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.
We’re back, with our fourth? Fifth? episode in the past week. It’s been a whirlwind, but we’re still here to wrap up the last day of World Cup racing in Canmore. Amazingly, Nat is posting this podcast from a moving airplane between Calgary and Toronto, with Victoria Carl and Katharina Hennig sitting a few rows up.
We’ll be back with more action from Minneapolis, including a show with a live audience late Sunday afternoon at Utepils Brewing near the World Cup venue, after the last race of the day is over. You’re invited. We’ll have more details in the next day or two. Questions? Comments? Hate mail? Email nat@fasterskier.com and devon@fasterskier.com. See you soon.
This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com.
It was a glorious day for Ben Ogden (USA), as he captured his first ever podium and had a great start to the Tour de Ski. (Photo: NordicFocus)
It looks like it must be pretty fun to be part of Team USA right now. Two American women (Jessie Diggins and Rosie Brennan) sit in the top three of the World Cup standings, Diggins forges a path toward the lead in the Tour de Ski, and American men advance through sprint qualifying, make finals, and race onto the podium (as JC Schoonmaker did three weeks ago in Oestersund, Sweden). Today, in Toblach Italy, it was Ben Ogden’s time to step into the spotlight. One who exudes the energy and joy epitomizing this season’s US Ski Team, Ogden smiles broadly and celebrates genuinely. American ski fans—and those of many other nationalities, as well—smile and celebrate with him.
After a two week hiatus, the FIS World Cup resumed today in Toblach, Italy, for Day One of the Tour de Ski (TDS). Today, the Freestyle Sprints were up for grabs. Going into the weekend, the prohibitive favorite to win the Men’s Sprint—and the overall Tour de Ski title—was Johannes Hosflot Klaebo (NOR). That was before yesterday, when conventional wisdom received a giant gut-punch with Klaebo’s announcement that he was ill and would not be able to compete in the TDS.
Klaebo’s illness quickly threw the men’s competition into disarray, and the immediate question became: “Which Norwegian would step up to fill Klaebo’s boots?” With Norwegian men having won all individual World Cup events this season, it was not a stretch to simply assume that another Norwegian would rise to the challenge. But not only was Norway missing Klaebo, it was also missing Simen Hegstad Kruger—who finished second in last year’s TDS—as he was also taken ill. With Norway missing its one-two punch, they suddenly seemed very vulnerable.
Illness also invaded the Finnish camp with Iivo Niskanen announcing that he was sick and would withdraw from the tour.
Lucas Chanavat (FRA) made the most of Norway’s health problems and took the victory in Toblach. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Waiting to challenge the Norwegian dominance was France’s Jules Chappaz—silver medalist from last year’s World Championships—along with countryman Lucas Chanavat, one of the few sprinters who has shown himself capable of challenging Klaebo. With the top Norwegians out of the way, and Chappaz and Chanavat chomping at the bit, perhaps today would be the day for one of the frequent second place podium finishers to shine. An opening was also there for American Ben Ogden. It suddenly looked like it would be a tall order for one of the other Norwegians to step up and snatch victory from the grasp of one of the men who have been fighting for their chance to stand at the top of the podium.
At the end of a tumultuous day of racing, it was Chanavat taking the victory, Chappaz in second, and Ogden finishing third to claim his first World Cup podium.
Two other Americans made the heats: Gus Schumacher in 18th, and Kevin Bolger 24th. Other American finishers were Zanden McMullen 47th, and Scott Patterson 91st. J.C. Schoonmaker did not start due to illness. Under TDS rules, he will not be allowed to compete for the rest of the tour.
The top Canadian was Antoine Cyr in 35th. He was followed by Olivier Leveille in 70th, and Julien Locke in 73rd.
TDS Sprint Qualifying—and Bonuses
Earning a fast qualifying position for Sprints is especially important in the TDS since the times from the qualification round will be used to calculate overall TDS standings. Bonus seconds are then awarded to the top 30 Sprint finishers; with first place getting a 60 second bonus. Bonus seconds are subtracted from competitors’ cumulative race times which are then used to calculate overall TDS standings.
In the absence of the Norwegians, Chanavat took advantage of the opportunity in the qualifiers and took the first spot by over two seconds. American Ben Ogden was also in a good position having finished eighth in the qualifying rounds.
Ben Ogden (USA) fought hard all day long and clearly preferred to be with the leaders out front in each of his heats. Ogden commented that he had a couple of awkward finishes as shown here. “I didn’t have a strategy with regards to lunging. I thought I had it in all the heats and sort of went for the lunge at the last second, and used my head instead of my foot.” (Photo: NordicFocus)
Men’s Freestyle Sprint
Chanavat raced wearing the leader’s bib in the first quarterfinal. He easily won his heat. American Kevin Bolger was in the second heat. He seemed to falter in the final meters, finishing fifth and would not advance. Valerio Grond (SUI) took first place in that heat, with another Norwegian contender Haavard Solaas Taugboel finishing second.
Gus Schumacher (USA) had another good day qualifying for the heats. His fourth place finish in his heat wouldn’t hold up for a lucky loser position. (Photo: NordicFocus)
American Gus Schumacher qualified 22nd and was in the third heat. He stayed with the leaders throughout the race and was in the top three coming toward the finish. Unfortunately, he was pushed into a bad line around the last corner and ended up fourth. At the time, it was enough to put him into the lucky loser position, but he would have to wait two more heats to see if he would advance. Ultimately, his time did not hold up.
Ben Ogden (USA) fought hard all day, and worked at the front of every heat on his way to the final. (Photo: NordicFocus)
The fourth quarterfinal featured Ogden. As spectators have come to expect from Ogden, he went toward the front early, and was on Chappaz’ tails right from the start. Ogden continued to hang on to second place, maintaining great position coming into the finish. Ogden fought hard all the way to the finish line, where he was in a three way photo-finish and ultimately finished second by .02 seconds. It was a fast heat and pushed Schumacher out of the lucky loser position.
TDS favorite Federico Pellegrino (ITA) was in the last quarterfinal, taking the win with Norwegian Matz William Jenssen following him into the semfinals.
Semifinals
The semifinals posed an interesting quandary for the Norwegians: they advanced five skiers to the semifinals, but four of them would face each other in the first semi that also included top qualifier, Chanavat. In that first semifinal, Chanavat immediately jumped into the lead, but Grond clung tenaciously to his ski tails. Chanavat easily took the win with Grond taking second. The Norwegians would be in the unusual position of having to wait to see if any of their skiers would advance as lucky losers.
In the second semifinal, all American eyes were on Ben Ogden who was the second highest ranked qualifier in that heat. Italian, Michael Hellweger, jumped to the lead with Ogden again tucked into third. The pace quickened significantly halfway through the race with Ogden moving up into second position. He was able to establish a gap on the field along with Chappaz who had fought to join him at the front. It was a furious sprint to the finish with Ogden and Chappaz creating a photo-finish for first place. After review, the victory went to Chappaz, but the second place finish put Ogden into the finals.
Jules Chappaz (FRA) took second to give France first and second place and help to shut Norway off of the podium. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Sprint Final
The final race saw Chanavat, Chappaz, Grond, Ogden, Harald Oestberg Amunsen (NOR), and Erik Valnes (NOR) competing for the podium. It was only the second time for Ogden in a Sprint final. True to form, Ogden hung with the leaders at the start and held firm in third place; evidently his favorite spot on this highly tactical course. After the race Ogden said that, “my strategy was to try and come all the way around [the course], and block off the inside lane, which I did twice.” Halfway through, Ogden moved up to second behind Chanavat who pushed the pace from the front. It was all Chanavat, who put on a quick burst to establish a significant gap on the field while Ogden held his position in third. Ogden pushed hard all the way through in a duel with Valnes for third place. Ogden didn’t flinch one bit and was able to fend off Valnes to fight his way onto the podium. It was a first career podium for Ogden, and Norway was shut out of the podium for the first time this season . . . and the first time in memory. So, on day one of the TDS it was a new world order for the top skiers with a new American presence on the podium.
It was a big day for many reasons for Ogden. Family members were there and got to see him race on the World Cup for the first time. “It was really special,” Ogden said. “Honestly . . . I had hoped that they would be able to see my first podium finish, but I was really stoked that they were able to see me for the first time in a World Cup.”
The first time on the podium is obviously special, but Ogden couldn’t point to any one thing which had made the difference. He readily acknowledged that the absence of others made a difference. “If Klaebo was here, I would have been fourth. That being said, I feel like I cracked this course a little more than I had. Having a hard start was really worthwhile. ”
U.S. coach Kristen Bourne concurred that there wasn’t any one thing which stood out for Ogden. “In [World Cup] sprinting, you have to be really strategic,” Bourne said. “You have to find tiny gaps. It does take a while to learn World Cup Sprinting. He’s been in so many heats … he’s figuring it out. I think it’s an accumulation of experience.” Ogden’s podium was meaningful for the entire team. “It was a pretty special day,” Bourne told FasterSkier. “Every time somebody gets the first podium on the World Cup, it’s a pretty special day for everyone involved. A lot of his teammates waited around for the final, people wanted to line the course and support him.”
Illness was definitely big news today, but team USA hasn’t changed up its protocols to address this issue. Coach Bourne commented that, “We’re definitely trying to follow the same guidelines that we’ve had all season. We’re masking on planes and public transportation. We’re being very cautious about people that are coming in from traveling internationally, especially outside of the bubble.” Bourne thinks that the holiday break may have played a part in the rise of illness. “It’s pretty standard stuff,” Bourne said. “We are not the only team masking, you go to team coaches’ meetings and almost everyone there are wearing masks. But people spend time with their families during the holidays, and that expands their bubbles. You give them the opportunity to go home, rightfully so, and they try to be normal for a little bit and naturally it just exposes you to more stuff, and we’re seeing the effect of that.”
It looks easy to be happy when you’re winning. For Team USA, it also appears that cultivating that sort of happiness is a good formula for winning, too.
A best-ever day for Ben Ogden (USA) as he earned a spot on the World Cup podium for the first time. Jules Chappaz (FRA), Lucas Chanavat (FRA), Ben Ogden (USA), (l-r) (Photo: NordicFocus)
Holy smokes, that was an epic weekend of racing. Devon and Nat are joined by Tony Cyr, the breakout Canadian star, and a mystery guest drops in later on in the episode.
We break down the sprint and two distance races held at the festive French venue in Les Rousses. And we promise, we’ll get you a mailbag episode before World Championships starts in a few weeks. Get at us at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com.
Canadian Tony Cyr skis in front of Norway’s Martin Loewstroem Nyenget at last weekend’s World Cup in Les Rousses, France. (Photo: NordicFocus).
This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com.
Long and doggedly has Richard Jouve (FRA) pursued legendary sprint king, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (NOR). In Les Rousses—in front of cheering French fans—Jouve finally overtook him. (Photo: Thibault/NordicFocus)
“Incroyable!” . . . Most Americans know, understand, or recognize at least a little bit of French. All those partly-understood French phrases and terms were on display today on the World Cup Sprint course in Les Rousses, France. Élan, panache, incroyable . . . accompanied by the sweet strains of la Marseillaise (the French national anthem) sung by a partisan crowd: these were the elements of of the long-awaited victory of Richard Jouve (FRA) over the sprint king, Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (NOR).
North Americans had heroes to cheer as well, but those heroes had other forces to contend with. Antoine Cyr (the sole Canadian entry) qualified 21st, but tangles in his quarterfinal would see him finish the day in 22nd. Ben Ogden (USA) continued his pursuit of a World Cup sprint final, but saw his aspirations veer wildly off course in the semifinal. Having qualified seventh, he would finish the day in 11th (though with stories to tell). Other American finishers included Kevin Bolger 39th, Zak Ketterson 42nd, Will Koch 53rd.
Men’s Classic Sprint
Les Rousses, France is the World Cup site that has been forced to wait. An assigned stop on the FIS calendar through the last two years, Les Rousses has fallen victim to event cancellations during the Covid pandemic. The French crowd has waited a long time to cheer their skiing heroes in their homeland. Finally, the opportunity to do so had arrived . . . and the French athletes (both men and women) rose to the occasion. After Delphine Claudel’s (FRA) podium performance in Friday’s Women’s 10 k Skate, the eyes of France turned to the sprinters, and especially to Richard Jouve who claimed the World Cup Sprint title—in Klaebo’s absence—in 2022. Home turf, home crowd: time for Jouve to show what he can do.
The sprint course at Les Rousses is new to World Cup racers, so tactics would emerge as the heats played out. A quick uphill challenges the racers just as they exit the stadium; the women’s racers were forced into a full herringbone stride just twenty seconds into the race, though most of the men’s field could half-stride. Thereafter, the course rises and falls, but with no significant on which Klaebo would typically unleash his high-tempo striding. This classic sprint would be a test of tactics as well as speed.
The field in the second semifinal negotiates the consequential downhill turn: Ogden (USA) heads for the hinterlands . . . (Photo: Thibaut/NordicFocus)
Semifinals
While Klaebo and Jouve showed tactical brilliance in advancing through the first semifinal, it was the second semifinal that would provide the drama (for American ski fans, at least). The second semifinal was quite a bit more loaded than the first: Ogden would need to deal with perennial contenders Golberg, Haavard Solaas Taugboel (NOR), Federico Pellegrino (ITA), and Lucas Chanavat (FRA). The top sprinters are consistently the top sprinters: obviously, there’s something different about the way they do things, about the speed they possess, about their tactical acumen. Even so, each sprint final always seems to involve a couple of other racers who somehow managed to get in there. Ogden is hoping to become one of the top sprinters, but first he needs to find that little bit of luck that allows him to be one of the “other racers” who work their way into a final.
Ogden is a native of tiny, idyllic, Landgrove Vermont just down the road from the Wild Wings Ski Touring Center where owners—Chuck, Tracy, and Ian Black—have always patiently allowed the building of jumps in the parking lot. On those jumps, kids growing up in West River Nordic ski club—including Katharine Ogden, Will Koch, Sophie Caldwell, and Ben Ogden—have developed into some of the most notable skiers in modern American skiing. They all grew up hitting those jumps, awaiting the day when those skills of deft and daring would come into play. For Ben Ogden, today was that day. He had won his quarterfinal ahead of Haavard Solaas Taugboel (NOR), but Ogden’s semifinal would prove to be the harder test.
