Hochfilzen Pursuits: Photo Gallery

The first sunny day of this past weekend’s three-day race series in Hochfilzen, Austria, came at the very end – the women’s and men’s 10 and 12.5 k pursuits. It was an exciting day of racing, but spectators were also simply thrilled to be out in the warm sun with great views of the Tirolian Alps. Here are some snaps from the day.

(links to race reporting: women’s race | Canadian women | men’s race | North American men)

Vita and Valj Semerenko (UKR) with Olga Zaitseva (RUS).

Coaches at the top of the course’s biggest climb.

JP Le Guellec (CAN) leads Dominik Windisch (ITA) out of the range.

Daniel Mesotitsch (AUT), Fredrik Lindstrom (SWE), and Jakov Fak (SLO).

Selina Gasparin (SUI), Veronika Vitkova (CZE), and Irina Starykh (RUS) shooting in the second stage.

A group of men chase early-race leader Lars Berger of Norway.

spectators watch as Selina Gasparin (SUI) and Veronika Vitkova (CZE) approach.

Dominik Landertinger (AUT), Ondrej Moravec (CZE), and Brendan Green (CAN).

Lars Berger (NOR) hits the first climb still in the lead.

Team staff wait for racers to arrive on the range.

Selina Gasparin (SUI) and Veronika Vitkova (CZE) on their first loop, still in the lead.

Martin Fourcade (FRA) racing earlier this season in Hochfilzen, Austria. Today he turned in a strong anchor performance to help the French men to a World Cup relay win.

Irina Starykh racing in Hochfilzen, Austria, last December, is one of three Russian biathletes caught using EPO since December 2013.

The top four finishers from the women’s sprint attack one of the first hills on the course.

Martin Fourcade (FRA) enters the range the final time, nonchalant.

Hometown spectators brought an Austrian flag.

Selina Gasparin (SUI) and Veronika Vitkova (CZE).

Synnove Solemdal (NOR) and Juliya Dzhyma (UKR), eventual 1-2 finishers.

Simon Hallenbarter (SUI) and Bjorn Ferry (SWE).

Teja Gregorin (SLO), Franziska Preuss (GER), and Jana Gerekova (SVK).

The men’s field heads towards the big climb.

Veronika Vitkova (CZE) and Krystyna Palka (POL).

Tim Burke (USA) and Andrejs Rastorgujevs (LAT).

Lars Berger (NOR) leads teammate Emil Hegle Svendsen.

Gabriela Soukalova (CZE) and Marie Laure Brunet (FRA).

Chelsea Little

Chelsea Little is FasterSkier's Editor-At-Large. A former racer at Ford Sayre, Dartmouth College and the Craftsbury Green Racing Project, she is a PhD candidate in aquatic ecology in the @Altermatt_lab at Eawag, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology in Zurich, Switzerland. You can follow her on twitter @ChelskiLittle.