A few weeks ago 18-year-old Norwegian cyclist Oskar Svedsen turned heads by doing something no one has done before in the world of physiological testing: he recorded a V02max of 97.5 mL/kg/min. The number surpasses the high water mark long held by Bjørn Dæhlie (96 mL/kg/min), making Svedsen the young new king of aerobic capacity. Whether it has any significance or not, cross-country skiing can no longer lay claim to the best V02max in...
In late May, weeks after Nina Silitch finished her last race of the season, loads of her ski-mountaineering equipment still occupied more than half the space in her bedroom. Her husband, Michael, couldn’t understand why, after six months on the World Cup and international circuit, she wasn’t ready put it away. At 39, Silitch was coming off a career-best season in most respects – she became the first American to earn World Cup gold in...
WILMINGTON, New York — Ahh, September in the Adirondacks. Even when it rains, nothing quite beats a camp featuring long runs in the High Peaks, cliff jumping at the Flume and, most importantly, a five-mile suffer-fest up Whiteface Mountain. In case you somehow missed what happened in the Climb to the Castle, Liz Stephen (U.S. Ski Team) demolished the women’s field by over five minutes on the five-mile climb, setting a significant personal record for...
As FasterSkier Spartan Race craze almost on a whim, albeit a whim that hinted at the possibility of a payout. A year later, the partners have competed in three more of the notoriously brutal obstacle races, and neither has missed the podium yet. In June in Montreal, Bédard placed second among men and Godbout third among women. A month later in Pennsylvania, Bédard was again second while Godbout won the women’s race, and last weekend...
U.S. Nordic Combined Team veteran Billy Demong took a break from ski-specific training last Saturday to compete in the Hurt in the Dirt duathlon, a trail run and bike race in Ogden, Utah. Racing against individuals and relay teams alike, Demong won the event outright in 2:01:12, over a minute ahead of a two-man team from Sandy, Utah, and over four minutes ahead of individual runner-up Weston Woodward. “I’ve never done a race like this,”...
Like most athletic children of a certain era in Putney, Vt., Alicia Dana grew up cross-country skiing. She learned the ropes from the legendary John Caldwell, a Putney School coach who went on to lead the U.S. Ski Team, and took up racing at an early age. It wasn’t long until Dana, formerly Brelsford, developed an affinity for other sports as well. By the time she was 16, she had competed at two cycling nationals...
Between training on an Austrian glacier and inside a ski tunnel in Germany, a guy’s got to have some off-snow fun. Not that skiing isn’t fun, but when it’s your job, an offer to play pickup soccer with several top Norwegian and German nordic skiers is difficult to pass up. For Andy Newell, the invite came nonchalantly from Norwegian men’s coach Trond Nystad, who previously headed the U.S. Ski Team. With little notice, the 27-year-old...
As Kikkan Randall rounded the last corner in the final of today’s rollerski sprint at the Blink festival in Sandnes, Norway, she was in perfect position to go for the win – and she began revving up for dash to the line. But the American, who won the Sprint Cup on last season’s World Cup circuit, was on pavement, not snow, and she was on matched rollerskis, not her own equipment. All of that added...
In Anchorage, getting on the front page of the Alaska Daily News is a big deal. It doesn’t matter if you’re an Olympian and U.S. Ski Team member; Holly Brooks was still pumped to be wasn’t even wearing a watch. A three-time runner up, Brooks had finally sealed her first Mount Marathon win. Engaged the day before the 2008 race, in which she came in second, she had a special history with the event. She...
Birkie Classic winner will challenge Birkie Skate winner at Telemark Forest Mountain Bike Race (Press release) CXC Team member Jennie Bender, the 2011 Birkie Classic Winner and 2012 Birkie skate third-place finisher, will be entering the CXC Triple standings and she is looking to make up ground before the Birkie Trail Run in September. Both athletes have great fitness right now and it should be a battle to the finish. Modeled after the prestigious Norwegian Birkebeiner Trippel, the CXC Triple provides competitors with a year-round competition to...
Note: This article has been updated to reflect the correct time between Holly Brooks and Alysson Marshall, and include quotes from Pate Neumann. One was a native. Another was a ringer. Both Brian Gregg and Holly Brooks found themselves at the front of the pack in the first of the The Bellingham Herald. It was Gregg’s second year on the competitive-open team. “The other guys on the team are really fast and it is fun...
KELLY BRUSH CENTURY RIDE SET FOR SEPTEMBER 8 RIDERS SUPPORT ADAPTIVE SPORTS, SPINAL CORD INJURY PREVENTION BURLINGTON, Vt. (May 29, 2012) — The Kelly Brush Century Ride powered by VBT Bicycle and Walking Vacations is set for September 8 in Middlebury Vt. Now in its seventh year, the ride benefits adaptive athletes and supports spinal cord injury prevention. Bicyclists and handcyclists who participate in the ride help athletes with spinal cord injuries experience the benefits...
The beginning of May is generally viewed as the official start of spring training, and everyone has their own preferred activity for getting back in the swing of things. Alaska’s resident Crystal Globe-winner Kikkan Randall (APU/USST) decided to kick her off-season into gear with a hard effort on the bike; over the weekend she entered her second-ever time trial, the 12th annual Bike For Women in Anchorage. A grand total of 526 women aged eight...
The sixth annual Bysprinten took place over the weekend in the small town of Mosjøen, Norway. The town is home to less than 10,000 residents, yet the event manages to attract some of the biggest names in cross-country skiing every year from both Norway and elsewhere in Europe. This year, Petter Northug (NOR), Laurien Van der Graaff (SUI), Øystein Pettersen (NOR), Heidi Weng (NOR) and Ola Vigen Hattestad (NOR) were among the biggest draws of...
No snow-speed records were broken at the sixth edition of Bysprinten, but the annual two-day ski festival on the streets of Mosjøen, Norway provided plenty of excitement for the 3,000 spectators who came out to see their favorite national team members ski as fast as possible. On Saturday, Eirik Brandsdal (NOR) prevailed in the men’s final sprint, and Laurien Van der Graaf (SUI) topped the women’s field. “I am very fond of Bysprinten. I often do...
Even if you’re not a running fan, chances are you heard that former Dartmouth College standout Glenn Randall led the opening 10 k of the Boston Marathon last Monday. Actually, ‘led’ doesn’t quite describe it — he gapped the elite men’s field, frenzy. To those who had never heard of Randall, it looked as though he was trying to grab a few minutes of fame with an opening pace he couldn’t hold. But as he...
ERZURUM, Turkey — Beginning with the ski change at the halfway point of the women’s 15 k skiathlon at U23 World Championships, our videographer caught snippets of the exciting race on film. Jessie Diggins (USA) led at the end of the classic portion, but after 7.5 k more, Martine Ek Hagen (NOR) took home the win for Norway’s first and only gold medal of the week. Results
ERZURUM, Turkey — It’s short, but we were able to film parts of the men’s 30 k skiathlon at U23 World Championships on Saturday. Russia’s Raul Shakirzianov won by 0.9 seconds over teammate Evgeniy Belov. Noah Hoffman (USA) sat in near the front for much of the race but finished eighth in a close sprint finish. Results
ERZURUM, Turkey — Before Saturday’s 15 k skiathlon began, gold had eluded Norway at the Junior/U23 World Championships. The team repeatedly stressed that the week that the learning experience was more valuable than the hardware, but athletes and team staff alike nonetheless seemed hungry for the wins they are used to. Martine Ek Hagen (NOR) finally delivered in the skiathlon, skiing a strong skate leg in the second half to win by 13.9 seconds over...
