Nordic Skiing/Biathlon Thread

[Libertine Seguros]

I wasn't sure if Harvey was hanging on for the sprint because he was the best sprinter left or if he was running on fumes after last week's exertions as well - seeing him losing in a sprint against Niklas Dyrhaug, we can be pretty sure it was the latter.

 

[Cance > TheRest]

Pretty impressive attack from Sundby. I think he deserved the win after the frustrating WC.

 

[Singer01]

Can anyone beat Bjoergen? I can't see it, i'd like it to be close until the end like the WC race though.
Biathlon team sprint is the stupidest idea ever. Much more interested in the mixed relay later, on current form assuming Norway go Eckhoff, JTB and EHS + an other, its hard to see past them in the relay where ski speed is more important than shooting. Doesn't look as if eurosport are showing the mixed relay live though, fuckers.

edit, Norway go with the above team, and since Germany will be without Dahlmeier (single mixed), France without Fourcade (not racing either apparently) and Russia without Shipulin (not sure what he is doing), Norway really should win.

 

[Blaaswix]

Didn't see yesterdays 50k: just read that Northug was over 8 minutes behind Sundby. I know he gives up if he doesn't feel it's going his way, but that's a lot. He did alright in Drammen, but the comeback for this season seems to be over.

And today, it's beginning to look like another tedious Bjørgen parade.

 

[roundabout]

Wonder what is the biggest ever margin between 1st and 2nd in the ladies 30K WC mass start?

 

[kingjr]

Wonder what is the biggest ever margin between 1st and 2nd in the ladies 30K WC mass start?

Probably Johaug's 3:46 min last year in Oslo.

 

[python]

...started watching a tad late, saw the muscle already beating the little girls by a dozen seconds in just 1-2 km, switched to speed skating.

 

[Discgear]

Wonder what is the biggest ever margin between 1st and 2nd in the ladies 30K WC mass start?

Probably Johaug's 3:46 min last year in Oslo.

Before I thought Holmenkollen was a great event. Now watching the masses in Holmenkollen saluting convicted cheaters with undisguised worshipping fanaticism, kind of gives the same creeps as Lord of the flies. A society with its own set of rules and standards.

 

[Singer01]

Wonder what is the biggest ever margin between 1st and 2nd in the ladies 30K WC mass start?

Probably Johaug's 3:46 min last year in Oslo.

Before I thought Holmenkollen was a great event. Now watching the masses in Holmenkollen saluting convicted cheaters with undisguised worshipping fanaticism, kind of gives the same creeps as Lord of the flies. A society with its own set of rules and standards.

are you referring to bjoergen? when was she convicted of cheating?

 

[Discgear]

Wonder what is the biggest ever margin between 1st and 2nd in the ladies 30K WC mass start?

Probably Johaug's 3:46 min last year in Oslo.

Before I thought Holmenkollen was a great event. Now watching the masses in Holmenkollen saluting convicted cheaters with undisguised worshipping fanaticism, kind of gives the same creeps as Lord of the flies. A society with its own set of rules and standards.

are you referring to bjoergen? when was she convicted of cheating?

Sundby of course. Placards with dear Terese, we love you and so on...

 

[meat puppet]

Laukkanen first ever wc win in biathlon sprint. Kinda surprising.

 

[python]

i was impressed by the laukkanen win today (and yesterday) and particularly by her humble gesture dedicated to the untimely departure of a finnish coach. nice to see finland perform and grieve as a TEAM ! if it took 29 years for laukkanen to burst into the ranks, no one should feel snarky...

in quebec, i was very pleased by stina and hanna yesterday. also, as always, good to see harvey overpowering the norges in the sprint. he also was very solid today. i heard him promising the nrk interviewer a hard chase after klaebo tomorrow.


i thank the xc gods for allowing parma and bess to interfere into the red parade...that said, i am not sure klaebo will be able to stay away in a pursuit tomorrow. the talent is on his side, but the experience is on the chasers.

 

[BullsFan22]

That was some of the smoothest, easiest classic skiing I've seen. Bessmertnykh skied very economically, he had the energy to ski 50, not 15 today. I was very surprised he didn't try to bust it open on the final lap when he took over the lead. He also could have taken Dyrhaug at the line, but surprisingly skied behind him to the line. That was strange. He could have won this race but didn't look like he was trying. Just my observation.

 

[kingjr]

Bessmertnykh hardly ever looks like he's trying ;-)

 

[python]

it was a mass start...wasn't it ?

bess started in a literal mess of human bodies something like 12-13 sec behind in 58th or 59th out of 70+..wasn't he ?

provided we understand it's not cycling but xc skiing, it takes a LOT of extra energy to not only catch up, but to go around the mess of struggling bodies where the width of the course is only 3 tracks.. doesn't it ?

what bess showed was perfectly within his exceptional classic potential, but given the energy waste, i'd be very surprised if his marginal classic advantage over everyone (except sundby) could deliver more today. the very lead he took with 3 km to go was a statement of his limit to control the pace to his comfort (by definition) fearing an uncontrolled acceleration. he actually was 100% right b/c only sundby could squeeze a higher pace at that point.

 

[Kokoso]

Re:

Laukkanen first ever wc win in biathlon sprint. Kinda surprising.

Koukalova has two small globes. Nice. At the end she was the only one to put up decent fight against Dahlmeier, at both world cup and world champs (where she was better there surely in two maybe even three out of six races races despite how comments here looked like).

