By Adele Haeg
The motto of Lillehammer Skiklub is “ski for alle livet ut.” In English, that is “Norwegians ski really fast.”
No, ski for alle livet ut actually translates to “skiing for everyone for life.” But the Norwegians did ski really fast this morning in Lillehammer. And my translation is not a bad motto either.
Martin Løwstrøm Nyenget, of Lillehammer Skiklub, won this morning’s 10-kilometer interval-start skate race in just under 23 minutes on his hjemmebane (home court). Fellow countrymen Simen Hegstad Krüger and current overall points leader Harald Østberg Amundsen took second (+4.1) and third (+7.1). Norway had eight skiers in the top ten in Lillehammer, and 10 in the top 13. Friedrich Moch of Germany and Mika Vermeulen of Austria were the two non-Norwegians in the top ten, earning seventh and eighth, respectively.
Klæbo did not race; he posted on Instagram later in the day that he was “Back training again.” That said, he is also on the start list for tomorrow’s skate sprint.
Nyenget, 32, had his 100th World Cup start today and his third win ever. He won the 50km classic in Holmenkollen in 2014, and the 10km classic in Ruka in 2023. Commenting on the conditions, Nyenget told NRK TV 2, “Loose snow has been my Achilles’ heel. Winning here — that means a lot to me.”
Temperatures were around 25 degrees Fahrenheit this morning and there was fresh powder on course. The 5-kilometer loop in Lillehammer was therefore slightly slower and more difficult today than it had been for athletes’ training earlier this week.
In 2022, when FIS was last in Lillehammer, Iver Tildheim Andersen of Norway, age 24, won this very event, his first World Cup win, again as part of an all-Norwegian podium.
Andersen told Norwegian news outlet NRK that he was disappointed with his fourth place finish today: “I’m just a few seconds away, but it doesn’t really help me much,” said Andersen, according to an auto-translation. “It’s hopeless to be number four. It’s the definition of a loser — to finish fourth.”
Andersen told NRK he thinks that a start in Trondheim for the World Championships in March is not possible for him to attain at this point. “That ship has almost sailed,” he said, referring to Trondheim.
Andersen was 10.2 seconds off Nyenget today. But the Norwegian team is treating Lillehammer, and I suppose every race this season, as qualification for Trondheim, especially because in Norway the team starts more Norwegians (because of the increased quota allotted for nation’s group starters). Competition for spots in Trondheim on Team Norway is like competition for a spot in the queue at the Pioneer Midwest ski swap in November, but even more fierce. If you haven’t had to compete for a spot in that queue then what you need to know is the competition is cutthroat.
The Norwegian roster for Trondheim has not been announced yet because it’s December. I won’t speculate beyond venturing to bet Klæbo will make an appearance. The World Champs will be like Norway’s own miniature nordic skiing Olympics; Trondheim is the hottest ticket in Norway this season, for spectators and skiers themselves alike.
For Team USA: Gus Schumacher finished 25th, Ben Ogden 31st, Zanden McMullen 32nd, John Steel Hagenbuch 38th, Hunter Wonders 53rd, Michael Earnhart 64th, and Zak Ketterson 72nd. Zak Ketterson might be the only name on that list who would appreciate my Pioneer Midwest reference.
Competition for a spot in Trondheim is not nearly as cutthroat for the Americans. That fact would explain how serene Gus sounded in audio shared with multiple media outlets after his race today (listen above if you’d like). Compared to Andersen, he’s cool as a cucumber. I do not mean to suggest Gus is not a competitor because he really is. He’s not Norwegian; he can count on representing Team USA in Trondheim if his season goes to plan. The stakes right now are not the same for him.
Here’s Gus on what success is to him:
“I think success for me is executing well and kind of going through the motions, doing what I need to do and not getting too caught up in the results, because, like I’ve said before, it’s a long season. And if I think that if I really can recognize that, I will do better in Trondheim and those big events where things matter more. So, having a relaxed approach and not stressing too much about it is success for me.”
Andersen and Schumacher were both born in 2000. They both have one World Cup win apiece. They are both seeing results in Period 1 this year. But what they each consider a successful trajectory or result — very different.
Zanden McMullen, meanwhile, the breakout hero of last Sunday in Ruka, was born in 2001. He was asked about some of the factors that may have gone into last weekend’s result versus today. McMullen pronounced himself happy enough with what he could control, but also pointed to issues with ski speed:
“I felt like I skied and paced the race pretty well,” he wrote to Nordic Insights. “Obviously every factor needs to be going at least somewhat well to pull off a top 10 result on the World Cup. Today, we just didn’t have winning skis. Our skis were average, with all the Norwegians and British (both nations waxed together) having by FAR the fastest skis on the day. It can be frustrating knowing that on a decent day I can beat a good portion of that nation’s group quota, but they get handed a top 10-15 on a silver platter.”
“Overall I’m happy with how I skied and that’s how you make it through a very long season.”
Tangent incoming! Lillehammer and Hayward, Wisconsin, are sister cities. Notice how similar Lillehammer Skiklub’s motto, “skiing for everyone for life,” is to the Birkie’s slogan: “Ski. Run. Bike. Live.” Lillehammer is iconic. Lillehammer weekend for Norwegians might be similar to Birkie weekend for Midwesterners. Could one say it is of the same magnitude as Birkie weekend, but make it Norway, so even bigger? Maybe every weekend is Birkie weekend in Norway, and all of Norway is like Hayward on Birkie weekend.
In 1206, the first skiers of the Birkebeiner smuggled baby Prince Haakon from war-torn Lillehammer to safety in Trondheim, changing the course of Norwegian history in the process. 800 years later, their descendants are still trying to make it to Trondheim. Today, Nyenget took the lead in that race. Tomorrow, it could be someone else.
Tune in for coverage of the sprints tomorrow. JC Schoonmaker, Ben Ogden, Gus Schumacher, Kevin Bolger, Zak Ketterson, Michael Earnhart, and Jack Young are scheduled to start for the American men.
You’re reading this on Nordic Insights, one man’s labor of love dedicated to publicizing American nordic skiing. Last season’s GoFundMe is literally the only reason why I turned a profit in years one and two of Nordic Insights, and in turn the only reason why there is a year three of Nordic Insights for you to be reading now: I was okay with working for very little money to get this love letter to American cross-country skiing off the ground, but I didn’t want to lose money for the privilege of doing so. If you would like to support what remains a brutally shoestring operation, last season’s GoFundMe may be found here. Thank you for your consideration, and, especially, for reading.
