Nordic Skiing/Biathlon Thread

[Libertine Seguros]

Goddamned wind is really messing with this, with just the one jump left. Germany were looking so safe until that, but now the tension builds.

 

[search]

the Swedish women practiced the ski exchange the other day, by the way. Karlsson took the German ones

 

[Mayomaniac]

Swiss tv is really liking Andersson because of the humble, almost shy personality.

 

[Mayomaniac]

the Swedish women practiced the ski exchange the other day, by the way. Karlsson took the German ones

I'm starting the realize why she's Poromaa's gf...

No Hennig is a bummer, do they really thing they have a chance to get Gold in the teamsprint?

 

[search]

No Hennig is a bummer, do they really thing they have a chance to get Gold in the teamsprint?

yesterday she said that she wouldn't do the team sprint

edit: she's there at the start

 

[Mayomaniac]

yesterday she said that she wouldn't do the team sprint

Ok, so the Swiss got it wrong?

 

[search]

Ok, so the Swiss got it wrong?

no idea what they said, but I just saw her at the start.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Slind with the Diggins tribute shorts.

 

[Mayomaniac]

no idea what they said, but I just saw her at the start.

Yeah, she's there.

 

[BigCoward]

Remember when Johaug would be 20 seconds ahead by now. I do not miss those days.
Why dont they alternate freestle classic order for skiathkon?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Slind with the Diggins tribute shorts.

Not that you can tell as her legs are now the same colour as the suit.

Edit: some ski disasters out there. Brennan at least has the excuse of the crash causing it, but Kalvaa will rue that one alright, she looked like me trying to clip in for a second there. That was a bit of an egg on face moment. Slind looking good for the bronze, she has better skate than Hennig or Niskanen.

Edit: Patrick - "she's a real grinder, Ebba Andersson, if there is anybody who works as hard as Jess Diggins, it would probably be her". She's not even in the race, none of her teammates have been relevant to the race since Brennan crashed, and they have to talk about her.

Franchi is having a great race.

 

[meat puppet]

Andersson took the lead in the classic and just destroyed the others in the first skate uphill. Was the only one to V2 it up.

For a moment during lap 3 it seemed Slind was closing in on Karlsson but in the end couldn't. Surprised me anyway. Of the favorites Niskanen was soft but I expected that. Has seemed off in recent WC races. Solid race from Hennig.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Franchi top 10 and 3 italians in the top 25, wtf?!

Looks like a really balanced field for the 30km race and 4 different nations in the top 5 is also great.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Andersson took the lead in the classic and just destroyed the others in the first skate uphill. Was the only one to V2 it up.

For a moment during lap 3 it seemed Slind was closing in on Karlsson but in the end couldn't. Surprised me anyway. Of the favorites Niskanen was soft but I expected that. Has seemed off in recent WC races. Solid race from Hennig.

Andersson crashing and the gap gettibg smaller probably saved Karlsson from metally cracking.

 

[KZD]

Just as I expected Andersson won and even had that crash along the way. Only Diggins could beat her in the 10k but even that seems unlikely. She can leave these World Championships with 4 gold medals if she also wins the 30k and the relay.

Slind and Franchi were the surprises and I expected better from Østberg, her fading in the skating part was surprising and doesn't bode well for the 10k. Did Stadlober had a problem with the skis, she was really bad.

Krüger and Andersson might be the last skiathlon World Champions, at least with the current distances.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Just as I expected Andersson won and even had that crash along the way. Only Diggins could beat her in the 10k but even that seems unlikely. She can leave these World Championships with 4 gold medals if she also wins the 30k and the relay.

Slind and Franchi were the surprises and I expected better from Østberg, her fading in the skating part was surprising and doesn't bode well for the 10k. Did Stadlober had a problem with the skis, she was really bad.

Krüger and Andersson might be the last skiathlon World Champions, at least with the current distances.

Apparently Stadlober caught a cold yesterday and had a bad night.

 

[Bavarianrider]

Just as I expected Andersson won and even had that crash along the way. Only Diggins could beat her in the 10k but even that seems unlikely. She can leave these World Championships with 4 gold medals if she also wins the 30k and the relay.

Slind and Franchi were the surprises and I expected better from Østberg, her fading in the skating part was surprising and doesn't bode well for the 10k. Did Stadlober had a problem with the skis, she was really bad.