Still on his feet—and still at top racing speed—Ben Ogden (USA) steers back onto the race course in the semifinal of the Men’s Sprint at Les Rousses, France. (Photo: Thibaut/NordicFocus)
Ogden shot to the lead in his semifinal, looking as though he might be attempting the same tactic that got so much attention earlier in the season when he forced the pace from the gun in a Sprint at the Tour de Ski (causing trouble for—and inspiring humorous quotes from—Klaebo and Sweden’s Calle Halfvarsson); but, so soon after recent transatlantic travel and a stack of collegiate races, Ogden seemed to tire a bit mid-race. Ogden still led as the field powered through a downhill right-hand curve, where Marcus Grate (SWE) moved inside of Ogden’s line just before the apex. It appeared that Ogden drifted wide to avoid tangling with Grate when the soft snow began to give way beneath his feet. At top speed, Ogden’s momentum carried him through the course-lining pine bows and well down an off-camber slope of deep, soft snow. That he managed to stay on his feet was a miracle of sorts. That he managed to veer back onto the race course was a testament to those hours parking-lot-jumping back at Wild Wings. But the damage had been done, and Ogden would only make up one spot before the finish line which he crossed in fifth (11th on the day).
As Ogden was exiting the course, Golberg was weaving his way invisibly through the pack. Golberg sneaked through to take the semifinal win ahead of Pellegrino who skipped nimbly through the final turn to steal the inside line from Chanavat and double-poled speedily across the line for the second automatic entry into the final.
Richard Jouve (FRA) lunges across the line ahead of Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (NOR). All of France cheered Jouve’s career-defining victory on the trails at Les Rousses. (Photo: Thibaut/NordicFocus)
Men’s Sprint Final
Pellegrino is always fast, always dangerous, always tactically adept. Jouve is always fast, always a problem, always able to take up space. Golberg remains something of an unknown in sprint finals (though he typically qualifies for those finals, and generally does well at the finish). In Les Rousses, Golberg had remained virtually invisible throughout the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, only appearing at the finish line to take wins in his quarterfinal and semifinal heats. Klaebo had little to gain, little to lose: with the FIS points structure creating only minimal gaps between finishers, the race for the overall standings was unlikely to be greatly affected by the results of the sprint final.
From the gun, Edvin Anger (SWE) sprinted to the lead followed by Jouve and Klaebo. Pellegrino—as he so often does—stepped in behind Klaebo. Predictably, Golberg stayed in the back, though his presence was not forgotten as Klaebo bothered to check his rearview mirror (purportedly for Golberg) before gliding forward to challenge Jouve at the curve leading into the final downhill. If Klaebo had overtaken Jouve at the curve, the final result may have been different. As it was, Jouve held the inside line on the turn, and his skis proved fast enough to maintain the lead. Klaebo was forced to undertake numerous lane changes approaching the finish as Jouve dominated the center track. In the end, Jouve’s double pole proved too strong for Klaebo to overtake, and Jouve earned a glorious victory on the course in his home country, and in front of wildly cheering French fans.
Invisible as ever, Golberg sneaked through to pip Grate at the line for third.
The day belonged to Richard Jouve who claimed his fourth career World Cup victory. Finally, he had met Klaebo face to face, and had vanquished him. And in front of a cheering partisan crowd, no less. It was an understandably emotional win for Jouve who pointedly conducted his post-race stadium-interview in his native French so that the gathered fans would understand his loyalty, and witness his pride. The crowd sang la Marseillaise, as Jouve shed tears of joy. “Incroyable . . .”
To the sweet strains of Les Marseillais, Richard Jouve (FRA) celebrates his victory in the Classic Sprint at Les Rousses. (Photo: Authamayou/NordicFocus)
Ben Ogden (USA) and Richard Jouve (FRA) in the semi-final of the men’s classic sprint in Beitostolen, Norway. (Photo: Nordic Focus)
The sun had begun to set in Beitostolen, Norway. The day—and the day’s racing—entered its golden hour as Norwegian fans anticipated more success for World Cup Sprint Leader, Paal Golberg (NOR). That all changed in a flash as Golberg—wearing the yellow Leader’s bib—crashed on a curve in the men’s Classic Sprint final. Golberg fumbled in the snow, a stark contrast to the control he has shown through the first few weeks of this year’s World Cup. The field stretched out in front of him, the Norwegian “sure thing” having been removed from the equation. Something new was about to play out at the front of this World Cup Sprint race.
The field hit the final climb with reigning overall World Cup Sprint champion, Richard Jouve (FRA), at the the front of the pack. After his tumble, Golberg managed to scramble gamely back into the field, personifying a stubbornness to restore logical order to the day’s proceedings. This is men’s cross-country skiing in 2022, where Norwegian domination of the men’s podium seems to be a given. As the field entered the stadium, though, two unexpected skiers—one clad in green and black, the other in blue and white—overtook the scene among those vying for podium positions. While Jouve eased across the line for a win, behind him jubilation ensued as Simone Mocellini (ITA) in green and black charged into second, leading Calle Halfvarsson (SWE) in blue and white who claimed third. Something new, indeed.
The men’s final in the finishing strech. Richard Jouve (FRA) (R) over Simone Mocellini (ITA) (L) (Photo: Nordic Focus)
Thus it was that a day where pre-race expectations for new-comers to gain a foothold in the World Cup sprint field crescendoed (note the verb) at a finish line marked by an ebullient Italian celebration recalling the days of Maurilio De Zolt and Marco Albarello.
The promise that there might be new faces at the front of today’s race stemmed from the fact that the only certain sprint contenders in this current era of skiing—Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (NOR) and Federico Pellegrino (ITA)—were both absent, the former due to illness and the latter due to a desire to “recharge the batteries”. Accordingly, the day provided early indications of a more wide-open field. In the first quarterfinal, the top qualifier on the day, France’s Jules Chappaz, was outsprinted by Golberg and Even Northug (NOR) in a late race push where the Norwegian pair took the inside line on the hill leading into the stadium and simply outran everyone. That successful inside move would become a trend, and one of that strategy’s most effective practitioners was Ben Ogden (USA), who was the only American to advance to the heats (he qualified 7th). Skiing in the fourth quarterfinal, Ogden claimed the inside lane going into the rolling downhill that marked the first 500m of the course, and stayed in control as the field swept into the first climb of the day. This junction—later the site of Golberg’s fall—saw the field narrow into tracks, and in Ogden’s heat saw another Norwegian favorite, Haavard Solaas Taugboel, get tangled. Ogden was behind the fall, side-stepped it, and remained in touch with the field as they crested the climb. Entering the last climb, he pushed to the inside and outran Michal Novak (CZE) and Renaud Jay (FRA) to advance to the semi-finals.
The quarterfinal heat offered the latest sign of Ogden’s growing poise and comfort in sprint heats, and one in which he also possessed the most definitive punch of the whole bunch.
Ogden advanced to the second semifinal, where he joined the seasoned duo of Jouve and Joni Maki (FIN) alongside a youthful contingent of Niilo Moilanen (FIN), Michal Novak (CZE), and Anton Persson (SWE). Jouve used the race as a test-drive for his winning strategy on the day, taking control of the race on the first climb before delivering his final push on the next. Maki mirrored Jouve throughout the race, while Ogden was initially forced to the front before settling back and making a final storm on the last hill. Notably, on the hill, Ogden was again a powerful force running into a position equal with Jouve as they entered the stadium; however, Ogden faded slightly in the final sprint, while Maki came up to claim the 2nd place spot behind Jouve. Ogden’s finishing time was not fast enough to earn a lucky loser’s position in the final. He finished a very impressive seventh on the day.
Friday’s second semifinal featured Richard Jouve (FRA) (R) taking the win over Joni Maki (FIN) (2nd from R) and Ben Ogden (USA) (3rd from R) (Photo: Nordic Focus)
The other semi-final saw Golberg play out his strategy, following from the gun, staying out of trouble until the final climb, and then marking Lucas Chanavat (FRA) over the final climb into a 2nd place spot in the heat.
In that semifinal sprint, what seemed like a forgone conclusion with Golberg’s straight line speed was interrupted by a boot throw from the next lane over. It was Calle Halfvarsson, who ended up taking the first lucky loser spot. Behind him, Simone Mocellini powered into 4th place and the second lucky loser spot. The pair had mirrored Golberg, earning further opportunities to face him in the final.
Simone Mocellini, the young Italian who ignited hopes for his country’s skiing future with a 2nd place finish today. (Photo: Nordic Focus)
In retrospect, their placement behind the yellow bib concealed Halfvarsson and Mocellini’s potential in the race to come. That potential was realized in the final when Golberg went down, Mocellini surged, and Calle Halfvarsson drove forward to step onto a podium for the first time since Seefeld in 2018.
Simone Mocellini, the young Italian, offered up a scene reminiscent of old times when talented Italians could upset the Norwegians on their home soil: hardcore ski fans may recall the Lillehammer Olympics Team Relay in 1994. The Norwegians surely will. Whether today was an introductory phrase or an early coda, however, will be up to Mocellini, the conductor at the heart of the jubilant orchestra that greeted him at the finish line today.
With a win in the final sprint stage, Richard Jouve becomes the 2022 World Cup sprint champion, hoisting his crystal globe. (Photo: NordicFocus)
For the past six seasons, men’s World Cup sprinting has been almost entirely about one athlete. Johannes Høsflot Klæbo has raced in 28 World Cup, Championship, or Olympic sprint events since November 2018, and remarkably, has won all but three of them. Incidentally, all three of those times have occurred in Ruka, Finland, and he has ended up a mere second place each time. In his first year on the circuit (2017), Klæbo took home the crystal sprint globe, starting a streak he continued for the next four seasons. In the 2020/2021 season the Norwegian team skipped many of the World Cups due to the coronavirus pandemic and Klæbo finished eighth in the sprint rankings.
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo takes the win in the opening sprint stage of Lillehammer’s mini tour. Norway’s Thomas Helland Larsen (Bib 30) edged out France’s Richard Jouve for second and third, respectively. (Photo: NordicFocus)
This year the globe was delivered to a new nation as Richard Jouve topped the sprint rankings, earning France its first ever World Cup sprint globe.
A positive COVID test for Klæbo at the beginning of March took him out of the running for the remainder of the season, meaning he missed out on the final two individual sprints. Sitting in second place at a deficit of 210 World Cup sprint points, this window of opportunity was all that Jouve needed to step into the lead. With back-to-back victories in Drammen and Falun, Jouve secured the crystal globe with 568 points, just six ahead of Klæbo.
Richard Jouve (FRA) lets out a victory cry as he takes the classic sprint win in Falun. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Jouve was born in south-eastern France in the town of Briançon to a Djiboutian mother and an alpine-ski racing French father. He opted to pursue nordic skiing instead of alpine and has represented the Club de Sports à Méribel domestically since 2020.
Jouve made his World Cup debut in Otepää, Estonia in 2015 where he finished 49th. His first podium finish came just months later when he finished third in Lahti, Finland. Since then Jouve has earned another thirteen podium finishes on the World Cup circuit, though his first victory came just a few weeks ago in Drammen, Norway.
Richard Jouve earns his first-ever World Cup victory in the classic city sprint in Drammen, Norway (Photo: NordicFocus)
Like most highly-ranked athletes this season, Jouve had his sights set on an Olympic medal in Beijing. However, during the individual freestyle sprint, his stronger suit, he missed out on a lucky loser spot by 0.08 seconds, after placing third in a stacked and tactical semi-final heat. Jouve ended his day in 7th position. He did, however, support the French team to a bronze medal in the 4 x 10 k relay, adding to an Olympic medal collection that began with a team sprint bronze medal in 2018, where he raced with Maurice Magnificat.
All stoke, Richard Jouve, Hugo Lapalus, Clement Parisse, and Maurice Manificat of France (l-r) celebrate bronze in the men’s 4 x 10 k relay at the 2022 Beijing Olympics (Photo: NordicFocus)
Despite missing out on Olympic hardware, the 2021/22 season marked a jump in Jouve’s results, as he finished on the podium in five of eight individual World Cup sprints. He missed just two final heats, finishing seventh on both occasions. This consistency is what set him up to win the World Cup sprint title, marking significant improvement from last season when he finished a previous personal-best of sixth place overall.
Richard Jouve of France sprinting to third in Stage 2 of the TdS in Lenzerheide, Switzerland in 2019. (Photo: NordicFocus)
In earning this sprint globe, Jouve became the first ever French athlete to end the season on top of the World Cup rankings, in overall, distance or sprint. Speaking to what this accomplishment meant to him, Jouve shared the following words (in French) with the publication ski-nordique.net “It’s a huge satisfaction, to be first for the duration of a season is an incredible thing. For that one must be consistent in all the competitions and this year I succeeded at doing that. Klæbo wasn’t there for the last two races and I succeeded in doing what I needed to take home the globe.
“This little globe is very important for me. It’s the objective of a career, it’s a satisfaction for the whole team and also a particular emotion. We have a great team of sprinters with Lucas [Chanavat], with the others, and it’s a group that pushes each other to be the best [version] of ourselves. This week, I felt the pressure because I absolutely needed to win today in Falun to get this globe. This morning I was very nervous and I was scared in the quarter-final. Finally, I wanted to ski in front and I really succeeded. I am so content, so satisfied.”
French teammates Richard Jouve (left) and Lucas Chanavat (right) end their season in first and third, respectively, in the World Cup sprint standings. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Jouve’s long-time coach, Cyril Burdet told the French ski federation, “I think it’s something really strong with him. He has trained with me for years, we’ve had both good and bad moments together, that is part of all relationships with a coach. I really want to tell him thank you because what happened today is one of the great moments, clearly. It’s something incredible.”
Burdet continued, saying, “In fact, there is nothing but sport that can give us these types of emotions. For some weeks, we collapsed after the Games. Because the goal in the life of an athlete or a coach is an Olympic medal. It’s something that made us all sad that we didn’t get there. But today, to realize this opportunity, it’s something exceptional. So, thanks to you Richard [Jouve], it was huge.”
