Andrew Musgrave is a mainstay of the World Cup cross-country skiing circuit and a two-time podium finisher, racing for a surprisingly strong British team. Devon and Nat chatted with him this week about a major budget cut for the British team that’s forced team members to fundraise; Muzzy also talks about his training, his life in Norway, his diet and his plans to start feuds on the World Cup. You can email us at devon@fasterskier.com and nat@fasterskier.com.
Looking for a mid-season workout that's both effective but not too taxing? Annika Taylor of the British World Cup team has one for you: a sprint workout with short intervals on varying terrain. "The workout focuses both on the neuromuscular (limb speed) required in sprinting and improving anaerobic capacity," describes Taylor.
Just six months after graduating from UNH, Annika Taylor, a 22-year-old California native, found herself starting her first World Cup race in late November as the sole female representative of Great Britain's cross-country ski team. "I’m actually addicted to the lifestyle because every weekend is a new experience," Taylor says.
Is Norway taking advantage of a partnership get around new FIS rules limiting the number of team staff allowed on course? Or is Great Britain actually taking advantage of them, to get more expert wax testing? Either way, FIS says that a new partnership that rubs Sweden the wrong way is a-okay.
When Andrew Young qualified for his first World Cup sprint heats on Sunday, he knocked his better-known teammate Andrew Musgrave out of the top 30. Britain now has four athletes who meet the Olympic "A" standard, and perhaps more on the way - now they just have to find a way to get them all to the start line in Sochi.
Despite the Scottish location, Andrew Young grew up skiing the way many readers probably did too: in a club, with friends, trying to get fast enough to beat their older sisters. After becoming the youngest man to race a World Cup in 2008, Young relocated to Norway for better training and coaching, and is a lock for his second Olympics this winter.