World Cup

Tour de Ski starts Sunday. Here is quick overview of each stage and links to each organizer’s web site.

The inaugural edition of the Viessmann FIS Tour de Ski performance by Craft Sportswear will now start in Munich (GER) on 31st December and continue as planned in Oberstdorf (GER), Asiago (ITA) and Val di Fiemme (ITA). Despite enormous efforts by the local organizing committee, the first two Stages at Nove Mesto na Morave (CZE), planned for 29th and 30th of December, had to be cancelled due to lack of snow. The athletes will have...

Prize Money & World Cup Points Due to the lack of snow and mild weather it was impossible to organize the first two competitions in Nove Mesto na Morave (CZE). This program change also led to a 25% reduction in prize money. Altogether, the FIS Tour de Ski 2006/2007 prize money will amount to 750.000 Swiss Francs. Prize Money Overall Ranking (CHF) 1. Place 112'500 2. Place 75'000 3. Place 37'500 4. Place 26'250 5....

Vegard Ulvang believes that Tour de Ski won’t be as extreme hard as many claim. The old ski star ”The Terminator” Vegard Ulvang of Norway (1992 Olympic Champion) has played a central role in the planning process of the first ever Tour de Ski. He will also have a main role during the whole competition as the TD (Technical Delegate).

La Clusaz (FRA) was the fifth stop on this season’s Viessmann FIS World Cup Cross-Country tour. Heroic efforts by the organizers to prepare the course made the third World Cup weekend there possible; including the season’s first mass start races. Taking her third victory in a row, Virpi Kuitunen (FIN) grew her lead in the overall World Cup to 108 points ahead of Marit Bjoergen (NOR) who skipped this weekend to prepare for the Viessmann...

December 20th, 2006 — Unfortunately, the first stage of the Viessmann FIS Tour de Ski performance by Craft Sportswear is cancelled due to the lack of snow and the mild weather at Nove Mesto na Morave (Czech Republic) on 29th and 30th of December. Despite a great effort of the Czech Ski Association and the International Ski Federation it wasn’t possible to find a replacement due to changing weather conditions. The first edition of the...

The first race in Tour de Ski will be freestyle sprint at the Olympic stadium in Munich. Sweden is sending 13 skiers, Finland 6 skiers and Norway 17 Sweden’s team — 13 skiers: Women Lina Andersson, PiteÃ¥ Elit Sara Lindborg, Östersunds SK Britta Norgren, SollefteÃ¥ SK Anna-Karin Strömstedt, Vansbro AIK Men Jörgen Brink, IFK UmeÃ¥ Mathias Fredriksson, Axa SC Marcus Hellner, Gellivare SA Mats Larsson, Ã…sarna IK Johan Olsson, do Peter Larsson, Hudiksvalls IK Björn...

The relay competitions at La Clusaz was won in the ladies race by the German team with Stefanie Boehler, Viola Bauer, Claudia Kuenzel-Nystad and Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle an in the men’s competition by the Russian Team (Vassili Rotchev, Nikolai Pankratov, Alexander Legkov and Evgenij Dementiev). Although none from the German skiers were the fastest on an individual leg (5km for each), the quartet was always in control and led Sweden (with Lina Andersson, Sara Lindborg, Charlotte...

Tobias Angerer produced a powerhouse finish to claim victory in a punishing 30km mass start race in free technique at La Clusaz. The German edged out Alexander Legkov (0,6 seconds behind) and Evgenij Dementiev (0,8 seconds behind), both from Russia, in a thrilling finish. There was no joy for biathlon specialist Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, who has already won a World Cup cross-country race this season, as the Norwegian legend trailed in 16th. The local hero,...

After the victories in Kuusamo and Cogne Virpi Kuitunen from Finland won also the 15km mass start race in skating. For Kuitunen it is the seventh victory in her career. Only 0,3 seconds behind, her team-mate Riitta Liisa Roponen finished second. The third place took in the finish sprint the Italian Arianna Follis. For her it is the second podium place ever and her first in a distance race. No North American women raced. The...

