A year after Alex Harvey and Devon Kershaw topped the podium in the World Cup Finals prologue, the Canadian team was looking for some positives on Friday, but would have to settle for two top 30s on a challenging day.
Devon Kershaw was the top Canadian in the men's 50 k freestyle mass start in Holmenkollen in 29th, not quite his 10th-place result in the 50 k classic there last year, but an improvement over his recent outings. Ivan Babikov followed in 33rd, and Alex Harvey did not finish because of back pains.
Alex Harvey hung with the group for the first half of Sunday's 50 k, but dropped out of contention and didn't have the skis or the body to catch back up in the final race of the 2013 World Championships. He finished 28th, Graham Nishikawa was 48th and Ivan Babikov pulled out halfway through.
Canada fell short of its expectations in Friday's 4x10 k relay, placing 12th of 18 teams and 2:39.3 behind the winners.
Ivan Babikov had one of the best races of his life on Wednesday with a career-best fourth in the World Championships 15 k freestyle. After a slow start, the man affectionately known as the Canadian "Bulldog" raced to one of the best finishing times, about 30 seconds off the podium.
Dasha Gaiazova, Emily Nishikawa and Brittany Webster represented Canada in Tuesday's two-lap 10 k freestyle individual start at World Championships, and while none were ecstatic about their results, most saw the value in racing at the highest international level.
After narrowly qualifying in 26th, Alex Harvey went on to have the race of his life in Thursday's World Championships classic sprint, placing third to make history for Canada, which he hopes will lift the rest of the team after sub-par finishes.
The Canadian World Cup Team's journey through the season hasn't been as picture-perfect as last year, or even 2011 when Devon Kershaw and Alex Harvey won gold in the team sprint. Aiming for the podium in Val di Fiemme, they have two World Championships medals in mind and reason to believe they can achieve at least that.
Canadian biathlete Zina Kocher raced the 10km freestyle cross-country World Cup in Davos on Sunday, fresh off biathlon World Championships.
Ivan Babikov dropped out and Alex Harvey finished 56th on an inauspicious day for the Canadian men. But head Coach Justin Wadsworth is not worried.
Canada's Lenny Valjas gave it his all and drained the tank for sixth, a season-best, non-stage result, and Devon Kershaw continued to his ascent into fighting form in eighth at Saturday's World Cup classic sprint in Davos, Switzerland.
The prognosis is good for Alex Harvey after a shoulder dislocation, but he will still skip the remaining Sochi World Cup races.
On Monday, the Canadians waved goodbye to their tour bus, one only rivaled by Petter Northug's on the Tour de Ski. B2ten founder Dominick Gauthier explains how they paid for all the "rock star" ride, and why it's been a staple for the team for three years.
Alex Harvey topped his performance from Saturday and notched fifth in Sunday's pursuit, putting him in fighting position through two stages in the Tour de Ski. Ivan Babikov also made the top 20 for Canada, rising to 19th.
Jesse Cockney of the Alberta World Cup Academy pulled off the greatest race of his career, finishing second in Saturday's skate sprint qualifier then finishing ninth overall at the World Cup in Canmore. Lenny Valjas notched seventh for his best result of the season, and Phil Widmer made the heats for 15th overall.
Devon Kershaw and Alex Harvey were less than impressed after placing 50th and 52nd, respectively, Saturday and failing to make the Alberta World Cup sprint heats. Shortly after the qualifier, they decided to sit out Sunday's skiathlon.
Alex Harvey, the only team member out of 28 Canadian starters to advance to the knockout rounds, was eliminated in his quarterfinal heat in Saturday's sprint in Quebec City.
Friday's World Cup team sprint did not go as Alex Harvey or Devon Kershaw had planned with a late crash derailing their podium run. The two settled for fifth in the men's final, Lenny Valjas and Jesse Cockney placed 10th, and all the Canadians were looking forward to Saturday.
Friday's team sprint in Quebec put a premium on endurance—endurance that Canadian Chandra Crawford said she was lacking, as her team failed to advance to the finals.
Showing signs of emerging from a slow start to the season, the Canadian men placed their big three of Devon Kershaw, Alex Harvey and Ivan Babikov in the the top-30 for the first time this season, just in time for the trip home to Canada.