World Cup – Page 117

US Men Unsatisfied with Prologue Results, Hunters in Pursuit

Topher SabotDecember 30, 2011

OBERHOF, Germany – Of all the Tour de Ski stages, none matters less than the prologue. Runner-up Dario Cologna didn’t hesitate to say exactly that, and American Andy Newell concurred. “I don’t really care about today,” he told FasterSkier. “I don’t mind being flat today. You can make up four times tomorrow any time you lose today,” he said in reference to Friday’s pursuit. Newell wasn’t merely covering for an off day as his sentiments...

Racing World Cup

A to Zeller: Tour de Ski Prologue

FasterSkierDecember 29, 2011

A – Awesome: One word to describe the first day of the Tour De Ski. You have to see it to believe it. B – Beer: Yes, the Germans take their beer seriously. In the Fasterskier apartment, beer greeted us. Chilled and waiting. C – Camera: R.I.P. Nat and Topher witnessed the camera on the 200m track on the big huge hill break free and run away from the video guys during warmups. It was...

Canadian National Ski Team General News Racing Tour de Ski World Cup

After Auspicious Tour Start, Canucks Eye Stage 2

Nathaniel HerzDecember 29, 2011

OBERHOF, Germany – Thursday’s freestyle prologue will probably not end up being significant in the grand scheme of the 2012 Tour de Ski, which includes eight more competitions and 100 kilometers of racing spread across two countries. But that doesn’t mean good results here didn’t give athletes a boost. Led by Alex Harvey’s sixth-place finish, the Canadian men are flying high after Stage 1 of the Tour. With Harvey just seven seconds away from the...

Racing World Cup

No Rust for Randall, Leads American Women in 10th

Topher SabotDecember 29, 20111

OBERHOF, Germany – Kikkan Randall (USA) picked up right where she left off before the holiday break, notching another top-10 result in the opening stage of the Tour de Ski. Randall placed tenth in the 3.1km skate race with teammates Liz Stephen and Holly Brooks in 37th and 53rd respectively. For Randall this is merely a continuation of a stellar season. She was just 7.2 seconds behind winner Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) and will be in...

Racing Tour de Ski World Cup

Northug Takes No Chances in Tour Prologue; Tops Cologna and Manificat

Topher SabotDecember 29, 20113

OBERHOF, Germany – If the Prologue is any indication, the 2012 Tour de Ski will play out as predicted by the media hype—a battle between Petter Northug (NOR) and Dario Cologna (SUI). Northug edged his rival, and defending Tour champion, Cologna, by .7 seconds in the men’s prologue in Oberhof, Germany. Maurice Manificat (FRA) placed third, four seconds off the pace. As expected, times were tightly compressed on the fast hard track. The course was...

Racing Tour de Ski World Cup

Kowalczyk Claims Round One of Tour Bout with Bjørgen

Nathaniel HerzDecember 29, 20116

OBERHOF, Germany – Oh, it’s on. The battle between Marit Bjørgen (NOR) and Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) for Tour de Ski queendom has officially begun—with Kowalczyk landing the first blow. By a scant 0.4 seconds, the Polish strongwoman claimed victory in the first stage of this year’s Tour on Thursday afternoon, covering the icy 3.1-kilometer freestyle prologue in just over seven minutes. Bjoergen was second, with 21-year-old Swede Hanna Brodin earning her second-ever World Cup podium...

Racing World Cup

Live from Oberhof: Tour de Ski Update

Topher SabotDecember 29, 2011

The 2012 Tour de Ski gets underway just over an hour when the women take to the course for a 3.1km freestyle prologue, followed an hour later by a four kilometer version for the men. Cold temperatures overnight firmed up the course, and the snow is fast, if a bit dirty. The drop below freezing meant that there was no need to salt the course as discussed yesterday. Organizers spent much of the day on...

General News Racing Tour de Ski World Cup

Tour de Ski Pares Down for 2014; Will Head to Switzerland

Nathaniel HerzDecember 29, 2011

As athletes prepare to start this year’s Tour de Ski on Thursday, plans are taking shape for the next four editions of the race that would vary its length and location. According to FIS Cross-Country Race Director Jürg Capol, the Tour will almost certainly be making a stop in Switzerland next year, and for the three years afterwards. The event will alternate between venues in Münstertal—the small valley that claims Swiss superstar Dario Cologna as...

Racing World Cup

2012 Tour de Ski: From A to Zeller

Topher SabotDecember 28, 20114

Less than 24 hours remain until the start of the 2012 Tour de Ski. The FasterSkier team (that’s right – team!) has arrived in Germany to cover the ultimate test of all-around skiing prowess for the first time in our history. It feels like the entire world of cross-country skiing has converged upon the small town of Oberhof, in the eastern part of Germany, for the first two stages of the Tour. While winter sports...

