Easterns 30km classic

Finally a 30km race! So far the longest two races on the schedule have been 20km's, so it was nice to be tackling something longer. We were doing 4 laps of a 7.5km loop characterized by steep uphills, rolly terrain and fun descents. It was snowing when we got there but then it cleared out and started to warm up. We were testing waxes on the warmup loop but it was clearly much more skied over than the course. Since we weren't allowed on the course before the race, it was a bit of a guess as to what would work. In the end I went a bit heavy on the wax, because I was worried it was going to warm up more, and the track would glaze as it got more skied over. Also, it was my first race on my new NIS C1 Rossis, and I went for the comfort layer so as make sure I had enough. It turned out my skis were good in the track, but in between the tracks the snow, which had fallen at about 5 degrees colder, was still quite powdery, and my skis were really grabby in this snow. With the race being a mass start, the course was double tracked the whole way, so we were constantly switching tracks to stay on the best line. The worst spot though was the herring bone sections where the snow was powdery. I would try and kick off the ice at the top of these hills, but it seemed like it was a thin layer of ice that formed and it wouldn't come off. I skied fairly comfortably in the pack for 2 laps, but I needed to be careful to not let gaps open up in the gliding sections. Early in the 3rd lap, I put a priority on taking a feed, since there was still a ways to go and I knew it would be a stretch for me to stay with the leaders the whole way. I lost contact and spent the next 5k chasing Butler, while the top 4 moved out of sight. Butler seemed to crack and I reeled him in and passed him right away. Heading out on the last lap, it was clear the snow had changed. I had basically no grip so it was a lap of double pole and herring bone and making sure not to skate. It was the same for all the men, but I was hoping that my skis would speed up more than others. In the end, I was losing time on the last lap, but it's tough to pinpoint why since I was skiing all alone. Overall, a decent race, but I know I could have waxed better. On the other hand, it could be seen as a decent result on a tricky waxing day with no coach.

Easterns Sprints

This new sprint course had the biggest hill we've encountered this year, and the top part of it was quite steep. It snowed a lot the day and the night before the race, but by morning it was clear and the wind had died down. The snow that fell was mostly ice pellets that don't stick together well, and despite the best efforts of the groomers, the course was very soft on the uphills. In qualifying, I picked my new soft NIS2 Rossi's, but it seemed the soft flex didn't help because I was sinking to the bottom on the uphills anyway. My legs were fried after the first uphill, and I couldn't really put the power down on the rest of the course. I was relieved when I heard I finished 24th in Open Men, but I ended up 13.2 seconds back in 2:53.8. After they separated the juniors out, my position for the heats was #19.

I knew I had my work cut out for me since I was up against #2 Fred Touchette, #9 Ian and #12 Poirier. The other 2 guys in my heat I didn't recognize, but I knew I had been ahead of them in qualifying. Not surprisingly, Ian and Fred got the best start and I settled into 4th behind Poirier. Up the first hill we went two in each lane, but I don't think anybody moved up. At the top of the hill, you have to accelerate from almost a stop and a small gap opened in front of me. I made sure to tuck low on the dropoff known as Dirk's Dive, and I got back on. In the next whiskers section I got up side by side with Poirier, but my 1-skate wasn't working in the soft, narrow corridor. I switched to offset but that didn't help and Poirier had half step on me and moved over. I stalled, but still accelerated as hard as I could over the top of the last hill. I tuck skated the whole way down, but I didn't seem to have the glide to get back on. The first three were in a photo finish and I was close fourth, but not challenging. In hindsight I probably needed some structure for the descent. In all, I skied much better than qualifying and I felt like I had done what I could given the conditions and the smaller, quicker competition. My final position was likely 19th, but I was listed as 15th on the results.

Canmore World Cup 15km skate

It was a beautiful day and the conditions were perfect. Some were saying the snow was slow, but compared to most other skate races this year, I found the glide suited my technique. I started #6, and was glad to hear that my relatives in Sweden were able to see me start. My skis felt like they were gliding really well right away. Unfortunately, I didn't feel as good as I had the day before. I couldn't ski explosively, and on the Olympic 5km you lose time the whole way if you are not pushing. My first split I was 3 seconds out of the lead and then 9 seconds. Nothing to worry about yet as I was skiing relaxed. As I lapped Koukal was just starting and Zimmerman (#7) went by me and followed Koukal (#32). I couldn't go this pace and it was becoming clear I was not moving nearly fast enough. Berger (#33) was the next one to go by and I couldn't hold his pace for more than a few strides. Eventually Robin (#8) caught me and helped me to push a bit. I was passed by Chernousov (#34) at some point but I forget where. On the 3rd lap, Devon (#35) passed Robin and I soon after the red group athletes on their first lap. Piller Cottrer (#60) and then Checchi (#61) went by early in the lap and Robin pulled away from me by a few seconds. On the whale tail, Perl (#36) went by looking strong. Then on the very last uphill Teichmann (#62) and Brian (#10) passed me and I followed them to the top. Then it was just a matter of pushing to the finish. Butler (#9) came in not long after. It was a bad day and on a good day I would have been reporting which guys I skied with rather which guys went flying by.