FasterSkier

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  • FS 2010 World Cup Preview: Men

    The 2010 men’s World Cup field should be as deep and competitive as always.  FasterSkier previews the top men in the world, and makes some predictions.

    Petter Northug (NOR)

    He can do it all and has the best finish in the game.  Some question the sportsmanship of his tactics, but regardless of morality, they work.

    Prediction: After being left off the ’06 Olympic team, he has something to prove.  He will go for a sweep, winning the Tour de Ski, Olympic Gold, and the overall World Cup.

    Dario Cologna (SUI)

    The defending overall World Cup and Tour de Ski champion is an impressive all-around skier, strong in all techniques and disciplines.  He won just two races last year, but his health and consistency put him over the top.

    Prediction: Cologna was set back by a leg injury this fall, and that will be enough to fall behind Petter Northug.  After missing out on medals in Liberec, Vancouver should go better.

    Ola Vigen Hattestad (NOR)

    A sprint specialist, Hattestad put on a clinic last season, winning 6 of 9 sprint starts and finishing 2nd in two others.  This led to a remarkable 3rd place in the overall World Cup.

    Prediction: Given the variables in sprinting, Hattestad will not repeat his performance.  He will be good for Olympic gold and the World Cup sprint title, but not another 3rd overall.

    Sami Jauhojaervi (FIN)

    Jauhojaervi is just entering his prime and is strong in all events.  He had four podiums and an impressive victory in the Trondheim 50k last year.

    Prediction: Jauhojaervi will have an excellent season, finishing 3rd overall.

    Pietro Piller Cottrer (ITA)

    A distance specialist, Piller Cottrer will be focused on the Olympics.  He was not a fan of the Olympic courses in Whistler, but that didn’t hold him back, as he won the pursuit in the pre-Olympic World Cup.  That was his only victory, alng with two seconds.

    Prediction: Expect an Olympic medal, and strong performances throughout the season.  His lack of sprinting will keep him from ever challenging for the top spot overall.

    Axel Teichmann (GER)

    His rivalry with Petter Northug, and his obvious distaste for the brash Norwegian, often steals the headlines.  But Teichmann is one of the top skiers in the world.  He took third in the Tour last season, and was 6th in the overall World Cup.  He won four events, though all were I  the half-point realm of the Tour de Ski and the World Cup Final.

    A stronger distance skier, Teichmann can crack the top-30 in a sprint, and a good day can get him in the top-20.

    Prediction: He will be gunning for Olympic gold after Northug abused him in the World Championships.  He won’t get it, and his inconsistent sprinting will hold him back in the Tour and the overall.

    Lukas Bauer (CZE)

    Bauer had an inconsistent season in 2009 after winning both the Tour and the overall in’08.  His ’08 performance was all the more impressive given his lack of sprinting speed. He did win a race last season, and finish 2nd in another.

    Prediction:  Bauer will also be focused on the Olympics.  No gold for him, but expect more strong distance races throughout the season.  He will not be able to overcome his sprinting if he races in the Tour.

    Giorgio Di Centa (ITA)

    Another distance focused Italian, Di Centa has 15 consecutive seasons scoring at least one World Cup point under his belt.  While longer is generally better, he did score 100 points in sprints last year.  He has contemplated retirement on several occasions, but just keeps going fast.

    He had only one podium last season, but in the deep men’s field, top 3 finishes are not necessary for a strong overall ranking – 8th in Di Centa’s case.

    Prediction:  More of the same – good solid racing.  He won’t defend his 50km Olympic gold, and his best shot for a medal will be the relay.

    Jean Marc Gaillard (FRA)

    The inconsistent Frenchman had results ranging from 2nd to 67th.  A 6th in the Tour de Ski helped him to a 7th place overall finish in the World Cup.  He is hampered by his sprinting, but continues to start the short races, and popped a 3rd place in the first Tour sprint.

    Prediction:  Gaillard will continue to show mixed results – good for a solid overall ranking, but victory will elude him.

