Kris Freeman knew he couldn't let the U.S. nationals 30 k classic mass start come down to a sprint. The seasoned veteran sat patiently throughout the three-lap race on Thursday, then attacked with 2 1/2 kilometers to go to take the title by 3.7 seconds over APU's Lex Treinen.
Heads turned and ears perked up alongside the course at U.S. Cross Country Championships on Sunday as Kyle Bratrud was rumored to be leading the men's 15 k freestyle individual start. In fact, the Northern Michigan senior led from start to finish, and ended up winning for his first top 20 at nationals.
In the two days leading up to U.S. nationals, we caught up with several podium contenders for the races in Houghton, Mich., which start this Sunday and last through next Saturday.
The first individual IBU World Cup race took place a week ago in Östersund and wrapped up this past Sunday. Here, we recap everything from biathlon in Sweden and at home in Canmore, to the Lillehammer mini tour and nordic-combined competitions, and second U.S. SuperTour stop in Bozeman, Mont.
It was yet another men's SuperTour race that was undecided until the finish line. This time, Mads Strøm came from behind and outsprinted Miles Havlick to win by 0.7 seconds in the Bozeman 15 k classic mass start. Matt Gelso took third for his second podium of the weekend.
On a spring-like day at Bohart Ranch, Canadian Patrick Stewart-Jones narrowly edged out Stratton's Ben Saxton and Sun Valley's Matt Gelso to take the men's classic-sprint title on the first day of the Bozeman SuperTour.
This gem comes from Matt Gelso, which he wrote three years ago after taking fourth in two distance races in West Yellowstone. Gelso, now 26, made the podium at this year's SuperTour opener with a 15 k skate victory in West last Friday. "I require a longer and very substantial warm-up, some simply need a few minutes to move around," Gelso explained. "It is important that you find your own unique methods and progression that gets you perfectly warmed up before a race."
Before the first stop on the IBU World Cup circuit continues in Östersund on Wednesday, we bring you a synopsis of last weekend's racing action and links to full reports.
Saturday's 10/15 k freestyle individual starts marked the final day of racing in the SuperTour opener in West Yellowstone, Mont. In the men's race it was a game of strategy which ultimately favored Matt Gelso (SVSEF), who won the race by 9.6 seconds of Brian Gregg (Team Gregg/Madshus).
How will domestic skiers qualify for World Championships? Who's racing this year? What an we expect from the 2015 SuperTour? To answer these questions and more here is FasterSkier's SuperTour preview, which gives you and in-depth look at how competition will shape up on the domestic front.
It's sure to be an exciting day at Kincaid Park on Tuesday for the first team event at U.S. nationals in at least a decade, and unlike most relays, this one's coed. Stay tuned for a showdown between APU, Stratton, Craftsbury, Sun Valley and several college teams.
The 46th annual Engadin Ski Marathon took place this past Sunday. Though the 42-kilometer skate course follows a valley downhill, losing a total of 150 meters (nearly 500 feet), that fact alone did not guarantee an easy race — on the contrary, most top finishers claimed this marathon to be one of their toughest.
Late in the race as the pace accelerated, Tom Reichelt took the lead as the course began to open up in the wide fields approaching Lake Hayward. Behind him were Bonaldi and Paredi, hanging on and looking for an opportunity to make a move in the final two agonizing kilometers across the lake. “I was waiting for the others to catch me,” he said, “but nobody did. I thought in the sprint I had no chance.”
Top skiers pick their favorites for this weekend's 41st American Birkebeiner in Cable-Hayward, WI.
The Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation Gold Team is stressing quality over quantity this season, especially with three promising skiers out of college. Two-time NCAA champion Miles Havlik joins the team, along with Rose Kemp and Mary Rose. “Although we are a small squad, 3 men and 3 women, ambitions are high for this crew," Rodgers says.
At 7,000 feet and with a serious climb smack in the middle, the 3.3 k freestyle prologue will open up SuperTour Finals on Thursday with a bang. The Americans, Canadians, Europeans and biathletes in Truckee will quickly find out what they have left in the tank as the season begins to close.
To finish off six races in three countries over nine days, Sadie Bjornsen capped off her European race season with a second place finish at OPA Cup Finals in a close race with Germany's Sandra Ringwald. Sam Tarling led the U.S. with a 23rd in the men's race and Paddy Caldwell skied the sixth-fastest course time to finish 12th in the junior race.
Here you were thinking Torin Koos was a sprinter. Think again: he won his eighth career national title on Sunday in the 30 k mass start classic, his second of the week. He bested Erik Bjornsen and David Norris in second and third in a close, hard-fought race at Soldier Hollow.
The action at the 2013 U.S. Cross Country Ski Championship heated up this morning when the senior men started off the day with the 30 k classic mass start. Six laps of the challenging 5 k loop at Soldier Hollow made for an exciting race as eighteen skiers were together in the lead pack for the majority of the race, but during the final kilometers only a handful of men were in contention for the national title. As they climbed Soldier Hollow's fabled Hermode's Hill for the final time it was Torin Koos (BSF) who made a decisive move to claim the national title with Erik Bjornsen (USST/APU) and David Norris (MSU) finishing second and third respectively. Check out our footage of the race.
The men's 15 k freestyle at the U.S. Cross Country Ski Championships at Soldier Hollow in featured fierce racing on a challenging course. The 15 second interval individual start format kept a steady stream of racers, and as the top seeds came to the finish line it was Erik Bjornsen (APU/USST) that posted the fastest time and earned the national title. Watch our footage of the action.