By Adam Bodensteiner
This is a reader-funded website. Virtually all of my income (for perspective: I took home less than $5,000 from Nordic Insights last year after paying staff) comes from reader contributions, which I sincerely appreciate. If you would like to support the site, including helping us get to the Olympics in February, you may do so here. Thank you.
The World Cup rolls on, this weekend to Norway. Today’s skiathlon takes on extra significance because it is the only time athletes will have the opportunity to race this format until the Olympic Games in February.
Snow was hard packed at the start according to the FIS feed, but with air temperatures three degrees Celsius above freezing, conditions were likely to change as the laps added up.
There were six American starters today: Gus Schumacher, hoping to cash in on better luck following a broken ski taking him out of contention last weekend in Ruka. Ben Ogden, with a top-ten finish in Friday’s classic sprint, hoped to carry that momentum into today’s race. Zanden McMullen, Luke Jager (APU), Kevin Bolger (Team Birkie), and JC Schoonmaker rounded out the start list.
Bolger told Nordic Insights that he is seeing the benefits of living in Trondheim for these races, along with longtime partner Maja Dahlqvist. “This is a heavy Period 1 of racing for me so I’m just trying to manage efforts and recovery,” he wrote. “It helps being able to stay at home for this weekend and really maximize the recovery. It’s crazy how much more you’re able to relax without being in a hotel.”
The pace was conservative as the field embarked on the first of three classic technique laps.The skiers sized each other up on the long, grinding climb which makes up the first half of the classic loop.
Classic skiing specialist Ivo Niskanen (FIN) was the first to notably show his face at the front in the second lap. There was no notable change in pace, however, and the front of the pack was again dominated by the sea of Norwegian red at the 7.4km mark. A couple of slips while striding uphill from Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and a couple of the other Norwegian skiers did not seem to affect their ability to maintain control of the front group. Klæbo showed his face in the lead just in time to claim the intermediate sprint (and the bonus points on offer).
At the end of the classic portion of the race, Gus Schumacher was well positioned, comfortably within the leading group. Ben Ogden was not far behind.
Skiers executed a clean transition and departed on the first of three freestyle laps. Immediately the pace heightened to an almost frenetic level after the relatively calm first half.
Despite losing out on a spot on the Norwegian national team, Emil Iversen had plenty of moral support on course; a giant flag with his face was an unmissable feature on the final climb of the freestyle loop.
With three quarters of the race done, Andrew Musgrave (GBR) attempted to break up Norway’s monopoly on the head of the race; after all, these are his home trails too, as he lives and trains in Trondheim. Musgrave was assisted in this endeavor by Mika Vermeulen (AUT) and Mathis Desloges (FRA).
This, the home team could not abide and Iver Tildheim Andersen (NOR) put in a strong effort to retake the lead, leading the field through the fast, sweeping stadium turn and into the final lap.
With 1.4 km to the finish, Klæbo and friends, 11 of the starting 12 Norwegians to be exact, dominated the pack. Hoping to repeat his performance in the Ruka 20km skate race from last weekend, Harald Østberg Amundsen (NOR) led the way, V2ing over the final climb and tucking down into the stadium. Klæbo, however, played the tactics perfectly. Still in his tuck, he easily slipped by Amundsen and held his lead through the final turn and to the finish line to take his 101st career win.
Looking at the result sheet, one could easily dismiss this as yet another display of Norway’s distance dominance. This is true, but it was an unexpected Norwegian result that was perhaps the most meaningful. Emil Iversen, racing in his brown club suit, finished third just behind Amundsen, a result which will likely earn him a place on Norway’s Olympic team. The 34-year-old was in tears on the ground in the finish pen after the race, clutching his face with both hands.
Mika Vermeulen was the sole non-Norwegian in the top ten, finishing ninth.
Gus Schumacher was the top American skier on the day in 21st position. He was followed by Ben Ogden in 35th. Kevin Bolger was 51st, JC Schoonmaker 52nd, Zanden McMullen 53rd, and Luke Jager in 55th.
At least a couple of the American men struggled with skis today. Schumacher told Nordic Insights that his ski selection on the skate side did not quite perform in the day’s conditions, perhaps a bit stiff for the warm day, but he put a positive spin on it. “They were hard to push through the soft snow,” he said, “but they were a new construction so we learned something!”
Kevin Bolger had some issues as well, saying, “Skis have been good – I don’t think as a team we have hit any home runs yet. But I know the wax crew… is grinding to deliver the best skis they can. I personally have had some good and bad days. Today the skiathlon was a struggle, but that’s life, just have to put the head down and keep grinding.”
Bolger said he’s still hoping for some top-end speed, but overall reports that his fitness is close to where it needs to be: “I’m still missing that extra gear but I know I’m knocking on that door. …Had to play some catch up to the other American Boys in the front — that was a bit rewarding and also fun to ski with them.”
Next up is the 10-kilometer interval-start skate race on Sunday, another preview of an event featured in the Olympic Games. American starters are: Kevin Bolger (Team Birkie), Luke Jager (APU), John Steel Hagenbuch, Zanden McMullen, Ben Ogden, Gus Schumacher, and Zak Ketterson (Team Birkie).
You’re reading this on Nordic Insights, one man’s labor of love dedicated to publicizing American skiing. We started with nothing and now we’re going to the Olympics. You can read more about our first three years here, and donate to the Olympics fund here. Thank you for consideration, and, especially, for reading.