    Devon Kershaw (CAN)

    Kershaw cracked the top-20 overall last year, and has had strong results in all formats and disciplines.  He cracked the top-10 six times, including a podium.

    Prediction: Kershaw will continue to improve, but his focus will be on the Olympics on his home soil.  A medal is a long-shot, but don’t count him out.

    Alex Harvey (CAN)

    The young Harvey skied faster and faster as the season went on.  He went from NorAms to the Red Group, ending the season with four top-10’s in five races.  His most impressive performance may have been his 3rd place finish in the 50km in Trondheim

    Prediction: This kid is the real deal, and will be a big time World Cup skier.  This season he may have some growing pains, and will likely focus on the Olympics.  Expect some more top performances, but not another podium this season.

    Other Skiers to Watch:

    Eldar Roenning (NOR) – Gets it done at any distance – as long as it is classic.   Olympic relay medal is a good bet.

    Tobias Angerer (GER) – Veteran should be a key component of the German relay team.  Capable of popping one, but not a consistent threat.

    Alexander Legkov (RUS) – Top Russian was 3rd in World Cup final.  Don’t expect to see that again.

    Johan Olsson (SWE) – Medal dark-horse.  Expect him on the podium at least once this season.

    Vassili Rotchev (RUS) – Faster than Legkov, and is a medal threat.  Should match last year’s Tour 5th.

    Martin Sundby Johnsrud (NOR) – Excellent distance skier will be hampered by sprinting.  A podium or two is reasonable – and maybe a relay gold.

    Vincent Vittoz (FRA) – Ageless Frenchman will be focused on the Olympics.  Don’t count him out in the pursuit and 15km.

    Ivan Babikov (CAN) – A hill climbing machine, Babikov will be solid with a few stellar results.

    Andy Newell (USA) – Sprinter will stay on his feet and make it to the podium.  Tour de Ski entry will give him a shot at a strong overall sprint ranking.

    Kris Freeman (USA) – A podium is in the cards.

    Overall World Cup Predictions

    1.     Petter Northug (NOR)

    2.     Sami Jauhojaervi (FIN)

    3.     Dario Cologna (SUI)

    4.     Axel Teichmann (GER)

    5.     Pietro Piller Cottrer (ITA)

    6.     Vassili Rotchev (RUS)

    7.     Giorgio DiCenta (ITA)

    8.     Lukas Bauer (CZE)

    9.     Jean Marc Gaillard (FRA)

    10. John Kristian Dahl (NOR)

    Tour de Ski Predictions

    1.     Petter Northug (NOR)

    2.     Dario Cologna (SUI)

    3.     Sami Jauhojaervi (FIN)

    [poll id=”28″] [poll id=”30″]

    Sami Jauhojaervi (FIN) celebrates his victory at the Trondheim World Cup in 2009.
    Sami Jauhojaervi (FIN) celebrates his victory at the Trondheim World Cup in 2009.

    Axel Teichmann

  • FS 2010 World Cup Preview: Women

    Justyna Kowalczyk (POL)

    Kowalczyk is last year’s overall World Cup Champion and should be considered the favorite to repeat.   Her versatility and stamina are her strengths. She’s just as capable of winning a sprint as a 30 km., and last year she missed just one race, scoring World Cup points in every start.

    She had a total of nine podium finishes, including five victories. Kowalczyk was not dominating last weekend at FIS races in Sweden, but her results were solid. She finished third in the classic sprint and fifth in the 10km freestyle.

    Her coach reports that her speed is not up to par yet, and that he won’t be concerned if she is not at the top of the result sheet early.

    Prediction: With focus on the Olympics, Kowalczyk will slip a little in the overall, losing out to rival Petra Majdic.

    Petra Majdic (SLO)

    Majdic was the women’s overall sprint champion last year, and runner up to Kowalczyk in the overall, just 100 points back.   Sub-par races in the last two events of the World Cup Final cost her an opportunity to challenge for the overall title.

