If you thought the Americans had to wait a while for the naming of their World Championships team, which is supposed to be announced by the end of this week, try being Canadian. Domestic racers up north won’t find out until at least Monday, Jan. 28, who made the cut for the World Ski Championships from Feb. 20 to March 3.
Oh Liberec, oh Liberec, before we say so long … here’s what didn’t quite fit into last weekend’s recaps of the World Cup classic sprints and team sprints in the Czech Republic. Disclaimer: It’s Canadian- and female-heavy.
The four Canadians in Saturday's classic sprint made the rounds, where Dasha Gaiazova in fourth led the team in all-around solid day. Gaiazova narrowly missed the podium in a photo finish, Perianne Jones tallied a career best in ninth and Lenny Valjas also made the top 10.
On Monday, the Canadians waved goodbye to their tour bus, one only rivaled by Petter Northug's on the Tour de Ski. B2ten founder Dominick Gauthier explains how they paid for all the "rock star" ride, and why it's been a staple for the team for three years.
It's no exaggeration to say that this might have been the busiest week of the year to be a North American ski fan. With the Tour de Ski practically every day, U.S. Nationals, and some big NorAms used to determine junior and U23 trip rosters, plus biathlon and nordic combined, here are the highlights.
Ivan Babikov posted the second fastest time of the day while skiing up to 7th in the overall Tour de Ski. Babikov ended the Tour with his highest overall result, and a string of personal bests. Teammate Devon Kershaw finally showed strong form and Lenny Valjas ended his own successful Tour well within the points.
Alexey Poltaranin (KAZ) skied to his second consecutive Tour stage win, besting the Canadian duo of Len Valjas and Alex harvey in a sprint to the line.Dario Cologna (SUI) moved into the overall Tour lead.
Lenny Valjas continues to show top form, racing to an 11th place finish in the 5k classic prologue in Toblach, Italy. Teammate Alex Harvey will withdraw from the Tour de Ski following Saturday's mass start, a plan that has been set for some time.
After getting locked out of their bus, the Canadians didn't have a great start to the day. But for the most part they turned things around. Alex Harvey led the way in 6th and Devon Kershaw placed 12th; Kershaw complimented Ivan Babikov (21st) for attacking hard on the 15 k climb, and Lenny Valjas (25th) for finishing his longest race in years - and doing so quite honorably.
Lenny Valjas earned the elusive first podium of the season for the Canadians, placing third behind Finn Hagen Krogh (NOR) and Federico Pellegrino (ITA) in the Tour de Ski freestyle sprint.
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.