On Sunday in Lahti, Finland, Petter Northug took his second individual victory of the season, this time in the classic discipline, winning in a time of 34:35.6. The margin back to second place finisher Alexey Poltoranin (KAZ) was a yawning 31.7 seconds, and to countryman Martin Johnsrud Sundby (NOR) it was 35.1 seconds. "I was hungry again today," Northug told reporters.
Len Valjas (CAN) led the Canadian men on Saturday in Lahti, Finland, with an strong eighth place finish. His performance was just as fueled by frustration as it was fitness. Valjas toed the line today after a miserable run of sickness. “I was sick for nine days,” he said. “I had strep throat, then a chest cold, and laryngitis. It felt good to get out of bed.” The timing of the sickness couldn’t have been worse,...
Johan Olsson surprised most everyone and held his own for nearly 30 k on Sunday, skiing alone with a relentless drive for gold in the World Championships 50 k classic mass start on a hot-and-slushy afternoon.
World Champion at long last, Dario Cologna (SUI) played the waiting game on Saturday in the 30 k skiathlon at the 2013 Nordic World Ski Championships while others attempted futile breakaways. It paid off in the end; he won the race by almost two seconds over Martin Johnsrud Sundby (NOR). Our photos from the race...
Dario Cologna remained cool and collected throughout Saturday's eight-lap 30 k skiathlon in Val di FIemme, letting others charge when they wanted to and putting his head down when it counted for his first World Championships gold.
US Ski Team member Andy Newell came one step closer to a World Cup podium on Saturday, placing fourth in the 1.5 k classic sprint in Davos, Switzerland. While he was 3 seconds off the mark, Newell isn't too worried: he's still got World Championships and an overall sprint title to chase. Teammate Simi Hamilton notched a season best of 13th, and Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess and Erik Bjornsen learned some lessons.
Alexey Poltoranin (KAZ) put forth an impressive show of strength to take the men's 1.5 k classic sprint on Saturday in Davos, Switzerland. Hometown hero and World Cup overall leader Dario Cologna (SUI) took second; Federico Pellegrino (ITA) secured the final podium position.
Dario Cologna earned his first win of the season, besting a strong group of Russians on the 2014 Olympic skiathlon course.
Petter Northug got down to business Friday at the Sochi Olympic venue's first World Cup, winning the 1.8 k freestyle sprint ahead of Dario Cologna, Italian David Hofer and best of all to him, three Russians.
Alexey Poltaranin (KAZ) used a superior finishing kick to overtake Alexander Bessmertnykh (RUS) at the line and claim victory in the 15km classic mass start in La Clusaz, France. Dario Cologna (SUI) was third and a surprising Didrik Toenseth (NOR) finished fourth.
Taking off near the bottom of the Alpe Cermis climb, Alexander Legkov managed to ski smoothly up the mountain and over the plateau at the top, claiming Russia's first Tour de Ski title. Dario Cologna held on for second, while Maxim Vylgzhanin kept a suffering Petter Northug off the podium.
Alexey Poltaranin (KAZ) skied to a convincing 8 second win in the men's 5km classic prologue in Toblach, Italy. Petter Northug (NOR) added to his overall Tour lead, besting rival Dario Cologna by .2 seconds to claim second.
The days when Switzerland's Dario Cologna won Tour after Tour seemingly effortlessly have come to an end. Cologna still has a shot, but after Petter Northug of Norway defeated Cologna and Russians Alexander Legkov and Maxim Vylegzhanin in a sprint finish in stage four, he'll have to work a little harder. After today's showing Northug, meanwhile, is confident that the title is his.
Lenny Valjas earned the elusive first podium of the season for the Canadians, placing third behind Finn Hagen Krogh (NOR) and Federico Pellegrino (ITA) in the Tour de Ski freestyle sprint.
Last year's Tour de Ski prologue winner, Petter Northug of Norway started the 2012/2013 Tour on another strong note, winning Saturday's 4 k freestyle prologue in Oberhof, Germany, ahead of Marcus Hellner and Alexander Legkov.
Just when you thought you couldn’t go another day without races to follow and results to check, the Tour de Ski is here to deliver a concentrated dose of cross country drama. The seventh edition of the event begins on Saturday with a freestyle prologue in Oberhof, Germany. Here's a taste of what to expect.
Petter Northug skied his own race and hung on for dear life at the finish to edge a Russian for the first time in this weekend's Ruka Triple and defend his overall title from Kuusamo last year.
Our first trip of the summer was to Norway. Zach planned the trip so that we could spend a few days skiing on the snow at Sognefjell, about a 3 hour drive north of Lillehammer, with some of the US Ski Team guys that he coaches. Sognefjell is a remote mountainous area located above the Sognefjord. Its elevation is about 4500ft and holds snow well into the summer. There is a hostel-like lodge there...
You can say a lot about Marty Hall—and, in fact, most of it has probably already been said. The former coach of the American and Canadian national cross-country ski teams is an outspoken and prolific observer of the sport today, but that’s nothing new. He famously implied that the Russians were doping at the 1988 Olympic Games, and an Ottawa newspaper story upon his departure from the Canadian squad referred to him as the “opinionated...
By all accounts, Petter Northug’s 2011-2012 campaign was an unexpected failure. The high-profile Norwegian star, who usually finished at or near the top of every podium he contended for, specifically set out to do two things last winter: take the Tour de Ski and win the Vasaloppet. He came up short on both counts; Switzerland’s Dario Cologna and Marcus Hellner of Sweden both beat him in the Tour in first and second, respectively, and a...