    Majdic is not as consistent as Kowalczyk in distance races, but she dominated the sprint circuit, winning 8 of 11 World Cup sprint starts.  This strength, combined with podium-level ability on the distance side, makes her a top contender for all of the 2010 overall titles.

    Prediction: After a disappointing World Championships in 2008 Majdic takes gold in the Olympic sprint, and wrests the overall World Cup crown from Kowalczyk.

    Aino-Kaisa Saarinen (FIN)

    Saarinen led the overall World Cup for much of last season, but was side tracked by illness, and was unable to hold off Kowalczyk and Majdic.   Like Kowalczyk she is a generalist, capable of podium finishes in any format and any discipline.  If she can stay healthy, she will again be in the hunt for both the overall title and the Tour de Ski crown.

    Prediction: Saarinen wins the Tour de Ski, and once again finishes third in the overall.

    Virpi Kuitunen (FIN)

    A two-time World Cup and Tour de Ski Champion, Kuitunen may decide to focus on the Olympics.   She has a single bronze from 2006 in the Team Sprint, and will surely be looking for more.  After a strong start, including the Tour victory, Kuitunen struggled with her health down the stretch.  And while she did take home gold in both the relay and the Team Sprint from the World Championships in Liberec, she failed to reach the podium in any of the individual events.

    Like all of the top women, Kuitunen, when in good form, is strong across the board.

    Prediction: She will not focus on the overall, and will not be able to defend her Tour de Ski title.  But she will perform well in Olympics, and will still crack the top-10 overall.

    Arianna Follis (ITA)

    Follis skied to a quiet 4th in the overall standings last season.  She was consistent, scoring points in 26 of 31 World Cup races, and winning two stages of the Tour de Ski, but just a step below the top-3.  A similar performance can be expected this season from Follis.

    Prediction: She will ski fast, stand on the podium, but will not challenge for either the overall World Cup title or the Tour de Ski win.

    Marit Bjoergen (NOR)

    Bjoergen is definitely an underdog on the World Cup this season.  After a strong start in which she had six podium finishes in nine starts, Bjoergen faded hard.  She missed most of the later third of the season due to illness, and did ski particularly well in the World Cup final..

    Bjoergen has struggled to regain the form that led her to consecutive World Cup titles in 2005 and 2006, a stretch in which she won 16 races.  But health has been a major issue since, and she is a big question mark.  She dominated last weekend’s FIS races in Beitostolen, but she needs her body to hold up for an entire season.

    Bjoergen is a good candidate for selectively choosing races as the Olympics approach.  She won a silver in the 10km classic in Torino, and another silver in the relay in Salt lake.  Her sites will be set on gold.

    Prediction: A strong performance in the Tour de Ski, and better overall.  The big question remains the Olympics.

    Therese Johaug (NOR)

    Johaug, just 21-years-old, showed flashes of brilliance last year, winning one race and finishing on the podium a total of four times.  Her brightest moment came when she finished second in the four event World Cup Final.  In order to improve upon her 8th place overall World Cup finish, she will need to take her sprinting up to a higher level.  She scored points in only two sprints last year – finishing 30th in both.

    Her youth is both an asset and a concern.  On the one hand it is reasonable to assume that she is nowhere near her peak.  On the other, Johaug has trained very high volume at a very young age – some have speculated that this will leave less room for improvement and that burnout/over-training is a concern.

    Prediction:  This season I expect she will challenge for the podium in distance races, and while she may see some more heats in the sprints, she will not score many points in the short format.  She will help Norway challenge Finland in the Olympic relay, and will win at least one medal.

    Charlotte Kalla (SWE)

    Kalla is another dark-horse competitor on the circuit.  Like Bjoergen, she started strong last year, winning the World Cup opener.   But she did not crack the top-10 again before getting set to defend her Tour de Ski title, and then was felled by illness.  She missed a full month, but finished out strong, taking third in the World Cup final.

