Sunday's 15 k classic pursuit proved to be rough for the American men on the Tour de Ski. Erik Bjornsen led the Americans in 60th, while Simi Hamilton, following a successful prologue, finished just behind in 61st. Andy Newell suffered a crash and finished in 88th.
Last year, Canada's Alex Harvey won the Tour de Ski prologue. That wasn't going to happen today: "I haven’t quite found my groove in skating this year," he said, but he's still in a great position for tomorrow's 15 k pursuit. Meanwhile, Simi Hamilton of the U.S. Ski Team scored his first World Cup distance points in 26th.
The second weekend of racing in Davos, Switzerland, wrapped up the first period of the World Cup, and there's still a lot left to be said. Check out our Notes and Quotes to see what didn't make it into our race reports this weekend.
The USST was ready to make some big moves Sunday when five of its athletes had strong qualification in the 1.4 k freestyle sprint in Davos, Switzerland. However, with four of five athletes crashing, the American squad was left wanting more. Kikkan Randall led the day in 9th, making her first semifinal appearance of the year. “It was a weird start to the season so I'm glad to be feeling like I am coming back,” she said of the day.
DAVOS, Switzerland— “I’ve been feeling pretty good this season,” U.S. Ski Team veteran Andy Newell says after the finish of today’s skate sprint. “I think I was carrying a little bit of fatigue just from the fall training, but still I think I’m a top 15 World Cup sprinter right now, I just haven’t had a chance to show it.” He was one of the 15 best sprinters in the world today, qualifying in 15th...
Jessie Diggins demonstrated that the US Ski Team still has what it takes to post a top result Saturday as she skied to 15th place in the World Cup 5 k freestyle interval start in Lillehammer, Norway. Along with Sadie Bjornsen and Liz Stephen, Diggins broke into the top-30 to set up the women's team for strong results in Sunday's classic pursuit.
The USST came up short in Friday's freestyle sprint in the first stage of the Lillehammer World Cup mini tour, with only one skier qualifying for the heats. Despite lack of results from the team as a whole, Sadie Bjornsen demonstrated that her training is paying off after placing 16th in qualification and 21st overall.
Sadie Bjornsen was, in a way, trying to avoid the kind of seventh-place showing she broke out with last year in Kuusamo, Finland. Instead, she placed 17th on Sunday for a result she was pleased with, especially considering how much it hurt. Jessie Diggins was 39th and four more Americans were in the top 60.
The first race of the season was no problem for U.S. Ski Team member Ida Sargent, who said she had a lot to think about during Saturday's classic sprint -- the first World Cup race of the season in Kuusamo, Finland -- but she used it to fuel her best-ever result on the international circuit.
As excitement grows for the first World Cup races in Kuusamo, Finland, the U.S. Ski Team stands as one of the most talented and experienced teams America has ever fielded. While only time will tell if the team can live up to their own high expectations, our World Cup preview aims to give you an update and some insight into this U.S. team.
Approximately 40 athletes attended the USST Altitude Camp in Park City, Utah which concluded Oct. 19. The camp is a final opportunity of the best skiers in the country to fine tune their skiing before the winter season starts in November.
Saturday marked Stratton Mountain T2 Team's third annual 100 k Ski-A-Thon. A clever mix between a fundraiser and an over-distance workout, the event is a way for the team to reap both physical and financial benefits over the course of 62.1 miles.
FasterSkier caught up with Simi Hamilton during the USST Lake Placid Training Camp to talk with him about his summer training and the winter season ahead. While Hamilton doesn't plan to change much in his routine, several "gear changes" might allow him to achieve even higher results in the coming months.
In between workouts at the 2014 U.S. Ski Team Lake Placid Training Camp, the U.S. Ski Team took some time to give back to the Lake Placid community. With Fast and Female for the girls and Speed Camp for the boys, the September 5th events hosted smiles all around.
The USST wrapped up its annual Lake Placid training camp September 7. With favorable weather, high-level training, and an encouraging team environment, participants walked away feeling prepared for the next phase of training.
With the help of U.S. Ski Team head coach Chris Grover and Canadian National Team Head Coach Justin Wadsworth, Tor-Arne Hetland and the Canadian World Cup Team ended up in Vermont last month. "Andy Newell can train here for many years … That’s the reason we are here," Hetland explained.
The U.S. Men's Ski Team and APU recently wrapped up their summer training camp in Alaska. They spent their final week on Eagle Glacier where they trained hard, cemented technique, and had a few laughs.
Positive news from the cross country world again: Andrew “Andy” Newell and Simeon “Simi” Hamilton (both USA) have decided to change to Fischer boots. As both sprint stars from the US have been successful on skis from the Nordic number one for years now, they will now be placing their trust in the complete ski and boot system from one source in future.
USSA has announced its nominations to the 2014/2015 U.S. Ski Team, with A-team returners Kikkan Randall, Jessie Diggins, Andy Newell, and Liz Stephen, plus the additions of Sadie Bjornsen, Sophie Caldwell, and Simi Hamilton to the A-team.
SMST2 Head Coach Gus Kaeding, 29, came to the striking realization this winter that he couldn't see himself coaching in 10 years. With that in mind, he decided to plot a new future, which could include a master's in finance. His contract is up at the end of June, but Kaeding plans to help Stratton transition to a new elite-team coach.