Americans Andy Newell and Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess during official training on Monday, one day before the start of the 2016 Ski Tour Canada in Gatineau, Quebec. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
(Note: This article has been updated to reflect the adjusted distances for the men’s and women’s classic mass starts in Montreal on Wednesday, March 2.)
The U.S. Ski Team is ready. And we’re sure the Canadians are bursting at the seams. Are you? Over the last week, World Cup cross-country ski racers from about 25 nations descended on Ottawa, Ontario, and the Gatineau just across the river in western Quebec in anticipation of the first of eight stages at the Ski Tour Canada, which doubles as World Cup finals.
Races start Tuesday with the men’s and women’s 1.7-kilometer freestyle sprints in Gatineau, with the elimination rounds starting at 1:45 Eastern time, and continue Wednesday about 200 kilometers east in Montreal, Quebec, with the first distance races of the Tour: the women’s 10.5 k and men’s 17.5 k classic mass starts.
With temperatures up around freezing on Monday afternoon, the Gatineau sprint course both softened and transformed under the sun. It cooled down considerably overnight, with temperatures around -17 degrees Celsius (1 Fahrenheit) and a forecast high of -10 (14 Fahrenheit) with high winds expected.
Looking down the finishing stretch at the World Cup course in Montreal, as seen Monday two days before the races there on Wednesday. (Photo: Francois Leger Dionne)
A blizzard is also on the way, with snowfall anticipated in Montreal starting between 4 and 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Accumulation could be around 25-30 centimeters (10-12 inches) of snow Tuesday night and into Wednesday: race day in Montreal.
There, the 3.5 k course has been altered slightly from its original plan due to “technical challenges related to the water supply service,” which would have made snowmaking difficult atop Mount Royal, a large hill just west of downtown Montreal, organizers explained in press release earlier this month. The course was moved from the top to the bottom, near the George-Étienne Cartier Monument, “a location that is easily accessible to the public,” the release stated.
Snow conditions on Monday were “rock hard” and icy, according to one FasterSkier reporter, due to freezing rain Monday morning.
Like Gatineau, Montreal’s high temperatures were around freezing on Monday and forecast to be -10 Celsius on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Here is a collection of photos and quotes from the days leading up to the Tour, as well as a complete schedule below.
A sunny day for the final day of official training before the start of the 2016 Ski Tour Canada in Gatineau, Quebec. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
A little wax testing on Gatineau’s 1.7 k sprint course, with the start/finish area visible at the upper right. (Photo: John Lazenby/lazenbyphoto.com)
Petter Northug (Norway) during official training on Monday in Gatineau, Quebec. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
FasterSkier: “Is this your first time in Ottawa?”
Simi Hamilton: “It is! I’ve been up to Quebec quite a few times and obviously Canmore a whole bunch, but first time to Ottawa and it’s awesome. Really cool. The skiing up here is amazing. I was telling the crowd earlier, it’s probably the best skiing we’ve had all winter, on natural snow and just hundreds of k’s of trails out here. So it’s really cool.”
–Interview by Alex Slobodan
The German World Cup team during official training in Gatineau, Quebec. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
Alex Harvey (Canadian World Cup Team) surrounded by media on Monday, one day before the start of the Ski Tour Canada in Gatineau, Quebec. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
Patrick Stewart-Jones representing Canada during Monday’s press conference, the day before the Ski Tour Canada’s first stage in Gatineau, Quebec. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
Jessie Diggins speaking on behalf of the U.S. team during Monday’s press conference, the day before the Ski Tour Canada’s first stage in Gatineau, Quebec. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
Maurice Manificat during Monday’s press conference, the day before the Ski Tour Canada’s first stage in Gatineau, Quebec. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
Stina Nilsson during Monday’s press conference, the day before the Ski Tour Canada’s first stage in Gatineau, Quebec. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
Federico Pellegrino during Monday’s press conference, the day before the Ski Tour Canada’s first stage in Gatineau, Quebec. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
(Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)
FasterSkier: “Have you ever been to Ottawa before?”
Francesco de Fabiani: “No, it is the first time I come in Canada and in America in general. I am surprised … Canada is a very nice place for cross-country skiing.”
FS: “What are your goals for the Tour?”
FDF: “Well, I hope to stay in the top 10 in the final ranking, but I know that it will be difficult with the free sprint. I don’t know how is the track in Montreal, the 20 k. And classic is my favourite technique, but if it is not so hard and someone can go with only double poling, I think that they will be difficult to stay with.”
FasterSkier: “What are your goals for the Tour?”