Viessmann FIS World Cup Cross-Country at Cogne (ITA) on December 13th, 2007 Virpi Kuitunen from Finland and the Norwegian Eldar Roenning take the victory in Cogne in the individual start races over 10 km (ladies) and 15 km (men). For Kuitunen it was the sixth World Cup victory and her second in this season after her success in the last World Cup race over the same distance and the same technique in Kuusamo (FIN). The...

Four Canadians will be racing in the individual start classic World Cup races in Cogne, Italy on Wednesday. Women’s 10-k classic: Chandra Crawford and Daria Gaiazova, Men’s 15-k classic: George Grey and Devon Kershaw. No Americans will be racing. The US team returned to the States due to lack of snow in Europe. See US Ski Team Coming Home From Europe http://www.fasterskier.com/racing3770.html . Check for results on FasterSkier.com Wednesday 10 km classic women 1 BACHMANN...

Hochfilzen, Austria, December 10. Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, NY),after two weeks of outstanding performances today shocked everyone in the Hochfilzen biathlon stadium with an extremely competitive first relay leg, eventually tagging off in fifth position, just 21.7 seconds off the lead. Today, sunny warm Hochfilzen totally transformed into an alpine winter wonderland. The past 24 hours have seen over a foot of new snow blanket the meadows. The pine trees on the mountainside now droop...

Hochfilzen, Austria, December 9. Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, NY), once again finished in the top 20 in today’s Men’s 12.5K Pursuit, as the first major snowstorm of the season hit this valley in Austria’s Tirol region. Change was in the air today before the competitions started. A week of sunny, warm, and dry days gave way to light mist early in the morning, with the weather report calling for —snow. The arrival of the heavy...

December 7th, 2006 – The Viessmann FIS Cross-Country World Cup events in La Clusaz (FRA) will take place as planned with Distance races over 15 km (ladies) and 30 km (men) in the free technique on Saturday, 16th December, and relay competitions, 4x5km (ladies) and 4x10km (men), on Sunday, 17th December. The hometown of the 2005 World Champion, Vincent Vittoz, will organize a Cross-Country World Cup weekend for the third time. The plateau ‘Les Confins,’...

Hochfilzen, Austria, December 8. Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, NY), led teammates Lowell Bailey (Lake Placid, NY, and Jeremy Teela (Anchorage, AK) into US Biathlon history as the trio finished 10th, 18th,and 21st,today in the Men’s 10K Sprint. This is the first time three US Biathletes finished in the top 25 in the same World Cup competition. Burke’s first words at the finish were, “Four for four!” This was Burke’s fourth top thirty in four competitions...

December 4th, 2006 — The World Cup competitions of Cogne, which were planned on the upcoming weekend, will be rescheduled to Wednesday, 13th of December 2006. The Italian Winter Sport Federation (FISI), the local Organizing Committee of Cogne and TV rights holder Media Partners found a solution to organize Distance World Cup competitions over 10 km (ladies) and 15 km (men) in the classical technique on Wednesday, 13th December, in Cogne. For latest information please...

Ostersund, Sweden, December 3. Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, NY) chalked up another personal best today with a 19th place finish in the Men’s 12.5K Pursuit competition on the closing day of the Ostersund Biathlon World Cup. Three competitions here resulted in three personal bests for Burke. He began with 30th in the 20K Individual, came back with 22nd place in yesterday’s 10K Sprint, followed by the 19th place today. These results did not surprise Burke....

Poor ski conditions in Europe, and the resulting uncertainty surrounding upcoming World Cup races, have forced the US Ski Team to alter their plans for the next several weeks. They will now return to race in the United States, instead of staying in Europe. The plans for next week's World Cup races in Cogne, Italy changed at least four times in the past week and the status is still unknown. In addition, the races the...

Ostersund, Sweden, December 2. Tim Burke (Paul Smiths, NY), after a personal best 30th place finish in the Men’s Individual on Thursday, today moved up to 22nd place in the Men’s 10K Sprint. The men’s competitions, with good conditions here seem to have all of the luck, while the women have struggled through two days of soft, slow snow. Perfectly fast conditions allowed Ole Einar Bjorndalen to win his 64th World Cup competition on Thursday...