Super Tour Finals continued in the north woods of Presque Isle, ME with the first of the men’s and women’s distance events. Icy conditions caused a delay in racing and left fast classic tracks at the Nordic Heritage Center. The races can be streamed live or replayed on the U.S. Ski Team Facebook page.
Men’s 15-kilometer Mass Start Classic
In the men’s 15-kilometer race, a pack of six men led by Simi Hamilton (USST/SMS T2) gradually pulled away from the field over the first 10 k. Tucked in behind him were Erik Bjornsen (USST/APU), Gus Schumacher (USST – D/AWS), Scott Patterson (USST/APU), David Norris (APU), and Ben Ogden (USST – D/UVM). As the group approached the end of their last 3.75 k lap, Hamilton and Bjornsen broke away with Schumacher close on their tails. In a final double pole sprint, Bjornsen edged out Hamilton, stopping the clock at 37:50.2. Hamilton crossed the line 0.4 seconds behind, followed by Schumacher in third (+2.6).
As a U-20 athlete, Schumacher’s podium finish is particularly noteworthy. Another strong U-20 result was had by USST D-Team athlete Ben Ogden (UVM) who took 6th.
Women’s 10-kilometer Mass Start Classic
The women’s 10 k event spread out much more quickly, as Sadie Bjornsen (USST/APU) charged to the front stringing out the women behind her. Skiing alone for the second half of the race, Bjornsen took the win handily with a time of 29:00.5. This is Bjornsen’s second consecutive win as she also won Friday’s 1.4 k freestyle sprint. Chasing her teammate, Rosie Brennan (APU) crossed the line in second (+19.4), followed by Dahria Beatty of Canada (CNST) in third (+31.3). Hailey Swirbul (USST – D/APU) crossed the line just after Beatty as the third American (+41.5).
