TOBLACH, Italy – In all the confusion of travel, race coverage, and eating delicious Italian cheese, we failed to post the Tour Day 5 A to Zeller. While slightly dated, here it is in all its glory…Ranging from ‘A’ for Alexander Legkov to ‘Z’ for…well you should know by now. A – Alexander Leglov: Victorious today. B – Benzene: This is not diesel. Don’t put this in your vehicle over here. Ooops! C – Cappucino: ...
TOBLACH, Italy – Another day, yet another top-10 for Kikkan Randall. Randall skied to fifth place in Stage 7 of the Tour de Ski on Thursday—her sixth time in the top 10 in seven stages, and a result that leaves her in fifth place in the overall Tour. There was a time when a top 10 on the World Cup by an American would be cause for great rejoicing back home. But Randall has...
Once again, a bit after the fact…the heat times analysis for the freestyle sprint the other day. Men Starting with the finals: That was decidedly slow, tactical final. Interesting that David Hofer had such fast times in the quarters and semis. Semifinal 2 was slightly faster, but not by a ton. Women As for the [...] Related posts:
TOBLACH, Italy – Cross-country skiing has plenty of unlikely alliances, from Norwegians running the Swiss national team to an American heading up the Canadian coaching staff. But few alliances were more curious than the one forged on Thursday between Marit Bjoergen (NOR) and Justyna Kowalczyk (POL). In Thursday’s Stage 7 of the Tour de Ski, Bjoergen outsprinted Kowalczyk on the homestretch here to win by two seconds, taking her fourth straight victory and her third...
TOBLACH, Italy – A year ago Devon Kershaw (CAN) entered the 35-kilometer point-to-point Tour de Ski pursuit sitting in second, and primed for a run at the top-5. Just under an hour later, he was struggling to hold onto the large chase pack that had gobbled him up at the 20k mark. Ever since that day this event has been on his mind—through summer training camps, early fall racing, and right up until the start...
TOBLACH, Italy – Images from today’s race, a 15k pursuit freestyle, Stage 7 of the 2011/2012 Tour de Ski. The tight race that all expected, between Bjoergen (NOR) and Kowalczyk (POL) did ensue, as seen in picture after picture of the Pole leading the Norwegian and vice versa. Numerous others to share as well. Enjoy.
TOBLACH, Italy – The Dolomites were the site of brutal battles between the Austrians and Italians during World War I. Nearly 100 years later, members of European and North American countries once again waged war among these mountains in the depths of winter—this time, in a cross-country ski race. Perhaps appropriately, it was a Swiss athlete who rose above the fray here on Thursday, winning a 32-kilometer freestyle pursuit by skiing his own race and...
The men's 35 kilometer course from Cortina to Toblach features a smooth gradual uphill and then a smooth gradual downhill, followed by 3 kilometers of familiar terrain in the Toblach nordic network.
TOBLACH, Italy – It’s hard enough to finish in the top 30 on the World Cup, but American Holly Brooks did something even more impressive here in Wednesday’s Stage 6 of the Tour de Ski: she finished in the top 30 with a broken wrist. By placing 30th in the skate sprint, Brooks joined an elite club of skiers who have toughed out some top finishes with broken bones. Fellow members include Slovenian Petra Majdic,...
TOBLACH, Italy – Alex Harvey (CAN) advanced to a World Cup sprint final for just the second time in his career on his way to a 6th place finish in the Tour de Ski skate sprint. Harvey posted his best-ever sprint qualification result, throwing down the fifth fastest time in the morning time trial. He saw that as a good sign, and followed up by winning his quarterfinal. He told FasterSkier that he “didn’t have...
TOBLACH, Italy – Were the Russians drinking vodka in their wax cabin after Nikolay Morilov won Stage 6 of the 2012 Tour de Ski on Wednesday? “A little, yes,” said Mikhail Lukertsenko, one of the team’s staff. “It’s a victory.” Morilov, a 25-year-old Olympic medalist, foiled the Tour heavyweights and big names on the homestretch here, using a combination of perfect tactics, timing, and power. Petter Northug (NOR) was second, missing out on the victory...
TOBLACH, Italy – Like two great deities of Greek mythology, locked in an epic struggle for supremacy, Marit Bjørgen (NOR) and Kikkan Randall (USA) came together to do battle on the open plains of the Toblach Ski Stadium. The talk of the 2012 Tour de Ski has been the competition between Bjørgen and Justyna Kowalczyk (POL), and with the two women combining to win every stage thus far, and just 4.8 seconds separating the pair...
The Tour de Ski has moved on from Germany to Italy, and along with it, American Holly Brooks has gone from being eine zähe dame to una signora dura. An MRI on Monday morning revealed that the tough lady has been racing with non-displaced fractures at the end of her radius—one of the bones in her forearm—as well as a “big bone bruise.” After her 53rd place finish in Stage 5 of the Tour, a...
Here’s our photo gallery from the 2011/2012 Toblach Men’s 5K Classic Prologue.
TOBLACH, Italy – With consecutive Tour de Ski stage victories, Marit Bjoergen (NOR) is pounding on Justyna Kowalczyk’s (POL)_door, looking to serve an eviction notice for the top of the Tour podium. Kowalczyk still holds the overall lead in her quest for a third Tour de Ski title, but with a win today in the 3-kilometer classic prologue, Bjoergen not only crept closer, but also showed a form that has been missing since illness took...
TOBLACH, Italy – Here are some of today’s best images from the Tour de Ski Toblach Classic 3.3 Km.
TOBLACH, Italy – It’s been a while since one had to flip to the second page of the results sheet to find Kikkan Randall’s name. Yet there it was on Tuesday, sandwiched between two anonymous central Europeans. Randall finished in 29th place in Stage 5 of the Tour de Ski, 43 seconds down to winner Marit Bjoergen (NOR). Hard to believe, but the result was Randall’s worst of the year on the World Cup, and...
TOBLACH, Italy – It took 11 races, but Alexander Legkov finally got his first win of the 2012 season in Stage 5 of the Tour de Ski on Tuesday. With the help of a new coach and the right pair of skis, the Russian powered through finicky conditions to edge Eldar Roenning (NOR) and Dario Cologna (SUI) in the 5 k individual-start classic race. Petter Northug (NOR) floundered through the slick, soft conditions in Toblach,...
TOBLACH, Italy – Ivan Babikov (CAN) will race Stage 5 of the 2012 Tour de Ski, according to Canadian Head Coach Justin Wadsworth. “He’s for sure going to race today,” Wadsworth said. Babikov had a catastrophic crash at the end of Stage 4 of the Tour in Germany, breaking a ski and a pole. Canadian staff initially feared he had broken his wrist. X-rays came up negative, and after an examination by Mireille Belzile—the mother...
A Aston Martin: Spotted one out on the roads today. Huh? Pretty fancy car for pretty crappy roads? Oh wait, there goes Petter! B Blue: As in blue sky! OMG….. we almost gave up on good weather. It was only a tiny bit of blue, but appreciated immensely. C Cash: $89,420. Marit Bjoergen’s cash winnings this season. Therese and Justyna are way back in the $40,000 range…. D Duct Tape: Many racers had it on...