    Kalla is still just 22 years old, and has the potential to be a World Cup Champion.  There have been concerns that her training regime has been too much in the past, but she appears to be in good form entering the season.  Her best results have come in distance races, though she reached the A-final twice in sprints last season, so is a clear step ahead of Johaug in that department.

    Prediction: A return to 2008 form where she was 4th in the overall World Cup, and won the Tour de Ski, is a reasonable prediction for the Swedish star.

    Others to watch:

    Kristin Stoermer Steira (NOR) – lack of sprinting holds her back in the overall and Tour, but will be a medal threat at the Olympics. And a top-10 overall.

    Pirjo Muranen (FIN) – Solid all-arounder will not dazzle, but will consistently get the job done.

    Marianna Longa (ITA) – Focus will be on the Olympics, but a medal will be hard to come by.

    Steffie Boehler (GER) – Has shown flashes, but no reason to think her consistency will improve at this point.

    Claudia Nystad (GER) – German veteran always seems to have one more left.  She will pop a few big ones – for her sake one will be at the Olympics.

    Riita Liisa-Roponen (FIN) – Another consistent Finn.  Will medal in the relay, but at 31, a major improvement is unlikely.

    Sara Renner (CAN) – Sprint speed seems to be gone – she’ll have sites set on the Olympic pursuit and 10km classic.

    Kikkan Randall (USA) – Expect improvement across the board -she will stand on the podium again this season, and she will continue to move out from under the “sprint-specialist” tag.

    Chandra Crawford (CAN) – Return from missed season will be tough.  Has amazing speed when in form.  Late season should be very good.

    Overall World Cup Predictions

    1.     Petra Majdic (SLO)

    2.     Justyna Kowalczyk (POL)

    3.     Aino Kaisa-Saarinen (FIN)

    4.     Charlotte Kalla (SWE)

    5.     Marit Bjoergen (NOR)

    6.     Therese Johaug (NOR)

    7.     Virpi Kuitunen (FIN)

    8.     Arianna Follis (ITA)

    9.     Kristin Stoermer Steria (NOR)

    10. Marianna Longa (ITA)

    Tour de Ski Predictions

    1.     Aino Kaisa Saarinen (FIN)

    2.     Justyna Kowalczyk (POL)

    3.     Petra Majdic (SLO)

    [poll id=”29″]

    [poll id=”31″]

    Petra Majdic (SLO) on her way to victory in the classic sprint in Canmore last year. Majdic won yesterday's sprint in dominating fashion in Otepaa.
    Petra Majdic (SLO) on her way to victory in the classic sprint in Canmore.

    Liz Stephen chases Charlotte Kalla in the women's 30km, World Championships, Liberec 2009 (Photo: Torin Koos)

  • The costume disciplinarian speaks: Is it better to look good than to ski fast?

    The costume disciplinarian speaks: Is it better to look good than to ski fast?

    Oh, sure, every World Cup Nordic ski team needs a good waxing crew, but they need something more — a top-notch costume disciplinarian.

    I’m not talking about some Scandinavian blonde with a whip (though there were those rumors about the Austrian team).  I mean a no-nonsense fashionista who will insure that the team not only skis fast, but looks good — with consistent logos, flags, advertising, and color schemes.  Someone who is not afraid to say, “Sorry, Klaus, you can’t wear the green pants with the purple top for the team sprints.  Take it back to the changing hut.”

    For now, I’m happy to assume the mantle of costume disciplinarian, and I’m ready to take a fearless look back at the 2008-2009 World Cup season.

    I’ve awarded each team up to five points based on style and costume discipline.  You can vote for your top uniform at the end of this article.

    USA — 3 points

    Those new red suits with white piping look sharp, but will winning results  follow?  At least Team USA has forsaken the wear-what-you-brung look that made ‘em hard to spot in televised World Cup races.  Now, though, they might be mistaken for Norwegians…but is that a bad thing?

