Nordic Skiing/Biathlon Thread

[ToreBear]

This course for the women seems to favor the distance skiers who are good at double polling.

Could get interesting.

I could see Nilsson doing well as well as ?stberg and Falla for the sprinters. Visnar will be interesting. Her stamina has steadily been improving over the years, and she is fast enough to make it through.

If she has the stamina, I would not be surprised if Stina Nilsson wins.

For the men, I think most can win.

 

[python]

men quals are extremely interesting too...tomas northug is 3d almost 5 sec ahead of his big dro...but the biggest surprise is kriukov who not only almost never wins qualifiers, he had shown NOTHING all season...alex harvey is also phenomenal so far...overall the norges and, particularly the russians, are underperforming imo.

the finals will put everything in place.

 

[Lupetto]

Petter Northug legend!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyAldEYzWw4

What an incredible perfomance once again.

 

[jens_attacks]

that was pretty cool. and i don't like the northugs at all
nice crowds

 

[meat puppet]

Anyone got the track profiles?

Dvs. are we in for Cologna/northug and Bj?rgen shows, respectively, or is the m?rdarbacken tough enough to give slighter built climbers (say Johaug, Hellner) or powerhouses (say Kalla) any chances?

 

[Lupetto]

http://falun2015.com/wp-content/uploads/pdf/sparkarta.pdf

pages 6 and 7.

 

[meat puppet]

Ta! (ten chars)

 

[ToreBear]

The snow was really bad for the nordic combined yesterday. If it doesn't get better there might be some surprises. Some are able to adapt their technique/skis better than others.

Should be interesting. Skiathlon is my favorite XC event.

 

[python]

among women, it should be 2 norge medals with possibly justyna or charlotte snatching one...based on the last week's 10 k skate kalla, if she is within the site after the classic leg, kalla has a better chance. i expect justyna go bananas from the start.

among men, in the absence of sundby, olsson and legkov, the norges can safely count on at least 1 medal with cologna, vyleg, hellner and harvey being the prime non-norwegian competitors...as always, the podium should be decided in the last skating lap. those 2 little hills with 1k to go is the typical vyleg ground for his sneaky attacks...

 

[meat puppet]

Justyna dns? Norwegians stepped on it from the bang.

 

[python]

right, unlike with men, i did not bother to check the start list for justyna assuming it was a given...perhaps, she's smartly saving herself for later...

johaug just attacked before the 1st classic leg was even over...kalla EASILY replied...the female hunk does not look at ease at all.

 

[meat puppet]

Adv kalla i'd say. Jacobsen and johaug with her. Bj?rgen dropped.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Jacobsen looking strong, Bj?rgen looking a bit like she's copying Kowalczyk's old problem from a few years ago, where she'd work hard for the World Cup, win the Tour de Ski, then get annihilated by Bj?rgen at the World Championships.

 

[roundabout]

Bj?rgen finishing 4th best Norwegian would be hilarious

 

[meat puppet]

Bj?rgen finished... hilarious

Quoted for truth. Kalla lookin the strongest imo.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Bj?rgen finishing 4th best Norwegian would be hilarious

Heia Heidi!

 

[roundabout]

Ah well, not quite.

 

[python]

kalla=fighter.

will be interesting if the soft saggy track will play the same trick with heavier men as it seems have plaid with the girls...if so,i 'd say roethe, vyleg, manificat can challenge cologna and northug more than on equal terms.

 

[meat puppet]

Johaugs attack was insane again. But had the incline been lesser, i think kalla could have followed. But thats gravity for ya'll

 

[MrRoboto]

Amazing crowd. M?k?r?inen should have been here this year to see how it's done.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

The steeper the gradient the more it favours Johaug. Last year in Sochi the talk was all of Johaug going on the big uphill into the stadium on the last lap, but that was on a long, drawn-out climb at a lower gradient, and though Johaug had a go at it, it actually turned out to favour Kalla. Here the climbs are steeper, so it's no surprise that Johaug is the one that gets away. Kalla will surely feel disappointed to be pipped for the silver by Jacobsen, but she put everything on the line in that race, can't help but think maybe she did a bit too much work on the first skate lap when surely the two Norwegians would have been relatively happy to share the workload.

 

[ToreBear]

This was a fun race!

The conditions weren't as bad as yesterday, but it is pretty soft.

If it worsens I would keep my eye on Johann "smygaren" Olsson(the sneaker), and Toenseth.

Dario will also be interesting to follow, he has struggled with his skate due to his injury.

 

[Walkman]

The conditions weren't as bad as yesterday, but it is pretty soft.

If it worsens I would keep my eye on Johann "smygaren" Olsson(the sneaker), and Toenseth.

Dario will also be interesting to follow, he has struggled with his skate due to his injury.

Olsson isn't riding today.

Hellner, Nelson, Halvarsson and Sodergren is.

 

[python]

verry interesting beginning the swedes are true to their team tactic but i'm slightly surprised by nelson being sent as a point man and hellner with halfvarsson blocking

the norges are cool so far... why is alex harvey working so hard is not clear to me let the russkies and the norges work, alex.

i thought volzhentsev will charge the classic leg, b/c he has no chances in the skate, but he's done zilch so far. they are back together...

 

[meat puppet]

quite dull racing, this. Dunno why but I fancy alex harvey's chances. It seems hellner seldom delivers but lets nominate him as a surprise.