French Team celebrates a podium fronted (Richard Jouve- 1st) and backed (Lucas Chanavat- 3rd) by their countrymen. (Photo: NordicFocus)
At the age of twenty-seven, Jouve has many seasons of racing still ahead of him. As for the remainder of this winter, Jouve says, “I will focus on the French club championships with Méribel, and maybe the French Championships in Prémanon. We’ll see.”
It was full sun and full gas in Falun, Sweden, for one last hurrah of World Cup racing. The three-day weekend brought us new formats, American podium performances (plural!) and any number of other highlights. Thanks for listening over the course of the World Cup tour — we’ll be back periodically during the off-season with interviews and updates.
USA I takes the win in Falun’s 4 x 5 k mixed relay. From left to right, Scott Patterson, Rosie Brennan, Zak Ketterson, and Jessie Diggins. (Photo: NordicFocus)
This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and the A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com.
It’s the last hurrah, folks! The World Cup Finals kicked off in Falun, Sweden today with a classic sprint. While the season has been a wild ride for many reasons – spills and thrills in the Tour de Ski, COVID-cancellations, Olympic Games, geopolitical nightmares – Falun evidenced that spring is on it’s way and it’s time for the World Cup crews to head home take a break, and begin anew.
Contrasting the dim light and long shadows of far-north Ruka, Finland at the opposite bookend of the season, the sprints in Falun were raced under bright sun, with temperatures well-above freezing, bare ground and green grass emerging from beside ski tracks.
Zak Ketterson leads the U.S. in 39th during the classic sprint qualification round in Falun, SWE. (Photo: NordicFocus)
The American men, particularly in sprint, headed into the Falun weekend at a significant disadvantage. Kevin Bolger announced on Instagram Thursday that he had tested positive for COVID, while Ben Ogden, JC Schoonmaker, and Luke Jager – the remainder of the four sprint men who competed during the 2022 Olympics in Zhangjiakou – are currently competing at the NCAA championships in Soldier Hollow, UT. The sprint field as a whole has been weakened; Russian athletes were banned from competition on March 1st, while Norway’s top-six sprinters, including sprint and overall World Cup leader Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, each tested positive for COVID following the World Cup race weekend in Lahti, Finland. With no Russian’s and the top-Norwegians out, the men’s field had been cracked wide open.
Finland’s Joni Mæki posts the fastest time in the classic sprint qualifier in Falun, SWE. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Finland’s Joni Mæki took the top spot in qualification, setting the mark at 2:51.58. Sivert Wiig of Norway took second in the qualifier (+0.69), with Sweden’s Calle Halfvarsson in third (+1.41). Three nations represented in the top-three.
Though new-to-FasterSkier names made the top-30, the early heats featured little surprise. Building momentum from a podium day in Drammen last week, France sent three of its top men to the semifinals: Lucas Chanavat and Richard Jouve, who had been third and first, respectively in Drammen, plus Jules Chappaz. Long-time sprint force Federico Pellegrino of Italy also moved through with an automatic spot, joining the day’s top-three qualifiers in the next round.
What did shake up the quarters was some trouble for the two Chinese athletes in the field. Shang Jincai, who had qualified in 25th, had a false start in heat three. Jincai looked as though he had been trying to keep himself so primed for forward momentum at the start beep, that he lost his balance, kicking a foot forward to catch himself well-before the beep and thus triggering the start. After a discussion with a jury member, while Pellegrino shook his head and raised his hands nearby, looking impatient, Jincai received a yellow card and was disqualified.
After stumbling on a climb and losing ground, Wang Qiang (CNH) races to 18th in the classic sprint quarterfinal in Falun, SWE. (Photo: NordicFocus)
In the next heat, Wang Qiang, who qualified in 9th and took second in Drammen, fell when hopping out of the track to run uphill, roughly two minutes into the heat. Qiang had been in the lead, though the pack remained tight. After a few missteps, he was back to his feet, chasing as real estate ran out, while Lars Agnar Hjelmeset (NOR) and Calle Halfvarsson (SWE) took the reins at the front to go 1-2 in the heat. Qiang raced his way back to fourth, just over a second back, but it was not enough for a lucky loser spot.
Richard Jouve (FRA) takes control through the rounds in Falun. (Photo: NordicFocus)
In the semis, France’s Jouve took control of the fast first heat, beginning a surge just under-two minutes in as the men ran up the steep climb and banked left to head back toward the stadium. Around the last corner, Jouve still held the lead with Mæki (FIN) just off his shoulder. Jouve pulled ahead in the double pole sprint through the lanes, while Mæki, Wiig (NOR), and Chanavat (FRA) raced each other and the clock down the final meters. At the line, it was Norway-France-Finland, spread by 0.38 seconds, fifth and sixth less than a second behind also. Each of the top-four finishers advanced into the final round.
The second heat was significantly less smooth, though times did not reflect the chaos and were only marginally slower than the first. As the course broke down, it looked to be continually harder to keep klister free and stay upright. Heading into the final downhill in strong position to take the heat, France’s Jules Chappaz looked as if his klister snagged some loose granules of snow; as he pushed off the outside ski to stay in the curve, the ski looked unable to slide and he crashed into the abrasive corn.
The remaining athletes in the head narrowly dodged Chappaz, allowing Hjelmeset and Pellegrino to take the lead and eventually win the heat. Sweden’s Halfvarsson also went down earlier in the heat, looking to have similarly iced up while running up the first climb, leaving him off the back after the subsequent downhill.
After leading into the final downhill, a dejected Jules Chappaz (FRA) recovers from a crash to finish his semifinal. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Once again, Jouve took control of the final early, with Pellegrino marking. Mæki stayed wide on the first climb looking for better snow, but came over the top and into the curve behind the top three. Jouve, still calling the shots, led into the downhill, but he could not create any significant gaps there; Wiig, Pellegrino, Chanavat and Mæki quickly accordioned onto the backs of his ski tails.
Looking confident and composed despite being unable to break away, Jouve remained at the front heading into the final curve. Once in the lanes, Jouve began to pull ahead a final time, creating a gap of several meters toMæki and Chanavat, who were evenly matched in the double pole sprint.
Richard Jouve (bib 10) leads the men’s classic sprint final to the finish in Falun, while four athletes vie for the remaining two podium positions. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Emptying his lungs with a triumphant cry, Jouve coasted over the line for the win in 3:03.62, while Mæki and Chanavat threw their boots forward in a photo finish for the second and third podium spots roughly half a second behind. From the slow-mo, it was Mæki with the better lunge, nipping Chanavat by 0.03.
Just behind Wiig crossed fourth (+1.41), with Pellegrino fifth (+2.06), followed by a gap to Hjelmeset in sixth (+13.18).
Richard Jouve (FRA) lets out a victory cry as he takes the classic sprint win in Falun. (Photo: NordicFocus)The men’s classic sprint podium in Falun, Sweden: Richard Jouve (FRA) took the win ahead of Joni Mæki (FIN) and Lucas Chanavat (FRA). (Photo: NordicFocus)
“I’m very proud,” Jouve told FIS after the race. “Off myself, my team. It’s amazing.”
With the win today, Jouve also took the lead in the sprint World Cup standings, advancing by just six points ahead of Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (NOR). The season saw Jouve land on four World Cup podiums, finish seventh in the freestyle sprint during the Olympics, and then earn his career first World Cup win in Drammen’s classic sprint last Thursday.
“It’s amazing,” said an emotional Jouve, seemingly in happy disbelief. “The season was very great for me, to win at the end of the season is already a dream, but to grab [the globe], it’s big. Fantastic.”
With a win in the final sprint stage, Richard Jouve becomes the 2022 World Cup sprint champion, hoisting his crystal globe. (Photo: NordicFocus)French teammates Richard Jouve (left) and Lucas Chanavat (right) end their season in first and third, respectively, in the World Cup sprint standings. (Photo: NordicFocus)
A quick review of the final standings: With 568 points, Jouve is the 2022 sprint World Cup champion, with Klæbo second (-6) and Chanavat third (-107). Italy’s Pellegrino was fourth (-238), with Norway’s Håvard Solås Taugbøl fifth (-244).
The US had three starters for today’s final sprint stage. Zak Ketterson led the way for the American team in 39th (+9.92), followed by Logan Hanneman in 47th (+10.79), and Peter Holmes 54th (+13.38).
Listen to post-race interview with U.S. Ski Team Head Coach Matt Whitcomb here.
Logan Hanneman skis to 46th in qualification in Falun. (Photo: NordicFocus)Graham Ritchie leads the way for North America, finishing 20th in Falun’s individual classic sprint. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Racing for Canada, Graham Ritchie was the sole North American to break into the heats after qualifying in 28th (+8.11). Racing in the third quarterfinal heat, Ritchie crossed fourth, roughly three seconds behind Chanavat and Pellegrino, the heat winners. The effort landed him in 20th overall once final rounds were decided.
Missing the top-30 by just 0.27 seconds, Antoine Cyr was next for Canada in 31st (+8.76), with Xavier McKeever next in 44th (+10.54), followed by Rémi Drolet in 57th (+14.59).
Antoine Cyr just misses the mark in qualification, finishing 31st. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Racing in Falun continues tomorrow with a 15 k individual start skate.
After officially canceling the World Cup Finals scheduled for Tyumen, Russia on February 25th the International Ski Federation (FIS) announced in a brief press release today (see below) that no replacement venue has been found, and thus the upcoming three-day race weekend in Falun, Sweden will instead absorb the event, ending the season one week prematurely.
No schedule changes have been made to the event in Falun, leaving a classic sprint, a 10/15-kilometer skate, and two new mixed gender events, a relay and a team sprint, left to conclude the 2021/22 race season.
The cancellation of the final weekend of World Cup racing solidifies Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (NOR) as the 2021/22 World Cup overall winner. (Photo: NordicFocus)
In terms of overall athlete rankings, these mixed events are not World Cup point scoring opportunities. This means a maximum of 300 World Cup points remain on the table following this weekend’s races at the Holmenkollen, assuming the point-schedule planned for the World Cup Finals is applied to the race weekend in Falun: 50 points each for the individual sprint and distance races, plus a maximum of 200 bonus points for the overall winner of the weekend. It has not yet been made clear how the mixed relay and team sprint will factor into determining the overall winner of this year’s World Cup Finals for men and women.
As such, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (NOR) will win the men’s overall World Cup given his margin of greater than 400 points to the next competitor. In the women’s standings, Natalia Nepryaeva (RUS) currently stands 252 points ahead of Jessie Diggins, and 285 points ahead of Ebba Andersson (SWE). As the Russian team has been banned from remaining competitions, Nepryaeva has no further opportunities to increase her point totals, instead waiting for the outcome of the remaining World Cup events to decide her fate.
Sweden’s Maja Dahlqvist leads the sprint standings by 155 points over Anamarija Lampic (SLO), while Klæbo leads the men’s standings by 95 points over Richard Jouve of France. While these standings will not change given there is one event remaining worth just 50 points, the distance standings are less certain.
Heading into the 30/50 k races at the Holmenkollen in Oslo, NOR, this weekend, Therese Johaug leads the women’s distance standings by 17 points ahead of Frida Karlsson and 107 points to Andersson, both of Sweden. Alexander Bolshunov (RUS) leads the men’s distance standings by 5 points ahead of Klæbo, who may not compete again this season as he recently tested positive for COVID. Next is Iivo Niskanen of Finland, a favorite for this weekend’s 50 k classic, sitting 84 points back.
Natalia Nepryaeva celebrates her win of the 2021/22 Tour de Ski, helping land her atop the overall World Cup standings. (Photo: NordicFocus)
World Cup racing resumes tomorrow with the women’s 30 k classic, followed by the men’s 50 k classic on Sunday. Stay tuned for FasterSkier’s coverage of these races.
(Press Release) FIS Cross-Country World Cup finals to take place in Falun (SWE)
FIS Cross-Country together with various National Ski Federations evaluated a possible replacement of the cancelled World Cup event of Tyumen (RUS). Despite big efforts and interest of various National Ski Federations, no replacement for the World Cup final events was found.
This means that the scheduled World Cup event in Falun (SWE) from 11th to 13th March 2022 will be the final events of the FIS Cross-Country season 2021/22. The schedule will not be adjusted and follow the originally planned competition formats.
Click here for the Falun World Cup weekend schedule.
There’s a war going on in Ukraine, and we touch on its impacts on the World Cup. But ski racing is also continuing, so we’re forging on, with respect for and acknowledgment of the tragedy that’s unfolding in Europe. For a few hours at least, on Thursday, the classic Drammen city sprint provided one heck of a distraction, and Devon and Nat are back to break down some performances for the ages by Norway’s Maiken Caspersen Falla, the French men and China’s Wang Qiang.
This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and the A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com.
Cross country skiing’s most ancient, classic, weekend of racing in Norway (the Holmenkollen ski festival) began with a sprint through the center of Drammen, about 45-kilometers (30 mi) south of Oslo, and despite its best efforts, got caught up in these confounding and confusing times.
If you didn’t focus in completely, the scenes in Drammen looked pleasantly familiar in a way that could keep you in the timeless state of mind associated with Holmenkollen. It was reassuringly nice to see sprint racing return, after two years, to the type of venue that led to its exciting, spectator-friendly, rise in the first place. A genuine town-center sprint, trucked in artificial snow and all, with a genuine (and very enthusiastic) crowd.
Graham Ritchie (CAN) races in the second heat of the classic sprint quarterfinals in Drammen, NOR. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Bring some focus into the racing though, particularly who was in the men’s field day, and you couldn’t help but see the upheaving forces of the moment doing their upheaving. COVID still had a heavy-hand in the field today, with the entire Norwegian men’s sprint team (who had raced in Lahti last weekend), including Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, having recently tested positive. Then, there was the FIS imposed ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes, which also went into effect this week in response to their government’s invasion of Ukraine. In all, 7 of the top 10 in the FIS Sprint Points Classification were absent from the field in Drammen. There was a spectral quality, something eerie, to just how much world events have managed to find and catch the quiet corner of nordic skiing in the past couple of weeks.
