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The cream of the crop. The best in the world compete all winter long on the World Cup. We follow them at every stop with article and results. We also post occasional reports from North America’s best as they travel the globe.
Rebounding From the Skiathlon, Three Americans Sprint to Top-10 Results (Updated)
RacingWorld Cup

Rebounding From the Skiathlon, Three Americans Sprint to Top-10 Results (Updated)

Rachel PerkinsJanuary 26, 2020

Onward and upward. Day two in Oberstdorf, Germany featured a 1.5-kilometer classic sprint with three sharp toothlike climbs. Seemingly riding the edge of their capability inside the tracks, athletes pumped their way up each pitch before wrapping around a bend and descending an equal grade back toward the stadium. After what Matt Whitcomb called an “off day”, the Americans demonstrated their ability to rebound. To not let the sensations or disappointment from one day percolate...

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With Arms Raised: It’s a Johaug Win in Oberstdorf – Brennan in 17th, Diggins 22nd
RacingWorld Cup

With Arms Raised: It’s a Johaug Win in Oberstdorf – Brennan in 17th, Diggins 22nd

Jason AlbertJanuary 25, 2020

Here at FasterSkier, we do not play the odds. Some contributors we know play Noah Hoffman’s Fantasy League – but we steer clear of rolling the dice on cross-country skiing. But the women’s skiathlon events on the World Cup may not be the biggest payouts since in recent history they have been a lock.  Oberstdorf in Oberstdorf, Germany — the site of next year’s Nordic Ski World Championships — required no crystal ball of an...

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Third Consecutive Distance Win for Bolshunov in Oberstdorf; Norris 28th
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Third Consecutive Distance Win for Bolshunov in Oberstdorf; Norris 28th

Rachel PerkinsJanuary 25, 2020

And the World Cup beat goes on. Nearly 70 men lined up in Oberstdorf, Germany for a 15/15-kilometer skiathlon, battling across techniques in front of a Bavarian Alp backdrop. The venue will be the home of the 2021 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. The 3.75 k course in Oberstdorf featured a variety of terrain, with the Burgstall hill climb bringing athletes to the high point of the course. To increase the pulse in the long...

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Nové Město Pursuit: Bolshunov in Command
RacingWorld Cup

Nové Město Pursuit: Bolshunov in Command

Jason AlbertJanuary 19, 2020

More snow. More fans. On Sunday in Nové Město, Czech Republic, day two of a pursuit weekend unfolded amidst trees draped in snow and a 5 k course with portions lined with fans. With snow falling, the men raced a 15-kilometer classic pursuit.  Rewind to yesterday’s first portion of the pursuit format, a 15 k interval start skate, which established the time-back start positions for Sunday. Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov won that race by a margin of...

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Johaug Sweeps the Pursuit in Nové Město; Diggins 10th
RacingWorld Cup

Johaug Sweeps the Pursuit in Nové Město; Diggins 10th

Rachel PerkinsJanuary 19, 2020

Yesterday’s snow coated Nové Město, Czech Republic, clinging to the tall pines and masking the unsettling contrast of the man made ribbon of snow. Though wintry precipitation continued to fall, cheering crowds filled the stadium, ringing bells and sounding horns as racers passed through. Picking up where they left off after the skate stage, athletes set out onto the arduous tracks for a 10-kilometer classic pursuit. Steep climbs, sharp curves, and gentler though rippling terrain...

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Bolshunov Dominates in Nové Město; Norris in 27th
RacingWorld Cup

Bolshunov Dominates in Nové Město; Norris in 27th

Jason AlbertJanuary 18, 2020

The overall and distance specialist were back it Saturday in Nové Město, Czech Republic. After the grind of the Tour de Ski (TdS), which finished atop the Alpe Cermis on January 5th, all but the core roster of sprinters took last weekend’s stop in Dresden, Germany off.  Period III began for those chasing more than sprint points and podiums on a snowy day in Nové Město. Saturday’s race, a 15-kilometer freestyle individual start, set racers...

