tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56892077722125454692012-01-28T16:29:45.599-06:00Nordic Commentary ProjectColin Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06289923497258059725noreply@blogger.comBlogger2261100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-22540810612588320342012-01-28T15:57:00.000-06:002012-01-28T16:29:45.615-06:00Marathon Cup (part II) - the Marcialonga!
This weekend's gap in the World Cup schedule is just big enough to admit the Marcialonga, the 70km marathon in northern Italy. Second only to the Vasaloppet in prestige, the Marcialonga has - like that even longer race - this year attracted quite a crowd of racers, headed by none other than Petter Northug himself.
That Northug is taking the weekend "off" to ski 70,000 meters of track in ItalyChristopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-35246154790847759932012-01-20T19:44:00.000-06:002012-01-20T19:44:17.983-06:00Classic Racing in EstoniaI love the classic-race weekends in Estonia. As Nat Herz described so well in Fasterskier last year and Kieran Jones summarized early this season, the place is nuts for skiing, and "diagonal stride" seems particularly, aptly old school. With the Estonian war horses Mae and Veerpalu retired, the racing should be even more interesting than usual - though I think Saturday's sprints are going to turnChristopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-52888117657761333792012-01-20T16:17:00.003-06:002012-01-20T16:34:38.570-06:00Does Chandra Crawford have her mojo back?<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>Kierannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-63519758454534904892012-01-07T20:58:00.000-06:002012-01-07T20:58:09.304-06:00The Tour Is Won on the AlpeOh, man. The Final Climb on the Alpe Cermis tomorrow is going to be pretty exciting - just the sort of stage that should conclude the Tour de Ski.
On the men's side, I can't see Cologna doing anything but finishing first (becoming the first triple champion of the Tour de Ski), but I'm very eager to see the fight behind him for third - or maybe second, if Northug fades. He's only 40-some seconds Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-13727832191398660452012-01-06T22:43:00.001-06:002012-01-06T22:43:26.696-06:00Val di Fiemme: The Race before the ClimbThe mass-start classic races in Val di Fiemme see a lot of action every year as racers jockey for the bonus seconds that could advantage themselves and disadvantage their rivals in the last race of the Tour de Ski, the Final Climb. Remember how Lukas Bauer took over this stage a few years ago and established the gap he needed to outpace Northug on the Alpe Cemis? I do; it was one of the best Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-19904288228501119352012-01-04T17:30:00.000-06:002012-01-04T17:30:00.388-06:00Chasing Is RacingToday's Toblach sprints were the last short-distance race in this year's Tour de Ski. The next four days include one rest day and three long races: Thursday's 15k/30k skate pursuit, Saturday's 10k/20k classic mass start, and Sunday's 9k skate Final Climb.
The Nordic Commentary Project brain trust long ago criticized the format of Thursday's stage, which has the towering problem of having the Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-22671344140913523992012-01-03T17:33:00.000-06:002012-01-04T14:37:30.129-06:00Toblach SprintI agree with Jan at XC Predictions that "the Toblach sprint stage can become a very decisive stage in this year's Tour de Ski in the men's race." Legkov won't earn any points in the sprint, and neither will many of the other top-ten racers except perhaps Kershaw (5). The sprint will be less important for the women, since Bjørgen and Kowalczyk have already pulled away from the rest of the field Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-5982575337583801892012-01-02T20:54:00.001-06:002012-01-02T20:54:44.074-06:00To Italy!In ginning up this post for the Tour de Ski rest day, I discovered why the next venue, the first in Italy, is always listed with two names: Toblach is the German name for the town while Dobbacio is the Italian name. Thanks, Wikipedia! (But no thanks for not telling us the Ladin name for the place.)
The first race in Toblach/Dobbacio is an unusual one: a 3k/5k classical technique run in interval Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-68423879796113253342011-12-31T22:31:00.002-06:002011-12-31T22:31:54.735-06:00Tour de SkiathlonThe Tour de Ski has been a rock 'em-sock 'em set of races so far. In addition to the crazy weather, we've seen an unusual number of crashes, ranging from the meaningless to Kikkan Randall's digger in the classic sprint today. And we've seen some unexpected results, including Kowalczyk's incredible form, Bjørgen's vincibility, and Teichmann's from-nowhere win in the Oberhof 15k.
Given all that,Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-53627925123093021012011-12-30T13:24:00.001-06:002012-01-03T13:35:39.901-06:00TeichmanniaHow unexpected was Teichmann's win in the Oberhof classic pursuit? Unexpected enough that none of the 187 guesses on XC Predictions included ol' Axel for any of the three podium spots. The wisdom of crowds?
Of course, who'd have thought Teichmann had anything left? His last top-ten finish was last February. His last podium finish was the 2009 Tour de Ski, when he was famously blown away by Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-31497158536177224052011-12-29T23:36:00.002-06:002011-12-29T23:45:07.090-06:00For-Real PursuitIt's great that FIS has switched back to calling it the pursuit. And tomorrow is going to be worthy of the name, at least on the women's side.Therese Johaug clawing back 27 seconds is going to be impressive, if it happens, and my guess is that there will be a lot of movement on both sides as the one-hit prologue wonder-skiers fade.Frenchman Robin Duvilliard, anyone? In three trips to the prologueKierannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-73876104501906615062011-12-28T20:56:00.004-06:002011-12-28T21:14:01.119-06:00Tour de Ski, imPossible PrologueFirst of all, I would just like to say that I think hate prologues as much as Tassava loves the Tour de Ski.They play absolutely zero role in the finish of the Tour de Ski, are a waste of a day, and are so massively unpredictable they drive me nuts.Cross country skiing has enough complicated formats to explain to non-skiers that yet another one is completely unnecessary. You're likely to spend Kierannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-63414338887716216662011-12-28T19:35:00.002-06:002011-12-28T19:43:47.390-06:00Tour de Whee!
