Domestic racing was on hold because of holidays and the looming U.S. Nationals, but the Tour de Ski kicked off in Germany, which also hosted a strange and exciting team biathlon event in a soccer stadium. American junior biathletes also vied for spots at World Youth and Junior Championships.
Alex Harvey topped his performance from Saturday and notched fifth in Sunday's pursuit, putting him in fighting position through two stages in the Tour de Ski. Ivan Babikov also made the top 20 for Canada, rising to 19th.
With four men in the Tour de Ski, Alex Harvey led Canada with a season-best of sixth in Saturday's 4 k prologue. While it probably wasn't going to make or break his season, it was still a good sign for him and teammates like Ivan Babikov, who posted a personal best of 32nd.
Ever wonder what it's like inside the Bill Warren Training Centre, Canada's premiere indoor facility for national and development skiers? FasterSkier took a tour and some photos while in Canmore, Alberta.
Jesse Cockney of the Alberta World Cup Academy pulled off the greatest race of his career, finishing second in Saturday's skate sprint qualifier then finishing ninth overall at the World Cup in Canmore. Lenny Valjas notched seventh for his best result of the season, and Phil Widmer made the heats for 15th overall.
After winning gold in a World Cup skate sprint in Canmore in 2008, Chandra Crawford has some great memories of racing in her hometown. The Canadian National Team member added to the list Saturday, placing sixth in the 1.3 k sprint for a World Cup season best.
Alex Harvey (CAN) and Kris Freeman (USA) recorded their best results of the season Thursday at the Alberta World Cup opener, a 15 k classic mass start, to build some confidence and lead their respective teams in Canmore.
Alex Harvey, the only team member out of 28 Canadian starters to advance to the knockout rounds, was eliminated in his quarterfinal heat in Saturday's sprint in Quebec City.
Despite 28 starters, the Canadians only managed to advance a single skier to the heats in the Quebec City individual sprint, disappointing a raucous hometown crowd.
The excitement of an American victory in the women’s team sprint, and the disappointment of an Alex Harvey crash dominated the day, but with Nation’s Group quotas for both North American countries, there was plenty more action.
At the top of a hill in Quebec City on Friday were the parents and brother of American sprint star Kikkan Randall; nearby was a retired ski coach on his "fantasy tour" of the World Cup.
Friday's World Cup team sprint did not go as Alex Harvey or Devon Kershaw had planned with a late crash derailing their podium run. The two settled for fifth in the men's final, Lenny Valjas and Jesse Cockney placed 10th, and all the Canadians were looking forward to Saturday.
Friday's team sprint in Quebec put a premium on endurance—endurance that Canadian Chandra Crawford said she was lacking, as her team failed to advance to the finals.
A team sprint win by Kazakhs Denis Volotka and Nikolay Chebotko was not what thousands of face-painted, flag-clad Canadians came to see Friday - but it was what they got.
The World Cup's transatlantic swing has upended the typical order on the circuit, and for the first time in years, North Americans will enjoy the perks of racing on their home turf.
Norway's Petter Northug and Marit Bjørgen won World Cup mini-tours, while Tora Berger swept three biathlon races; JP Le Guellec made history for Canada by winning a biathlon World Cup. In North America, exciting racing in Bozeman and Canmore helped national teams decide which athletes to send to the upcoming Quebec and Canmore World Cups.
Showing signs of emerging from a slow start to the season, the Canadian men placed their big three of Devon Kershaw, Alex Harvey and Ivan Babikov in the the top-30 for the first time this season, just in time for the trip home to Canada.
The Canadian men bounced back from a rough sprint day to turn in solid results in the second stage of the Ruka Triple, a 10-kilomter individual start freestyle race. Alex Harvey led the way, finishing in 17th place. Teammate Ivan Babikov was 23rd.
Perianne Jones tied her career best of 12th and Dasha Gaiazova placed 14th to give the Canadians something to celebrate on a day that was sub-par for others, including its men.
SuperTour racing kicked off on the West Yellowstone plateau with point-to-point 9k's and sprint prologues; the FIS and IBU World Cups started in Scandinavia, where the U.S. women made history and the Canadian men had a strong relay. Recap, reporting, photos, and results.