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Johaug Takes the Lead in Nové Město Pursuit; Diggins 4th
RacingWorld Cup

Johaug Takes the Lead in Nové Město Pursuit; Diggins 4th

Rachel PerkinsJanuary 18, 2020

“It has everything,” Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla told FIS before the start of the 10-kilometer interval start skate in Nové Město, Czech Republic. Though she was describing the steep uphills and working downhills, found along the 5 k track, it might have also been an apt description for what the weather had in store. As athletes headed out on course, the light icy precipitation transitioned into chunky white flakes accumulating on the deteriorating ribbon of man...

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Dresden Team Sprint Rundown
RacingWorld Cup

Dresden Team Sprint Rundown

FasterSkierJanuary 12, 2020

It was dizzying in Dresden for the skate team sprints. The man-made loop of lightning-fast snow had skiers going literally round and round for a total of 11 exchanges between teammates. Each skier skated a single 0.7-kilometer lap, for a total of 7.8 k. Each skier raced six laps. Turn your head dizzy. The Women’s Final The finals consisted of ten teams. Sweden I animated the race with its display of pull ahead speed late...

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Chanavat Stays out of Trouble in Dresden with the Skate Sprint Win
RacingWorld Cup

Chanavat Stays out of Trouble in Dresden with the Skate Sprint Win

Jason AlbertJanuary 11, 2020

The metaphors are rife when describing the rough and tumble nature of the urban environment. Most often we think of pine forest, alps, and Hansel and Gretel valleys as the backdrop for the World Cup. To foster interest and in-fill a dense schedule of racing, city-sprints are nothing new when it comes to populating the World Cup calendar. Places like Dresden provide a contextual backdrop to a Europe steeped in history. The city is often...

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RacingWorld Cup

Sweden’s Svahn Strikes Again in Dresden; Caldwell 4th

Rachel PerkinsJanuary 11, 2020

With the Tour de Ski in the rearview mirror, athletes donned bibs for a city sprint weekend in Dresden, Germany. Like the other bookend in Planica the weekend before it began, athletes who focused on the Tour de Ski — mostly distance skiers and all-arounders — were not in attendance to focus on rest and recovery. This narrowed the field  in Dresden to a sprint-focused lineup. Under grey skies, skiers drag-raced on an icy ribbon...

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RacingWorld Cup

Norway Goes 1-2 in Freestyle Team Sprint; Americans 7th

Rachel PerkinsDecember 22, 2019

From under the umbrella to inside the snow globe. Fat flakes were falling in Planica, Slovenia at the start of the freestyle team sprint. A painful mix of speed and endurance, each team member skied three 1.2-kilometer laps for a total of 7.2 k. Comprising the victorious Norway I team, Sindre Bjørnestad Skar and Erik Valnes stopped the clock at 16:54.52. Fellow countrymen Håvard Solås Taugbøl and  Gjøren Tefre took the Norway II team to...

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With Winter Arriving in Planica, Sweden Asserts their Dominance with Team Sprint Win
RacingWorld Cup

With Winter Arriving in Planica, Sweden Asserts their Dominance with Team Sprint Win

Jason AlbertDecember 22, 2019

With the tight racing and jostling for position the team sprint presents, another factor was in the mix during Sunday’s Planica, Slovenia women’s 7.2-kilometer freestyle team sprint: big, fat, and plentiful snowflakes.  Saturdays’ rainy, and lightning ridden sprint racing on an artificial snow loop, had a 180-degree backdrop flip-flop with a white winter arriving in Planica in time for the holidays and a World Cup TV broadcast. A several inch veneer of fresh snow covered...

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RacingWorld Cup

In a Thunderstruck Planica, Chanavat Wins; Hamilton 12th

Jason AlbertDecember 21, 2019

With a snaking artificial loop of snow in a drizzly, and sometimes thundering Planica, Slovenia, the men’s World Cup field competed in a 1.25-kilometer skate sprint on Saturday. What Planica lacked in wintery vistas, it provided with fast technical racing during a day of topsy turvy weather. Racing was suspended after the quarterfinals when a robust lightning and hail storm moved in. With loud thunder booms reverberating during the weather delay, the competition organizers aptly...