Erik Bjornsen: “I’ve had some pretty good races the last couple of weeks on the World Cup so I am hoping to keep that momentum going and score some points and just ski strong all the way through.”
A Russian athlete signs the toque of a local child at the Nakkertok ski trails in Cantley, Quebec, last weekend. (Photo: Doug Ranahan)
Nakkertok head coach Kieran Jones on the impact of a local World Cup: “Having the World Cup arrive in the Ottawa/Gatineau area is a great chance for our athletes to see what the strongest in the world look like. In North America you barely get to see the best cross country skiers on TV, much less in person, so the myth and legend grows to the point where they can seem inhuman. Having Northug, Kalla, and Caspersen Falla skiing around at Nakkertok really brings home the reality of the sport to the kids and young adults, and shows them that these fast skiers are still people, and are totally approachable, and people you can aspire to. The buzz that having the world in your city and club generates is great for the sport, and great for the club.”
Norway’s Maiken Caspersen Falla (in pink) skis by a young local skier at the Nakkertok ski trails on Saturday in Cantley, Quebec. (Photo: Doug Ranahan)
Norway’s Maiken Caspersen Falla training on Saturday at the Nakkertok trails in Cantley, Quebec. (Photo: Doug Ranahan)
Two Nakkertok juniors, Pat Paradine (in yellow) and Hugh Graham (left, in blue and black), chase Russian World Cup skiers on Saturday during training at the Nakkertok trails in Cantley, Quebec. (Photo: Doug Ranahan)
Nakkertok’s Hugh Graham (l) and Pat Paradine double pole behind two Russian World Cup skiers (not shown) at the Nakkertok trails in Cantley, Quebec, the weekend before the Ski Tour Canada stage in Gatineau, Quebec. (Photo: Doug Ranahan)
Nakkertok’s Alex Slobodian chases a Norwegian on the Nakkertok trails in Cantley, Quebec. (Photo: Doug Ranahan)
FasterSkier: “Have you been to Ottawa before?” Markus Cranmer, former German junior coach, now a Russian coach for Alexander Legkov’s training group: “No. It’s the first time for me to be here. Very nice, very nice for skiing and very nice tracks here. I’m really surprised! … Not too far from the city and so it’s very nice.”
“I’m looking forward to the entire experience and not putting too much weight into any single race,” Jackson wrote in an email. “Every race as my next best opportunity, in a Tour format you can’t write off any race because every day matters if you want to get to the next one. I am a more partial to the sprints though.
“Racing for Canada on home soil is pretty darn cool, but being able to represent my training centre (NDC Thunder Bay), province (Ontario), and club (Team Hardwood), is even more inspiring because they are the ones who have fostered my development as a skier to a level where I can be part of Team Canada.”
All races are expected to be broadcast on NBC Sports Live Extra (accessible to U.S. subscribers via cable or satellite), and all times are Eastern Standard Time.
Tuesday, March 1: Gatineau
(Not part of broadcast: Women’s qualifier at 11:15 a.m.: start list | Men’s qualifier at noon: start list)
1:45 p.m. – Men’s and women’s freestyle sprint heats
Wednesday, March 2: Montreal
12:00 p.m. – Women’s 13 k classic mass start
2:30 p.m. – Men’s 20 k classic mass start
Friday, March 4: Quebec City
3:30 p.m. – Men’s and women’s freestyle sprint
Saturday, March 5: Quebec City
3:00 p.m. – Women’s 10 k freestyle pursuit
4:00 p.m. – Men’s 15 k freestyle pursuit
Tuesday, March 8: Canmore
3:00 p.m. – Men’s and women’s classic sprint
Wednesday, March 9: Canmore
12:00 p.m. – Women’s 15 k skiathlon
2:30 p.m. – Men’s 30 k skiathlon
Friday, March 11: Canmore
11:45 a.m. – Women’s 10 k freestyle interval start
3:00 p.m. – Men’s 15 k freestyle interval start
Saturday, March 12: Canmore
3:00 p.m. – Women’s 10 k classic pursuit
4:00 p.m. – Men’s 15 k classic pursuit
![Andy Newell and Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess during official training on Monday, one day before the start of the 2016 Ski Tour Canada in Gatineau, Quebec. (Photo: John Lazenby/Lazenbyphoto.com)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/03/Newell-and-Dakota-Blackhorse-von-Jess.jpg")
![Looking down the finishing stretch at the World Cup course in Montreal, as seen Monday two days before the races there on Wednesday. (Photo: Francois Leger Dionne)](http://fasterskier.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2016/03/P1014776.jpg")
