Two lines of burly men, attired in identical red and white shirts, each carrying a massive cow bell that reached from waist to ground, marched in synch up the trail. They stopped in unison, and then with less then perfect acumen settled their bells and cheered. Behind came a larger crowd, carrying massive banners and countless flags. The Dario Cologna fan club was out in force, and the parade up the final 100 meters of...
Petter Northug (NOR) did everything he could, but even a “late birthday present” from rival Dario Cologna (SUI) was not enough to get the Norwegian within striking distance of the overall Tour lead. On a warm day, starting with drizzle, and shifting to sun, Northug displayed the top form he has been struggling to find all season in the penultimate stage of the 2011 Tour de Ski. In winning the 20km classic mass start event,...
Dario Cologna (SUI) may not have had time to enjoy the scenery, but his efficient performance left little room for excitement at the front of the men’s 35 kilometer freestyle handicap start, leaving the setting the most interesting part of the day. The sixth stage of the 2011 Tour de Ski wound its way from Cortina to Toblach, climbing for the first 16 k before a long gradual descent to the stadium, and a final...
If you still had any doubts about Canadian Devon Kershaw’s ability to ski with the best in the world, they should now be put to rest. In a talent-packed final in the 1.4 k skate sprint during Stage 5 of the Tour de Ski, Kershaw not only skied with fastest men on the circuit, but blew them away on route to the stage victory, the first of his career. “I’m more than happy,” said Kershaw...
What happens when a famous Norwegian couch potato embarks on Petter Northug’s training program and basically follows Northug’s daily routine for eight weeks?
The 2011 Tour de Ski is half way complete, and with the first rest day just about over, it is a good time to check in. Women On the women’s side, favorite Justyna Kowalczyk (POL) has not disappointed. She won the first two evens before finishing seconds to Petra Majdic (SLO) in the classic sprint, and fifth in the 10km pursuit. Despite being unable to break the field as she has often done in the...
The 2010/2011 Veissmann Tour de Ski is nothing if not draining. Consisting of eight events in ten days in two countries, the fifth edition begins December 31st and runs until January 9th. The Tour begins with a freestyle prologue in Oberhof, Germany, on December 31st, followed by a classic pursuit start on January 1st. The Tour then moves to Oberstorf, Germany, for a sprint on January 2nd, and a pursuit on the 3rd. After a...
Remo Fischer used a strong attack late in the third leg of the men’s 4x10km relay in La Clusaz, France, to open up a gap on Russian Petr Sedov, and set up the first World Cup relay win for the Swiss men. Fischer’s move rested on the foundation built by teammate Dario Cologna. The former World Cup overall champion teamed with Alexander Legkov (RUS), the current World Cup leader, to break apart the usual early...
In Switzerland last weekend, Russia’s Alexander Legkov skied to his second podium of the year, continuing a strong start to the winter. But in an interview afterwards with the Russian newspaper Sport Express, he said he was trying to relish the results as much as possible, knowing that soon, Norwegian star Petter Northug would be back on the circuit at full strength. “Make no mistake—a couple of races, and Northug will return to the level...
“It might have been good for me to fall down the drain a little,” Petter Northug said at the press conference in Davos Friday afternoon.
After a wildly entertaining weekend of sprinting in Dusseldorf, complete with North American podiums and crashes galore, the World Cup returns to normalcy in the cross-country paradise of Davos, Switzerland. The action starts on Saturday with an individual start 10/15km classic, before shifting back to sprinting with a freestyle event on Sunday. A number of top skiers, including Marit Bjoergen (NOR), Justyna Kowalczyk (POL), Marcus Hellner (SWE), and North Americans Kris Freeman (USA) and Devon...
“In this situation, the most important for (Petter Northug) is to relax and protect himself from all the commotion around him. He has to find his way back to the starting point and rebuild. Only then can he get back to training,” Per Elofsson (SWE) said to NRK.
Swedish fans must have been crushed after Norway’s Marit Bjoergen knocked off their hometown hero Charlotte Kalla in the 10 k skate on Saturday morning in Gallivare. But they must have been equally thrilled in the afternoon, when Marcus Hellner (SWE) skied to an 11-second victory over Switzerland’s Dario Cologna—finishing in the stadium that was named for him after a double gold medal-winning performance at the 2010 Olympic Games. “I felt like I had control today,”...
Norway Nations Cup Ranking: 1st (9899 pts) Men: 1st (5249 pts) Women: 1st (4650 pts) 2010/2011 A Team Men Tord Asle Gjerdalen Petter Northug Eldar Roenning Martin Johnsrud Sundby Kristian Tettli Rennemo Petter Eliassen Simen Oestensen Ola Vigen Hattestad Johan Kjoelstad Eirik Brandsdal Oeystein Pettersen Anders Gloersen John Kristian Dahl Women Marit Bjoergen Astrid Uhrenholt Jacobsen Therese Johaug Marthe Kristoffersen Kristin Stoermer Steira Vibeke Skofterud Celine Brun-Lie Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg Maiken Caspersen Falla Karianne Bjellanes...
Petter Northug is not feeling good and will not race the World Cup opener this weekend in Gällivare, Sweden. “Petter says his legs feel heavy, and his body has not been on his side since the races at Beitostølen last weekend, and his workouts have also not been great this last week,” the Norwegian national team coach Morten Aa Djupvik told NRK.no. Northug delivered less than optimal performances at Beitostølen, and he was sick after...
The Norwegian squad travels to Gällivare Thursday, but not with Petter Northug. Northug, who got sick during or shortly after last weekend’s season-opening races in Bietolstolen, will conduct a training session on Thursday. Afterwards, it will be decided whether he will travel to Sweden on Friday. Northug won the overall trophy in the World Cup last season. He also secured two Olympic gold medals. This year’s big goal is the World Cup in Holmenkollen in...
Germany Nations Cup Ranking: 6th (4308 pts) Men: 4th (2453 pts) Women: 8th (1855 pts) 2010/2011 A Team Men Tobias Angerer Jens Filbrich Axel Teichmann Tim Tscharnke Women Stefanie Boehler Nicole Fessel Evi-Sachenbacher Stehle Miriam Goessner Katrin Zeller What you may have missed last season: Tim Tscharnke rising to German sprinting domination. The 21 year-old kid with no previous World Cup points cruised onto the circuit and took home over 100 World Cup points, looking...
John Kristian Dahl won the men's sprint final in a tight race with Eirik Brandsdal (NOR) and Øystein "Sausage" Pettersen. Northug did not advance and considers sitting out tomorrow's 15K classic race.
–Norwegian superstar Petter Northug has put on a waxing clinic for the media in advance of this weekend’s racing—they’re probably hoping to avoid what happened last year after the first race of the Olympics, where the press blamed the team’s wax staff for destroying the men’s medal hopes. –According to the Swedish site Langd.se, one of the coaches suspended by the Russian Ski Association in response to repeated anti-doping rules violations
The first FIS race of the 2011 season may have been last weekend in Muonio, Finland but the action starts in ernest tomorrow with a full international field hitting the Men’s 15km Free