Brian Gregg, winner of today’s SuperTour, gives the scoop

FasterSkier · January 31, 2010

Brian Gregg picked up two podium finishes in this weekend’s SuperTour in Telemark, WI. Racing for CXC, Gregg placed third in yesterday’s classic race and then outsprinted teammate Matt Liebsch for the win in today’s mass start skate race. Gregg took a break from packing his bags (flying to the Canmore World Cups) to give the scoop on today’s race.

Gregg and Liebsch skate away from the field in Telemark

How did the race play out – when did the field spread out and when did you and Liebsch separate from the lead pack?

Last year in this race, it was a big pack finish. I think the top 20 guys were all within 30 seconds. I was nervous about the liability of such a large group today and tried to go out hard. I made a move just before the 2km mark to try and break things up a bit. Matt and I had a small lead on the field and we made a quick pact to work together to get a gap. We rotated pulling for the next few minutes. Matt is really strong at V2 and I was thankful to have the draft in order to stay with him. Chris Cook caught up to us, but he had to work by himself to catch us while Matt and I were able to recover a bit in the draft. Matt and I continued to work together before starting to play cat and mouse in the final kilometers.

Were there any trip-ups during the race?

There were a few poles stepped on here and there, but I believe for the most part the race went pretty smooth for everyone.

How were course conditions?

Clear skies and cold temperatures made for a blue bird day of racing. The courses were hard packed with a bit of soft tilled snow on top. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Did this race weekend feel any different from other weekends?

I have been living and training in Hayward, WI the past four years so it was great to race in front of so many friends and supporters. Additionally I spend a fair amount of time running the trails and visualizing this race. It is always great to perform well at your ‘home’ SuperTour. CXC puts on the Telemark Super Tour and it was great to see such strong performances throughout the team. The men swept the podium in the classic race and the women swept the freestyle.
How are you feeling right now about your racing and health and what is your upcoming schedule?

I am feeling great. I will take the next few days pretty easy in preparation for the 15km freestyle in Canmore. I have been focusing on that race all season. I have been racing a lot this season and will return to Hayward after Canmore for some solid training in preparation for the American Birkebiener and some March racing in Europe.

Brian Gregg (CXC Team Vertical Limit) - 8th place. — Brian Gregg (CXC Team Vertical Limit)