Nordic Skiing/Biathlon Thread

[Bavarianrider]

As always Falun totally sucks for mass start races.
At least this dreadful season is over. If the Russians dont return next season, xc skiing is dead, at least among the men.

 

[Sciatic]

Out of competition, the Sepp stuff has mostly been tongue-in-cheek; I can't stand Sepp Kuss the racer rather than Sepp Kuss the person so the Sepp stuff in competition is largely genuine but out of competition I'm also poking fun at my own biases and questionable ability to control my reactions (see me calling him a cyclotourist or joking about his own traceur efforts in the Race Design Thread when talking about Colorado) - although the media portrayal of him as this total Mary Sue since the Vuelta situation really grinds my gears and could see it become more of a thing in time. With Jessie, not only do I not like her "LOOK AT HOW FUN I AM!" act, but I can't comprehend why anybody would, and especially react with hostility to people - especially the media - demanding I should.

It's Gabriela Soukalová all over again: just a very clearly stage-managed, very false presentation designed to portray a specific impression to the media. I think Diggins' outward personality is an extension, an exaggeration (to the point of caricature) of her real personality, as opposed to Soukalová who came across like an entirely invented, false personality that the real person underneath the surface was not like at all (and this was proven by her regrettable and extremely bitchy tell-all book that showed her to be not a very nice person at all).

I’ve mentioned before that Diggins is way over the top with her behavior, but her base personality (not that I really know) is consistent with the typical cheery, bubbly, smiling presentation of girls/young women in small town Minnesota-Wisconsin.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Two misses for Vittozzi at the first shooting, but with one miss for Tandrevold it isn't a disaster yet.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I’ve mentioned before that Diggins is way over the top with her behavior, but her base personality (not that I really know) is consistent with the typical cheery, bubbly, smiling presentation of girls/young women in small town Minnesota-Wisconsin.

the over-the-topness and the falseness of it is what really kills it for me though. That personality type can be tiring but you can look at somebody like, say, Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold for somebody with a similar kind of personality type, but that comes across far more genuine and less irritating to me.

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

I think Diggins if she wasnt a skier wouldve made the same stupid tiktok dance movies and she’d be coming into work on Monday morning telling everyone about the FREAKINN AMAZING hike she went on during the weekend.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Simon loses the mass start globe unless she gets 4th or Jeanmonnot falls over letting Hettich-Walz past. She has to ride the coattails of Justine Braisaz-Bouchet hoping she passes Gandler, then (not literally this time) pick her pocket.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Vittozzi takes about five seconds on the floor before getting up to give Tandrevold a hug, but "everybody" does the Northug histrionics when they achieve something.

 

[KZD]

Jeanmonnot's final part of the season is superb, hadn't she miss the sprint and pursuit races in Lenzerheide she would actually win the overall too. A bit cruel that Tandrevold lost two positions in the last two races while actually performing well today but that's sport.

As for cross-country skiing, Svahn winning would mean a 'versatile sprinter' taking the World Cup win which would be really underwhelming so I don't really mind Diggins winning.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Random podium for Guigonnat, although she did have a great race yesterday as well.

Sounds like Tandrevold has come to terms with losing out on the title. She did have a chance to win it today though. I have absolutely no idea who's the favourite for next season.

 

[BigCoward]

At least Julia 'Fagin' Simon didn't win the overall.

 

[Sciatic]

the over-the-topness and the falseness of it is what really kills it for me though. That personality type can be tiring but you can look at somebody like, say, Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold for somebody with a similar kind of personality type, but that comes across far more genuine and less irritating to me.

Yeah, understood.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Random podium for Guigonnat, although she did have a great race yesterday as well.

Sounds like Tandrevold has come to terms with losing out on the title. She did have a chance to win it today though. I have absolutely no idea who's the favourite for next season.

At this point in the season it's often just about who has anything left in the legs. With Guigonnat having spent some time at the IBU Cup and also been in spot #6/7 on the team, she's not done too many relays and has rotated in and out of the team. Also quite a few athletes who had nothing left to fight for can often just abandon ship on the last race of the season. This was Guigonnat's 23rd race of the season compared to Jeanmonnot's 33rd, for example. Jeanmonnot is demonstrably a better biathlete than Guigonnat, but Gilonne has a bit more left in the tank than many of the others she's racing.

