Christmas has come and gone, and the next phase of the season is just around the corner. The Cross-Country World Cup continues with the Tour de Ski, starting on January 1st in Oberhof, Germany. The first three events of the Tour are in Oberhof – the Prologue, a 10/15km classical pursuit and a classic sprint. The Nordic Combined World Cup also picks up in Oberhof, overlapping with the Tour. Two competitions are on the 2nd...
How does it feel being in yellow? It is a great feeling. I have been working for a long time so this is just great for the whole organization and me. So many people helped me get to this level. Has this been a goal of yours? Wearing the yellow bib is something that every biathlete and cross-country skier dreams about. My goal for this year is to be in the top 15 overall in...
MOSCOW, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Triple Olympic cross-country skiing champion Julija Tchepalova has received a two-year ban for doping, the Russian cross-country skiing federation (FLGR) said on Wednesday.
The International Competition Committee of the US Biathlon Association has named the following athletes to the IBU Cup Team for January 2010. The athletes will compete at Altenberg, Germany 7-10 January and Nove Mesto, CZE 13-16 January.
After completing one of her best seasons of racing last winter, Dasha Gaiazova has continued to build on her success this winter. She has been tearing up the Continental Cup this season, standing on the podium in every race she has entered by taking 1st place four times, 2nd place twice, and 3rd place twice. Though sprinting is her strongest suit – all her wins so far this season and all her top World Cup races last year were...
Three recent articles shed some light on the new development in the crackdown on doping. Dick Pound: Police can do drug raids at Olympic Games villages Dick Pound is the former head of WADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency. He maintains that Canada does, in fact, have all the legal power it needs to enforce anti-doping rules in athlete villages, including conducting police raids.
In just a few hours, someone stepped up to match the $1,000 gift posted this morning! With those two contributions, we are only $256 short of our $12,000 goal. This time when I say “Let’s finish this today,” I really believe we can. 25 people at $10 each! Thank you again to everyone who has participated so far. Raising $12,000 is a significant task. So good work to all who have been part of the...
The third race in the Hayward NorAms, a 30/50km individual start classic, took place this morning at the Canmore Nordic Center. Madeleine Williams won the women’s race by almost 30 seconds over Brittany Webster. Dasha Gaiazova, who has won the two previous sprint races this weekend, was third, two minutes behind Williams. In the men’s race Brian McKeever topped the field with a comfortable 1 minute, 12 second margin. Brent McMurtry and Kevin Sandau rounded out the podium in second...
At this weekend’s NorAms in Canmore Drew Goldsack and Stefan Kuhn were able to sprint their way to victory – Kuhn in Saturday’s classic sprint and Goldsack in Sunday’s classic sprint – all but ensuring a spot on the Canadian Olympic Team. Kuhn will also race in the third NorAm held this morning, a 50km classic race. Watch for Kuhn to be a contender, as he has proven himself strong at this event by winning the 50 km...
We are now within $2,300 of the goal! This morning I received an email from an individual, offering a $1,000 donation IF I can find a single matching donor – either an individual or a business before Christmas. If you would be interested in matching this generous offer, please email me at
Earlier this month, Olympic Medalist Julia Tchepalova (RUS) was spotted skiing in Davos, Switzerland during the week leading up to the World Cup events there. Tchepalova is currently prohibited from starting FIS sanctioned events due to doping violations, and a two-year ban is pending. She was seen training on the Davos trails wearing a generic uniform, very similar to the Swiss National Suit. One report had her training with the Russian Team, though this was...
The Craftsbury Outdoor Center is pleased to announce that Onion River Sports (ORS) of Montpelier will be sponsoring the $1000 Dash for Cash on January 29, 2010. The Dash for Cash is being held as part of the Craftsbury Marathon/National Masters weekend. Thanks to Onion River Sports, the Dash for Cash will be the richest day of racing during marathon week in and around Craftsbury. Race Director John Brodhead enthuses, “The night-before-sprints tradition is hugely...
The new NCCSEF calendar is back after a one-year hiatus and it is available through some local clubs, or via NCCSEF.org. Just donate $20 via the paypal link at nccsef.org and you will be sent one of the new NCCSEF Calendars with awesome photos and important dates of interest to cross country skiers. $20 for one calendar, $15 for each additional, and shipping is free. The National Cross Country Ski Education Foundation (NCCSEF) is a...
Tim Burke made history this morning as the first American to lead the overall IBU World Cup points list. Burke started in 8th place in today’s pursuit ranked second, but skiied with fire to end the race in 6th – enough to bump Christoph Suman (AUT) off the top of the leaders list and take the coveted yellow leaders jersey. Today’s 12.5 km pursuit was the third of three races in Pokluka, Slovenia Burke had three penalties in a...
On Day 3 of the Biathlon World Team Trials, Wynn Roberts, Battle Lake, MN, got his act together on the shooting range cleaning prone and missing 2 on standing. With excellent skiing he finished 25 seconds ahead of Zach Hall of Anchorage, AK. Only .3 seconds separated Walt Shepard, Yarmouth, ME, in third place, and Leif Nordgren, Marine on St Croix, MN in fourth. Nordgen is a last year junior and was trying to claw...
“I guess that’s the best team result I’ve seen so far”, head coach Per Nilsson couldn’t help smiling after today’s sprint competition in Pokljuka, Slovenia. With three US athletes starting in tomorrow’s pursuit there are plenty of things to be happy about – or to even pray for. Burke has Chance on Yellow Bib Tim Burke’s eighth place in the sprint competition would already be amazing without the fact that he has a great chance...
We have crossed the 75% mark and the end is in sight! We saw some extremely generous donations this week, with individuals donating $1000, $500 and a number in the $100 range. Add in a bunch of small donations, and we are getting very close. The goal is to end the fundraiser by the end of the weekend. With less than $3000 to go, I believe we can do it. We have seen 125 individual...
Today’s sprint was the second of a three-race IBU World Cup event in Pokljuka, Slovenia. Russia swept the day in both women’s and men’s events, as Svetlana Sleptsova and Ivan Tcherezov won their respective fields. Tcherezov shot cleanly in both stages and took the win over Domi Landertinger (AUT) by 11 seconds. In third by 42 seconds was Thomas Frei (SUI) with one penalty. Tim Burke of the U.S. had another stellar result, placing 8th with two penalties and finishing...
RAMSAU, Austria (Dec. 18) – The U.S. Ski Team’s Todd Lodwick (Steamboat Springs, CO) battled for the lead in a FIS Nordic Combined World Cup in Ramsau, before losing out in a five-skier sprint for third, finishing sixth. His teammate Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) was seventh as France’s Jason Lamy Chappuis picked up the win. Lodwick, who was seventh after the jump, started 22 seconds back in the 10K cross country but quickly moved...
Today the U.S. Nordic Combined World Cup Team – Billy Demong, Todd Lodwick, and Johnny Spillane – gave a teleconference from Ramsau, Austria, where they are preparing for this weekend’s World Cup events. They gave insights about the upcoming Olympic trials in Steamboat Springs, their World Cup schedule this season, how they’ve come back from summer injuries, what they are doing to prepare for the Olympic Games, and their excitement for the team’s strength as...