I love the Tour de Ski - always have (even when it was just a twinkle in Vegard Ulvang's eye), always will (even after Northug reels off five straight wins starting this year). I'm especially jazzed for the 2011-2012 edition, since it's the only major event of the season and is thus getting all the focus of the big-name racers. Before getting to my picks for the prologue in Oberhof and for Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-64807704285566727982011-12-17T20:42:00.002-06:002011-12-17T20:42:34.852-06:00Rogla SprintsOn Sunday, the Rogla course can finally be put to its natural 2k purpose: sprinting. My picks, for whatever they're worth:
Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-3098653238357650002011-12-17T15:34:00.004-06:002011-12-17T21:07:47.503-06:00An Introduction!Yesterday may have been a bit confusing for some – I really didn’t announce my presence very well. My name is Kieran Jones – if you are a regular FasterSkier reader, you may recognize it from my by-line as the Canadian guy, or most recently from a sojourn to Dusseldorf, Germany, and Davos, Switzerland, for the World Cup action there. If you’re into that sort of thing, check out my race report Kierannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-83147593910216291862011-12-16T21:36:00.005-06:002011-12-16T21:39:21.265-06:00Round and Round Rogla Goes
Rogla, Slovenia, has only hosted the World Cup once, back in 2009, when the venue ran classic mass-start races over 15k for the women (Kowalczyk, Bjørgen, Haag) and 30k for the men (Northug, Legkov, Vylegzhanin). Those races were interesting for at least three reasons: the new site, heavy attrition in the men's race (19 DNFs!), and some nasty racing among the women, with Saarinen getting DSQ'dChristopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-48791826839902558592011-12-16T15:53:00.006-06:002011-12-16T16:24:57.890-06:00Swiss Sprinters and Bjoergen’s ‘Sore Throat’One of the most intriguing story lines of the early season (last two weekends) has been the emergence of the Swiss sprint team as a force. Okay, so ‘force’ is an exaggeration – they have only one medal – in Dusseldorf of all places, but still. Eligius Tambornino has qualified second and third in the last two sprints, before fading to mid-pack finishes. Joeri Kindschi has also picked up two top Kierannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-49236343958987441002011-12-10T19:39:00.001-06:002011-12-10T19:40:28.784-06:00Duhvos SprintI pretty much couldn't have made worse predictions for the distance races at Davos. Regardless, here are more foolish guesses, this time for the freestyle sprints. Despite having been soundly proven wrong about Northug in the 30k individual, I just can't see him placing well in the sprint after racing so hard today. I'm ready to be proven wrong again. And though I think Bjørgen would be a solid Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-2934841544719976782011-12-09T21:11:00.001-06:002011-12-09T21:31:40.549-06:00Davos OddnessAfter some off-again on-again decisionmaking due to a lack and then a surfeit of snow in Davos, we're going to see some unusual events this weekend: long(ish) individual-start skate races. A 15k for women and 30k for men are being run over a big 7.5k loop that, as usual at Davos, is basically a long uphill to the halfway point and then a long downhill back to the line. It's not the mythical 30k/Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-87638294011241079732011-12-07T14:23:00.000-06:002011-12-07T14:23:00.217-06:00And Now for Something Slightly Different... from my Randall-centric posts lately. Back in the States, Jessie Diggins is killing it on the SuperTour. After seven races at two venues, she's scored 200 points out of a possible 210. Not shabby:
classic sprint (West Yellowstone): 1st place/30 points
skate sprint (West Yellowstone): 2nd/25 pts
10k skate (West Yellowstone): 2nd/25 pts
5k classic (West Yellowstone): 1st/30 pts
Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-12899163872047202552011-12-03T18:15:00.001-06:002011-12-03T18:34:33.416-06:00Better Than KikkanKikkan Randall delivered the win in Düsseldorf today, confirming her status both as the best freestyle sprinter in the world and one of the overall best skiers in the World Cup.
This is a big "duh," of course. We knew that. Bearing with me for a minute, I'm interested to see who has beaten Kikkan in a more-or-less head-head-to-head way so far this season. Counting the two sprints, the Sjusjøen Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-34885381144968104502011-12-02T19:24:00.001-06:002011-12-02T19:31:47.943-06:00DoozledorfI'm not that big a fan of the city sprints, but I do like the annual shenanigans in Düsseldorf, which is especially tight and crashy. This year's slightly less interesting because of some big names (Bjørgen, Northug, Jönsson) are sitting out, but on the other hand, Kikkan Randall is the odds-on favorite for the win. So says Nordic Xplained and me, via Jan's Who Wins game.
Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-24904865510204098842011-11-28T15:01:00.001-06:002011-11-28T16:13:00.995-06:00Skofterud: Norwegian for "Early Season Star"?Though the World Cup season is only two weekends old, I'm intrigued by two trends - Therese Johaug's development as a sprinter and Vibeke Skofterud's success so far. I might get to the first topic in another post, but I'd like to dig into the second topic here. (Maybe the Statistical Skier can use his quantitative skills to offer some additional insights. Pretty please?)
