FasterSkier · December 21, 2006
Frode Estil and Roger Aa. Djupvik of Norway started in 50-k pace in the recent 15-kilometer in Cogne, but came on very strong as the race progressed. See the two skiers race profiles here.
– I started a little too careful. It irritates me that I wasnt more offensive, says Frode Estil, who came on very strong and finished with a good 6. place.
– I watched Marit and Hilde race and saw that they struggled today. I was nervous since we just got up to altitude. It often pays off starting easy at altitude, but I was uncertain. You can in retrospect say that the respect for altitude was too big today, said Estil after the race.
He feel that he stayed with the 50-k pace a little too long. He was in 25th place at 6-k and in 6th place at 10-k and held on to that to the finish.
– It took some time before Roger understood that this was a World Cup race, but he woke up when other skiers around him were stepping on the gas pedal, but that was a bit in to the race, said chief of sport at Age Skinstad.
Djupvik feels like Estil that he was a little too conservative in the Italian high altitude mountains.
– I had decided to start conservatively andski in to the race. I felt after crossing the finish line that I had some energy left, but I still feel that it was smart to start the way I did.
Neither Tor Arne Hetland nor Eldar Rnning started conservative. They were in the lead trio from start to finish and traded with Russian Dementiev, in leading the race.
Source: Langrenn.com
 in his first ever World Cup race. He was occasionally not top-30 in the beginning before he understood that he had to pick it up </p></div><div class=)