I was skimming FasterSkier’s write-up of the Tour de Ski prologue yesterday and noted their comment about how Liz Stephen “… is generally stronger over longer distances, performing better in 10k’s than 5k’s and even better still in 15k’s.” That has been my informal impression as well, but I was suddenly skeptical about whether her actual [...] Related posts:
OBERHOF, Germany – Emil Jönsson is neither black nor 6’5”, but athletically, he’s cross-country skiing’s Usain Bolt—the sport’s fastest man in a drag race. Since last March, though, the World Cup circuit has been suffering from an acute absence of the Swedish speed-demon, with a hamstring injury and a cold limiting Jönsson to a single sprint start before the 2012 Tour de Ski. As evidenced by his podium finish in that race in Davos, Switzerland,...
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OBERHOF, Germany – Of all the Tour de Ski stages, none matters less than the prologue. Runner-up Dario Cologna didn’t hesitate to say exactly that, and American Andy Newell concurred. “I don’t really care about today,” he told FasterSkier. “I don’t mind being flat today. You can make up four times tomorrow any time you lose today,” he said in reference to Friday’s pursuit. Newell wasn’t merely covering for an off day as his sentiments...
The format and selection procedures at World Youth/Junior Biathlon Championships Team Trials were explained in Wednesday’s Full results (Excel spreadsheet)
It's great that FIS has switched back to calling it the pursuit. And tomorrow is going to be worthy of the name, at least on the women's side.Therese Johaug clawing back 27 seconds is going to be impressive, if it happens, and my guess is that there wi...
A – Awesome: One word to describe the first day of the Tour De Ski. You have to see it to believe it. B – Beer: Yes, the Germans take their beer seriously. In the Fasterskier apartment, beer greeted us. Chilled and waiting. C – Camera: R.I.P. Nat and Topher witnessed the camera on the 200m track on the big huge hill break free and run away from the video guys during warmups. It was...
OBERHOF, Germany – Thursday’s freestyle prologue will probably not end up being significant in the grand scheme of the 2012 Tour de Ski, which includes eight more competitions and 100 kilometers of racing spread across two countries. But that doesn’t mean good results here didn’t give athletes a boost. Led by Alex Harvey’s sixth-place finish, the Canadian men are flying high after Stage 1 of the Tour. With Harvey just seven seconds away from the...
OBERHOF, Germany – Kikkan Randall (USA) picked up right where she left off before the holiday break, notching another top-10 result in the opening stage of the Tour de Ski. Randall placed tenth in the 3.1km skate race with teammates Liz Stephen and Holly Brooks in 37th and 53rd respectively. For Randall this is merely a continuation of a stellar season. She was just 7.2 seconds behind winner Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) and will be in...
OBERHOF, Germany – If the Prologue is any indication, the 2012 Tour de Ski will play out as predicted by the media hype—a battle between Petter Northug (NOR) and Dario Cologna (SUI). Northug edged his rival, and defending Tour champion, Cologna, by .7 seconds in the men’s prologue in Oberhof, Germany. Maurice Manificat (FRA) placed third, four seconds off the pace. As expected, times were tightly compressed on the fast hard track. The course was...
OBERHOF, Germany – Oh, it’s on. The battle between Marit Bjørgen (NOR) and Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) for Tour de Ski queendom has officially begun—with Kowalczyk landing the first blow. By a scant 0.4 seconds, the Polish strongwoman claimed victory in the first stage of this year’s Tour on Thursday afternoon, covering the icy 3.1-kilometer freestyle prologue in just over seven minutes. Bjoergen was second, with 21-year-old Swede Hanna Brodin earning her second-ever World Cup podium...
I figure that a short post is better than none at all.... so here it is: The Tour de Ski started today. While I had a poor result - by far, my worst "distance race" since being in Europe, I have to happy in that I felt as if I could ski. Ye...
I figure that a short post is better than none at all.... so here it is: The Tour de Ski started today. While I had a poor result - by far, my worst "distance race" since being in Europe, I have to happy in that I felt as if I could ski. Ye...
The 2012 Tour de Ski gets underway just over an hour when the women take to the course for a 3.1km freestyle prologue, followed an hour later by a four kilometer version for the men. Cold temperatures overnight firmed up the course, and the snow is fast, if a bit dirty. The drop below freezing meant that there was no need to salt the course as discussed yesterday. Organizers spent much of the day on...
As athletes prepare to start this year’s Tour de Ski on Thursday, plans are taking shape for the next four editions of the race that would vary its length and location. According to FIS Cross-Country Race Director Jürg Capol, the Tour will almost certainly be making a stop in Switzerland next year, and for the three years afterwards. The event will alternate between venues in Münstertal—the small valley that claims Swiss superstar Dario Cologna as...
Today in Anchorage, World Youth/Junior Biathlon Championships Team Trials kicked off with a bang – or lots of bangs, as rifles knocked down target after target at Kincaid Park’s Sean Doherty of Saratoga Biathlon and Full results (Excel spreadsheet)
First of all, I would just like to say that I think hate prologues as much as Tassava loves the Tour de Ski.They play absolutely zero role in the finish of the Tour de Ski, are a waste of a day, and are so massively unpredictable they drive me nuts.Cro...
I love the Tour de Ski - always have (even when it was just a twinkle in Vegard Ulvang's eye), always will (even after Northug reels off five straight wins starting this year). I'm especially jazzed for the 2011-2012 edition, since it's the only ma...
Less than 24 hours remain until the start of the 2012 Tour de Ski. The FasterSkier team (that’s right – team!) has arrived in Germany to cover the ultimate test of all-around skiing prowess for the first time in our history. It feels like the entire world of cross-country skiing has converged upon the small town of Oberhof, in the eastern part of Germany, for the first two stages of the Tour. While winter sports...
OBERHOF, Germany – If there’s anything positive about Kris Freeman’s struggles in the first half of the 2012 season, it’s that they haven’t been too much of a mystery to him. Through nine competitions this season, Freeman’s head has been “everywhere but racing,” as a result of a big change in his personal life: Just before he departed for Europe, he and his girlfriend parted ways after 10 years together. Following a week of rest...