For their part, the FIS decked out Drammen in blue and yellow in a sign of solidarity with Ukraine. From bibs, to fencing boards, to the souvenir flags held in the crowd. Idealists will note the poignant gesture, especially in a country where, in a friendlier geopolitical sense, blue and yellow are the colors of neighbor and rival, Sweden. Regardless, it was a stunning way for the FIS to symbolize the implied meaning surrounding the policies they implemented surrounding Russia this week. Cynics, on the other hand, could also read it as the FIS trying to stave off some of the pointed criticism that’s been directed at larger international sport’s governing bodies like UEFA, FIFA, and the IOC surrounding their handling of Russia.
Logan Hanneman skis to 50th during the classic sprint qualifier in Drammen, NOR. (Photo: NordicFocus)
No matter the forces affecting skiing, the fact remained that there was skiing to be had. And without Norway’s top squad and Russia, it brought out the interesting prospect of watching racers who have navigated tactically around them to podium finishes all season – Richard Jouve (FRA), Lucas Chanavat (FRA), Federico Pellegrino (ITA), and Joni Mæki (FIN) among them – now represent the top of the field themselves.
In the qualifier, it was Jouve who took first place by an impressive margin, finishing in a time of 2:26.35, -2.07 sec over second place Ondrej Cerny (CZE). Following up on an impressive Olympic sprint in his home country, Chinese skier Wang Qiang took 3rd place (+2.66). Among North American athletes, the Canadian men had an impressive showing, sending three to the heats with Graham Ritchie qualifying 13th (+5.91), Antoine Cyr in 19th (+6.42), and Pierre Grall-Johnson 23rd (+6.85).
Antoine Cyr (CAN) races to 19th in qualification in Drammen. (Photo: NordicFocus)Sun Valley’s Peter Holmes races the classic sprint qualifier in Drammen, NOR. (Photo: NordicFocus)
The American men were just outside the top-30 mark necessary to race the quarterfinals, with Kevin Bolger just +0.7 off the last spot in 35th (+8.90), Logan Diekmann 39th (+9.40), Logan Hanneman in 50th (+11.19), Peter Holmes in 53rd (+12.05), and Zak Ketterson in 54th (+12.26).
The heats then, were filled with a motley mix of familiar sprint stars and younger talent from the home country Norway.
The course they raced was a classic town center sprint – a long gradual stretch going out from the start that narrowed as they hit two technique-zoned uphills leading into a hairpin. From there, it was a gradual downhill into another tight hairpin that opened up to a 4-track wide sprint finishing straight that allowed the best sprinters to open up and hit top speed.
Despite his absence, Klæbo’s tactical maneuvering and push-and-pull with pace was still felt throughout the race. Richard Jouve raced out of the first quarterfinal, and the typically aggressive Frenchmen held steady at the front of the pack, before shooting around the first hairpin turn that returned to the stadium. From there, he held control of the race to advance comfortably to the semi-finals and win the heat (2:32.98). He was followed by Sivert Wiig (NOR) in 2nd (+0.61), who would escape a tangle earlier in the race that saw Canadian Pierre Grall-Johnson fall and break a pole.
Canada’s Pierre Grall-Johnson (CAN) races the quarterfinal of Drammen’s classic sprint. (Photo: NordicFocus)
The exception to the relative care in pacing that many of the racers showed in the quarterfinals came in the third heat, where Wang Qiang from China shot out of the gate and went full bore throughout the race. By the time they hit the first technique zone, he had a comfortable gap on his competitors, who wouldn’t come back to him. In the process of taking the field out fast, Qiang had also made it by far the fastest quarterfinal at a winning time of 2:30.94. Second place Lauri Vuorinen (FIN) (+0.72), third place Pål Trøan Aune (NOR) (+0.99), and fourth place Harlad Østberg Amundsen (NOR) (+1.08) all advanced to the semi-final with two lucky losers coming out of the heat.
Wang Qiang (CHN) is off the front during the men’s quarterfinals in Drammen. (Photo: NordicFocus)
The 4th heat saw Joni Mæki (FIN) and Federico Pellegrino (ITA) follow early moves from Renaud Jay (FRA) and Ludek Seller (CZE) before reminding observers of their well-earned reputations as two of the best top-end speed racers in a finishing straight. Mæki advanced in first place (2:34.44), with Pellegrino in second (+0.62).
The semi-finals brought a similar field to the one that had advanced to the quarterfinals, with the familiar names of Richard Jouve and Lucas Chanavat joined by the young Norwegian pairing of Wiig and Amundsen, Swiss skier Jovian Hediger, and Wang Qiang.
Qiang again attacked from the start, with a lesser, but still commanding, gap established by the time he hit the first corner to head back towards the stadium. Jouve was the only skier that covered the gap off of that corner, and was able to pull along his countryman and Wiig with him before they all came together for the final sprint. There, the Frenchmen both showed their sprinting prowess, with Jouve winning the heat in 2:31.94 and Chanavat in 2nd (+0.74). Qiang’s early attack again proved to shape the field beyond his own racing, again making sure that both lucky losers, he and Wiig, came from the first semi-final.
Qiang’s attempts to force a semi-final with two lucky losers was aided by the way that the second semi-final raced, starting out at a steady pace before halting to a crawl around the first corner. George Ersson (SWE) got caught in front before Federico Pellegrino took charge on the downhill going into the stadium. By the time he rounded the corner into the finishing straight, he was in control of an otherwise tight pack. Pellegrino crossed the line in first (2:42.16) to advance to the finals, along with Norway’s Aune, who finished second (+0.16).
Federico Pellegrino (ITA) and Pål Trøan Aune (NOR) lead in the final stretch during the men’s semifinal in Drammen, NOR. (Photo: NordicFocus)
That set up a final with French pairing of Richard Jouve and Lucas Chanavat, the Norwegian pairing of Sivert Wiig and Pål Trøan Aune, Italian Federico Pellegrino, and Chinese Wang Qianq.
Qiang was subdued in the final compared to his previous heats, but then again, Richard Jouve had also stepped up the pace earlier in the final. The result was a tight pack with Jouve and Qiang at the front, with a quick but controlled pace through the early two climbs on course. Jouve took the pack into the first corner, and it was there, again emulating the absent Klæbo, where he chose to shoot around, concealing his burst of speed from the back part of the pack so that by the time they knew they needed to respond Jouve was already well on his way down the long descent.
Men’s final led out by the French pairing of Richard Jouve and Lucas Chanavat in Drammen on Thursday. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Their positioning in second and third, respectively, allowed Wang Qiang and Lucas Chanavat to try and match Jouve’s move, but as the pack hit the final stretch it became clear that Jouve hadn’t just made a move, he had made a move and followed it up with a burst of speed that left him peerless on the day.
Jouve crossed the line comfortably in first (2:32.84), with a lightly-packed sprint for the podium behind him.
Richard Jouve takes the win in Drammen. (Photo: NordicFocus)Wang Qiang became the first Chinese athlete to podium in a World Cup, finishing 2nd in the classic sprint in Drammen. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Leading that, after having shown tenacity and panache all day, was the Chinese skier Qiang Wang, who crossed the line in second (+1.59), with poles raised and a shout that stood at the end of a half-decade journey for his country. China, weeks off of having hosted the Olympic games, has earned a World Cup podium in nordic skiing, with Wang showing real promise for what may come from that country’s program.
Lucas Chanavat crossed the line in third (+2.32) to round out the top 3, while Sivert Wiig finished in fourth (+3.14), Federico Pellegrino in fifth (+5.34) and Pål Trøan Aune in sixth (+11.25).
Richard Jouve (FRA) takes the win in Drammen, NOR, with a first podium for China’s Wang Qiang, who took second ahead of Lucas Chanavat (FRA) in third. (Photo: NordicFocus)
It was an appropriate podium for a particular moment in skiing where the world’s motion on all scales has upended the familiar rituals that come with the final stretch of the World Cup that Holmenkollen traditionally marks the beginning of. The world’s best skier out in quarantine, his closest competitors removed from the competition, and the schedule for the last month of the season in flux as we enter it.
At once, we saw something familiar – Richard Jouve with a commanding performance alongside his countrymen – and something wholly new – a Chinese skier not only at a European World Cup race, but at the front. A strange, but moving race, for a strange and moving time.
Once the final results were determined, Antoine Cyr led the Canadians in 19th after finishing fourth in quarterfinal four. His Olympic team sprint partner, Graham Ritchie, was next for Canada in 21st, with Pierre Grall-Johnson 27th.
This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and the A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com.
To set the scene for the Tour de Ski, briefly turn to an episode from the event that inspired it. Cue “the Badger,” Bernard Hinault, who at the start of the 1985 Tour de France reduced the three week race down to one question: “Look at the results last year – Laurent Fignon first, me second and Greg Lemond third. Now Fignon won’t be there. What answer do you get?”
The answer: Lemond and Hinault would battle as teammates in the greatest editions of the Tour de France ever in ‘85 and ‘86. In the end, Lemond “slayed the Badger,” besting Hinault to win the Tour in ‘86 and establish the Americans as winners at the Tour.
An American flag flies in Lenzerheide as the Tour de Ski kicks off Stage 1. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Switch seasons, sports, and circumstance and we can reduce this year’s Men’s Tour de Ski (TDS) to one question too: Look at the results last year – Alexander Bolshunov (RUS) first, Maurice Manificat (FRA) second, Denis Spitsov (RUS) third. Johannes Høesflot Klæbo (NOR) was not there. Now he is back. What answer do you get?
The answer: Klæbo.
In the first stage of this year’s Tour de Ski at Lenzerheide, the Overall and Sprint leader of the World Cup came into the freestyle sprint, and looked in control each time he headed out on the 1.5-kilometer course, winning the qualifier (2:36.66) before cruising through the quarterfinals and semi-finals to keep his yellow World Cup Sprint leader’s bib as he exited the final.
But back-up, and you see another parallel to Lemond at cycling’s Tour, with today’s stage marking the ascendancy of the Americans. They put three in the top 30, with Ben Ogden finishing qualifying in 5th place (+5.81sec), Kevin Bolger in 9th place (+6.62), and Logan Hanneman in 30th (+9.78).
Logan Hanneman skis through to the quarterfinals, finishing 30th in qualification. (Photo: NordicFocus)
In the quarterfinals the first three heats were marked by somewhat conservative tactical posturing, with a field figuring out how to race the course at Lenzerheide after a two year absence. There was a good reason too. The two 750m laps are marked by a steep initial climb that after a turn gives way to a long downhill whose end is a sharp left into the stadium. That sharp left proved time and again to eliminate the gaps that attacking skiers tried to create on the first climb. It also led to opportunities to find a good position for the final sprint and pick up places in the field.
That was how Klæbo looked to race the first quarterfinal of the day, following Lucas Chanavat (FRA) into the second downhill before launching to the outside to capture the heat in the final stretch. Logan Hanneman seemed to mirror Klæbo’s moves through the heat, tucking in behind him on the downhill the 2nd time but finding that he hadn’t pushed with the same energy, as he said in comments to Fasterskier: “Klaebo and Chanavat pushed harder than I did over the top of the climb on the second lap and all of the sudden then had some meters on me. It’s easy to think that others had faster skis than myself today since I got passed on the long downhill the second lap, but that probably only because I didn’t see what they were doing behind me. I am sure they skated harder than I did and built up more energy to come by me.” Hanneman finished the heat in 5th place.
Kevin Bolger leading out his quarterfinal after qualifying 9th. Bolger finished the heat in 4th place, missing out on a lucky loser semi-final bid by just .76 seconds. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Bolger and Ogden opted to race out of the 4th and 5th quarterfinal, respectively, being the top qualifier in each. In contrast to Hanneman’s approach, the two both went with the strategy of leading out the field and trying for the gap on the first downhill. Both Ogden and Bolger’s attacks had the effect of animating their heats, which led to full bore racing for the entirety of the 1.5k course and eventually faster times across the field.
Their aggressive racing was foiled by the sharp left turn into the finishing straight, with the fields coming together and both Ogden and Bolger losing their position at the front of the field.
Bolger came across the line of his heat in 4th place, but his move early on to set a fast pace for the heat paid off, temporarily earning him a lucky loser spot. After the 5th heat though, where Ogden finished in 5th, Bolger was knocked out of the final lucky loser spot by Alexander Terentev (RUS) by less than 0.8 seconds.
Ben Ogden leads his heat over the first climb on course in Lenzerheide, SUI. Ogden qualified 5th. www.nordicfocus.com. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Still, the Americans’ quarterfinal performances left them in a strong position to challenge for the points classification, which will now turn to intermediate sprint primes at various checkpoints within the next two stages’ distance races.
It also left a semi-final field filled with familiar races from Tour de Ski’s past. Richard Jouve (FRA), Lucas Chanavat (FRA), and last year’s champion in the TDS Sprint Freestyle stage Fredrico Pellegrino (ITA). The younger sprinters who have featured on sprint podiums this season, Alexander Terentev (RUS) and Erik Valnes (NOR), were there too. Notably, last year’s Tour de Ski overall and points champion Alexander Bolshunov (RUS) was not, after being finishing 3rd place in his quarterfinal.
And, of course, there was Klæbo.
In the first-semi final, as the Frenchmen Jouve and Chanavat moved to the front of the pack at the beginning of the heat, Klæbo tucked in right behind them. As they came out of the first lap, Klæbo followed Pellegrino’s attack on the climb, but didn’t really look to make his move until the last downhill. Here he demonstrated an approach to the climb that was absent elsewhere in the men’s field the rest of the day, sprinting in a tuck skate to hit the apex of the final turn in a way that shut the door on the rest of the field.
Did he have the purest burst of speed on the finishing stretch? Probably. But it was already over before he hit that stretch, and he crossed comfortably in first place.
Lucas Chavanat (FRA) leads Johannes Høesflot Klæbo into the downhill during their semi-final. www.nordicfocus.com. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Chanavat and Jouve’s attacks early in the race had a similar effect on the semi-final as the Americans did in the quarterfinal. The first semi-final proved to be the faster field, and so Jouve (2nd), Chanavat (3rd), and Pellegrino (4th) all progressed to the final.
There they were joined by two more Norwegians, Pål Golberg and Erik Valnes, who followed their countrymen’s lead in the second semi-final heat to out-sprint Renaud Jay (FRA).
The final followed the pattern established in the previous round. Chanavat and Jouve seemed mindful that their chance to beat Klæbo most likely lied in a long-burn attack that saw him, Valnes and Golberg left out of the pack going into the second lap. Unfortunately, again, that attack met the long downhill sharp left turn.
