seefeld, Austria, it appeared Riiber would take third place on the podium. He was disqualified for failing to start the ski race with a timing chip. Friday, what would have been Riiber’s second World Cup win, stood as his second World Cup disqualification.

    Of the Americans, Taylor Fletcher skied into the points in 24th (+1:57.5) with the seventh-fastest ski time of the day. Bryan Fletcher placed 36th (+3:34.9), and Berend finished 44th (+5:43.7).

    Day 1: Jumping results | Final results

    Day 2

    The second day of competition on Saturday featured a jump off the large hill followed by a 2 x 7.5 k ski. Two-man teams had their jump point totals combined to determine time back for the ski start.

    Ribber and Schmid scored the highest point total, with 252.1 points. Germany I, Johannes Rydzek and Fabian Riessle, scored the second highest total, with 223.7 points, 57 seconds back. Austria I, with Bernhard Gruber and Lukas Klapper, jumped to third with 219.9 points, 1:04 back.

    The ski, which was won by the Germany I in 32:57.9, saw Riiber once again succumb to bad luck. While skiing along with Germany’s Riessle, Riiber’s shoulder dislocated. Attempting to push through the injury, Riiber skied on. Yet he ultimately pulled from the race. Besides a likely podium, Norway I’s result lists as an unfortunate DNF.

    Austria’s Gruber-Klapper combo placed second, 18 seconds behind Germany. Austria II, with Franz-Josef Rehrl and Philipp Orter, were third (+1:40.8) in a photo finish with Germany II (+1:40.9).

    The U.S. entered two teams. United States I (Taylor and Bryan Fletcher) ranked 17th after the jump, while U.S. II (Adam Loomis and Ben Berend) were 20th. Neither team started the ski race.

    Day 2: Jumping results | Final results

    Day 3

    The jump hills in Lahti, Finland, as seen on Friday, Feb. 19, the first day of the Nordic Combined World Cup (Photo: JoJo Baldus)
    The jump hills in Lahti, Finland, as seen on Friday, Feb. 19, the first day of the Nordic Combined World Cup (Photo: JoJo Baldus)

    The last day of competition in Lahti, a 10 k Gundersen, saw the jumping round canceled due to high winds. Results from Friday’s provisional competition round were used to determine the skiing start order. Unfortunately, Riiber, who had won that round, was unable to start due to his shoulder injury.

    Watabe, who would have begun two seconds behind Riiber, skied off first. Frenzel started 32 seconds later. His German teammate Riessle began 40 seconds behind in third.

    For the U.S., Berend started 20th, Bryan Fletcher 41st, Taylor Fletcher 48th, and Adam Loomis 53rd.

    Riessle is considered a strong skier. Watabe conserved his energy, allowing the two Germany to bridge up. That link occurred around 5 k. A chess match began, with none of the skiers wanting to lead out. In the closing kilometers, Riessle pulled away for the win in 25:50.9. Frenzel finished second (+5.1) and Watabe in third (+11).

    Bryan Fletcher was the top American finisher in 25th (+3:05.2) and he skied the ninth-fastest time on the day. Taylor placed 28th (+3:30.6) and posted the third fastest ski time. Berend was 33rd, and Loomis 37th.

    After the weekend, Frenzel retains the Overall World Cup lead with 1091 points. Watabe is in second with 904 points, and Riessle in third with 789 points.

    Bryan Fletcher is 18th overall, and Taylor 28th.

    In an email on Sunday, Bryan reiterated his desire to solve the jumping puzzle.

    “Well this weekend was not really our weekend,” Bryan wrote. “Training was decent during the week, but for me I got a little overzealous and tried a little too hard in the competition. The results obviously speak for themselves.  Racing was good after taking a short break from intensity to gear up for the next 4 races in the rest of the week.

    “Jumping is a fickle sport and when you’re on, it seems impossible to ever lose your groove and when you’re off, you’re off,” he added. “So I have hit the reset button and will try to make the most out of what I can in the next couple days of competition.”

    Taylor felt better about his jumping.

    “This weekend I felt that my jumping had turned for the better finally and I was gaining confidence on the hill which is important,” Taylor wrote in an email on Sunday. “Unfortunately, my one bad jump was in the PCR [provisional competition round] and we had to use that today due to fierce winds that were too strong.

