Gretchen Burkholder – FasterSkier.com

Klæbo Takes Home a Crystal Globe; Harvey Ends Career with a 2nd Place

Gretchen BurkholderMarch 24, 2019

Alex Harvey finished his career racing for Canada with a bang today in Québec City, Canada. Harvey placed second to Norway’s Johannes Høsflot Klæbo in today’s 15-kilometer freestyle pursuit. It was Harvey’s second podium in as many races as he can now claim a perfect ending to his career. Another solid ending went to Klæbo, who with his win today earned the overall World Cup title. Although the point differential lent an air of intrigue to the...

Racing World Cup

Russia takes the Podium in Holmenkollen; Harvey 5th, Patterson 19th

Gretchen BurkholderMarch 9, 2019

Russian skier, Alexander Bolshunov made history today during the Holmenkollen 50-kilometer classic mass start race. With his victory, Bolshunov became the youngest person and the third Russian to win the storied Holmenkollen 50 k. Bolshunov finished today’s race in 2:23:49.8 hours. For Bolshunov, who comes off a World Championships during which he won four silver medals, this was his fourth World Cup win of the season. The victory on Saturday reinforced Men’s Results

Racing World Cup

Klæbo Claims First World Championship Title, Hamilton 9th Overall

Gretchen BurkholderFebruary 21, 2019

It was a dramatic day at World Championships in Seefeld, Austria on Thursday. Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo can now call himself a World Champion after a tactical and hard-fought victory in the 2019 World Championship 1.6-kilometer freestyle sprint. Federico Pellegrino of Italy won silver finishing 0.23 seconds behind Klæbo. Russian skier Gleb Retivykh placed third, 1.37 seconds back. Klæbo qualified fifth, then proceeded to win his quarterfinal and advance to the finals after placing second...

Racing World Cup

Niskanen Wins Cogne 10 k Classic; Brennan 21st

Gretchen BurkholderFebruary 17, 2019

World Cup racers in the Cogne, Italy 10-kilometer classic individual start enjoyed blues skies and sunshine on Sunday, the temperate weather seeming to have carried over from Saturday’s sprint. Winning the women’s race was Finland’s Kerttu Niskanen in a time of 27:24.8. The victory is Niskanen’s second individual World Cup win–her first came five years ago in the Lenzerheide, Switzerland 10 k classic. With Sunday’s 10 k the final World Cup regular season race before World...

Racing World Cup

Diggins Wins Cogne Sprint; U.S. Puts 6 Women in Top 30

Gretchen BurkholderFebruary 16, 2019

Until the very end of Saturday’s 1.6-kilometer freestyle sprint race in Cogne, Italy, American Jessie Diggins had those watching on the edge of their seats. She advanced as the lucky loser in her quarterfinal and then once again in her semi final, before winning the final in a lunge to the line. “Man I am glad they do lucky losers here!” Diggins told the International Ski Federation after winning Saturday’s sprint. “It’s so fun to...

Racing World Cup

Norway goes One-Two in Lahti Men’s Team Sprint

Gretchen BurkholderFebruary 10, 2019

Norway placed first and second in today’s World Cup 6 x 1.6-kilometer classic team sprint in Lahti, Finland. Skiing for Norway I were overall winners Emil Iversen and Johannes Høsflot Klæbo. They won the ten team final in a time of 18:57.19 minutes. In a photo finish for second place, Sindre Bjørnestad Skar and Eirik Brandsdal of Norway II finished 0.65 seconds back to take the second podium step. Iivo Niskanen and Ristomatti Hakola of...

Resources Training Workouts

Wednesday Workout: Race Prep with UNM’s Kornelius Grov

Gretchen BurkholderFebruary 6, 2019

For this week’s Wednesday Workout, FasterSkier talked to University of New Mexico (UNM) racer Ben Berend about how his teammate, Kornelius Groev, the fastest skate skier on the

Interviews News Nordic Combined Racing

Taylor Fletcher: Finding Strength after Loss

Gretchen BurkholderFebruary 1, 2019

Twenty-eight-year-old Taylor Fletcher has been nordic skiing and ski jumping nearly his entire life. He grew up training and competing in Steamboat Springs, Colo. He has been racing World Cups since 2010 and is a three time Olympian. The 2018/2019 season has been his best yet. Fletcher began his season with two Continental Cup victories, one in each of his “hometowns”, Steamboat Springs and Park City, Utah. He has also brought a renewed spirit to...

Racing World Cup

Russian Teams Take the Top Two Spots in Ulricehamn; U.S. in 13th

Gretchen BurkholderJanuary 27, 2019

Today in Ulricehamn, Sweden, the men skied a 4 x 7.5- kilometer relay in unsettled conditions. Racers dealt with harsh conditions as the wind howled and heavy snow fell. With a softened course, it appeared most teams struggled with kick on the steeper climbs. Scott Patterson of the U.S. Ski Team (USST) commented on the conditions via email, “the race conditions were interesting with both falling snow and blasting wind. The organizers re-groomed the course...