In a nutshell, my take Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-12690964886420649112011-11-25T16:44:00.005-06:002011-11-26T07:28:26.806-06:00Season of the KikkanI know the World Cup season is only two individual races old, but I'm jazzed about Kikkan Randall's chances this year. Her one "weakness" - relative to the most elite racers - has been her classic skiing, in both distance events and, more importantly, sprints, but so far this season she's showing some real chops along both axes.In the 10k skate at Sjusjøen last Saturday, she turned in a distance Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-47518907575599150352011-11-13T11:37:00.008-06:002011-11-16T09:11:18.044-06:00The Marathon Cup (part I)The upcoming World Cup season is going to be unusual in that it will feature neither a World Championships nor an Olympic Games. Already, commentators and athletes alike are looking to the Tour de Ski as the high point of the season. The TdS will likely be exciting, but it comes too early to serve as the true peak of the winter's racing. Likewise, the season Finale - as usual, four races in in Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-42241688664694992122011-11-12T18:49:00.005-06:002011-11-12T19:01:13.274-06:00Thirtysomething Ski TechIt's been a few months since the Nordic Commentary Project moved ahead, but with both winter and the World Cup just a few weeks away (though not necessarily in the same places), it's time to start posting again. I have a long piece in the works, but I thought I'd start off slow by linking to a fantastic collection of 1970s nordic-skiing ads like these. I love the color schemes!Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-58495423671343654942011-06-28T21:29:00.002-05:002011-06-28T21:31:25.226-05:00Breaking the Melted IceIt's been a while since a new post disturbed the serenity of this very seasonal blog, but I can't help sharing this cool video of Bjørgen and Johaug watching a replay of the World Champs 30k. Even if you can't understand what they're saying, their emotions come through.Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-86919203114751818772011-04-14T19:22:00.001-05:002011-04-14T19:22:00.162-05:00Questions about VeerpaluGiven the predictable and widespread eagerness to defend Andrus Veerpalu against the doping charges he's now facing, I have a few questions. I'm trying here not to pose loaded questions, since I'd love to see Veerpalu be clean. But at the same time, I have to wonder...1. Why, if the positive test for HGH was (and thus still is) erroneous, did Veerpalu retire in February rather than own up to the Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-396506083396809822011-04-07T13:49:00.003-05:002011-04-07T21:28:56.250-05:00Veerpalu's ShameFrom xc-ski.de (via the World of XC news aggregator and a Google translation):It's official: Andrus Veerpalu was in A and B samples test positive for growth hormone. Yet he still denies having doped. As at a press conference of the Estonian Ski Association, was attended by among others Veerpalu itself, Mati Alaves coach and doctor Jüri Laasik was posted on Thursday, both A-and B-sample in the Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-85346695927715301312011-04-02T20:10:00.003-05:002011-04-02T20:17:10.552-05:00I Was Almost Positive about VeerpaluI've commented on this blog several times on Andrus Veerpalu, who is on the one hand an elegant, gutsy skier whom I always enjoyed watching but who on the other hand always seemed suspiciously able to pull off big races. Well, comes this story from an Estonian newspaper (and reported on Langrenn.com - translation by Google):The Estonian newspaper Postimees writes on his website that the Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-68181274073272200812011-03-31T18:06:00.001-05:002011-03-31T18:06:00.079-05:00Skiers to Watch in 2011-2012Trying to dig a little deeper than the Harvey-Kalla group, I've come up with a short list of some young(ish) skiers who I think are worth watching. Additions are welcome...MENWho: Finn Hågen Krogh (21 years old)Where: NorwayWhy: Capping a good season of Scandinavian Cup racing (and building on some good World Juniors results), he won the last stage of the WC Finale at Falun, finishing second in Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-5517564431284433832011-03-26T19:42:00.002-05:002011-03-27T12:09:49.485-05:00Retiring SkiersThe last races at Falun were something, pretty much laying waste to the fields. Here's the finish area as the also-rans come in from the women's 10k:The race was the end of the great Petra Majdic's career, which led to some silliness, like Kowalcyzk's headband:Madjic's suit:and the donation of some home-making supplies to the Slovene:I can't quantify this, but the XC skiing news streams seem to Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-1055042800870782252011-03-22T22:26:00.003-05:002011-03-22T22:45:23.617-05:00Northug's Next Challenges: Marcialonga and VasaloppetThe skier everybody loves (to hate) says that he might race the 70km Marcialonga and 90km Vasaloppet in 2012. Without a major championships, these classic-technique long distance races seem like a good challenge - especially since both can be won with double-poling.If he does show up, it'll be fascinating to see what happens. It'd be even better if other World Cup racers - men and women - came Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-83986485143150117222011-03-21T14:08:00.002-05:002011-03-21T14:34:45.526-05:00Who the Hell Is Finn Hågen Krogh?A twenty-year-old junior ski racer from Norway.The second-place finisher in the general classification of the 2011 season finale at Falun.(Great Nordic Xplained race recap here.)The guy who, in moving up from eighth to second in the finale GC, posted the fastest time in the 15k skate pursuit, nearly a half-minute up on Maurice Manificat, one of the top few skaters in the world.The skier who Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-4806447922255549512011-03-14T20:51:00.000-05:002011-03-14T21:29:43.918-05:00World Champs Hits and MissesThe 2011 World Ski Championships have been over for more than a week now, so I figure I'd better write a leetle recap before the campfires in Holmenkollen are totally cold. (I'm sure you recall our recap of the 2009 Liberec Worlds, right?) I'm too blog-jaded to do a full, formal recap, so I'll just provide a few hits and misses.HITThe Kollen-brølet - 'Kollen roar - thanks to the half-million Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-63738882746001307472011-03-13T14:37:00.005-05:002011-03-13T15:34:00.789-05:00Go-HaugLast Saturday, I was amazed by Therese Johaug's breakaway in the 30km at Holmenkollen. I just could not believe that her audacious move would stick, but of course it did, and paid off in her first-ever elite win - a World Championships, to boot.Yesterday, watching the 5k+5k pursuit at Lahti, I was almost equally amazed to see Johaug pull away from the pack, dragging Justyna Kowalczyk with her. Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-90738518951659974082011-03-04T11:16:00.004-06:002011-03-04T11:27:37.052-06:00Northug: Jævle BarnungeOr "jävla barnunge" in Swedish - a fucking brat.I had built up a tiny bit of respect for the guy over the course of the current season, but it was pulverized by his pathetic display of poor sportsmanship and raw arrogance at the end of the men's relay. After lying in wait through most of the last leg, Northug launched a characteristic attack inside the last 500 meters. It was clear to everyone Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-29304271762570999672011-03-03T20:32:00.000-06:002011-03-02T12:02:37.605-06:00Ski ServiceThe life of a service(wo)man at a Marathon Cup race - January's Marcialonga in this case, but next week's Vasaloppet just the same:Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-20019548002725329712011-03-03T19:09:00.002-06:002011-03-03T19:29:33.587-06:00Men's RelayToday's women's relay was probably the least interesting race of the World Championships. I didn't even bother to make a prediction, since the result was as much a foregone conclusion as any result could be. So long as Bjørgen raced, Norway would win - and they did. From the results of previous races at Worlds - and, really, from the results of the World Cup races since Christmas - it was obviousChristopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-19741765758821824082011-03-02T11:36:00.004-06:002011-03-02T12:02:24.072-06:00World ChampionsHELL YES.(Photo stolen from Fasterskier.com)Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-85587440911068461702011-02-28T14:02:00.002-06:002011-02-28T14:12:22.615-06:00Oslo Worlds Medal TableThe only medals table I can find is the Worlds organizers', which includes all the sports being contested at Oslo - cross-country, jumping, and nordic combined. Here's a table of just the cross-country skiing medals. Scroll right to see a details the medalists and events.Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-24710893500007399352011-02-25T16:17:00.006-06:002011-02-25T19:31:15.892-06:00Marit's ChancesI considered Thursday's freestyle sprints to be hors d'œuvres for the rest of the World Championships, so I was happy the semis and the finals were all excellent competitions - even if the North Americans did not quite ski up to expectations. Marit Bjørgen and Marcus Hellner both skied tough, clean races that they won on strength and speed - not luck or even guile.While Bjørgen's gold was more orChristopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-84899455838955894422011-02-23T15:58:00.003-06:002011-02-23T16:14:37.557-06:00Oslo, FinallyWith or without Andrus Veerpalu, the Oslo World Ski Championships are underway. A New Zealander and a Dane won today's qualifying races, but I think the freestyle sprint podiums will include the usual suspects:I can't wait...Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-65085340540095833382011-02-20T12:28:00.004-06:002011-02-20T13:10:06.768-06:00North American Skiing's Best-Ever DayToday's freestyle sprints at Drammen have to rank up as the best-ever day for North American cross-country skiing: Canadian Alex Harvey took second behind only Emil Jönsson and ahead of Petter Northug in the men's race, and American Kikkan Randall won the women's race, which included an out-of-the-running Marit Bjørgen. And both results sheets had plenty of other good results. On the men's side, Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-74702645975551132472011-02-20T07:44:00.003-06:002011-02-20T07:50:11.332-06:00Drammen SprintsThe freestyle sprints at Konnerud are already under way, but I'll post the predictions I made yesterday anyhow. With the best Russian men missing, we're not getting a true picture of that field, but the women's field is as full of fast racers as it will be next Thursday, when the freestyle sprints will happen at Holmenkollen.Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-7693125936932134442011-02-18T22:40:00.005-06:002011-02-18T23:01:55.738-06:00DrammaticThe Oslo Worlds are less than a week away, just the other side of the last tune-up races at Drammen, Norway. Not the familiar (and, frankly, awesome) city-center sprints of the last few years, this year's events are being held at the Konnerud winter-sports park just outside Drammen.The stakes are high, of course. The Czech head coach Miroslav Petrasek - who has some decent skiers on his squad - Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-31599845368290157182011-02-15T11:20:00.003-06:002011-02-15T11:34:33.240-06:00Holmen Cow!The Oslo Worlds organizers just put up a fascinating page about the 30 and 50km tracks at Holmenkolllen - "the world's hardest ski course." The women's course - can we call it Marit's Regret?- is actually 31.6km in length and includes 1,193 of climbing - 61m more than the previous record, at Torino. (The Vancouver 30 included a mere 1,056 meters of climbing.) Even more impressively, the "50km" Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-65864028597768265572011-02-11T07:06:00.001-06:002011-02-11T07:08:05.244-06:00Man. vs. MachineForget racing the 50km, Marit: how about racing a Pisten Bully?Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-42838375498101752582011-01-25T22:25:00.005-06:002011-01-25T23:15:05.957-06:00Otepääst Script: Bibs, Boards, and BandanasThe racing in Otepää was pretty damn good, as usual. No Estonians reached the podium, so they'd better start tweaking their "training." Worlds is just a few weeks away!The bibs were matter of fact. The female sprinters and male distance racers wore the logo of Swedbank, which is, unsurprisingly, a Swedish bank - "the leading bank in Sweden, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania." If the bibs inspired anyChristopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-88867333919700770362011-01-21T21:01:00.004-06:002011-01-22T08:31:31.411-06:00Otepää Check-InTomorrow the World Cup visits Otepää, Estonia, one of the traditional stops on the circuit. The Otepää races are almost always classic individual-start events - as old school as it gets - and this year is no different. The Otepää races are also the venue at which Estonian racers tend to do well, for whatever reason. Last year, Jaak Mae took third and Andrus Veerpalu took second behind Lukas BauerChristopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-44247703342654280712011-01-18T21:54:00.001-06:002011-01-21T22:05:10.422-06:00Bibs and Boards (Liberec Edition)The "sprint weekend" on the world championship courses at Liberec saw Kikkan Randall win the individual skate event and Bjørgen return to form with a ridiculously easy win in the classic team sprint. The bibs were simple little numbers:Kajot is a "gaming" company in the Czech Republic - it makes slot machines. Hence the clever substitution of lucky number seven for the J in the name - not that Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-69093277301392003792011-01-03T14:16:00.009-06:002011-01-03T15:09:43.584-06:00Johan Olsson, Derider of GolfQuoth Johan after today's 2x10 pursuit at the Tour de Ski, in which he finished 18th, "Det är en parodi att åka omkring på en golfbana när det finns så mycket fina berg att köra i.According to Google Translate, this means, "It is a travesty to go around on a golf course when there are so very nice mountain running in."According to the human who is behind World of XC and who knows English and Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-51533138666162194092011-01-02T21:12:00.005-06:002011-01-02T22:08:38.614-06:00Man-Crush on KershThe first three stages of the 2011 Tour de Ski have forced me to finally admit, to myself and to the Nordic Commentary Project's vast global readership, that I have a giant man-crush on Devon Kershaw. Lest you judge me, I offer a defense of my stance on the man who is now solidly established as North America's best male cross-country ski racer.First and foremost, he's fast as hell. His results atChristopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-50699700670383358862010-12-29T23:44:00.003-06:002010-12-29T23:59:31.237-06:00How Bad Are the German and Italian Men?Pretty bad.Through nine individual events in this World Championships season, the Italian and German distance-racing men are really stinking it up. I dunno what the nordic-skiing communities in either country are saying about this, but I'd wager it isn't good: Worlds are only two months away.In the head-to-head matchup of dismal distance teams, the German men have a slight advantage. Thanks to a Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-38445108086758938952010-12-28T18:57:00.000-06:002010-12-28T18:57:00.051-06:00Bibs and Boards: La ClusazI've got lots to say about the last races and the upcoming ones, but no time to say it. Until I do, here's a cheap post - a bad screen-cap of the terrible bibs worn at the La Clusaz race, here mercifully covering some of the hideous suits worn this year by France. Awful, awful, awful - so bad that Eldar Rønning seems to prefer looking closely at Maurice Manificat's ass than the bib.For what it's Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-36174471187646584092010-12-18T21:53:00.002-06:002010-12-18T22:26:13.600-06:00La Clusaz Parte DeuxThe La Clusaz mass starts were great races, though surprising in lots of ways. I didn't expect Northug to be playing his A- game (second!), and I didn't expect either Kalla or Hellner to be playing their C- games (14th and 29th, respectively). Seeing Northug in the lead group with a thousand meters to go, I sure didn't expect to see him get outsprinted. And I was happily surprised to see a bunch Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-33037507053068511772010-12-17T19:06:00.005-06:002010-12-17T19:40:29.756-06:00Clues about La ClusazThis weekend's World Cup races - the last events before the Tour de Ski starts on New Year's Eve - take place at high altitude in La Clusaz, France. La Clusaz is Vincent Vittoz's home, but he won't be racing this weekend as he continues to recover from the injury that knocked him out of the Gällivare relay.On Sunday, La Clusaz will stage the second relay races of the season, following on SaturdayChristopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-28084228634140860912010-12-16T18:19:00.004-06:002010-12-16T19:21:04.085-06:00Therese and PølsaI'm not sure why the Swix website is letting Therese "Energizer Bunny" Johaug show us why she ditched her last boyfriend, but there you go.What's that, Pølsa? Really?Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-30520519648153092212010-12-13T10:40:00.005-06:002010-12-13T10:40:00.700-06:00Picture of the WeekendBjørgen, having closed her 30 second gap to Kowalczyk, sits in on the descent to the finish line at Davos. "Hey, Justyna. I'm glad I caught up to you. Have you seen my inhaler? I thought I had it, but maybe you have it. Pass it back, wouldja?"I almost wished that Marit had come around Justyna on the straightaway, just as a "fuck you." She didn't, but then again she didn't need to. The yellow bib Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-38153084074874398292010-12-11T18:46:00.003-06:002010-12-11T18:53:14.525-06:00Davos SprintsMy picks for the distance races didn't suck: I wound up finishing second among "Who Wins" 106 predictors of the Davos distance races. If I hadn't been such a homer, picking Freeman in fifth, I'd have done even better. I hope my picks for Sunday's freestyle sprints are as good:Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-19116914726949238182010-12-10T20:47:00.004-06:002010-12-10T21:04:51.353-06:00DavostupendousI love the racing in Davos. Last year's predictions were way off, but I was right on in describing the course as"about as simple as it can be. On the x axis, you go out, then you come back. On the y axis, you go up up up, then you come down down down - a 41m max climb at worst, but 180m total climbing each lap, including a couple sharp ramps on the "downhill" half of the course."Same goes this Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-51541374574003598462010-12-05T21:41:00.005-06:002010-12-05T22:10:33.938-06:00DüsseldorkThe team sprints at Düsseldorf were fine events, lemme just say. The Italy I duo of Genuin and Follis led from wire to wire in the women's event, giving Follis her second win of the weekend. Norway I - Brun-Lie and Falla - eked out a frankly unimpressive second place, just ahead of Canada's Gaiazova/Crawford team, which finished in a shock third after Slovenia's anchor, Visnar, tripped over her Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-50669584176097879072010-12-01T11:15:00.006-06:002010-12-01T19:29:56.899-06:00Bibs and Boards (Kuusamo Edition)Having received widespread acclaim* for the first "Bibs and Boards" post, after Gällivare, I thought I'd do another for the races at Kuusamo.In Friday's sprint races, everyone wore the bibs seen here on the blogger-like upper body of John Kristian Dahl:It's actually kinda difficult to figure out just what Weber is, though the company's web page is a model of