A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Ken Davies is currently the chair of the Alberta World Cup Society. FasterSkier regrets the error. Cross Country Canada (CCC) has turned down an opportunity to host a Tour de Ski-style event in February of 2012, according to a letter released by the organization Tuesday. In interviews, CCC officials said that plans for the “Tour of the Rockies” foundered on the potential costs, which could have...
Kris Freeman is healthy, and his training for the 2010-2011 season is underway. That means his brother Justin had better watch his back. The two typically go head-to-head in a handful of running races and uphill time trials each summer, and this year is no different. After Justin got the upper hand in April’s 14-mile Muddy Moose, the brothers will toe the start line in the granddaddy of all mountain runs on June 19th: the...
“After the season is before the season” was the motto for more than 20 representatives of the organizing committees and representatives of Infront Sports and Media who conducted a debrief on the fourth edition of the Viessmann FIS Tour de Ski performance by Craft Sportswear in Munich on 15th April. A detailed review including results from surveys with different stakeholder groups and discussions on several topics like marketing & promotion, accommodation as well as accreditation...
Before this year’s mini-tour in Fort Kent, and even before the inaugural Tour de Ski in 2007, there was the Colorado International Spring Series (CISS) in 2004 and 2005. CISS was a stage race much like those coming into vogue today, and it was one of the first of its kind—if not the very first. Nathan Schultz, now the owner of Boulder Nordic Sport, had the idea for the event, and FasterSkier caught up with...
The Tour this year had some of the most impressive performances of the season, and due to the format changes, some races that were more exciting than expected. There were spills and thrills but at the end of the 10-days, there were two champions: Kowalczyk and Bauer. There were many other great performances by athletes [...]
The Tour de Ski was successful for the Canadians; despite some bad-luck crashes, equipment malfunction, and injury, when all was said and done Canada took 4 top-25 overall finishes home. Ivan Babikov placed 9th, Devon Kershaw 16th, Sara Renner 17th, and Alex Harvey 22nd. Kershaw outlines the last two stages below. It’s over. 2010 Tour de Ski is history. Jeez. I don’t know how pro cyclists can even fathom racing for a GC position in any stage race, let alone...
The 2010 Tour de Ski concluded on Sunday with the famed Final Climb. Lukas Bauer (CZE) and Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) skied to victory in the 4th edition. The men’s race lacked some of the expected drama at the top. While the race set up perfectly, with Petter Northug (NOR) and Bauer starting just eight seconds apart, but Northug looked tired from the start and was no match for for the 2008 winner. The race for...
The Tour is done another year and most athletes will start to look forward to the Olympics while some have their sights on more immediate races that will be taking place in Otepaa this coming weekend. Numerous athletes have yet to qualify to represent their country and this is their last chance to prove their [...]
Val di Fiemme, Italy – Lukas Bauer (CZE) became the first man to win two Tour de Ski titles, skiing away from Peter Northug (NOR) on the Final Climb for a clear victory. Entering the day, the big question was what strength would win out – Bauer’s hill climbing ability, or Northug’s determination and finishing ability. At the press conference following yesterday’s mass start each man selected the other as the favorite. But Northug was...
Val di Fiemme, Italy – Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) staged a come from behind win to win her first Tour de Ski. the defending overall World Cup champion overtook Petra Majdic (SLO) and skied away with 800 meters to go. Kowalczyk started 34 seconds behind Majdic, a gap created by Majdic’s fine performance in yesterday’s mass start. The Pole slowly closed over the first 6.5 kilometers, and one kilometer later she was on Majdic’s tails. Looking...
VAL DI FIEMME, Ita.—Canada’s Ivan Babikov nearly defended his title as the King of the Mountain when he finished fourth in the final and toughest stage of the 10-day Tour de Ski – a 10-kilometre pursuit race up a mountain in Val de Fiemme, Italy on Sunday. In one of the most difficult races on a cross-country skier’s schedule that begins in the stadium with six kilometres of classic skiing, the final march to the...
The Aple Cermis is becoming a place where no one is safe. Not only is it a daunting task, but more often than not, the athletes are surrounded by other who want to get to point B before they do. It doesn’t matter if you have almost 30 seconds on your closest competitor, it seems [...]
The Aple Cermis is becoming a place where no one is safe. Not only is it a daunting task, but more often than not, the athletes are surrounded by other who want to get to point B before they do. It doesn’t matter if you have almost 30 seconds on your closest competitor, it seems [...]
Val di Fiemme, Italy – Petra Majdic (SLO) won a tightly packed 10km mass start classic in the 7th stage of the 2010 Tour de Ski. The short format led to thirty skiers finishing within 30 seconds. Eleven of the first 12 places were decided by the photo finish camera. And at the end of it all, Majdic was atop the podium, 45 bonus seconds in hand, and the overall Tour lead. She outsprinted Elena...
Tomorrow could be the most exciting finale to a Tour de Ski we have ever seen. There are 30 seconds separating Majdic and Kowalczyk while Northug and Bauer have eight seconds between them; a gap like that will be fairly useless as I can see Bauer catching Northug within the first couple kilometers. The other [...]
Val di Fiemme, Italy – Lukas Bauer (CZE), the 2008 Tour de Ski Winner, skied away from the field to win the 20km Mass Start on the second-to-last day of the 2010 edition. Bauer and Norwegian Petter Northug (NOR) broke away at 8 kilometers, and Bauer never looked back. Northug held on to second, after getting caught by the chase pack with 200 meters to go. Axel Teichmann (GER) took third. Action Starts Early With...
The biggest theme in todays races was the amount of bonus seconds up for the athletes to gain to increase their lead or decrease their deficit on the other athletes. The women were skiing 10km with three intermediate sprints while the men were doing 20km with six opportunities to grab bonus seconds. Five more women [...]
Today’s rest day announced the second of two rest days that the athletes have welcomed with open arms. Most of them will be sleeping copious amounts and eating as much as is humanly possible to refuel and top up for the final two stages of this years Tour. The course profile for tomorrow looks very undulating on [...]
Toblach, Italy – Devon Kershaw (CAN) was foiled once again in his quest for the Tour de Ski podium. Kershaw, who has raced every Tour since the inception of the event, has been waylaid by illness every year. This year was going to be different, and until today, it had been. But Kershaw can’t seem to buy an ounce of luck. Skiing well in a solid 8th place with just 2.8 kilomters to go, Kershaw...