    Kris Freeman (Photo: Win Goodbody)
    Kris Freeman sporting US red (Photo: Win Goodbody)

    Italy — 4 points

    Che bello uniforme!  Cutting-edge fashion from Fila — with that nice metallic blue-and-white grid pattern.  Is it the total package?  No.  The effect was spoiled — in a bow to individual expression — by those funky, one-off hats with their bunny-tail top-knots.

    Russia  — 2 points

    Russian skiers came in a plain blue wrapper with a plethora of  oil company logos.  There is no truth to the rumor that the Russians are waxing with 10W-40.  At times, though, I expected the Russian team to stop and do some exploratory drilling at trackside.  It’s almost enough, comrades, to make you long for the advertising-free Soviet era of sport.

    Matveeva (left) in the sprint quarterfinals in Whistler. Kikkan Randall is in red on the right. She was edged by the Swede and did not advance. In sprinting, catching a doper after the fact does not simply fix the problem, as an eliminated skier would have had the opportunity to advance further. Matveeva has not been found guilty yet. Her B-sample results have not been released.
    Russian Natalia Matveeva (left) in the sprint quarterfinals in Whistler.

    Germany — 2 points

    The German team soldiers on with the black-and-yellow bumble-bee look  that hasn’t changed since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Dull and  traditional…but a nice paycheck from Adidas, thank you.

    Norway — 2.5 points

    I prefer the old-school uniforms of years past that featured a Norwegian flag motif on a field of red.  Early in 2008-2009 season, the Norwegians raced in a plain red suit, then added a subtle flash of flag on the left leg.  They have been very good at hat discipline — you never see a skier without a Norwegian flag correctly placed on his or her hat.

    In truth, the Norwegians could wear red wool union suits, Bozo noses and  reindeer-fur earmuffs, and they would still be fast.

    Andy Newell hot on the heels of Ola Vigen Hattestad (Photo: Phil Bowen)
    Ola Vigen Hattestad (NOR) leading Andy Newell (USA) (Photo: Phil Bowen)

    Poland — 1 point

    Here’s proof that clothes don’t make the skier.  The Poles wore last year’s off-the-rack Swix racing suits.  Not very inspiring, but when you’re as good as Justyna Kowalczyk, who cares?

    Sweden — 1.5 points

    A brave, but failed, foray into Scandinavian design.  Those white suits with blue and yellow leggings might have looked good on paper, but the television camera is unforgiving.  They reminded me, at times, of my Uncle Olaf’s BVD long johns.

    Don’t tell Charlotte Kalla, but the Swedish suits make you look 20 pounds heavier on TV — and not in the most flattering places.

    Joensson edges Hattestad
    Emil Joensson (SWE) takes the victory despite his suit. Germany is far left, Russia in blue and Norway in red.

    Worst fashion flop of the 2008-2009 ski season

    It was that odd, snaky design that adorned some skiers’ posteriors.  It reminded me of my old granddad when he forgot to  hitch up his suspenders…or recently sat on a python.  Who would OK this droopy-drawers design?  I don’t know about you, but it’s hard for me to root for a skier who violates such a basic tenet of costume discipline.

    Next, the ugliest world cup uniform…

    Canada  — .5 points

    The previous year’s Captain Atomic suit — complete with electrifying red thunderbolts — made the Canucks look like winners.  Unfortunately, it was replaced by a design that plunged them into the fashion wilderness — somewhere north of Saskatoon.  On TV, the new suits were rendered a washed-out pink, with what appeared to be a wolverine paw print on each leg.  Unfortunately, none of these suits was filled with the form of the injured Chandra Crawford.

    Sartorially, northern friends, there is still time to recover before the 2010 Winter Olympics.

    Devon Kershaw (CAN) qualifying 16th
    Devon Kershaw (CAN) sports the Canadian uni.