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Julia Kern Lands Her First World Cup Podium Behind Sweden’s Sundling and Nilsson; Caldwell 4th
RacingWorld Cup

Julia Kern Lands Her First World Cup Podium Behind Sweden’s Sundling and Nilsson; Caldwell 4th

Rachel PerkinsDecember 21, 2019

Temperatures over 40 degrees Fahrenheit, steady rain that peppered camera lenses, sparse broods of fans huddled under umbrellas, and a ribbon of white farmed snow. After a wintery start to the season in snowy Ruka, Lillehammer, and Davos, athlete’s found their spring-like gear racing the 1.2-kilometer freestyle sprint in Planica, Slovenia. With many “all-arounders” choosing to sit out the sprint focused weekend to rest for the upcoming Tour de Ski, the intimate subset of athletes...

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RacingWorld Cup

Krüger Wins by 19 seconds in Davos 15 k Skate

Jason AlbertDecember 15, 2019

In contrast to yesterday’s open valley sprints, Sunday’s 15-kilometer interval start freestyle was tucked and nestled on the shady side of the valley. Firm snow and less than optimal oxygen concentrations greeted athletes. Davos sits at just over five thousand feet in altitude. As far as the race narrative, so much for fairy tales in lovely Davos. Dario Cologna, the Swiss ski star sat for a time in the fur-lined leader’s chair. Davos, according to...

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RacingWorld Cup

Johaug Strikes Again in Davos 10 k Skate; Diggins 3rd; Five Americans in Top-30 (Updated with Whitcomb Audio)

Rachel PerkinsDecember 15, 2019

Day two in Davos, Switzerland looked much like the first; blue skies, fast tracks, and spectacular alpen backdrop. Following an interval start, athletes time-trialed through two 5-kilometer loops loops of a course that predominantly climbs the first 3k, ripping back toward the stadium the last two. Gone are the days of the stopwatch and furious arithmetic, coaches with tablets peppered the woods near checkpoints to relay information to their athletes as they skated by, hunting...

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Caldwell Adds Third Place to Her Davos Resume
RacingWorld Cup

Caldwell Adds Third Place to Her Davos Resume

Jason AlbertDecember 14, 2019

(An earlier version of the story mistakenly stated Caldwell had placed second. FIS live timing had Caldwell in second place. Apologies for the error.) When Davos is good, it is good on a global scale. With the Swiss valley blanketed in snow, and a gauze of high clouds keeping the race proceedings just a notch away from perfectly sun-shiny, the World Cup’s 1.5-kilometer freestyle sprint was won by twenty-year-old Swede Linn Svahn. According to the...

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RacingWorld Cup

Third Consecutive Sprint Victory in Davos for Klæbo; Hamilton 6th

Rachel PerkinsDecember 14, 2019

Davos, Switzerland: gifted athletes, throngs of spectators lining the course, plenty of Vitamin-D and a spectacular day for the 1.5-kilometer freestyle sprint. Racers chased down and skied away from their long afternoon shadows as the sun moved across the cloudless bluebird sky.  The crowds were in for a treat. In sprint racing, heats often have significant variance. Some will be fast, some will be slow with a final upsurge in intensity at the end. In...

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NewsRacingWorld Cup

Swedish Junior Champion Frida Karlsson Pulled From Competition After Failing to Meet Health Criteria

Rachel PerkinsDecember 10, 2019

The Swedish news outlet SVT announced this morning that Frida Karlsson, Sweden’s rising junior phenom, has been pulled from competition after not meeting team health criteria during a routine check last week. Karlsson raced the World Cup opening series of races in Ruka, placing 40th in the classic sprint, 11th in the 10 k classic, finishing 8th overall after the final 10 k skate stage.  Last season the 20-year-old won the 5-kilometer classic and 10...

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Ustiugov Closes with a Fury as Russia Goes 1-2 in Lillehammer Relay
RacingWorld Cup

Ustiugov Closes with a Fury as Russia Goes 1-2 in Lillehammer Relay

Aleks TangenDecember 8, 2019

Call it what you want: national pride, national bias, flag-waving: the team relays elicit nationalistic tendencies. In Lillehammer, Norway, you might think and maybe expect it’s your birthright to see the hometeam crush. That’s been the recent norm almost without exception.  Here’s the quick stats to either dispel or reinforce those tendencies: Norway has won nine of the last 11 relay races on the World Cup. Russia won the other two. In fact, Russia took...

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