Norway may have the women's overall World Cup leader in Bente Skari, but the German team came out on top in today's relay. And German Rene Sommerfeldt may be leading the men's overall, but the Norwegians took the men's relay honor. Maybe this is because neither leader raced.
The Norwegian men's team consisting of Anders Aukland, Frode Estil, Tore Ruud Hofstad and Thomas Alsgaard won the men’s 4X10k mix cross-country relay in Nove Mesto on Sunday.
Alsgaard, as he has done so many times before, beat Italy in a sprint to the finish line. Germany managed to take third, holding off Austria, Sweden, Czech Republic, and Finland in a mad dash for the line.
Germany's Rene Sommerfeldt, the overall World Cup Leader, did not race, opting to focus on maintaining his lead in the overall World Cup.
<Men's Relay Results
In the women's 4x5K Relay, Norway's Anita Moen won the first leg handily b 25 seconds, and Norway held the lead until Germany's Claudia Kunzel closed the gap on the third leg (first skate leg). It came down to the final leg, as Germany's young sensation Evi Schenbacher outskied Norway's Hilde G. Pedersen for the win. Pedersen was just able to hold off Finland's Kaisa Varis who caught up to challenge for second place. Norway was without star Bente Skari.
<Women's Relay