    It’s not easy being green, mate

    Australia –.5 points

    Stop the presses…maybe I was premature in awarding Ugliest Ski Uniform to the Canadian team. The Aussies’ green Kermit suit — complete with amphibian scales on the arms and legs — makes the Costume Disciplinarian want to cringe and hide under his waxing stand. Those black and white streamers with white dots look festive but seem at odds with the rest of the design. And red boots with a green suit? Where I come from, that spells fashion faux pas. This uniform’s disparate parts make me suspect it was designed by a committee of blokes down at their local, supported by ample quantities of Foster’s. At least the bib matches the suit.

    Australia is proud of the green suits, but the Costume Disciplinarian isn't impressed...
    Australia is proud of the green suits, but the Costume Disciplinarian isn't impressed…

    And the winner for best uniform is…

    Finland — 5 points

    Very smart, a winning uniform for a winning team.  I love the post-modern style with lime-green and bright-orange flashes accenting the blue-and-white color scheme.  Great attention to detail with the theme carried over to hats and head bands, plus a patriotic “Suomi” printed on the right leg.  The only thing lacking was a pocket for I-pod or MP3 player.

    The Finns must have a superb costume disciplinarian.

    I’d like to meet her…for some style pointers.

    Saarinen leading the race early. She attacked hard several times and opened sizable gaps each time, but was eventually tracked down.
    Aino Kaisa Saarinen of Finland, wearing the top ranked suit.

    [poll id=”26″]

  • VANOC too ‘squeaky fair.’ Canada continues to look for home-field advantage

    The Whistler Question reports on the issue of home-fieled advantage at the 2010 Olympics.

    Whistler – Coach Geret Coyne and the Canadian biathlon team spend most of their time during the winter in Europe, living out of suitcases while competing on the World Cup circuit. Their European rivals are often just a few hours from home, and normally, the “home” teams gets plenty of perks beyond just having the home crowd on their side.

    So when the biggest competition to come down the pike every four years — the Olympic Games —are staged in Canada next February, you might expect that the Canadians would get a few of those less-obvious perks, such as the best location for a facility at which to wax and grind their ski bases before and during the event.

    No such luck — so far, at least. Coyne, the Canmore, Alta.-based biathlon coach who was visiting Whistler Olympic Park (WOP) this week for some dryland training with the women’s team, is just a mite perturbed with Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic organizers (VANOC) over issues related to access to WOP and neighbouring sites.

    Dave Wood, team leader for Cross Country Canada, has similar concerns, though his tune has mellowed somewhat since he and Canadian cross-country skiing veteran Sara Renner went public with their issues in a Toronto Star article on June 19.

    Read the full article from the Whistler Question:

    VANOC too ‘squeaky fair,’ coach says

    [poll id=”27″]

  • Live Chat Requests?

    We have now run two live chats – one with USST Coach Chris Grover in February, and one with Andy Newell earlier this week.  Both were great successes and we are planning more.  Please let us know who you would like to see, and what time/day of the week works best!  Use the comment section to post your requests for participants.

    You can read the transcripts from both chats:

    [poll id=”12″]
  • The End is Nigh

    The End is Nigh

    To the bitter end...

    April is just days away, and like it or not, the 2008-2009 ski season is coming to an end.  Depending on where you live, there may be skiing for at least another month, but the racing season is basically over in North America.  I was recently in Scandinavia where the racing season will continue until the end of April – another full month.  Some of these races will be lower key “touring” races, but there are some high-level competitions remaining. This raises the question of whether the US racing season should be extended.

    At this time of year the response to this question depends on who you ask.  Some will be fired up and ready for more, while others are exhausted and worn down from a long season.    Elite skiers who have been on the road for much of the season, often traveling internationally, and racing a full and intense schedule, may be ready for the end.  But many people hit their peak fitness at this time of year.  Those who rely on the strategy of racing into shape, and those who tend to train more in the winter because they find skiing more appealing than any dryland activity may just be rounding into top form.

