Klaebo, Valnes, Vike—Red Sprint Podium in Falun

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Erik Valnes (NOR) might be the most durable skier of his generation: seemingly never sick, hardly ever injured, lined up at just about every World Cup event on every available weekend, and always in contention for the podium. It’s just Valnes’ misfortune to have been born into the same generation as Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (NOR), perhaps the greatest technician and tactician the sport has ever known. Klaebo may not share Valnes durability—he’s often sidelined by illness—but Klaebo is a safe bet to win any Sprint competition he lines up for. Even so, Klaebo certainly remembers the very short list of names of those who have beaten him in head-to-head sprints . . . and Valnes is one of those few.

In Falun, Klaebo (1st) and Valnes (2nd) continued to represent the Norwegian cream that rises to the top of so many World Cup Nordic events. They were joined on the podium by their young teammate, Oskar Opstad Vike, claiming a podium position in only his 13th WorldCup start.

Four Americans advanced out of qualifying in Falun: Zak Ketterson 11th, JC Schoonmaker 15th, Murphy Kimball 22nd, and Kevin Bolger 28th. Each of those Americans would see their days end in quarterfinal heats with Bolger 19th, Ketterson 22nd, Schoonmaker 23rd, and Kimball 28th. Among other Americans, Luke Jager qualified 41st and Zanden McMullen 52nd.

“The qualifier effort is a big toll on the body,” said Kimball, “But I think almost everyone in the field has to go all out to not only make heats but also to secure FIS points. One of the things I’m happy about is my consistency in qualification so far on World Cup. I’m usually around 8-9 seconds back from the leaders and today that was enough to get into heats.”

“In the heat today I noticed it was faster than a non-World Cup competition,” Kimball continued. “Especially when the heat starts pressing it’s another gear that I haven’t seen in most other competitions. This sprint heat was like all others, so I stay focused on the same things and tried not to let the more aggressive World Cup racing push me around too much!”

Xavier McKeever was the sole Canadian qualifier (30th). He would finish the day in 20th. Among other Canadians, Graham Ritchie would finish 47th, Pierre Grall-Johnson 51st, Antoine Cyr 55th, and Julian Smith 61st.

Falun Classic Sprint

Klaebo led out Quarterfinal 1, albeit slowly. So much so that Valnes found his path clogged with other skiers. Eventually, such a slow pace will push someone to the front; Bolger was the one to take the bait, surging to the front where he inadvertently offered Klaebo a healthy draft on the final downhill. Klaebo and Valnes advanced with ease.

Winner of the Classic Sprint in Les Rousses earlier this season (during Klaebo’s absence), Anger led Quarterfinal 2 in definitive fashion though with what seemed like a LOT of skate strokes over the tops of the hills. He’d win the heat ahead of Jules Chappaz (FRA). Kimball—the 22nd qualifier—discovered the difficulties and challenges of World Cup racing as he struggled with the technical nature of the winding downhill sections of Falun’s Sprint course. He would finish the day in 28th.

Chanavat appeared unprepared and clumsy out of the starting gate in Quarterfinal 3, but he would recover on the downhill sections of the course  avoiding a costly tangle on a subsequent uphill that ended the day for Benjamin Moser (AUT) and George Ersson (SWE). Chanavat would qualify second behind Vike.

Ketterson rocketed off the front in Quarterfinal 4, only to be swallowed up by the faster skis of Even Northug (NOR), Joni Maki (FIN), and lucky loser Pellegrino. Ketterson would fade to fifth, ultimately finishing the day in 22nd.

Schoonmaker planted his pole on top of his own ski, taking himself out of contention in the day’s last quarterfinal. Jiri Tuz (CZE) would coast to the heat win, ahead of Miha Simenc (SLO).

Semifinal 1

The day’s headliners—and top three qualifiers—lined up for Semifinal 1. Klaebo , Valnes, and Anger continue to have scores to settle, though it’s definitely Klaebo with the most experience, the most solid tactics, and the reputation that can effectively bend the interplay of a semifinal heat to suit his will. Anger found himself at the front early on, and Klaebo maintained a position at his hip, though being unwilling to take the lead. On the final downhill, Anger found himself quite publicly de-pantsed by the superior tactics and faster skis of a host of Norwegians as Klaebo led Valnes and Vike across the line. In a final indignity, Anger was also outsprinted for fourth place (and the final lucky loser position) by France’s Jules Chappaz.

Semifinal 2

Chanavat would start with greater intent in Semifinal 2, following Tuz and Even Northug (NOR) up the first steep pitch. But Chanavat’s tempo appeared flat down the homestretch. Not only did he fail to catch Tuz and Northug, he was also passed by Pellegrino and Joni Maki (FIN), though neither would be fast enough to claim a lucky loser position.

Sprint Final

Vike (the 21 year old Norwegian) and Tuz (the 20 year old Czech interloper) had both shown great speed all day. Unfortunately, that potentially set them up for harsh schoolings by seasoned veterans like Klaebo and Valnes (who would be only too happy to let spirited, young greyhounds set the pace in the final). Appearing a bit fatigued from his semifinal effort, Tuz never got the chance to lead as Klaebo (always one to mix up his tactics) powered convincingly to the front. All Klaebo needed was a willing patsy to fall for the trick—someone eager to take the lead at exactly the right/wrong moment. Enter the young and ambitious teammate, Oskar Opstad Vike who shot to the front at precisely the moment Klaebo needed him to. The schooling was about to begin . . .

Klaebo suffered a brief and uncharacteristic stumble on the course’s sweeping downhill, but recovered in time to maintain his position ahead of Valnes. Ultimately, Klaebo would employ his understanding of fast lines—and his own fast skis—to pass Vike on the final downhill, though only after another oddly clumsy step in his high-speed lane change (a missed Classic track and an inadvertent skate stroke that may cost him a yellow card). Valnes would see the opening that Klaebo’s misstep created, but Klaebo was not to be overcome in the final meters. Valnes would cross the line second ahead of Vike whose bold and impetuous tactics delivered him a third place finish.

Klaebo has been absent from World Cup activities for a while, but he seemed excited—and relieved—to be back. “Having eight days on the couch, so it’s good to be back racing again,” he said. “(Today’s win) helps, for sure . . . I feel like I needed this one.”

Falun Men’s Sprint RESULTS

Falun Men’s Sprint QUALIFYING