    “I skied a solo race catching and passing people immediately, as I wanted to score points I was going to need to have a really strong race and ski my own race as well. I felt really strong all race but one really steep section caught me and i struggled on the final kick up. I was able to continue to push the pace for the rest of the lap and finish strong finishing 28th. I thought I may of had the fastest time, but after seeing I was third I wasn’t too bummed, as I skied the race on my own and in no man’s land for a bit!”

    World Cup racing resumes on Tuesday in Kuopio, Finland.

    Day 3: PCR jumping results | Final results | Overall World Cup standings

  • Bryan Fletcher Comes into Form at Seefeld Triple; Germany’s Eric Frenzel Wins Out

    Bryan Fletcher Comes into Form at Seefeld Triple; Germany’s Eric Frenzel Wins Out

    Germany's Eric Frenzel after winning his third-straight Seefeld Triple at the Nordic Combined World Cup in Seefeld, Austria. (Photo: FIS/Nordic Focus)
    Germany’s Eric Frenzel after winning his third-straight Seefeld Triple at the Nordic Combined World Cup in Seefeld, Austria. (Photo: FIS/Nordic Focus)

    Jump. Ski. Jump. Ski. And in Seefeld, Austria, this past weekend, it was an added bonus round of jumping and skiing for the three-day Nordic Combined World Cup.  

    Held Friday through Sunday, the series of competitions, known as the Seefeld Triple, is a highlight of each nordic-combined season as the racing format winnows the best of the best.

    The Seefeld Triple is set up as a race of attrition.

    Day 1 featured a normal-hill jump coupled with a 5-kilometer ski race. The top 50 finishers advanced to Day 2, with another jump on the 109-meter normal hill and a 10 k race. Only the top 30 advanced to Day 3, which included another normal-hill jump and 10 k Gundersen start.

    The results from Day 1 set the tone for the weekend. The names of German Eric Frenzel and Japan’s Akito Watabe would consistently top the Triple’s results.

    During the jump on Day 1, Watabe flew the farthest, earning 131.3 points, while Frenzel came in a close second with 133.2 points. Norwegian Jarl Magnus Riiber finished the jumping round in third, but was eventually disqualified for starting the cross-country race without a transponder. His teammate Magnus Moan had been previously disqualified on Friday for his jumping suit being 1 millimeter too loose.

    For the U.S. Nordic Combined team, the pressure was on from the start. The Seefeld Triple marked the end of the period during which the team can start five athletes. That five-man quota was a result of points earned last season as well as additional spots earned from the team’s results during the Continental Cup in Utah last December.

    On the first day of competition in Seefeld, American Ben Berend posted the 33rd-best jump. His teammates Bryan Fletcher followed in 34th, Adam Loomis in 43rd, Jasper Good in 49th, and Taylor Fletcher in 53rd.

    If it wasn’t clear from the jumping, the ski race was where Frenzel and Watabe made others realize that, by Sunday’s racing, it would simply be a race for third.

    Watabe began eight seconds ahead of Frenzel, while Berend and Bryan Fletcher, the closest Americans, began 1:21 and 1:26 minutes back, respectively.

    Steadily, Frenzel and Watabe built a gap by the finish line. Frenzel finished first in 11:08.5, while Watabe crossed the line 6.2 seconds later in second place. Germany’s Fabian Riessle skied to third (+43.6). Bryan Fletcher moved up in the field after starting 34th, finishing 20th (+1:07.5) with the third-fastest ski time on the day.

    The next-best placed American was Loomis, who skied to 42nd (+2:16.4). Berend placed 43rd (+2:17.9), Taylor Fletcher 47th (+2:26.6), and Jasper Good 50th +2:32.8). Despite only Bryan Fletcher scoring World Cup points, the entire U.S. Team finished in the top 50 to earn starts in the Triple’s second day of competition.

    In an email to FasterSkier on Sunday, Bryan Fletcher wrote he was surprised with his fast ski time on Friday.

    “Going into Seefeld I was a bit nervous,” he wrote. “I came down with a really weird virus on Thursday in the provision comp round. I almost didn’t start because I was so dizzy during the jumping. But I wanted to make sure I had a result on the page just in case knowing the weather on Sunday would be challenging.

