In 2016, Maya MacIsaac-Jones got her first World Cup top-30 in the Gatineau sprint stage of the Ski Tour Canada. She'll start this season on the World Cup, but is shooting for excellence at U23 World Championships in Utah later in the year - fueled by pre-race Harry Potter reading.
After eight races in 12 days, 14 Americans and 12 Canadians completed the Ski Tour Canada, a season-long goal for most of them. Here are some final thoughts from several North Americans after the seventh and eighth stages.
Friday's 10 k freestyle was a good day for Norway's Ingvild Flugstad Østberg. She skied away for the win, stymied by neither the grueling course or the who's who of Norwegian stars she left in her wake. Jessie Diggins put her hold on fifth, leading four U.S. women in the top 22.
Norway's Martin Johnsrud Sundby won the Ski Tour Canada's brutal Stage 6 skiathlon on Wednesday, putting him third overall in the Tour, while Petter Northug remains in second despite losing precious time to Tour leader Sergey Ustiugov. Canada's Alex Harvey jumped a spot to fourth overall, and his teammates Ivan Babikov and Graeme Killick posted season-best results.
Wondering what Lenny Valjas was thinking after the Quebec City skate sprint, or how Noah Hoffman is feeling going into Canmore? Check out these images from the pursuit stage as well as North American quotes from the last two stages of the Ski Tour Canada.
Notes, quotes, photos and even a video of several of the North Americans you've been waiting to hear from at the Ski Tour Canada.
FasterSkier has several boots on the ground in Gatineau, and over the last couple days, we gained a sense about the conditions and chatted with a few athletes before the Ski Tour Canada opens Tuesday with 1.7 k freestyle sprints. Snow reports, photos, quotes, and an added bonus: the U.S. Ski Team's latest music video.
On Monday, Cross Country Canada announced its team selections for the Ski Tour Canada, the season-ending, eight-stage World Cup tour from March 1-12. The Canadian roster includes 14 men and 12 women.
Head coach of the Canadian World Cup and national team, Justin Wadsworth spoke to FS at length about the team this season and how its athletes have handled summer and fall training. Bottom line: most everyone starting on the World Cup is healthy, and several are in the best shape of their lives.
“I had a lot of good sprint races last season, and there are no championships this season, so winning the overall sprint World Cup is what motivates me the most,” Norwegian national-team member Pål Golberg said in a recent interview with FasterSkier.