corporate-speak. Eventually one learnsChristopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-27213104696069132952010-11-27T19:09:00.004-06:002010-11-27T19:37:49.470-06:00PuursuutamoI've gone on record on this blog and in the world-renowned Fasterskier podcasts as being emphatically in favor of pursuit-style races, and Sunday's freestyle pursuits at Kuusamo only reinforce my support. (Pursuit-start races will occur at least four more times during this World Cup season: three times during the Tour de Ski and once during the Finale in Falun.)The Kuusamo pursuits are going to Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-82178814131633112612010-11-26T19:25:00.003-06:002010-11-26T19:48:07.890-06:00"Ruka Triple" Pt. IIFriday's sprint races were as usual pretty interesting. The venue is picture-perfect (though a bit cold, judging by the full-head buffs that pretty much everyone wore), and the tracks are simple and brutal, with the last steep uphill leading into a nasty left-hand corner that seemed to affect at least a couple skiers in every heat. The surprises for me were, first, Charlotte Kalla being a factor Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-77740936197599449232010-11-25T17:57:00.003-06:002010-11-25T18:27:42.944-06:00Kuusamo "Ruka Triple"This weekend, the fabled Ruka ski center near Kuusamo, Finland, will host a new(ish) event on the World Cup circuit: a "mini-tour" comprising a classic sprint on Friday, a classic 5/10k individual start on Saturday, and a freestyle 10/15k pursuit on Sunday, all linked in such a way that finishes in one event determine starts in the next, and the first racers over the line on Sunday will win the Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-10433234517043496242010-11-24T13:10:00.003-06:002010-11-24T15:35:22.655-06:00Who Wins Relays? (Part I: Women)The 4x5 and 4x10 relays are the only direct tests of national teams. Apart from including only half as many skiers (and only one technique), team sprints require skills too specialized to make them true tests of an entire team's fitness - and a distance race that features team tactics is a rare event. Not for nothing, then, are the men's and women's relays viewed as the best opportunities to see Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-43769119284745775472010-11-22T22:02:00.010-06:002010-11-22T22:54:55.189-06:00Bibs and Boards (Gällivare Edition)I was struck, this summer, by the way that the FIS's updates accented news about sponsors. Granted, there wasn't much racing to comment upon (rollerski world cup, anyone?), but I was still interested in press releases like this:FIS Marketing AG, in close cooperation with FIS and its member National Ski Associations, is proud to present a new marketing concept for the FIS Cross-Country World Cup Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-92044448039679532052010-11-20T19:17:00.003-06:002010-11-20T19:49:46.132-06:00Relaying the FavoritesAfter the traditional first-weekend relays go off tomorrow in Gällivare, I'm going to do some analysis - not quite Statistical Skier-level analysis, but analysis nonetheless - of how early-season relays may (or may not) indicate outcomes of the big relays later on - World Championships and Olympics. For now, though, I'll follow up my so-so predictions for the Gällivare individual races* with Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-3857075371830946972010-11-19T12:02:00.003-06:002010-11-19T12:20:38.567-06:00Yay Yay Yay for GällivareFinally, the World Cup is back. No more (okay, much less) reading about training plans and coaching changes and all that frippery. Now we can focus on the racing - and of course, talking at some length about the racing, as Colin and I do on our podcast over at Fasterskier.I aim to get back to blogging here as frequently as I can bear, but I'll kick things off for the season with predictions for Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-67313639245780963072010-09-14T20:07:00.003-05:002010-09-14T20:10:10.595-05:00Hard ManFrom a short interview with Lukas Bauer translated and published by the FIS:Q: How did you survive summer with your health?LB: I stayed healthy the whole summer. Only during the last week on our camp in Obertiliach I pulled my thigh muscle. I ran forty-five 100 m sprints and still feel uncomfortable. I will have it checked by a physiotherapist4.5 kilometers, 100 meters at a time. Nice.On related Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-51421599856004895062010-09-06T22:37:00.003-05:002010-09-06T22:49:00.826-05:00Race TagsNo matter what the upcoming racing season brings - more Northug dominance, duels between Bjørgen and Kowalczyk, Majdic's triumphant return to racing, the Oslo Worlds (and the question of whether the Norwegian men's relay will even medal on home snow) - I hope that race organizers use stickier race numbers than they did at Vancouver. I was distracted watching them flap in the wind; I wonder if theChristopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-4247907988361188422010-07-19T08:23:00.000-05:002010-07-19T08:23:40.822-05:00PodcastageThe long-lost NCP Podcast is back! The guys at Fasterskier called us up to talk smack about Canada and other nations with inferior potassium. Listen to our best attempts to add insight without enraging the fasterskier commentariat here!Colin Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06289923497258059725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-6449813194178929872010-03-22T14:22:00.007-05:002010-03-22T22:56:35.359-05:00Ending With a Crash1. The chickens have come home to roost in Russia:Vladimir Loginov quit as president of the Russian cross-country skiing federation (FLGR) on Monday following the country’s dismal showing at last month’s Winter Olympics in Vancouver.Tell me I'm not the only person who thinks the abbreviation for the Russian ski federation is fantastic.2. The infamous bridge at Falun - steep and placed at the Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-67881035339474234242010-03-20T21:37:00.002-05:002010-03-20T21:50:03.632-05:00Falun and DoneOne more pair of races for the World Cup season? At least it's a good one. I love the hunter-style pursuits, and think the FIS should expand the use of them beyond the Tour de Ski and the Grand Final. My picks for Sunday's skate races, which again involve a lot of Mördarbackening, are complicated by Kowalczyk's bad result in the pursuit on Saturday and by the tight field in the men's race.I don'tChristopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-32259408960679710982010-03-19T18:22:00.003-05:002010-03-19T18:37:31.939-05:00Falun PursuitsSaturday's pursuit races at Falun should be good, for two main reasons. First, as