    “So Thursday I went to bed early in the hopes that Friday it would pass as quickly as it came on,” he continued. “Luckily I felt better in the morning, Still had some slight symptoms but compared to the day before it was much better. Having such a fast race after the sickness was surprising but it gave me the motivation to keep pushing as the weekend went on.”

    Day 2: A Leap Frog

    Bryan Fletcher racing at 2015 Nordic Combined World Championships in Falun, Sweden.
    Bryan Fletcher racing at 2015 Nordic Combined World Championships in Falun, Sweden.

    The jumping was a virtual repeat for Watabe and Frenzel on Day 2. Watabe posted the best jump, with Frenzel a close second. Austria’s Bernhard Gruber ranked third.

    As far as the contenders for the Seefeld Triple’s overall, this wasn’t much of a surprise. Coming into Saturday’s competition, Frenzel ranked second in the overall World Cup standings behind Germany’s Riessle, while Watabe was third.

    The top American from Day 1, also kept himself in a top-10 hunt. Bryan Fletcher jumped to 16th and would start the ski race 1:40 behind Watabe. Behind him, Berend started 35th based on his jump, Loomis 42nd, Taylor Fletcher 47th, and Good 50th.

    Watabe began Saturday’s 10 k four seconds ahead of Frenzel, while Gruber started nearly a minute back.

    That minute gap the leaders’ began with only grew. The chase for Frenzel and Watabe remained unorganized, with little agreement as to who would set the pace. The chasers expanded from as little as four skiers to over a dozen — including Bryan Fletcher. Beginning the final loop, Fletcher led out the chasers.

    Near the end, after the top two had skied alone, Frenzel attacked and dropped Watabe to take the win by 24.9 seconds in 23:11.5. Nearly a minute after Watabe, Riessle finished third (+1:27.7).

    Bryan Fletcher had an opportunity to reach the podium. On the final climb, Riessle and Norway’s Jørgen Graabak hammered, giving themselves a few seconds margin. During that push, there was a small tangle behind. It caught Fletcher, briefly turning him sideways — yet he didn’t fall. That mishap cost him time and places. He finished ninth, 1:36 behind and only 8.3 seconds out of third. Fletcher tied for the sixth-fastest ski time on the day.

    “Unfortunately at the end I had my poles stepped on and that took me out of contention for 3rd place.  Sometimes racing can be unlucky but I was happy to stay in the top ten despite the mishap at the end,” Fletcher explained.

    The remaining four U.S. athletes finished outside the top 30: Loomis in 37th (+4:23.5), Taylor Fletcher in 41st (+4:49.6), Berend in 44th (+5:17), and Good in 46th (+6:21.3).

    The day’s results meant a few things, both positive and negative.

    On the downside, Bryan Fletcher was the only American to advance in the top 30 to Day 3.

    Then there was the positive. If nordic combined was a sport married with betting, like football in the U.S., Frenzel would be as safe a bet as you could get.

    Saturday marked Frenzel’s 10th-straight win in Seefeld. That’s dating back to 2013. The “triple” format was introduced there in 2014 —  and Frenzel has owned it since. He won the first two editions of the Seefeld Triple, in 2014 and 2015, and kept the momentum going into Sunday.

    In addition to firming his grip on 2016’s Triple, heading into Sunday’s final day of racing, Frenzel had leap frogged Riessel, to rank first in the World Cup standings by 17 points.

    Day 3: Frenzel on the Watabe Hunt

    It wasn’t exactly ideal conditions for the final day of jumping and racing at the Seefeld Triple. With steady snow and unpredictable winds, the jump was delayed several times, until organizers sent the field of 30 skiers off the hill.

    Once again, Watabe dominated. Frenzel was the next best jumper. Yet in the tricky conditions, he botched his landing. Although he was only half a meter down on Watabe in distance, the fall gave him a lower overall score, and thus a cross-country ski start time 56 seconds behind Watabe. Riessle rounded out the top-three jumping spots in third, putting him 1:26 back for the ski race.

    Bryan Fletcher jumped to 16th and started the race 2:24 behind Watabe.

    With snow falling and several inches of snow on the course, race officials shortened the planned 15-kilometer race to 10 k. Either way, Frenzel had a tough task ahead of him. But as the race unfolded, stride by stride, Frenzel reeled Watabe in. Starting the final loop, Watabe still had roughly a thirty-second margin.

    That proved not enough.