Krüger and Andersson might be the last skiathlon World Champions, at least with the current distances.

Schlickenrieder is routing heavily for the introduction of the "eliminator race".
In this race you have a short and flatish loop and at the end of each loop there`s a sprint that eliminates the last 10 guys until the winner is decided on the last loop. No I am not joking, they already testedthe format on the national level in Germany.
The concept was created by four German students who have no background in XC skiing. They won, no joke, the "Franz Beckenbauer price for sporting innovations" with this idea.

 

[BigCoward]

Schlickenrieder is routing heavily for the introduction of the "eliminator race".
In this race you have a short and flatish loop and at the end of each loop there`s a sprint that eliminates the last 10 guys until the winner is decided on the last loop. No I am not joking, they already testedthe format on the national level in Germany.
The concept was created by four German students who have no background in XC skiing. They won, no joke, the "Franz Beckenbauer price for sporting innovations" with this idea.

I'd want to watch it once, just to see how bad it was.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Schlickenrieder is routing heavily for the introduction of the "eliminator race".
In this race you have a short and flatish loop and at the end of each loop there`s a sprint that eliminates the last 10 guys until the winner is decided on the last loop. No I am not joking, they already testedthe format on the national level in Germany.
The concept was created by four German students who have no background in XC skiing. They won, no joke, the "Franz Beckenbauer price for sporting innovations" with this idea.

Now that the WC is here and you get more media attention you see him once again near the tracks, screaming a putting on s show for the cameras.
That gloryhog is nothing but a figurehead that takes attention away from the actual coaches. When he talked about their pre-wc training camp he talked about crap like team building, he's pretty much a glorified pr-manager for the team.

Good luck with that crappy concept, at least Germany doesn't have that much influence. That said, you never know with the stupidity of the FIS...

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I'm in favour but only if they only eliminate one per lap, like in track cycling, so it ends up being about a 50k race. You'd then end up with it being a disastrous sprint of the likes of Holund and Røthe trying to stay in the event while the sprinters die on their feet. It would be pure comedy.

I really don't know who is the bigger idiot, Schlickenrieder or Winterton. At least Winterton's stupid ideas usually have the logic behind that they make his job easier (making everything shorter and about the same 5-10 athletes all the time so he doesn't have to learn things about anybody else) or maximise the chances of his favourites winning. Schlickenrieder's stupidity literally works against his own team.

 

[Mayomaniac]

I'd want to watch it once, just to see how bad it was.

Sounds like track cycling on snow, but track cycling points races are actually watchable.

 

[BigCoward]

100 athletes on a 5km loop would be OK, especially if the sprint was up a decent hill.

 

[Mayomaniac]

I'm in favour but only if they only eliminate one per lap, like in track cycling, so it ends up being about a 50k race. You'd then end up with it being a disastrous sprint of the likes of Holund and Røthe trying to stay in the event while the sprinters die on their feet. It would be pure comedy.

I really don't know who is the bigger idiot, Schlickenrieder or Winterton. At least Winterton's stupid ideas usually have the logic behind that they make his job easier (making everything shorter and about the same 5-10 athletes all the time so he doesn't have to learn things about anybody else) or maximise the chances of his favourites winning. Schlickenrieder's stupidity literally works against his own team.

Schlickenrieder is a team mascotthat talks too much.

Honestly, in the Alpine states everyone who is young, fit and outdoorsy goes Ski Mountaineering nowadays (you can take nice pictures for social media on top of a mountain) and almost nobody does xc skiing, even if things are improving a bit since Covid.

That said, that abomination that is Sprint Ski Mo races makes teamsprints and sprints look like the best thing since sliced bread. Marathons with multiple long climbs and dowhills and pure uphill races are great and have the potential to blow skiing out of the water in central europe once the TV coverage improves.

 

[DonAragona]

Niskanen fell in the warm-up and injured herself so felt she couldn't fight for victory.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Interesting that Norway is sending Klavaa to the team sprint. I guess they want to wear the Swedish sprinters down over multiple laps, on such a hard course that's probably their best best.
The German men are really bringing Moch, imo they won't be fighting for the medals so that's a waste. They already have to "waste" him in a classic leg in the relay, so I'd rather have him rest for the 15km race. Calle-Anger looks like a strong team and if Jay's distance skiing is on the same level as it was in Les Rousses their team also looks good.