    Advantages of a longer season include more opportunities for younger skiers to get good competitions under their belts, racing in the warm spring weather is festive and relaxed – a nice change after an intense season, and a longer season would allow for a greater variety of competitions – once the big events like US Nationals, Junior Nationals, and various high school championships are over, skiers could take part in longer races, weekend long events like the World Cup final, and other interesting variations.

    But there are a number of barriers to extending the race season however, and the biggest may just be the only one that really matters – snow.  While many parts of the US and Canada will have snow through April, it is often a crap-shoot in any given year.  This makes it difficult to pland and organize significant events.  Last season there was excellent snow in parts of New England until the end of April.  This year, despite a decent winter, most Nordic areas have shut down.  this just demonstrates the high variability from year to year.

    Some may argue that more racing is not necessarily a good thing – especially for younger athletes.  This may be true, and should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.  But there would be no pressure for such skiers to extend the season – they could race if they wanted to, or hang up the boards and start preparing for the next phase.   And if late season competitions were regional, travel would not need to be excessive.  Spring Sereis, now replaced by US Distance Natoinals, has always been a great spring event, but for many skiers, a week long trip across the country it is not always possible – especially for those not at the elite level.   Regional “Spring Series” type weekends could be a great way to finish up the season.  Additionally, adding several spring marathons to the schedule would be another way to the end the season.

    So what do youthink?  Do you want to keep racing in April?  Is it realistic to hold competitions at this time of year in the US and Canada or is the snow factor just too big?

    [poll id=”9″] [poll id=”10″] [poll id=”11″]

  • Who Will Win The World Cup Final?

    Three races are left in the World Cup Final – who do you think will take hoome the extra 200 World Cup points for claiming the overall victory?

    [poll id=”7″]

    [poll id=”8″]

    Saarinen leading the race early. She attacked hard several times and opened sizable gaps each time, but was eventually tracked down.
    Aino Kaisa Saarinen was second in the sprint. Can she unseat Majdic?

  • Is Petter Northug a True Champion?

     

    Petter Northug celebrates relay gold at the World Championships, Liberec 2009 (Photo: Swix Sport)
    Petter Northug celebrates relay gold at the World Championships, Liberec 2009 (Photo: Swix Sport)

     

    Petter Northug (NOR) has been on a roll recently, winning three gold medals at the World Championships and then besting sprint specialist Ola Vigen Hattestad in the first World Cup sprint following Liberec.

    Northug has come under constant criticism for his cocky and disrespectful attitude.  He has routinely made headlines in European papers for his lack of tact.  In one notable incident, after taking out Swede Thobias Fredriksson in a sprint, he told the press that Fredriksson was “too big to go around, almost half-fat.”

    The young Norwegian star seems to have a personal rivalry with German Axel Teichmann who takes umbrage at Northug’s unwillingness to lead in races and his general disrespect for his competitors.  In the 4x10km relay in Liberec, Northug caught Teichmann on the fourth leg and sat behind him until the final sprint.  Northug’s response is that they don’t give medals for taking turns leading, and until they do he will use whatever strategy he can to win.

    Said Teichmann, “You need more than success to be a star. He doesn’t behave like a champion.”

    So the question is, can Petter Northug rise to the ranks of the great Norwegians like Ulvang, Daehlie, and Alsgaard if he doesn’t clean up his act?

    [poll id=”6″]

  • How Bad Is It? Mid-Race Equipment Exchanges.

    Were you wondering what to do with those extra two sets of fast skis? Looks like FIS has a new rule regarding equipment exchanges during competition, but I don’t see it in the current (2008) rule books. Can you exchange your poles too? Because dang, dawwg, that would totally improve my Tour time.

    How much more is a fast race going to cost a poor program? Will coaches gradually lose the ability to wax for longer races? Is this the end of binder?

    Or, on the other hand, is your Waxing Crue just dying to get more fast skis out on the course?

    WWGD? (What would Gunde do?)

    [poll id=”4″]

  • Poll: New Site Reaction

    [poll id=”2″]