the course map/profile shows, the skiers are apparently going to have to climb the Mördarbacken several times: twice in the women's 2x5k race (two laps), four times in the men's 2x10k race (four laps). Brutal. Second, thanks to the way the Stockholm sprints affected Friday's Mördarbacken prologues, the start listsChristopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-4578258380460253202010-03-19T05:39:00.009-05:002010-03-19T06:21:21.106-05:00"Queen of Mördarbacken" Liveblog(All times Central Standard Time, U.S.A.)5:41: It's a warm day at Falun, and the snow cover looks thin and wet - a klister day if there ever was one. So far, only a couple racers have finished, though already some strong skiers have hit the top of the Mördarbacken climb, establishing decent times at the 1.0k mark there. So far, the best time for the full distance is that of Kristina Smigun, at 8:Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-49806113147701403662010-03-18T21:10:00.003-05:002010-03-18T21:33:34.879-05:00Grandest FinalAs we showed last year, NCP loves the Grand Final or mini-Tour de Ski or whatever you want to call it. My only quibble is that the Stockholm sprint is a day too far away from the other three events. Move the sprint to Thursday, get to racing in Falun on Friday, and let 'er rip. One twist to this year's Grand Final is that the prologue is being run in classic technique. At Bormio in 2008 and then Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-63024175727183614572010-03-17T15:41:00.004-05:002010-03-17T20:13:21.418-05:00Tough GuyHere's a skier who's probably even tougher than Lukas Bauer or Justyna Kowalcyzk:Haitao Du #5 of China competes in the men's standing 20km free cross-country skiing race during Day 4 of the Winter Paralympics on March 15, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada. (Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)(From Boston.com's "Big Picture" feature on the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games.)Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-68414315461481002872010-03-16T19:54:00.002-05:002010-03-16T20:06:48.460-05:00Fit for RoyaltyStockholm sprints. More racing in the middle of a city. Course goes out and back, most of the way around a palace! Kings and stuff. Track profile done with MS Word. Opener to the Grand Final series, so everybody has to race the sprints. Picks:women's 1.1km classic sprint1. Bjørgen 2. Kowalczyk3. Olssonmen's 1.1km classic sprint1. Jönsson2. Newell3. NorthugChristopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-63728634329613821392010-03-13T19:37:00.003-06:002010-03-13T19:55:41.469-06:00OlsoprinterThe 30k and 50k at Holmenkollen today were hella good races. As Topher Sabot says at Fasterskier, the long mass-start race has been improved dramatically byseveral clever decisions by FIS. The addition of bonus World Cup points at intermediate distances manufactured attacks and despite many of the drawbacks of ski switching, the ability to stop and swap skis created another opportunity for Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-65038502548300384322010-03-12T18:29:00.009-06:002010-03-12T20:31:31.223-06:00Holmen CowI was dismayed to learn that the 30k/50k races at the Holmenkollen park in Oslo on Saturday are being run as shudder mass start shudder skate races. sighThis is not progress, no matter what TV ratings tell the FIS. If they're not gonna run big-loop individual start races on skiing's holy ground, then the best I can hope for are competitive, tactically interesting races that do not end in bunch Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-76251725300613402182010-03-10T16:19:00.005-06:002010-03-11T07:29:38.205-06:00Drammen Drama[Edited to clean up stupid mistakes, as pointed out by a commenter.]I love the springtime World Cup's springtime tour of the Nordic countries. I'm still hoping that they'll hit Copenhagen for a sprint event one of these years, but I understand that the capital of Denmark has as little snow as Düsseldorf. In the meantime, we'll have to be satisfied with the almost-traditional circuit through LahtiChristopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-84321413402804933882010-03-10T06:00:00.002-06:002010-03-10T06:00:10.475-06:00Feed Zone(A few thoughts on Jörgen Brink) Watching the Olympic races, I marveled at the team support: feeds, pole replacement, the ski exchanges in the 30k and 50k. I've never seen a good article describing how a team - even a smallish one like the U.S. or Canadian ones - gets organized to support its racers (only you can help us, Nat Herz!), but this piece on Langrenn.com about the team supporting the Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-70106567583378972552010-03-09T19:54:00.001-06:002010-03-09T19:58:51.673-06:00Birkie Cam!This has nothing to do with World Cup skiing, but I spent way too long rigging a camera on my drink belt for the Birkie to not share it.Birkie Cam from colin reuter on Vimeo.In answer to the obvious question -- yes, you should do the Birkie next year.Colin Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06289923497258059725noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-38508317819920888722010-03-07T03:54:00.029-06:002010-03-08T20:31:08.990-06:00Vasaloppet Live Blog(all times Central Standard Time, March 7, 2010)3:45 a.m.: Having just passed through the 62 kilometer checkpoint at Oxberg, about two-thirds of the way through the race, two members of the Mora ski club - Rickard Andreasson and Lars Suther - are leading the race. A huge chase group, easily 25 men, is within sight, about 25 seconds back. This is fairly late for such a big breakaway to be workingChristopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-49596583687516926852010-03-05T21:00:00.002-06:002010-03-05T21:18:19.722-06:00Weekend Races: Two Little, One GiantThis first post-Olympic weekend sees some interesting racing in Scandinavia. Surprisingly strong fields have turned out for pursuits at Lahti, Finland - part of the 85th Lahti Ski Games, one of the few moments at which the cross-country, nordic combined, and ski jumping World Cups all visit the same venue at the same time. Assuming that there won't be too big a dropoff in form from the Olympic Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-3787565543933112482010-03-04T09:32:00.000-06:002010-03-04T14:57:45.366-06:00Seven Olympic Nordic Skiing AnswersFollowing up on NCP's "Seven Olympic Nordic Skiing Questions" from the middle of February...How many golds will be won by Norway's Petter Northug and Poland's Justyna Kowalczyk?2/14/10: "My own guess is that Kowalczyk will win two golds, in the 10km skate and the classic sprint, and medal in the pursuit and the classic mass start. I think Northug will do even better: golds in the 15km skate, the Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-60403968401231712792010-03-02T10:41:00.001-06:002010-03-02T10:41:00.383-06:00Top Excuses of the OlympicsJumping right over the shark tank of assessing whether and why the U.S. team "underperformed," here are a few other notable excusemaking exercises from the Olympics:2/10/10: Justyna Kowalcyzk, on why she might not tear it up at the Olympics:"I know that the course is too easy."2/16/10: Norway coach Morten Aa Djupvik, on Norway's terrible performance in the opening 15k skate:"Today we didn't have Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-5098371645203287482010-02-28T20:21:00.001-06:002010-02-28T20:22:51.678-06:00Some Thoughts on KershawPosted on my personal blog, since they're analysis-free.Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-31737322407024579662010-02-27T20:11:00.004-06:002010-02-27T22:01:17.991-06:00Marathon Day II: 50,000 MetersThat was a hell of a 30k, no? Epic conditions, ski changes, a pack that finally fractured under Bjørgen's pressure, then Kowalczyk's comeback, and the all-out sprint to the line. Why oh why did Bjørgen throw in those three or four strides just before the line? She had a teeny lead until she that, but the loss of speed necessary for those few kicks let Kowalczyk, still double-poling, edge past. Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-56745668525177042322010-02-26T22:56:00.004-06:002010-02-26T23:38:58.026-06:00Marathon Day I: 30,000 MetersThey don't race the marathons much: once a season at the Holmenkollen each March (always in individual-start format, and alternating skate and classic from one season to the next), plus once at the World Championships or the Olympic Games, lately in mass-start format and kinda-sorta alternating between freestyle and classic.The rarity of the marathons is one key problem in trying to pick the Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-91748947944917578982010-02-26T12:00:00.004-06:002010-02-26T12:00:02.018-06:00Ski Førterer, Kristin!Kristin Størmer Steira, you know we love you here at NCP, so we write this post with only the best intentions.Tomorrow is the last race of these Olympic Games: the mass-start 30k classic. This race is your last chance to get an Olympic medal for about 1,440 days, so I'm begging you, Kristin: ski faster. Though you have a silver in the mass-start 30k classic at the Sapporo World Ski Championships Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-73850002654600498442010-02-24T08:56:00.003-06:002010-02-24T09:28:09.304-06:00Relay Day IAh, the relays. Normally the most exciting, or at least most highly-anticipated, races at the Olympics, the men's 4x10 (today) and the women's 4x5 (tomorrow) at Whistler are going to have to be phenomenal to live up to the drama of the pursuits or team sprints, or even the individual sprints.But it could happen. Even beyond the weather - which looks to be set to "Epic" - a half-dozen men's teamsChristopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-31966430761875184802010-02-22T13:03:00.002-06:002010-02-22T13:11:17.325-06:00Team SprintThe team sprint is a wacky event, neither fish (an individual event) nor fowl (a true one-leg-per-racer relay) and rarely contested (just once or twice a season). But damn if it doesn't have some exciting racing every time. The round-and-round format is a good way to generate plenty of lead changes, the duration of the full event - amounting to 3-by L5 intervals - nullifies the advantage of pure Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-2408163437120318132010-02-21T06:11:00.002-06:002010-02-21T06:28:30.753-06:00Ben Koons: Balls of SteelUnlike the Men's 15k, the Men's 30k pursuit is not open to just any old scrub from a snowless country who weaseled his way into the Olympics. No, just lining up for the start of this race requires 5 races under 100 FIS points. As a result, EISA standout and sole New Zealand entrant Ben Koons was virtually the slowest skier in the field, and lined up on the back row.So the fact that he decided Colin Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06289923497258059725noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-26630635433877619552010-02-19T19:06:00.002-06:002010-02-19T19:14:09.110-06:00Kristin Steira: Not an NCP ReaderKristin! You had it! You put down the best sprint of your life, and were just about to lift the curse of 3 fourth places! But you didn't read our article on how to ski throw!Don't worry, we still love you, but all this could have been avoided.Prediction: Steira will finally get an Olympic medal in the 30k classic next Saturday, especially if it comes down to a ski throw. Colin Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06289923497258059725noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-63719840230534147192010-02-19T10:42:00.003-06:002010-02-19T11:03:17.442-06:00Picking the PodiumsI can't say I'm doing terribly well so far in picking the podiums of Olympic races. I had two out of three in the women's freestyle (including being dead right on gold and bronze) and three out of three in the women's sprint (though only silver in the right spot), but I picked only one eventual medalist in the men's freestyle race (and then put him in the wrong spot) and none of the medalists in Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-29202529152597025022010-02-18T20:25:00.007-06:002010-02-18T21:47:40.688-06:00Petra Fan Club Roll CallIt's no secret that we are doing our best to spread the gospel of Petra far and wide over here. And it shouldn't be very hard -- let's face it, if you can't get behind a late-blooming, camera-mugging, amazonian classic-sprinting freak from non-traditional ski nation, you might not have a soul. Don't forget that this woman ascribes her recent ascent to the status of all-around elite skier to "Colin Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06289923497258059725noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5689207772212545469.post-80142983782148076282010-02-17T20:23:00.004-06:002010-02-17T21:16:52.993-06:00Some of These Sprinters Are Not Like the OthersThe classic sprints at Whistler Olympic Park were pretty damn good, with plenty of matters to ponder, if not admire: Bjoergen charging from wire to wire, Majdic battling through what looks to have been an agonizing injury, Joensson racing well but unexpectedly falling well short of the final, Newell crashing in qualification, and of course the Russians Kriukov and Panzhinskiy turning the men's Christopher Tassavahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04547273541099162779noreply@blogger.com8