Klæbo seemed content to simply keep up with Pellegrino as he made a move on the final climb of the day, before sweeping to the outside and attacking the final downhill to leave the rest behind before that pesky left turn could shake-up the field again. He crossed in first place, with Jouve in 2nd (+.99) and Chanavat in 3rd (+1.26).
Klaebo comes across the finishline 1st place, with Richard Jouve (FRA) and Lucas Chanavat in tow (FRA). (Photo: NordicFocus)
With the win, he established himself on an early, but clear path, to retake the Tour’s Overall and Point classifications after missing last year. His win today also helped him move up the ranks in the Tour’s history, passing Dario Cologna and Martin Johnsrud Sundby’s 7 stage wins to move him into 3rd all-time with 8 – behind Sergey Ustiugov (9), and Petter Northug (13). He also extended his all-time individual sprint stage lead in TDS history to 5.
So while we came into today’s stage with one question, we head towards tomorrow’s 15km with many. Just how much more history can Klæbo make? Will Bolshunov re-establish himself as a contender? And where do the American men go from here in this year’s Tour de Ski?
Men’s podium in Lenzerheide after the first stage of the Tour de Ski. (Photo: NordicFocus)
For now, the Yellow bib (“le bavoir juane” anyone?) remains on Klæbo’s shoulders, and our eyes on Lenzerheide tomorrow.
Zak Ketterson comes over the climb in his World Cup debut. Ketterson finished 72nd on the day. (Photo: NordicFocus)
After the semi and final rounds were decided, Bolger ended his day in 16th (+1.75), with Ogden in 21st (+1.94), and Hanneman in 25th (+5.70).
The rest of the American men also showed strong results in the qualifier today. Luke Jager finished in 45th (+12.57), with Gus Schumacher in 55th (+13.95). Minnesota’s very own Zak Ketterson also made his World Cup debut, finishing in 72nd (+16.37) after qualifying for the Tour de Ski as the men’s SuperTour leader after racing Period 1 back in the States.
On his race into the quarterfinals today, Logan Hanneman said “I’m feeling pretty good after today, but still longing for more. It has been a very slow and disappointing start to the season for me, for reasons I can’t explain. I am happy to be seeing progress in the right direction the last two sprints that I have done, but there is still a lot of work left to be done to reach my goals. I am looking forward to trying my hand at some distance races starting tomorrow!”
Post-race interview with Matt Whitcomb on the course in Lenzerheide, which has suited Americans well over the years, along with additional comments on the men’s and women’s races.
Gus Schumacher during qualifying in Lenzerheide during stage 1. Schumacher finished 55th. (Photo: NordicFocus)
This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and the A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com.
Three weeks in, the World Cup swings to the picturesque Alpen valley which holds Davos, Switzerland. As may be hinted by the towering mountains surrounding the glacial valley, Davos sits roughly a mile high in elevation, making this the first high-altitude stop of the World Cup season. Most seasons, that simply means less available oxygen for the athletes to consume, adding a variable that might shake up what is expected on the results sheet.
However, with less than two months to go until the start of the 2022 Winter Olympics, performance at altitude might carry additional weight. According to FIS, the cross country course at the Kuyangshu Nordic Center near Zhangjiakou, China tops out at 1,800 meters, just under 6,000 feet, in elevation. By concentration of available oxygen per volume, that translates to a deficit of roughly 4% relative to competition at sea level. Altitude is its own beast, and it is not always as simple as adjusting pace when it comes to optimizing performance as an athlete.
Altitude and rugged mountain backdrop aside, the sprint course in Davos sits on the valley floor, making it relatively flat compared to other venues. The maximum climb on the two-lap 1.5-kilometer course is just 12 meters; 30 meters or more is needed to meet the criteria of an A-Climb by FIS homologation standards.
The elevation profile of the two-lap 1.5k sprint course in Davos, SUI. (Photo: FIS Broadcast)
Taking command in the qualifier, Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo set the fastest time of 2:24.16. Lucas Chanavat of France was second in the qualifier (+1.51) followed closely by Federico Pellegrino of Italy, whose name we have not yet seen in the final. That said, Pellegrino had history in his favor when it comes to freestyle sprints on Swiss snow.
Coming into the weekend, he had won three freestyle sprints in Davos, including last year, along with two wins in the freestyle sprint stage of the Tour de Ski in Val Müstair, SUI a couple of weeks later. Pellegrino has also won multiple times in Cogne, Italy, at a similar elevation, and has shown prowess on flat courses, including the city sprint in Dresden, Germany.
Federico Pellegrino (ITA) races to third in qualification in Davos. (Photo: NordicFocus)
The Italian’s stats in Davos are only matched by Klæbo, who also has three wins at the venue. Today was the tie breaker. Who would take home a fourth wooden sled for his collection?
On the American front, Ben Ogden was the only athlete who qualified for the rounds today. Ogden skied to 13th (+2.87) and raced in heat five of the quarterfinals.
The storyline of Pellegrino versus Klæbo was decided before the two could line up to face each other head to head. Klæbo advanced smoothly from the first heat, however, Pellegrino was knocked out in his quarterfinal shortly thereafter.
Italy’s Federico Pellegrino pushes the pace during his quarterfinal of the freestyle sprint in Davos. (Photo: NordicFocus)
In heat two, Pellegrino took the lead in the second lap, hopskating up the primary climb and powering over the top just ahead of Norway’s Håvard Solås Taugbøl and Richard Jouve of France. Holding his position at the front as the men pushed around the final curve, Pellegrino was matched by the surging men as they each held their own finish lane while sprinting to the line. Jouve had the fastest acceleration, gaining the advantage as the three men threw their boots for a photo finish. Jouve took the heat, with Taugbøl 0.12 seconds behind, leaving Pellegrino third (+0.2) Unfortunately for the Italian, the tactical heat was too slow for him to advance to the semis.
In Ogden’s quarter, two Swiss men, Jovian Hediger and Valerio Grond, pulled from the front through the first lap. As the men hit the primary climb in the second lap, Russia’s Alexander Terentev, who won the opening sprint in Ruka, accelerated up the left side of the course, cresting the hill with the two Swiss men, creating a spicy final turn into the stadium. Grond caught a ski tip on his teammate’s tails, causing him to lose speed in the turn, but all of the men stayed upright.
Ben Ogden (Bib 13) races into the semifinal from a tight heat of the quarters. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Terentev led in the final straight, but Ogden and Sweden’s Anton Persson, who had maintained contact throughout the heat, were rapidly gaining ground on the Swiss skiers. Coming to the line four across, the men slid over the finish, Persson in second (+0.37), followed by Grond (+0.44), and Ogden (+0.53), with Hediger just behind in fifth (+0.74). Though it was the final heat of the quarters, it ended up being the fastest, allowing both Grond and Ogden to advance to the semifinals. Hediger (SUI) could be seen swatting the ground with his pole at the finish upon seeing his result.
In the first heat of the semis, Ogden lined up with three Norwegians, Klæbo, Taugbøl, and Erik Valnes. The heat also contained Jouve, and Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov, who had challenged Klæbo in the quarters.
Ustiugov takes the lead in the semifinal in Davos. Note Ben Ogden in contact wearing bib 13. (Photo: NordicFocus)
As the pace accelerated in the final lap, Ustiugov took to the front again, this time seeming to want a larger margin over Klæbo as they headed into the final turn and straightaway. Though the Russian led into this turn, Klæbo was able to slingshot around the outside, earning a clear lane to the finish. The Russian was on his right, with Valnes on the other side. Perhaps too confident for his own good, Klæbo stood up before the line, coasting across with a boot kick that looked like an afterthought.
Erik Valnes (NOR), Sergey Ustiugov (RUS), Johannes Klaebo (NOR), (l-r) (Photo: NordicFocus)
With five men still tight around him, this allowed Ustiugov to take the win, while an accelerating Jouve tried to throw his boot along Klæbo’s left side, from within the same lane, just 0.14 seconds behind the Norwegian. With multiple athletes vying for limited real estate at the finish, Klæbo had his tails skied over, sending him abruptly onto the ground just after he crossed the line.
Valnes was fourth in the heat, followed closely by Taugbøl; these first five men were spread by only 0.58 seconds in total. Ogden, who had lost contact in the second lap, held on for sixth in the heat (+7.28).
While still tight, the second heat of the semis had a clear winner, Chanavat of France. Behind him was Even Northug of Norway, followed by Terentev, whose time was not fast enough for a lucky loser spot in the final.
The pace was pedestrian as the first lap of the final progressed, the athletes seemingly biding their time and conserving energy for a tactical second lap. Mirroring the first two rounds of racing, Ustiugov made a big push in the second time up the climb as the men powered uphill with impressive tempo. But again, as they headed downhill and around the final right-hand curve, it was Klæbo on the Russian’s tails, shooting around the outside and into the center lane as he cruised to the finish for a commanding victory.
This time waiting to celebrate until he was over the line, Klæbo took home his fourth win on the tracks in Davos. Ustiugov held pace for second (+0.87), followed by Jouve in third (+1.23).
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo takes the win in Davos, while Sergey Ustiugov and Richard Jouve accelerate to second and third. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Off the podium, Valnes was fourth in the final (+1.31), followed after a gap by Northug in fifth (+3.74) and Chanavat in sixth (+7.95).
“It was an amazing day,” Klæbo told FIS at the finish. “I think it was really, really fun to race out there. I was a little bit skeptical because of the weather before we started today, but I think the conditions are really really good and it was a fair fight, which was really nice.”
The men’s podium of the freestyle sprint in Davos. Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (NOR) took his fourth win at the venue, ahead of Sergey Ustiugov (RUS) and Richard Jouve (FRA). (Photo: NordicFocus)
It was a blustery day with light snow peppering the athletes throughout the rounds, a contrast to the sun and blue sky we often expect from the venue. Klæbo also shared that he will have an extended stay in Davos, putting in some additional time and training at altitude.
“I’m going to be here now until the 22nd of December, so I have a few more days left here, and it’s beautiful now, and I see that the weather is going to be much better next week, so I’m looking forward to some nice weeks here.”
After the final standings were firmed up, it was concluded that Ogden finished his day in 12th.
Ben Ogden races into the semis in Davos. (Photo: NordicFocus)
“Today was a lot of fun,” wrote Ogden in a post-race email. “For the qualifier, I knew it was going to be hard but there was a good amount of rest out there so I wasn’t afraid to pretty much pin it out from the start ,which thankfully worked out well. I was definitely slower the second time up the hill but was able to push hard over the top and get into the finish without anything catastrophic happening. I was surprised and happy to qualify in 13th.
“In the quarter final, I figured it was going to be fast because all of us qualified so close to each other. I learned on the first lap that my skis were very fast, so when the other guys got a little gap on me over the top of the hill on the second lap, I was still hopeful. Then they made the critical mistake of sliding the first bit of the last corner, and because I was a touch behind I could step around it and set myself up well for the final straight. I bet it wasn’t pretty, but it was just enough to get me into the semi finals for the first time! Really pumped with this. I always figured I would first advance [into the semifinals] in classic, but things came together today so that was awesome.”
Ben Ogden puts together a career-best finish in Davos, ending his day in 12th. (Photo: NordicFocus)
“I did, however, learn that there is a reason all the fast guys pack into quarter final 1 and 2 when I finished and learned that I had just over 10 minutes before my semi final…” Ogden continued. “The guys in the semi final were damn strong, but I was pumped to stay in it for a bit and push all the way to the finish. One step at a time! Fun stuff out there and cheers to my wax tech (the famous Jason Cork) and all the wax techs for awesome skis!”
Luke Jager skis to 41st in the qualification round in Davos. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Outside the heats, JC Schoonmaker was second for the Americans, finishing 41st (+6.73) in qualification, less than 1.5 seconds off the time needed to compete in the rounds. Logan Hanneman was 44th (+6.99), followed by Luke Jager in 50th (+7.93), Kevin Bolger in 51st (+8.28), and Gus Schumacher in 65th (+10.48).
Here is a post-race interview with U.S. Ski Team Head Coach Matt Whitcomb with insights into the altitude and conditions on course, along with individual feedback on the men and women who raced today. Whitcomb also comments on the string of victories earned by Bolger’s girlfriend, Swedish champion Maja Dahlqvist.
Racing for Canada, Antoine Cyr skied to 36th in qualification (+6.43), followed by Graham Ritchie in 45th (+7.02).
Antoine Cyr leads the Canadian men, skiing to 36th in the qualifier. (Photo: NordicFocus)
The men’s freestyle sprint podium in Lillehammer: Johannes Høsflot Klæbo takes the win ahead of teammate Thomas Helland Larsen and France’s Richard Jouve. (Photo: NordicFocus)
This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and the A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com.
Last weekend in Ruka, a new season of World Cup racing came in like a lion. Right off the bat, there were so many storylines to follow. Here, we’ll focus on those in the men’s sprint.
The international cover story was the big upset: 22-year-old Alexander Terentev of Russia beat Norwegian sprint-champion Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, who has more World Cup sprint wins than any other athlete in the field. Even more entertaining: Terentev matched Klæbo’s signature run, which he typically employs to drop his competitors on a final climb, accelerating to the finish in a league of his own. Klæbo’s tactic failed. He was matched at the top of the final climb with a few hundred meters to go, and Terentev was strongest in the final stretch. This made one thing certain: Klæbo would be ready to throw down in his home country as the World Cup swung to Lillehammer.
As evidence, Klæbo won the qualifier with a nearly two-second lead ahead of the next athlete, Lucas Chanavat of France, with Terentev nearly three seconds back in fifth.
The FasterSkier cover story last weekend was the three American men – JC Schoonmaker, Ben Ogden, and Luke Jager – who qualified and finished in the top-20, led by Schoonmaker in 7th. The Americans proved they were fit, and ready for the tight and aggressive style of World Cup sprinting. Hope abounds as these men, along with those who fell just outside the top-30, showed they were capable of results that mirrored those of the women’s team, which has received the majority of the media attention over the last several seasons.