 

[KZD]

Random podium for Guigonnat, although she did have a great race yesterday as well.

Sounds like Tandrevold has come to terms with losing out on the title. She did have a chance to win it today though. I have absolutely no idea who's the favourite for next season.

I would say Jeanmonnot but there is no outright favourite.

 

[BigCoward]

I would say Jeanmonnot but there is no outright favourite.

Which is weird because all season i would have said she was the obvious french number 3.

Tandrevold either wins or finishes 11th or worse. Women's biathlon is great at the minute

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

the Northug histrionics

What is this?

 

[Mayomaniac]

I think Diggins if she wasnt a skier wouldve made the same stupid tiktok dance movies and she’d be coming into work on Monday morning telling everyone about the FREAKINN AMAZING hike she went on during the weekend.

That sounds pretty accurate to me.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I would say Jeanmonnot but there is no outright favourite.

If the French keep being dominant and thereby stealing points from each other, I'm probably more inclined to believe in someone from a different country, but that might of course change next season with the Germans, Norwegians, Swedes and a few from other countries all potentially being stronger.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Vittozzi takes about five seconds on the floor before getting up to give Tandrevold a hug, but "everybody" does the Northug histrionics when they achieve something.

Hey, please don't force me to post pics of Lisa, who seems to be a great person, hanging around with Northug...

 

[BullsFan22]

Good for Vittozzi on winning the overall. Well deserved.

Looking forward to the Russians coming back next season in xc.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I would say Jeanmonnot but there is no outright favourite.

I don't know about next season, but I'm gonna say it now, in two seasons' time, Selina Grotian.

What is this?

It was me commenting on Northug's tendency to milk the exhaustion for the cameras, rolling around on the floor and turning the end of the race into more theatre than the actual race had been. While being exhausted and flopping to the floor at the end is common, the kind of several minutes of rolling around on the floor that Northug used to do was excessive and earned a bit of ridicule. Although maybe not to the extent that Northug used to, Diggins has been called out for milking the finish theatrics a bit (before me, I hasten to add) and because these antics were defended as being something "everybody" does, I was contrasting Vittozzi getting up within about five seconds to talk to Ingrid after her race with the kind of overacted, histrionic Northug finish.

Hey, please don't force me to post pics of Lisa, who seems to be a great person, hanging around with Northug...

Northug is spending far more time hanging around the Biathlon World Cup than he does his XC brethren, I think it's cos he's contracted to TV2 who have the biathlon rather than NRK who do the XC (somebody actually in Norway can correct me on the channels, but whichever station he's on is the one that largely covers the biathlon as he's been on punditry duties with Tiril Eckhoff this season). I have a lot of time and respect for Lisa. I do not have a lot of time or respect for Tool Petter.

 

[BullsFan22]

As always Falun totally sucks for mass start races.
At least this dreadful season is over. If the Russians dont return next season, xc skiing is dead, at least among the men.

I mean, Nepryaeva has been on the overall World Cup podium 3 times, including the overall title in 2022 and she also finished 6th in 2021. Stupak finished 2nd overall in 2021, and was 8th in 2019. Sorina was in 5th in 2021. They also have Stepanova and a ton of other talented young skiers. I don’t know what that could theoretically translate to on the WC, but it will surely add more competition. Sedova came back last season, and she’s consistently been one of the top 10 or so distance skiers on the world.

The men, it speaks for itself.

 

[BullsFan22]

I don't know about next season, but I'm gonna say it now, in two seasons' time, Selina Grotian.

It was me commenting on Northug's tendency to milk the exhaustion for the cameras, rolling around on the floor and turning the end of the race into more theatre than the actual race had been. While being exhausted and flopping to the floor at the end is common, the kind of several minutes of rolling around on the floor that Northug used to do was excessive and earned a bit of ridicule. Although maybe not to the extent that Northug used to, Diggins has been called out for milking the finish theatrics a bit (before me, I hasten to add) and because these antics were defended as being something "everybody" does, I was contrasting Vittozzi getting up within about five seconds to talk to Ingrid after her race with the kind of overacted, histrionic Northug finish.

Northug is spending far more time hanging around the Biathlon World Cup than he does his XC brethren, I think it's cos he's contracted to TV2 who have the biathlon rather than NRK who do the XC (somebody actually in Norway can correct me on the channels, but whichever station he's on is the one that largely covers the biathlon as he's been on punditry duties with Tiril Eckhoff this season). I have a lot of time and respect for Lisa. I do not have a lot of time or respect for Tool Petter.