    Frenzel eventually passed Watabe, winning by 18.7 seconds in 26:45.8. Watabe took second and Riessle, the third place finisher on Day 1 and Day 2, once again placed third (+1:09.1).

    Bryan Fletcher jetted to the fastest time on the day in 25:38.6. That effort earned him seventh in the Seefeld Triple, just 7.7 seconds off the podium.

    Fletcher leaves Seefeld knowing his form is good, but also with the understanding that the U.S. team’s goal of maintaining quota spots remained elusive.

    “Today was a very tough day on the jump hill,” he wrote on Sunday. “The snow was very heavy and wet and it make the organizers work hard to get the comp off.  In the end though it was a good competition and I was happy to have a jump that kept me in the fight for the race.”

    Considering Sunday’s tough snow conditions, Fletcher knew that suited him. He aimed to ski hard and try to catch the chase group “and at least have a shot at the sprint for 3rd,” he wrote.

    “Seefeld has been good to me, I have been top 10 in the triple now three times [placing ninth in 2015 and fifth in 2014] so I know this weekend showed positive trends,” he continued.

    “Unfortunately the team will lose a number of spots after this weekend. With the cancellations of many world cups in second period it didn’t give our team much opportunity for the guys to score points. They really only got two chances, Chaux Neuve and Seefeld.  They put in a good fight this weekend given that it’s not easy to make the third day.  So at this point our team will have two start rights in Oslo and Trondheim.”

    Fletcher’s melancholy was offset by the vibe on the German side, which was celebrating Frenzel’s long-weekend domination.

    “We have a tradition in the hotel here,” Germany’s head coach Hermann Weinbuch told German broadcaster ARD. “The innkeeper opens champagne [bottles] with a saber, and if we win another Triple we will keep up that tradition and drink a glass of sparkling wine or champagne.“

    Frenzel now leads the overall World Cup with 671 points, 97 points ahead of Riessle in second and 117 ahead of Watabe.

    World Cup competition continues next weekend in Oslo, Norway.

    Results: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Overall World Cup standings

  • Pittin Picks Up Second-Straight Win; Spillane Makes Top 10

    Johnny Spillane (USA) at the 2011 World Championships in Oslo. On Saturday, he notched a season-best ninth.

    A day after Alessandro Pittin became the first Italian to win a nordic combined World Cup event, the Olympic bronze medalist repeated his success, edging Jason Lamy Chappuis of France on Saturday in Chaux-Neuve, France.

    After ranking 22nd of 54 athletes in the 118-meter large hill jump, Pittin went on to catch the leaders in the 10 k Gundersen start and pulled out the victory in a photo finish with Lamy Chappuis and Fabian Riessle (GER), who was third.

    Pittin posted the second-fastest time Saturday after Magnus Moan (NOR), who ranked 30th in the jump and first in the race. Not far behind the race leaders, American Bill Demong climbed his way to 12th place with the third-fastest split.

    While Pittin added another achievement to the Italian history books, and Lamy Chappuis, who was born in Montana and moved to France as a kid, maintained his top spot in the World Cup standings, American Johnny Spillane lowered his season-best to ninth on Saturday.

    Spillane had previously notched his best result of 2011/2012 season on Friday, when he finished 13th in Chaux-Neuve. The same day, Demong placed a season-best eighth, and Bryan Fletcher had his second-best result of the season in 14th.

    “Everything has been slowly coming together, mostly on the jumping side of things,” Spillane wrote in an email after Saturday’s competition. “I have been feeling good on the skinny skis but needed to do a better job on the jump hill to have a chance.”

    On Saturday, the second of three consecutive days of competition, Spillane was the ninth fastest in the 10 k after ranking 13th in the jump.

    After seeing his best results in nearly two years following an injury that caused him to miss the beginning of last season, the 2010 Olympic silver medalist hadn’t met his podium expectations, but felt he was getting there.

    “I’m feeling positive about the rest of the season,” Spillane wrote. “I feel like I’m in good shape but I still have work to do on the jump hill before I can be in there day in and day out.”

    After Spillane, who was 7.9 seconds out of first, and Demong (+10.5), Taylor Fletcher was 31st and his brother, Bryan Fletcher, 32nd on Saturday. Both climbed from ranking a respective 49th and 41st in the morning jumping portion. Another American, Nick Hendrickson finished 41st after ranking 49th in the jump.

    Saturday’s results.