JC Schoonmaker is the top-American qualifier for the second weekend in a row. Schoonmaker qualified in 15th today in Lillehammer. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Today during the 1.6-kilometer freestyle sprint in Lillehammer, the Americans showed that last weekend was not a fluke. Three men qualified for the heats, led by Schoonmaker in 15th (+5.61). Kevin Bolger was 24th in qualification (+6.25), followed by Ben Ogden in 28th (+6.63).
As the sprint featured in the 2022 Olympic program will also be freestyle, these events will be especially in focus as we move through the World Cup season. For the Americans, an athlete finishing in the top-8 (final results, not qualification) has met the objective criteria for team selection, essentially punching their ticket to Beijing.
In the quarterfinals, Bolger raced in the stacked first heat along with the top-3 qualifiers, Klæbo, Chanavat, and Erik Valnes (NOR). For the first two minutes of racing, Bolger sat confidently on the Norwegian’s tails, keeping enough contact with the leaders to vie for a lucky loser spot in the final stretch. Despite rounding the final bend in fifth, Boger skied his way into fourth, in a photo finish with Chanavat. Given the depth of his heat, Bolger ended up with a fairly comfortable lock on a spot in the final as one of two lucky losers.
Klæbo won this round comfortably, followed by fellow Norwegian, Thomas Helland Larsen.
Ogden raced in heat two, where he was not able to keep himself in contention with the leaders. Ogden skied to sixth in the heat, which was won by Håvard Solås Taugbøl and Richard Jouve in a photo finish.
Ben Ogden stays in contact with the pack during the quarterfinal of the freestyle sprint in Lillehammer. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Perhaps surprising given his legacy in skate sprints, Italy’s Federico Pellegrino was also knocked out in the second heat of the quarters. Pellegrino had qualified in 19th, and finished the semi together with Jouve and Taugbøl, but was ultimately not fast enough for the lucky loser spot.
Racing in heat five with stars and stripes on his suit, buff, and gloves, Schoonmaker tactically skied his way into the semis. The American was tucked into the leaders’ draft on early downhills, moving up on the final climb at roughly the two-minute mark. Here, Schoonmaker challenged the men at the front as they headed into the final hairpin before the closing straightaway. Coming to the line with Gleb Retivykh (RUS) and Sindre Bjørnestad Skar (NOR), Schoonmaker threw his boot forward to clinch second place in the heat, automatically advancing to the next round.
JC Schoonmaker skis his way into the semis during the quarterfinal of the freestyle sprint in Lillehammer. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Guaranteed a top-12 finish, Schoonmaker was one step closer to his Olympic goal, and would race in the semi-final in back-to-back sprint races. Without a deep dive into the stats here, let’s just say: it’s been a minute since an American has done that. And he’s only 21.
The semis were half-Norwegian: four in the first heat with Bolger, and two in the second heat with Schoonmaker.
Bolger skied in the middle of the pack during the opening kilometer of his semi, again marking the leaders and staying in good position for the final push. Rounding the bend into the stadium, Bolger ended up just off pace at the back of the pack as Klæbo led the way to the finish with enough room to stand up before gliding across the line.
While Klæbo was comfortable in his position, the three men heading to the line on his tails were not. Again in a photo finish, Taugbøl and Jouve fought for the second spot, with Larsen alongside. Taugbøl edged out the Frenchman in the boot slide, with Larsen setting a fast time in fourth, awaiting results from the second round to determine lucky losers. Bolger finished the round in sixth.
Kevin Bolger marks Johannes Høsflot Klæbo during the semifinal in Lillehammer. France’s Lucas Chanavat races on the left in bib 2. (Photo: NordicFocus)
The second semifinal was a nail biter. With numerous lead changes and a spread of just 0.5 seconds at the finish, it was anyone’s game. Schoonmaker again looked confident pushing the pace, staying in the mix with leaders throughout the meat of the course. Rounding the bend and heading into the final straightaway, he was in excellent position on the tails of Sweden’s Marcus Grate.
Charging down the final straight, Grate and Finland’s Lauri Vuorinen pulled ahead slightly as the remaining four men remained matched. These men went 1-2, while the remainder of the field crossed the line a ski length behind in a four-way photo finish. Ultimately, the order was determined to be: Alexander Bolshunov, Erik Valnes, Finn Hågen Krogh, then Schoonmaker, all separated by 0.1 seconds.
To the line, JC Schoonmaker fights for millimeters, crossing in a four-way photo finish in the semifinal. Marcus Grate (Bib 12) holds the lead. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Take a moment to let the names of the men finishing around Schoonmaker sink in.
As fat flakes began to fall, the athletes kept their warm-up layers on until the two-minute warning, springing up and down and running sprints to stay warm and sharp for the final go. On home turf, the closing round was half-Norwegian, with Klæbo, Taugbøl in their national team suits and Larsen racing in his leopard-print club suit.
Leaving nothing to chance, Klæbo held his ground near the front of the pack, tucking in Grate’s draft in the early downhills, and putting his foot on the gas as the men headed up the final climb with less than a minute of racing to go. Pulling ahead as they headed into the straightaway, Klæbo looked like he was on cruise control, powering through the first half in V2, before looking over his shoulder, then raising his arms in celebration as he cruised across the line alone for the win in 2:52.48.
Redemption: Johannes Høsflot Klæbo takes the win in the opening sprint stage of Lillehammer’s mini tour. Norway’s Thomas Helland Larsen (Bib 30) edged out France’s Richard Jouve for second and third, respectively. (Photo: NordicFocus)
A couple of ski lengths behind him, Larsen and Jouve fought to the line for the final podium spots. The Norwegian pulled ahead as he slid across the line for second (+0.58), with Jouve just behind for third (+0.78).
“It was a really tough race today, and it’s been quite a week from last week,” Klæbo told FIS at the finish line. “I’m really satisfied to cross the finish line first, and it was a special day.”
Commenting on the new course used today in Lillehammer, which, at roughly 1.6k, was nearly 200 meters longer than the previous one, Klæbo spoke favorably of the change.
“I think it’s really cool that we have changed the tracks a little bit. It’s something different and I think they have done an amazing job here to make this happen, and to also have this nice track. So I’m really satisfied.”
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo congratulates countryman Thomas Helland Larsen after the two went 1-2 in Lillehammer’s freestyle sprint. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Rounding out the top-six, Taugbøl took fourth (+1.68), ahead of Vuorinen in fifth (+4.43) and Grate in sixth (+20.73).
Once the final round was settled, it was concluded that Schoonmaker ended his day in 11th, followed by Bolger. Ogden ended his day in 30th. None of the Americans would hit the Olympic qualification standard today, but it remains clear that they are well within reach.
After returning to their hotel down in town, Schoonmaker provided the following feedback on his pacing and strategy today relative to last weekend in Ruka:
“This course was a lot longer than Ruka, so I had to think a lot more about pacing especially in the qualifier. I tried to take it out fairly conservative so I could finish strong on the last section. In the heats, I actually had a pretty similar strategy to Ruka of trying to relax in the pack for as long as possible before trying to push to the front in the end. I tried to pick a heat that had guys who were closest to my time in the qualifier so that I would be able to hang in the pack easier than if I had chosen quarterfinal #1 with all the top qualifiers. I felt like I followed the plan well and was really happy with the way I skied.”
Remarking on his day and racing in the semis on back-to-back weekends, Schoonmaker gave a very process-oriented response.
“It was an awesome experience to race against so many big names and to feel like I was in the mix. I wish I had had a little bit more to give in the end of that semi to move on but still really happy with it. I’m pumped to have made semis twice in a row now because each time I get past the quarters, I’m doubling my heat experience and getting a step closer to making the final.”
In his post-race email, Bolger explained that he found the course used today in Lillehammer to be “really cool, really fun, and very hard.”
“I think it allowed a lot of good spectating, and I think coming into the weekend we all thought it was going to be an easier course, but we all soon found out that it it was a very challenging course — very physically demanding, and a lot of work… its also nice to do something new, instead of the same courses all the time.”
On his approach to the day and heat selection, “It was a bit scary picking heat 1 for my quarterfinal,” Bolger wrote. “I did something similar back at world champs in Seefeld, but I knew if i could put together a good race that I could compete with those guys, and talking with [Chris] Grover, we both decided it could be a great heat to get into the semis either by qualifying out right or as a lucky loser.”
He added that he would have preferred the second semifinal heat, but this was out of his hands.
“Tactically though, not much changes [with heat selection], especially on a course like today where I don’t think there were so many tactics. I just wanted to ski big and own my space, I was lucky enough to take the back of Klæbo and follow him for a while, which was brutal but great. Also, I think having killer skis played a big factor in today and helped me advance as far as I did so a huge shout out to our wax crew and my tech Oleg!”
Last weekend, in Ruka, Bolger qualified in 57th, well outside the heats. He explained that he was “searching for more this weekend”, while recognizing that racing in Norway, which allows the home country to enter additional athletes, would make it an even harder job. He equated it to narrowing the Top-30 down to a Top-15 in terms of the density of fast times and percent back needed for qualification today.
“Coming here and putting together a really strong day and having a high result definitely boosts my confidence in myself and my training,” Bolger continued. “But it is just one race. t+There is a lot of racing to be done yet and I’m just looking forward to the opportunity to get in another good race next weekend in Davos and to hopefully have an even better day! Lastly, I think how this men’s team is vibing together and how we are all feeding off each other’s success — I owe a lot to them. Being out there today in the heats with Ben and JC gives me a lot of extra fighting strength. We all believe in each other and and get each other super hyped. I think that helps a lot on a sprint day!”
There were several near-misses outside the top-30, including Luke Jager, who was just 0.7 seconds off the time (2:52.31) needed for qualification in 33rd.
Just missing the top-30, Luke Jager skis to 33rd in the qualifying round of Lillehammer’s freestyle sprint. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Gus Schumacher qualified in 41st, just over a second out of the heats, followed closely by Canada’s Russell Kennedy and Graham Ritchie in 42nd and 43rd, respectively.
Rounding out the North American men’s squad, Logan Hanneman (USA) finished 45th, with Olivier Levielle (CAN) 48th, and Antoine Cyr (CAN) 56th.
In a post-race interview, Matt Whitcomb shared insights into the new course in Lillehammer, as well as how athletes selected their tactics for the two-lap course, his perspective on the men’s racing, and a detailed explanation of why qualification for the heats in World Cup sprinting is a unique skill that athletes need to hone.
Leading the way for Canada, Russell Kennedy skis to 42nd in the qualifying round of Lillehammer’s freestyle sprint. (Photo: NordicFocus)
JC Schoonmaker slides across the line in the semifinal. (Photo: NordicFocus)
This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and the A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com.
By Ben Theyerl
Friday in Ruka, under the dim lights of an Arctic Circle sky, was the moment that potential energy – a new season and new names – converted into something kinetic for both U.S. skiing and the World Cup at-large. Under hats, glasses, moleskin, and buffs were some decidedly fresh faces, not just mixing it up in an event with Olympic and World Champions, but beating them too.
And one of them did beat them all. Alexander Terentev, a 22-year old Russian who won the U23 World Championship in the Classic Sprint last season, looked to have no problems taking the step up to the senior circuit. Terentev won the qualifying round with a second to spare (2:31.13) over second place Richard Jouve (+1.62) and third place Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (+1.72).
Russia’s Alexander Terentev wins the qualifying round in Ruka. (Photo: NordicFocus)
If young potential was representing a country in Ruka, however, it would have been draped in an American flag. JC Schoonmaker, Ben Ogden, and Luke Jager all qualified for heats and did it decisively in 5th (+3.01), 8th (+3.68), and 17th (+6.43), respectively.
It was another moment in U.S. skiing – think the World Championship double podium in 2015, or the Olympic gold medal in 2018 – where things changed in an instant. Before the qualifying round today, there was a group of young American men with the potential to achieve great results at the sport’s highest level. After it, that potential had been realized.
Ben Ogden skis to 8th place in the qualifier during the classic sprint stage in Ruka. (Photo: NordicFocus)
“A lot of us, in this country, have seen this coming. But it’s a different thing to see it actually arrive. They announced with their qualifications today that we’re here, and they weren’t just coming in under the buzzer, they were locked in.” said U.S. Ski Team Head Coach Matt Whitcomb in a post-race interview with FasterSkier.
Full audio clip from post-race interview with Matt Whitcomb
With a Top-8 spot in a freestyle sprint guaranteeing a spot on the Olympic Team, Schoonmaker, Ogden, and Jager also took a step forward toward pursuing their dreams.
Schoonmaker’s fifth place qualifying put him in pole position against the home crowd, with Finnish skier Joni Maki taking the place next to him on the start line. Schoonmaker went in with a clear tactic: “I was trying to take it easier in the beginning and stay relaxed for that final climb,” he said, and when the final climb did come he was able to “get a lane to myself and just ski away from the pack a little bit.”
JC Schoonmaker stays in the mix through the heats in Ruka. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Maki outpaced him on the final stretch, but Schoonmaker held on to make it to the semifinals.
Jager and Ogden lined up together against current World Cup Sprint Champion Federico Pellegrino in the next quarter-final. An early fall took Pellegrino out of the competition, which led to the still somewhat unusual sight of two Americans and two Swedes battling it out up the final climb in a World Cup.
The Swedes would take the top two spots, outlasting a late burst of speed up the final climb from Ben Ogden that Luke Jager followed. Ogden finished third in the heat with Jager just behind him.
Ben Ogden leads teammate Luke Jager up the first climb during the quarterfinal of the classic sprint in Ruka. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Schoonmaker advancing to the semis put him in a position to finish in the Top-12. Joni Maki and H.S. Taugboel hit the base of the final climb in first and second, with Schoonmaker joined by a pair of Swedes – Marcus Grate and Anton Persson – in pursuit. That pursuit met trouble rounding the final corner, with the two Swedes and Schoonmaker briefly stumbling over each other.
“I got caught up with two Swedish guys. I think it was just ski racing, I don’t think it was anyone’s fault. We were skiing close to each other and no one wanted to give any one else space” Schoonmaker said on the tangle.
Schoonmaker would finish the heat in third, but the incident left him seven seconds off the lucky loser mark.
Schoonmaker finished in seventh place on the day. This was a huge milestone that both he and Coach Matt Whitcomb attributed to great tactical thinking, aggressive skiing on the day, and perhaps most importantly, having two of his American teammates alongside him.
