Considering he's the hero of the thread and the savior of XC, he doesn't win very often does he? He's great, but his talent and results don't seem to tie together.
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It's not so much about how often he wins but how he does it that makes him into such a popular figure though. Think of him as being like XC's Mikel Landa, only good enough to win big more often than Landa ever does.
The gaps in the NC are stupid. Only 1 person within 70 seconds of Riiber. Many of the other top names are 3-4 mins down.
Yesterday's format will likely become more popular to try and kept it 'interesting' over the next few years.
Yesterday's format will likely become more popular to try and kept it 'interesting' over the next few years.
Glorious failure does have its benefits. And we also get to project our hatred of the calendar onto him and see how a deserved great champion gets shat on by 'the man'.
He’s gonna be 32 in January, he hasn’t improved his skate at all, he can only bank on specific individual classic races here and there, and since there’s fewer of those each year, he’s really out of luck. He should be thankful that the Russians aren’t there, because now he at least has a few skiers less to worry about.
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We did the same for Poltoranin before him, too. The sport needs people with lopsided skillsets who can only succeed in certain formats or styles, because they will have to race more aggressively in those races as they are their only chance.
Iivo fits the bill not only for having that lopsided skillset so having to race aggressively in those races, but also the type of races that he is best at are the type that are most popular with a lot of the purists, which let's face it many of us posting in this thread are. And it's also a role he's only too happy to commit to, as well, often going full attack early and giving us longer and more interesting races for it, even if he doesn't get to benefit from his work by blowing himself up. It's not for nothing that "dropping everybody and then dropping himself" has become known as the renowned Niskanen tactic.
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Winterton already demanding we change the relay format (from a 4x6km!!!) to make a sprint finish more likely.
Relays, of course, being the most popular biathlon format.
Relays, of course, being the most popular biathlon format.
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The 15km in Ruka in 2012 is one of the most beautiful displays of classic skiing that you’ll ever see.
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Yes, if Andersson and Karlsson cannot drop Carl properly, she might as well win. The last downhill unfortunately brings attacks back, which works against the attackers. Diggins is in a good position too.
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How can this be what FIS want, "you know what we want if we create gaps? Removing them and making women's distance as boring as men's!" I know that for years we just had Therese skiing away from everybody whenever she felt like and that sucked, but pack races until the last kilometre are no fun either.
Dixon managing an impressive feat - to somehow simultaneously cheerlead the Americans and somehow completely ignore and fail to notice the one American women's skier I actually want to see do well...
Edit: terrible timing to lose a pole for Come On Jess, and I can't imagine it's fun having no glove in -14º either.
Edit, great finish from Diggins, and the commentary as disgusting as ever at the prospect. Direct quotes:
Descent: "WHERE'S JESSIE DIGGINS, COME ON JESSIE DIGGINS!!!"
Climb: "HERE'S JESSIE DIGGINS, COME ON JESSIE DIGGINS!"
Sprint: "AND IT'S ILAR AGAINST JESSIE DIGGINS, COME ON JESSIE DIGGINS!"
I know y'all don't like me going on about my dislike of her - but without this pair of tools in the booth, I wouldn't mention her half as much, for better or for worse. This is why I get ratty about it. I always figured I could never have been a pro sports commentator because of how much I would struggle to be objective enough, this group of senile fanboys make me realise I maybe was mistaken since objectivity is clearly no requirement for the job.
Dixon managing an impressive feat - to somehow simultaneously cheerlead the Americans and somehow completely ignore and fail to notice the one American women's skier I actually want to see do well...
Edit: terrible timing to lose a pole for Come On Jess, and I can't imagine it's fun having no glove in -14º either.
Edit, great finish from Diggins, and the commentary as disgusting as ever at the prospect. Direct quotes:
Descent: "WHERE'S JESSIE DIGGINS, COME ON JESSIE DIGGINS!!!"
Climb: "HERE'S JESSIE DIGGINS, COME ON JESSIE DIGGINS!"
Sprint: "AND IT'S ILAR AGAINST JESSIE DIGGINS, COME ON JESSIE DIGGINS!"
I know y'all don't like me going on about my dislike of her - but without this pair of tools in the booth, I wouldn't mention her half as much, for better or for worse. This is why I get ratty about it. I always figured I could never have been a pro sports commentator because of how much I would struggle to be objective enough, this group of senile fanboys make me realise I maybe was mistaken since objectivity is clearly no requirement for the job.
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Carl blocked by Andersson and Karlsson near the top of the sprint hill.
Almost impossible to hate on Diggins after that final lap...
Almost impossible to hate on Diggins after that final lap...
Only a completely hate blinded jerk would begrudge her that 2nd place..
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Ilar was very clever to accelerate on top of the last descent. Deserved victory.
Shoegazer nation completely MIA, love it.
Shoegazer nation completely MIA, love it.
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I don't begrudge her that 2nd place. She deserved it with a brilliant last lap considering the terrible luck with her glove/pole and the work she had to do to get back to the front subsequently.
I reserve the right to not have wanted her to get it and to have wanted Mike Dixon to actually be able to do his job professionally, however.
bodes well for the final climb, that’s it. She’s not a good classic skier, doesn’t sprint, and needs a hard skate course to be competitive.
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Tbf, with her trail running on the side she might have some upside as a classic distance skier too.
Just put a same length pursuit the day after each individual start and alter the technique every week/world cup stage.
It really wouldn't take a lot to improve the world cup. Also, since race organizers hate the Skiathlon like a plague (it's a logistical mess) you drop that one in favour of pursuits.
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