Racing World Cup

Niskanen wins in Otepää, Bolshunov second, Bjornsen 30th

Gretchen BurkholderJanuary 20, 2019

Finland’s Iivo Niskanen took the victory in Sunday’s 15-kilometer classic individual start in Otepää, Estonia. This is Niskanen’s first World Cup win of the season and his third career individual World Cup victory. During the first half of the race, Niskanen’s splits were up on the rest of the field and by 7.5 k, he had almost 15 seconds on the next closest competitor. Niskanen finished in a time of 19:26.8. Niskanen was just voted...

Racing World Cup

Sweden takes 1, 2 and 3, with Nilsson Leading the Way in Dresden City Sprint; Caldwell 5th

Gretchen BurkholderJanuary 12, 2019

With the 2019 Tour de Ski complete, World Cup athletes returned to competition on Saturday for a 1.6-kilometer freestyle sprint. The race took place in the city of Dresden, Germany–an icy, two lap sprint course along the Elbe river offered racers the non-traditional backdrop of cathedrals and other gothic architecture. Temperatures hung around 40 degrees Fahrenheit on Saturday and the snow that was trucked in to cover the streets made for a hard packed,...

Interviews News

Tara Geraghty-Moats, the Undefeated Women’s Nordic Combined Pioneer

Gretchen BurkholderJanuary 10, 2019

Tara Geraghty-Moats started ski jumping when she was nine years old. Fearless for sure, but all part of the multisport athlete’s mojo. But after suffering multiple knee injuries when she was 16, Geraghty-Moats was forced to take a break from ski jumping. That hiatus was a four-year jumping drought that only served to push her into other aspects of nordic sport. During her time away from jumping, Geraghty-Moats competed in cross-country skiing and biathlon where...

News Tour de Ski

Østberg Solos to Stage 5 Win; Diggins Steps on Podium and up to Third Overall

Gretchen BurkholderJanuary 3, 2019

The real race tension today was the race for third between the U.S. Ski Team’s (USST) Jessie Diggins and Russia’s Yulia Belorukova during the 10-kilometer freestyle pursuit in Oberstdorf, Germany, Stage 5 of the Tour de Ski (TdS). The race up front was a solo effort, as Ingvild Flugstad Østberg of Norway started 24 seconds ahead of Russian skier Natalia Nepryaeva. Østberg held that lead until the finish, winning with a time of 26:21.2. Nepryaeva...

Racing Tour de Ski

Østberg wins in Oberstdorf and takes TdS Lead; Diggins 11th

Gretchen BurkholderJanuary 2, 2019

It was a snowy and grabby day in Oberstdorf, Germany, for Stage 4 of the Tour de Ski (TdS). The temperatures were sitting right around freezing, making it challenging conditions for dialing kick wax. Many racers skied on zeros for this 10-kilometer classic mass start. But throughout the race, many women appeared to be struggling to find the right amount of kick as slipping on the hills was a common theme for some. U.S. Ski...

Racing Tour de Ski

Klæbo Claims another Sprint Victory, Hamilton Qualifies Sixth

Gretchen BurkholderJanuary 1, 2019

Today’s 1.4-kilometer freestyle sprint course in Val Mustair, Switzerland was not lacking in short, steep climbs, fast, tight corners and rollers that knocked even the best skiers around. Going into Tuesday’s races, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo of Norway was third overall in the Tour de Ski (TdS). In the first two stages of the TdS, Klæbo took the first stage’s sprint win and placed 12th in Stage 2’s 15 k skate. After his racing today, Klæbo...

2018 Holiday Gift Guide: The Last-Minute Stocking Stuffers

Gretchen BurkholderDecember 21, 2018

As FasterSkier staff stroll into an upcoming weekend with no cross-country World Cups, it’s time to scramble and score some holiday gifts for friends and loved ones. Christmas is around the corner. It’s never too late for Hanukkah (Hanukkah ended on December 10). In this iteration of gift ideas for the oh-so-close holidays, Gretchen Burkholder provides a gamut of ideas – from a HRM/Multi-sport watch to snazzy headbands. *** Christmas is right around the corner and...

Racing World Cup

Klæbo Takes Davos Sprint for First Win of the Season; Simi Hamilton in 12th

Gretchen BurkholderDecember 15, 2018

As seems fitting for all things Davos, Switzerland: the racers enjoyed a bluebird day for the 1.5-kilometer freestyle sprint on Saturday. And just when we thought Johannes Høsflot Klæbo of Norway might be too spent from a year of media coverage and big-effort racing, he scored his first win of the season in gorgeous Davos. He began the day at full-throttle in the men’s qualifier, placing first with a time of 2:22.39 minutes. Lucas Chanavat...

Racing World Cup

Røthe Beats Sundby in Beitostølen; Harvey 13th

Gretchen BurkholderDecember 8, 2018

It snowed continuously throughout today’s 30-kilometer freestyle individual Start in Beitostølen, Norway. There was already a great deal of accumulation on the race course by the time the men started. This made the already challenging distance race even more grueling as the fresh snow created more resistance for skiers. Norway took the top two spots as Sjur Røthe won the with a time of 1:09:53.5. His teammate, Martin Johnsrud Sundby, was close behind in second...