“Having [Ben and Luke] warming up for the heats with me was a huge help. We were just loose and having a good time.” said Schoonmaker.
Relaxed and confident, JC Schoonmaker skis to 7th in the classic sprint in Ruka. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Whitcomb, meanwhile, went for an apt metaphor for an American team finding success in a traditionally European sport, “People want to know how our guys are doing it, and I think if you watched Ted Lasso – Luke, Ben, and JC could probably have lead roles in that show.”
In the other semi, Terentev met up with last year’s Ruka sprint champion Erik Valnes and runner-up Johannes Høsflot Klæbo. Terentev quickly established the pattern he raced the 1.4-kilometer loop in all day – leading out the field in the first climb, before tucking in as they hit the first downhill, and then looking to overpower the field on the last climb. In a Norwegian-heavy heat, Pål Golberg ended up pushed out in front, while Klæbo seemed for most of the race to be off the pace.
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo skis through the rounds to finish second in Ruka. (Photo: NordicFocus)
The push up the last climb saw Valnes lead the move to overtake Golberg with Terentev following. Klæbo, meanwhile, recovered to finish fourth place behind Richard Jouve (FRA), who took third. Klæbo looked to be out, but the stumble in the opposite heat meant that he would have a chance in the final as a lucky loser.
After an unpredictable and exciting day, the final ended up strangely reaffirming what we knew about the day and about the World Cup. Terentev was the strongest out of the gate , and the strongest up the final climb. We learned that on the day. Klæbo is still able to control a field tactically, and make skiing plain fun to watch. We learned that years ago, but it looks to be a fact for another season.
As the field crawled to a stop going into the first downhill on the course, it was Klæbo who shot around them, daring skiers a few years his junior to keep up. Today, Terentev could not only keep up but win, while Klæbo came out ahead of Erik Valnes for second and third, respectively.
The final meters of the men’s sprint in Ruka. Russia’s Alexander Terentev takes the win ahead of Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and teammate Erik Valnes. (Photo: NordicFocus)The final stretch: Terentev with the closing speed, Klæbo with the look. (Photo: NordicFocus)
And as for another thing we know about the World Cup: that the American men are a rising force, and as fans, it will be thrilling to witness their trajectory.
Reflecting on his 7th-place finish in an interview with FasterSkier, JC Schoonmaker shared the following:
“It feels great. I’m not necessarily looking at the result, but really happy with how I raced today and how I felt. I felt confident going into the heats, and that’s something I wasn’t expecting. It’s great to know I can ski with those guys.”
And on his biggest takeaway:
“It was great to see three young American guys skiing aggressively in the heats. That was an awesome feeling.”
JC Schoonmaker skis to 5th place in the qualifying round in Ruka. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Full audio clip from post-race interview with JC Schoonmaker:
Outside of the heats for the U.S., Logan Hanneman finished in 33rd (+8.26), with Gus Schumacher in 56th (+11.71) and Kevin Bolger in 57th (+11.71).
Federico Pellegrino of Italy crosses the line first for his third World Cup sprint win in a row. (Photo: NordicFocus)
This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and their A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com.
A new year, new snow, and some welcome faces at the start of the 2021 Tour de Ski in Val Müstair, Switzerland. In this 15th edition of the TdS, the first three stages of eight take place in Val Müstair. The tour then proceeds to stages in Toblach and Val di Fiemme, Italy.
Friday’s 1.4-kilometer freestyle sprint was a two-lap race on a course featuring banked turns, waves, and a small jump. This cross-country sprint playground was exactly that for Italy’s Federico Pellegrino (30) won the final’s in 3:08.44 as steady snow fell over the iconic alpine valley setting. The final featured Russians Alexander Bolshunov, Gleb Retivykh, and Artem Maltsev, with Frenchmen Richard Jouve and Lucas Chanavat rounding out the group of six.
On the first lap, the Russians played coy and skied behind, while Chanavat commanded the pace. As the second loop began, Pellegrino began his surge creating a small gap to Bolshunov in second and Jouve third. Careening down the winding curves, Pellegrino free skated his way into the rollers, pumping over the top to accelerate into the final curve and maintain command from the front as he entered the final lanes.
Alexander Bolshunov, the overall favorite for this edition of the TdS, places second, a spot behind Italy’s Federico Pellegrino who won the day. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Though Bolshunov was closing hard behind him, Pellegrino stayed strong enough to comfortably take the stage. The Russian locked up second (+0.57) with Jouve in third (+2.43). Retivykh placed fourth (+4.33), Maltsev fifth (+4.82), and Chanavat sixth (+28.28).
“[My legs] hurt; it hurts a lot… I think the feeling was better in the qualification than in the final, but I knew that I wanted to be really good here today,” Pellegrino told FIS after the race. “I had a lot of pressure, just made by myself, because after two victories, for sure you feel that you can continue to win.”
Federico Pellegrino and Alexander Bolshunov setting the pace. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Pellegrino made his dedication and intent clear from the beginning. He posted the fastest qualifying time on course by over two seconds, stopping the clock at 3:02.19.
“This is my job,” he said about his participation in the Tour. “To race here is really important.”
The Italian continued by commenting on how the pandemic has affected his country and the traditional New Year’s celebrations that occur. He expressed his wishes to provide an uplift and source of national pride during this challenging time.
“I hope to have given a little bit of sunshine on this new 2021 year.”
Wearing the yellow bib as the overall World Cup leader, Bolshunov is the real threat for the TdS overall. He won last season’s edition, which offered a full complement of racers from Norway. (Norway is not contesting the TdS due to the ongoing pandemic). On his way to winning the 2020 TdS, Bolshunov won a single stage of the TdS, stage 4’s 15 k classic pursuit, before securing the overall on the Val di Fiemme final hill climb.
Let’s take a step back into the earlier rounds.
Simi Hamilton amidst a slew of Russian skiers, placed 13th overall on Friday after qualifying in 4th. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Showing great form, Simi Hamilton led the American men with a 4th place finish (+2.9) in the qualifier. Kevin Bolger snagged the final spot in the top-30 (+9.23) and both men stepped into the starting gates in the second heat of the quarterfinals.
Unfortunately, a broken pole near the start robbed Bolger of the chance to truly compete. He lost contact with the pack and ended the day in 30th.
Kevin Bolger takes a tumble in Val Müstair, Switzerland. (Photo: NordicFocus)Bolger, recovering after a snapped pole in his quarterfinal. Simi Hamilton in bib 4. (Photo: NordicFocus)Bolger upright and on the go as the pack gains ground. Bolger finished 30th overall. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Racing with the agility and tactics for which he is known, Hamilton tucked in behind the three Russians that led the first lap of the heat. As they accelerated into the tight downhill S-turns, Hamilton edged his way up in the group, reaching his hand out to touch the skier next to him, signaling his presence with confidence and authority to diffuse a potential tangle.
In his second lap, Hamilton held second position on the tails of Andrey Melnichenkov (RUS), seemingly getting in position for a top-two finish early. Coming into the final turn, Hamilton was forced to stay wide, allowing Gleb Retivykh the more direct line. Hamilton fought with Melnichenkov and Retivykh all the way to the line, but couldn’t quite make up the ground. He finished third in the heat, 0.02 seconds off the time needed to advance to the semi as a lucky loser. Hamilton ended the day 13th.
“Today was nothing amazing result-wise, but I think there were a lot of good signs for me that indicates I’m skiing at a strong level right now,” Hamilton wrote in an email to FasterSkier after the race. “Obviously I wanted to be back in the final, but the near-perfect racing it takes for me to do that didn’t shake out today. I was really psyched with my qualifier, and my body felt quite good during that effort.”
Hamilton continued with insight into his approach to the tour and his outlook after today’s very near miss.
“I’ve been feeling a little tired the last few days, so I’ve been taking it very, very easy, and I wasn’t sure how everything would respond after basically taking three days totally off. Obviously, my main goal for the tour is to perform well in the sprints, but I’d like to feel good on the distance days too so I wasn’t really preparing this week like I would have if I were putting all my eggs in today’s basket. Instead, I took a much more conservative approach to things to make sure I was giving my body the rest it needs for this whole eight race event. In my quarter I felt pretty strong and I thought I skied it tactically well, but I got boxed out on the outside coming into the finish lanes and I lost what turned out to be a very important tenth of a second from that. So, yeah, frustrating but you can’t always just look at the results to decide whether a race went well or not.”
Gus Schumacher of the U.S. during qualification. He placed 31st overall, just missing the rounds. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Barely outside rounds, Gus Schumacher ended his day after the qualifier in 31st (+9.55). Distance racer Scott Patterson took 79th (+22.72).
Racing continues tomorrow as stage 2 of the Tour de Ski offers up a 15 k classic mass start for the men.
This World Cup coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and their A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage please contact info@fasterskier.com.
The team sprint is like a pump rocket, slowly building pressure for a final eruptive takeoff. Six 0.65 km laps each in rapid succession. Short recoveries between legs mean the athletes slowly wind up the effort while staying out of trouble, not wanting the rocket to misfire and lose it’s peak potential. Stay in the pack, drafting and in control, don’t crash or break a pole are sound strategies.
Chaos in the exchange zone, Richard Jouve tags Lucas Chanavat during the team sprint in Dresden, Germany. (Photo: NordicFocus)
The men’s event evidenced this metaphor perfectly. The pack stayed close and looked comfortable with no crashes through the first half. As the final four exchanges progressed, you could feel the pressure from the pump steadily rise (in this case, three pumps wearing red, navy, or royal blue lycra) fighting against the confines of the bottle.
At the 7th exchange, just after the half-way mark, the pressure reached its limit and the launch began. Richard Jouve of the France 1 team accelerated from the exchange zone, making an effective push to stretch out the field. Italy’s Francesco De Fabiani and Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov kept close on his tails, and although the remaining pack did not immediately lose contact, it became increasingly clear who the podium contenders would be.
Foot on the gas, Richard Jouve accelerates to spread out the pack for the final half of the team sprint in Dresden, Germany. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Next exchange, Russia took the reins, with Gleb Retivykh setting pace. Yesterday’s sprint winner Federico Pellegrino looked confident as he tucked in behind the Russian, the winners of the two qualifying rounds squaring off. Lucas Chavanat of France kept close contact in third.
With the Dresden skyline as a backdrop, Italy’s Francesco De Fabiani leads Richard Jouve of France and American Kevin Bolger during the team sprint. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Russia continued their up-tempo from the front during the final lap where the three leading teams separated from the chasers. Heading into the lanes, all three teams had a chance. Retivykh took charge off of looker’s left, while Chavanat fought for centimeters on lookers right. Pellegrino tucked in behind the Frenchman, priming himself to sneak a boot around at the line.
Real estate was limited and Retivykh had unmatched finishing speed on the day, crossing the line for the win in 15:01.14. Chavanat stopped the clock +0.19 seconds behind in second, and Pellegrino carried the Italians to third (+0.58).
Down the home strech, Gleb Retivykh takes the victory for Russia at the team sprint in Dresden, Germany. (Photo: NordicFocus)The Russian victors Gleb Retivykh (L) and Alexander Bolshunov (R) shake hands after the team sprint in Dresden, Germany. (Photo: NordicFocus)
“It is a very nice competition every time we come to Dresden…” Retivykh told FIS after the race. “We worked together really well and with tactics. The Russian teams took the podium today for women and men. We’re happy.”
Prior to today’s win, Russia was in a three-year drought for team sprint victories. Russia last won the event in February, 2017 during a pre-Olympic World Cup in PyeongChang, China. Retivykh was also the anchor on that day.
The men’s podium of the team sprint in Dresden, Germany. The Russia 1 team of Alexander Bolshunov and Gleb Retivykh stole the show, with Richard Jouve and Lucas Chavanat of France in close second, and Italy’s Francisco de Fabiani and Federico Pellegrino in third. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Behind the podium finishers, the U.S. team of Kevin Bolger and Simi Hamilton stayed in the mix, skiing strong in the middle of the pack and close to the leaders through the final two laps. With two laps of the course to go, Bolger and Hamilton began to lose contact along with the remaining teams, fading from 2 seconds back at 6.5 k to finish 12.57 seconds behind in 9th.
Kevin Bolger (bib 18) rounds the curve with Italy’s Francisco De Fabiani during the team sprint in Dresden, Germany. (Photo: NordicFocus)Simi Hamilton keeps the U.S. team in the mix during the team sprint in Dresden, Germany. (Photo: NordicFocus)
“Even though the result wasn’t exactly what we wanted today I thought we skied really well and fought through both heats,” wrote Hamilton after the race. “I felt great in our semi, and still pretty good for the final, but things were incredibly scrappy and we just kind of kept getting caught in the back with tangles, broken poles, and the likes. Team sprinting can be so fun and so frustrating at the same time, but it was just really, really cool to ski with Kevin today and I’m so psyched with how he’s skiing right now.”
Simi Hamilton fights to the finish with Jovian Hediger (SUI), Renaud Jay (FRA) just behind. (Photo: NordicFocus)
The Bolger-Hamilton duo had placed fifth in the first semi-final in a tight finish, 0.69 seconds behind winners Italy I ( De Fabiani and Pellegrino).
In the second men’s semi-final, the U.S. team of Logan Hanneman and JC Schoonmaker placed 10th (+27.21) and did not advance.
The World Cup takes a holiday break until the Tour de Ski which is scheduled to begin on January 1.
The metaphors are rife when describing the rough and tumble nature of the urban environment. Most often we think of pine forest, alps, and Hansel and Gretel valleys as the backdrop for the World Cup. To foster interest and in-fill a dense schedule of racing, city-sprints are nothing new when it comes to populating the World Cup calendar. Places like Dresden provide a contextual backdrop to a Europe steeped in history. The city is often a reminder of darker times, as it’s historic architecture was destroyed in World War II.
The city, since rebuilt to historical specs, is the place to be post Tour de Ski.
As a sprint specific weekend immediately following the Tour, the field is absent one notable name from Norway: Johannes Høsflot Klæbo. He placed third overall in the Tour and took the weekend to recover.
The World Cup show goes on. And perhaps one of the most stable and finest skate ski technicians out there took center stage. France’s Lucas Chanavat earned his third podium of the season and his second career World Cup victory with a win on Saturday in Dresden. Chanavat won the two-lap 1.3-kilometer qualifier in 2:14.72.