It’s hilarious that Northug works at the biathlon World Cup. What does he know about biathlon? 😂🤣

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

It was me commenting on Northug's tendency to milk the exhaustion for the cameras, rolling around on the floor and turning the end of the race into more theatre than the actual race had been. While being exhausted and flopping to the floor at the end is common, the kind of several minutes of rolling around on the floor that Northug used to do was excessive and earned a bit of ridicule. Although maybe not to the extent that Northug used to, Diggins has been called out for milking the finish theatrics a bit (before me, I hasten to add) and because these antics were defended as being something "everybody" does, I was contrasting Vittozzi getting up within about five seconds to talk to Ingrid after her race with the kind of overacted, histrionic Northug finish.

Ah, okay. Bjørn Dæhlie was the king of this, with his Olympic gold in the 50k in 98 as the crown jewel of the exaustion after the finish line. Northug was 12 when that happened, so I think it’s pretty obvious that Dæhlie in many ways formed Northugs similar approach to finishing. In my career as a young skier in the years after Dæhlie we all did the same in every shitty local race after our massive performances in 2-3 km races.

Northug is spending far more time hanging around the Biathlon World Cup than he does his XC brethren, I think it's cos he's contracted to TV2 who have the biathlon rather than NRK who do the XC (somebody actually in Norway can correct me on the channels, but whichever station he's on is the one that largely covers the biathlon as he's been on punditry duties with Tiril Eckhoff this season).

Northug works for TV2 and they only have a couple of XC World Cup rounds (for example they had Holmenkollen and also Davos this year) and then he goes with the Biathlon crew when he’s available. I was never a fan of the skier Northug (ok, I was a little starstruck when I met him and the nowadays women coach Sting Rune Kveen at Oslo Airport back in 2006) and I find him not very sympathetic as a person (the stories of him with 17-18 year old girls are hard to respect and of course the drinking and cocaine), but he’s a pretty good expert to be fair. He’s also receiving good reviews for his role in the biathlon productions. NRK also have just a few XC World Cups (which isnt too bad, because Johaug is a worthless expert). 85% of the XC World Cup is from Viaplay, and they have a very good setup with for example Dyrhaug, Holund and Falla (and Bjørgen that i dont find so good in this role).

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I wonder where Vittozzi learned to lurk around and then sprint to victory at the end

 

[Eddy Evenepoel]

I mean, Nepryaeva has been on the overall World Cup podium 3 times, including the overall title in 2022 and she also finished 6th in 2021. Stupak finished 2nd overall in 2021, and was 8th in 2019. Sorina was in 5th in 2021. They also have Stepanova and a ton of other talented young skiers. I don’t know what that could theoretically translate to on the WC, but it will surely add more competition. Sedova came back last season, and she’s consistently been one of the top 10 or so distance skiers on the world.

It seems like Nepryayeva is called Terenteva nowadays. Shes married to Terentev I assume.

Nepryayeva and Stupak was very good and they are both still pretty young, so they should still be competitive. Nepryayeva won the World Cup fair and square in 21/22, but she wasn’t impressive at all before Christmas that year. In the 8 races before Tour de Ski she had a 5th place as her best result. Then in Tour de Ski she was solid and she was good in Beijing and Lahti, so those 2 months was very, very good. If the she comes back next year she will definitively be a contender for World Cup overall and the new point system should fit her well as she’s taking points in all kind of races, but when it comes to the Championship I would still back the Ebba and Frida (and Niskanen for the classic and Diggins for the skate) at their best above the best version of Nepryayeva.

Stupak is solid but never give me the vibes of a racer that will win big or regularly.

I think you are overselling Sedova (nowadays she’s Kuleshova) a bit. She has only one time been top 10 (9th) in the distance cup, and she hasn’t raced internationally since World Cup final in 2019.

Stepanova is hard to judge as she raced so little among the best before the Russians were banned. I wonder if she’s become better classic skier the last two years.

The Russian women’s best chance in the Championship is of course the relay, and then likely Terenteva the best option for the individual races. But to be fair I haven’t spent much time looking for results in Russia this season, so I have no idea how they have been skiing this season. For all I know Stepanova could have become a beast winning with one minute every week. I guess I’ll see when they return.