 

[Singer01]

By the end of there careers which Johannes, Boe or Klaeboe will have been more successful?

 

[Kokoso]

Re:

By the end of there careers which Johannes, Boe or Klaeboe will have been more successful?

That doesn't matter much, they are both boe anyway

 

[Pazuzu]

The great one extended her streak to nine-straight wins in World Cup distance races (anything longer than a sprint)! http://fasterskier.com/fsarticle/bjorgen-bests-weng-finalize-unbeaten-streak-bjornsen-fifth-day-quebec/

“It has been an incredible season for me after Christmas,” Bjørgen, who had a child in December 2015 and took last season off, told reporters on Sunday. “I won every long distance and four golds in the World Championships so this has been incredible and to win today also.”

“I knew that it would be a sprint in the end with Heidi and to have her behind me is a very good feeling,” Bjørgen said. “I’m 10 years older and to be there is a good feeling to take with me into the Olympic [year next season].”

 

[BullsFan22]

Re:

The great one extended her streak to nine-straight wins in World Cup distance races (anything longer than a sprint)! http://fasterskier.com/fsarticle/bjorgen-bests-weng-finalize-unbeaten-streak-bjornsen-fifth-day-quebec/

“It has been an incredible season for me after Christmas,” Bjørgen, who had a child in December 2015 and took last season off, told reporters on Sunday. “I won every long distance and four golds in the World Championships so this has been incredible and to win today also.”

“I knew that it would be a sprint in the end with Heidi and to have her behind me is a very good feeling,” Bjørgen said. “I’m 10 years older and to be there is a good feeling to take with me into the Olympic [year next season].”

I really hope that Bjoergen retires after the Olympics next season. Women's racing has been such a borefest with the top few skiers breaking away and everyone else has no shot whatsoever. Either that or I hope that Kowalczyk can somehow get back to something like her best and she contends for the top spot again. Sure, that would mean a 37 year old and a 34 year old going while the youngsters are schooled, but at least there will be a non-Norwegian to challenge for wins in distance races. The sprints are 'slightly' more 'open' but not that much more variety there either.

 

[meat puppet]

Lysebotn opp is raced tomorrow. Interesting to see if heikkinen can triple it. The race I guess will show a) which skiers have a sold base form and b) whose physique specializes in the rather impressive but racing wise pretty meaningless long steady climb vo2max effort in wassberg technique

http://www.blinkfestivalen.no/program

 

[python]

thanx for the reminder. also, in few hours the 60k marathon will start. i glanced at the startlist, many big names are there including sundby, northug, ustiougov etc. dont see hellner there or any big swedish names.

the tomorrow's start lists either have not been posted yet or i cant find them.

my understanding the nrk will show it live both days...

 

[BullsFan22]

Sundby wins. Krueger second. Niskanen third. Ustiugov fourth.

An interesting race. It was 'neutral' start, ala cycling. The first few minutes were easy, and then they got going. The first 'preem' sprint for 15000 kr (if I remember correctly) was between Ustiugov, Panzhinskiy and a random Norwegian dude that actually won the preem. Later on a group of 7 or so emerged and that was the break. Oestensen, Aukland (45 years old), Sundby, Niskanen, Krueger and Roethe. They worked really well for a while, gaining time quickly, then slowly, then quickly again. Then one by one they were shelled off the back until it was three: Sundby, Krueger, Niskanen. Niskanen lost the front two on the final major climb and did well not to blow up. Sundby went on the short but steep bridge in the final little circuit in Sandnes and got the necessary gap over Krueger, with Niskanen a bit over 30 seconds back. Ustiugov won the sprint for 4th, a little over 2 minutes behind Sundby. That chasing group (4th through 14th) finished together. Northug sandbagged the last portion of the race, finishing 19 minutes behind Sundby. He always looks 'fat' compared to the other guys.

Apparently Niskanen has had interruptions in his spring and summer training. He fell sick after the final wc races in Canada, missed a month, then slowly got back into it, then got a flu and now he is into it.

Northug was his usual self in the interview. It was a 'training run.' He said he'll race tomorrow.

There was only a handful of women that raced. None of the big names, a couple German national team members, but the rest were long distance specialists.

 

[python]

...tomorrow's start lists either have not been posted yet or i cant find them.

it was finally posted:
http://www.blinkfestivalen.no/Filer2017/Lister/Startlister/Torsdag/20170727%20Startliste%20Menn%20senior.PDF

among the starters ..... i see fourcade (simon). some other top biathlete names i recognized too.

interestingly, all the top guys from the yesterday marathon will start the climb. northug is there too.

cant see anyone beating matti, but a surprize is possible. particularly from the likes of roethe, sveen or holund. will be very curious to measure the difference btwn the heavy guys and the lighter-framed of course, it does not mean all that much in july, but if an 85 kg ustiougov scores top 10 today, it would be a hefty statement towards his alpe de cemis come january.

this type of test, despite many differences with cycling, at the end of the day favours the best watts per kilo...

ooops, almost forgot, i dont see the nrk covering the event LIVE. i see it much later, though it will start in less than an hour

 

[meat puppet]

I was just about to ask you if there are livestreams, Python.

In the ladies race, Kalla destroyed the field. Weng second at 40sec. Björgen third almost two minutes down. I know it is summer and all, but I find it odd that Mari Laukkanen who is a good skier, lost almost a minute per kilometer. Ditto pärmäkoski losing almost half a minute.