General News Racing US Ski Team World Cup

Freeman Looks to Tour for Fresh Start

Nathaniel HerzDecember 28, 20111

OBERHOF, Germany – If there’s anything positive about Kris Freeman’s struggles in the first half of the 2012 season, it’s that they haven’t been too much of a mystery to him. Through nine competitions this season, Freeman’s head has been “everywhere but racing,” as a result of a big change in his personal life: Just before he departed for Europe, he and his girlfriend parted ways after 10 years together. Following a week of rest...

Racing US Ski Team World Cup

Holiday with the USST

FasterSkierDecember 28, 2011

As the US Ski Team makes final preparations for the Tour de Ski they shared with us a glimpse of what their holiday looked like last weekend in Ramsau, Austria. Life on the road can be long and tiring, but it is great to have good friends and teammates to make things feel like they would back home.

World Cup XCFeeds

European Mid-Season Review

JoranDecember 28, 2011

This will just be a short note with similar graphs as last time, only for a few of the major European nations. Men’s Distance Sweden continues to generally improve. Note that in terms of top thirty performances, Norway has steadily declined over the years, but not among the top ten or better level. So they’ve [...] Related posts:

Canadian National Ski Team US Ski Team World Cup

For North Americans, First Period of World Cup Creates Short-Term Changes in Red Group, Long Term Changes in Quotas

Chelsea LittleDecember 25, 2011

Lenny Valjas and Ivan Babikov are in, Kris Freeman is out, and the U.S. is looking forward to more quota spots for its women’s team next year During the first period of World Cup racing, the U.S. and Canadian ski teams had plenty of notable results. Kikkan Randall won and won again, much to the delight of the Americans. She and Sadie Bjornsen shared a team sprint podium, while Holly Brooks notched a couple of...

World Cup XCFeeds

Rogla Distance Races

JoranDecember 21, 2011

Oh yeah, there were some distance races in Rogla on Saturday too, huh? Once again, this will be short on the words; just some pretty pictures. The US women had another strong outing: Once again I’d note the continued downward trends for Holly and Kikkan and the generally flat trend for Liz. (Ida still has [...] Related posts:

Nordic Combined World Cup

US 6th in Team Sprint, Fletcher 7th on Sunday: “Overall A Good Weekend” For NoCo

Audrey ManganDecember 19, 2011

This weekend’s World Cup Nordic Combined competition featured three days of racing in Seefeld, Austria—the resurrection of the Team Sprint event on Friday, and a HS 109/Gundersen 10 k each on Saturday and Sunday. France came away with the most dominant overall performance of the weekend—or rather, Jason Lamy Chappuis did. He teamed up with Sebatien Lacroix to win the team sprint, and then nabbed the top result in both individual competitions. The U.S. put...

Biathlon World Cup

UPDATED – Notes and Quotes from the Hochfilzen IBU World Cup Weekend

Chelsea LittleDecember 19, 2011

Biathletes on the IBU World Cup circuit hit up Hochfilzen, Austria for the second straight weekend after poor snow conditions in France forced the cancellation of a scheduled weekend there. While doubling up in Hochfilzen wasn’t too exciting, U.S. biathlete Lowell Bailey said that it wasn’t as bad as he’d expected, either. “The second week of racing here in Hochfilzen turned out to be quite a bit different than the first even though we were...

World Cup XCFeeds

Rogla Sprints

JoranDecember 19, 2011

Heat Times I’ve been otherwise occupied, so I didn’t follow the racing action too closely this weekend. But for you own edification, here are how the heat time shook out among the men’s finalists: Some of the outlying times were cut off, obviously. Note the general increase in speed in the quarters, and then folks [...] Related posts:

Biathlon World Cup

Biathletes Finish World Cup Period I With Mixed Relay, Russia Dominates

Chelsea LittleDecember 18, 2011

After a grueling early-winter schedule of three consecutive three-race weekends, biathletes around the world were ready to head home for the holidays. But they had one last little piece of business to check off their lists before they departed from Hochfilzen, Austria on Sunday: the first mixed relay of the season. Athletes had to survive a quick six kilometers for the women, seven and a half for the men, and two shooting stages each. A...

Canadian National Ski Team World Cup

“Overshadowed” By Crawford, Gaiazova Races to Ninth Place in Sprint, a Personal Best for Skating

Chelsea LittleDecember 18, 2011

Coming off a season in which Canada got its first-ever World Championships gold in the team sprint, the winners, Alex Harvey and Devon Kershaw, are the Canadians you’d expect to see in sprint finals. But while the duo certainly haven’t been slacking on the World Cup this year, in Rogla, Slovenia it was the women who impressed in a fast and furious one-kilometer skate sprint on Sunday. 2006 Olympic gold medalist Chandra Crawford returned to...

Racing World Cup

Cologna Wins First World Cup Sprint, Primed For Tour

Topher SabotDecember 18, 20111

With two overall World Cup titles, two Tour de Ski victories, and an Olympic gold medal, it is hard to believe that there is anything Dario Cologna (SUI) has not won. But before today, Cologna had never stood atop the podium in a World Cup sprint race. On a short yet challenging Rogla sprint course, Cologna showed he is in good position to defend his Tour de Ski title. Cologna placed second in the 14km...

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