In a season of lackluster results thus far, Simi Hamilton's performance in the team sprint in Sochi, Russia, on Sunday is especially notable. Andy Newell's fall in the last lap left the Americans disappointed, yes, but Hamilton was "stoked" to ski the second-fastest third round of the entire field.
Sylvan Ellefson and Lauren Fritz each outkicked a charging field to take home the overall Boulder Mountain Tour titles in Sun Valley, Idaho, on Saturday. Ellefson repeated his 2011 victory and Fritz won in her first Tour appearance.
Has a team sprint ever been won by a difference of 18 seconds? If so, Dmitriy Japarov and Maxim Vylegzhanin erased all memory of it on Sunday in taking the Sochi team sprint win by exactly that much. The field was stunned — Sweden took second and Germany was third.
Liz Stephen was eighth in the 15 k skiathlon in Sochi, Russia, on Saturday. It was the best regular-season result of her life, but she wasn't quite happy with it. She wants a World Cup podium, and at 25 seconds out of third on the grueling Olympic course she's getting oh-so-close.
Despite a fall in the exchange zone Canada's Ivan Babikov led the North Americans in the 30 k skiathlon in Sochi, Russian, on Saturday in snowy, challenging conditions. American Noah Hoffman had a tangle of his own but managed to claw his way back to the top 26.
Seven Americans landed in the heats in the freestyle sprint in Sochi, Russia, on Friday. Kikkan Randall calmly won her third sprint of the season and Ida Sargent was sixth in her first appearance in a World Cup final. La Clusaz is but a distant memory.
Kikkan Randall proved to the world once again that she can overcome any obstacle to reach the top of a World Cup podium. The first Olympic test event of the weekend took place on Friday at the Laura Cross-Country Stadium outside Sochi, Russia, where Randall bested France’s Aurore Jean and Norway’s Celine Brun-Lie to claim her second individual sprint win and ninth podium of the season.
For this edition of the college workout, we're running stairs with the University of Denver. Get ready for your legs to shake.
After a short break in the calendar, World Cup action begins again on Friday in Sochi, Russia, with a triple-header. More than the usual amount of intrigue surrounds the upcoming events; in addition to being the first World Cup in almost two weeks, this will be the first international cross-country event to take place at the Olympic venue for the 2014 Games.
FasterSkier happened to be at Devil's Thumb ranch for the Colorado Governor's Cup this weekend, where Sylvan Ellefson coasted to a comfortable win in the 30 k freestyle. We asked the 2012 SuperTour champ about his season, skipping the Tour de Twin Cities and what's coming up next.
The Tour de Twin Cities concluded on Sunday with a 10/15 k freestyle pursuit. After dozens of accumulated laps around the 3.3 k Wirth Park course, Torin Koos and Rosie Brennan each maintained their leads and emerged victorious in the overall standings. Brian and Caitlin Gregg both posted the fastest times of the day for the stage wins and their first double victory as a couple.
On the very last day of Junior World Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic, the U.S. women's and men's relays placed 10th and 12th, respectively. A fall in the men's relay tripped up a stellar early scramble by Logan Hanneman, while Ben Saxton and Heather Mooney each skied high-ranking splits for the Americans.
Reese Hanneman won the 10 k classic race at Wirth Park on Saturday for his first career SuperTour distance win. He beat Mike Sinnott and Torin Koos in second and third, respectively. Rosie Brennan bested Jennie Bender by 0.6 seconds in the women's 5 k to take home stage four.
Erik Bjornsen nabbed his third top-20 of the week on Saturday with a 16th-place finish in the 30 k skiathlon at U23 World Championships. Caitlin Patterson led three American women in the top-30 by taking 19th in the women's 15 k.
In the last race of the U23 World Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic, the skiathlon gold medals went to two individuals who have already been dominant this week. Sergey Ustiugov (RUS) continued his winning streak in the men’s 30 k event and Ragnhild Haga (NOR) took home the title in the women's 15 k.
After a cold-induced delay in competition the Tour de Twin Cities continued on Friday in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with a classic sprint at Wirth Park. In conditions more amenable to racing, Mike Sinnott and Jennie Bender took home the titles in stage three.
For the second time this week Heather Mooney led the U.S. contingent at World Junior Championships. She finished 26th in the 10 k skiathlon, another personal best for her in the discipline. Kyle Bratrud was 34th in the men's 20 k to lead the American men.
Caitlin Patterson and Erik Bjornsen led the Americans on Thursday at the U23 World Championships in Liberec, Czech Republic. Patterson was 14th in the women's 10 k freestyle and Bjornsen skied his last few kilometers with the race winner to place 15th in the 15 k.
A second-place finish in the 3 x 3 k relay in Trondheim, Norway, by Julia Kern, Katharine Ogden and Heidi Halvorsen topped the American performances over the weekend at the J1 Scando Cup.
Junior World Championships continued in Liberec, Czech Republic, on Wednesday. Forrest Mahlen and Sawyer Kesselheim put up another pair of top-30s for the U.S. in the men’s 10 k freestyle, placing 27th and 29th, respectively. Mary O’Connell led the way for the American women with 33rd in the 5 k.