Lucas Chanavat of France (bib 1), where he was all day, out front during the Dresden city sprints. (Photo: NordicFocus)
In a tight qualifier in which the top-10 were separated by 1.75 seconds, three Americans qualified for the heats: Logan Hanneman in 21st (+3.65), nineteen-year-old junior skier JC Schoonmaker (in his debut World Cup) 24th (+3.80), and Kevin Bolger in 28th (+4.00).
Bolger finished 25th for the day after placing fifth in the second quarterfinal. Schoonmaker was 30th overall and in the points, as he slotted into sixth in that same quarterfinal heat. Hanneman ended up 29th overall, after skiing to sixth in the first quarterfinal.
For Canada, Bob Thompson placed 34th, Graham Ritchie 46th, Antoine Cyr 51st, and Pierre Grall-Johnson 66th.
Bib 1, JC Schoonmaker at last week’s Senior Nationals in Houghton Michigan. (Photo: Reese Brown)
JC Schoonmaker in the points for the U.S., during the Dresden, Germany skate sprint. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Post-race comments from Marine Dusser, Head Coach at University of Alaska Anchorage
Stats aside, this was a tricky course for a basic two-lap oval sprint race. Crashes and slides were plentiful. Staying on your feet, an obvious must, was problematic for some. Most notable was a clash during the fourth quarter, where France’s Richard Jouve clipped the back of Italy’s Federico Pellegrino’s skis. It occurred on the lap corner where skiers seemed to be magnetically attracted to the tightest line up against the v-boards.
Not a bad tactic. But the high risk move didn’t always pay off. Pellegrino went down, as did Jouve, in a gnarly tumble. Pellegrino took a moment on course to disparage Jouve. Both skate sprint savants, Pellegrino placed an uncharacteristic 27th and Jouve 22nd.
The scene was a reminder that those who fired from the start, got out front, and remained there, set themselves up for success. With no true kicker hills on course, coupled with the high speed tracks, remaining in the front and out of trouble proved to be the recipe for success.
Chanavat played those tactics to perfection. He won his quarterfinal, semi-final (in a photo-finish with Norway’sSindre Bjørnestad Skar), and the final by skiing boss-like out front in 2:14.81.
Number one in the qualifier, number one in the final. Lucas Chanavat is the champion in Dresden. (Photo: NordicFocus)
The only mishap in the final was for Håvard Solås Taugbøl of Norway, who snapped a pole early on the first lap. Skiing the remainder of the lap with a single pole, he ultimately placed sixth, only 1.86 seconds back.
“I felt good today, especially in the final stretch,” Chanavat told FIS after the race. “I saw the crazy falls because Richard Jouve is usually fighting there (in the 180° turn) during the final and he was unlucky today again but he will be back stronger soon. I was hoping for a World Cup victory this year but I was not expecting it to happen so fast.”
Skar took second place (+0.61), Sweden’s Johan Haeggström third (0.96). Pål Trøan Aune of Norway placed fourth (+1.04), and Jay Renaud of France fifth.
The men’s podium on the streets of Dresden. Lucas Chanavat (FRA) takes the win ahead of Sindre Bjørnestad Skar (NOR) and Johan Haeggström (SWE). (Photo: NordicFocus)
With lickety-split snow and a two-lap course lined with fans, Stage 2 of the Tour de Ski (TdS) in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, a 1.5-kilometer skate sprint, sent a few ripples through the field, but solidified Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo as the TdS front runner.
Yesterday, Klæbo, in second place, ceded little time to two of his main rivals for the overall, Russians Sergey Ustiugov, who won Saturday’s mass start skate, and Alexander Bolshunov, who placed third.
Sprint courses are the real canvas for Klæbo. With half of Sunday’s course splashed in sunshine while the other sunken in deep shadows, Klæbo was able to use his tactical smarts and his explosive finish to conserve energy, pounce when it mattered, and take the win. Which, it so happens, came with a plentiful stash of time in a 60-second time bonus.
Johannes Høsflot Klæbo sprinting to the Stage 2 TdS win. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Klæbo began the day qualifying in first with a time of 2:44.64. Nearly matching his pace was Italy’s prayer for skate sprint salvation, Federico Pellegrino, who punched the clock in 2:45.84.
The duo went 1-2, Klæbo then Pellegrino, in the first quarterfinal which allowed the pair ample time to rest prior to the semis. In the first semi, it again was Klæbo-Pellegrino, 1-2 to advance.
The skate sprint powerhouses: Federico Pellegrino (ITA) and Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (NOR) during Stage 2 of the 2019-2020 TdS. (Photo: NordicFocus)
The men’s final featured Klaebo, Pellegrino, Richard Jouve of France, Pål Golberg of Norway, Russia’s Gleb Retivykh, and Johan Haeggstroem of Sweden. Jouve, who qualified in 13th, and advanced after placing second and first respectively in his quarterfinal and semi, went out in the final with a statement as he tried to secure his first career World Cup win.
Jouve went to the front immediately after leaving the start gates. The pace nothing too tepid, more of a control move to keep a potential podium in sight amidst the attacking prowess of Klæbo and Pellegrino.
A minute into the final, Jouve pushed along the shaded back straight to produce a line of six skiers – Klæbo in third, Pellegrino in fourth. With the sweeping left-hand turn which returned skiers to sunshine and the main stadium, the pace took on a this-is-for-real tempo. Jouve maintained his position upfront as they climbed out of the stadium. Klæbo sat back, several feet to the right of Jouve, safely out of traffic.
Richard Jouve of France placed third in Stage 2 of the TdS in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. (Photo: NordicFocus)
On the long descending straight on the backside of the course, just before their second time through the sweeping left back into sunshine, Pellegrino lets his skis glide him into a position behind Jouve. Klæbo kept wide and outside as they rounded the corner into the final straight.
Midway through the turn, Klæbo was textbook sprint wunderkind: he boosted ahead with a quick-turnover but equally powerful V2 to seal it. He won in 2:55.33. Pellegrino, who stuck in Klæbo’s draft down the straight, pulled past Jouve to take second (+0.35). Jouve was third (+0.57).
Hunting the finish line – Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo during Stage 2 of the 2019-2020 TdS. (Photo: NordicFocus)
With the Stage 2 win, Klæbo earned that aforementioned 60-second time bonus, and the TdS overall lead. His total time after two stages rests at 35:07. He sits 32 seconds ahead of Russia’s Bolshunov, who is second in the overall after placing eighth in the sprint, earning him a 30 second time bonus. Ustiugov, placed 11th in the sprint (24 second time bonus) and is positioned fifth overall at 34 seconds back.
Both Bolshunov and Ustiugov stayed at the front of their semi for the first lap. That semi also featured Klæbo and Pellegrino. Bolshunov faded to fourth as the second lap ensued, while Ustiugov maintained his spot at the sharp end. Down the home stretch, they were swallowed into the Klæbo-Pellegrino maw.
Alexander Bolshunov (RUS) pushing the pace while chased by Federico Pellegrino (ITA), Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (NOR), and France’s Renaud Jay during the men’s TdS Stage 2 skate sprint in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. (Photo: NordicFocus)
For the U.S. men, two standout qualifiers marked a successful day. Logan Hanneman qualified in 10th (+4.56) and Kevin Bolger in 12th (+4.72).
Hanneman finished 21st for a career-best World Cup result. He placed fifth in the fourth quarterfinal after getting hung up in a crash as Slovenia’s Miha Simenc and Norway’s Jan Thomas Jenssen tangled a meter ahead.
“I am quite happy with the day, even though it ended with a crash,” Hanneman emailed. “The qualifier was definitely the highlight. I honestly didn’t feel that great, so I was a little bit worried when I hit the hill on the first lap. But then I just tried to ski really big when I lapped through, abs apparently I was going faster than I thought I was.
“In the heat, everything was going well, and I was set up for a good position into the final downhill, however on the corner just after the short steep climb, the Norwegian and Slovenian came in from the outside, and collided with one another. I was directly to the inside of them and a little behind, so I had nowhere to go but to crash into them.
So it goes I suppose, but I was getting excited for the final push into the finish.
“My plan for the next few days is really to race as hard as I can in the distance races. They are not my strong suit, and I would really like to make it to the end of the Tour, so keeping within the time-back requirement would be awesome. So we will just take one at a time and see how they unfold!”
Bolger placed fifth in the third quarterfinal to place 22nd overall in the sprint.
Logan Hanneman placed 21st during the Stage 2 TdS skate sprint for a career best World Cup result. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Kevin Bolger placed 22nd overall in the TdS Stage 2 skate sprint in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. (Photo: Nordic Focus)
Racing continues for the men on Tuesday with an 15 k interval start skate in Tobalch, Italy. Monday is a rest day.
The men’s podium of the freestyle team sprint in Planica, Slovenia. The Norway I team of Sindre Bjørnestad Skar and Erik Valnes took the win over the Norway II and Finland teams. (Photo: NordicFocus)
From under the umbrella to inside the snow globe. Fat flakes were falling in Planica, Slovenia at the start of the freestyle team sprint. A painful mix of speed and endurance, each team member skied three 1.2-kilometer laps for a total of 7.2 k. Comprising the victorious Norway I team, Sindre Bjørnestad Skar and Erik Valnes stopped the clock at 16:54.52. Fellow countrymen Håvard Solås Taugbøl and Gjøren Tefre took the Norway II team to second place (+1.29) followed by the Finnish team of Ristomatti Hakola and Joni Mæki in third (+1.43).
Coming into the third exchange at the halfway mark of the race, the pack of athletes included all ten teams, no one able to break apart the masses in the slow conditions. A variety of teams including Norway, Finland, and France took turns trying to create a gap, but wasting energy too early in the slow snowy conditions risked hazard.
The Norway II team of Håvard Solås Taugbøl and Gjøren Tefre tag off in a tight field during the freestyle team sprint in Planica, Slovenia. (Photo: NordicFocus)
By the fourth exchange, there was no longer time to wait. Skar of Norway I pushed by Tefre of Norway II began to surge. He quickly created a small gap to all but Richard Jouve of France and Hakola of Finland I who went with the leaders in red.
Though the density was lowered, the spread of the top eight teams was less than nine seconds as they made the final exchange. Having mingled with the leaders throughout, the American duo of Kevin Bolger and Logan Hanneman sat in fifth, less than three seconds back on the Norwegians.
Densely packed inside a snow globe, Norway pushes toward a 1-2 sweep in the freestyle team sprint in Planica, Slovenia. (Photo: NordicFocus)
Winding up the energy in the final leg, Norway again made a push to break apart the field. Allowing them to lead to the climb at halfway, then working his way around the outside, yesterday’s sprint champion Chavanat made a go at the lead. Cresting the hill, Chavanat’s V2 was outmatched by two men in red jump-skating as though indefatigable even after 3.5 k’s of sprinting.
Valnes exploded off the front, leaving the threesome of Tefre, Mæki, and Chavanat duking it out to a close finish. Bobbling as he crossed into an opening, Tefre tangled skis with Mæki, but both men lost little momentum as they headed into the final straightaway.
Perhaps spent from his attempt to lead, Chavanat’s tempo could not match the others and he was overtaken in the final meters. Tefre slid his boot over the line just ahead of Mæki, leaving the French team 0.07 seconds off the podium.
The Norway I team of Sindre Bjørnestad Skar and Erik Valnes took home the cheese at the freestyle team sprint in snowy Planica, Slovenia. (Photo: NordicFocus)
“It was a challenging day [for conditions], just as yesterday,” Skar told FIS at the finish line. “But it’s the same for everyone so you just have to deal with it and do your best.”
He explained how the wet falling snow affected tactics and how the race unfolded for the Norway I team.
“It was so close and then with this weather it is almost impossible to go alone in the front. I tried the last half, but it was difficult, but we had to try and Erik was the best guy at the finish.”
Kevin Bolger accelerates out of the exchange during the freestyle team sprint in Planica, Slovenia. (Photo: NordicFocus)
After losing contact with the leaders in the final lap, the Americans held on for 7th place (+21.19).
In a post-race call, Whitcomb explains that the team of Bolger and Hanneman was not finalized until the morning, when original anchor Simi Hamilton, who took 12th in the rain yesterday, was forced to withdraw after coming down with a cold. Because of the adjustment, the team lost their start position in the semifinal and began at the back of the field. The men finished eighth in the fast first round, from which the top three teams went on to be the top three teams in the final. The Americans advanced to the final with the last lucky loser spot.
Post-race interview with Matt Whitcomb on the men’s team sprint.
Kevin Bolger (second from left) keeps the USA team in contact during the freestyle team sprint in Planica, Slovenia. (Photo: NordicFocus)
“Logan and I had the weather on our side today!” wrote Bolger in an email. “I was skiing well but punched it to the front of my semi-final on the second lap and got a bit flooded from that. Luckily, Logan skied really well on his final lap to bring us into qualifying contention!
“The Final felt a lot better,” he continued. “I skied a lot more conservatively and tactically better and am happy with how I moved forward. I was a bit surprised when Logan came into the Tag zone leading but was ready to head out and give it my all for the last lap!”
Logan Hanneman stays in the mix behind Norway during the freestyle team sprint in Planica, Slovenia. (Photo: NordicFocus)
At 26-year-old, Sun Valley native Kevin Bolger is in the midst of his third season of World Cup starts, landing inside the top-30 on eight occasions. Hanneman, who hails from Fairbanks, AK, has much less experience on the World Cup. Whitcomb explains how weekends like this one, where many of the all-arounders are resting for the Tour de Ski, consequently narrowing the field and improving the odds of sprinters like Hanneman who are often on the cusp of qualifying for the rounds.
Post-race interview with Matt Whitcomb on Logan Hanneman’s development on the World Cup.
“The final was just nuts,” wrote Hanneman in an email about his day. “It was snowing so hard. The pace was much more pedestrian than the semi final. I found myself with an open lane up the last hill of my second lap, and made what I thought was a low energy move up into the lead… turns out it was all adrenaline because come my last lap I was dying. But Kevin skied great during the whole final, and we were able get beat some teams in the final. Very happy with the day for sure!”
This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact 
