Official xc skiing world cup thread

[jsem94]

You serious?

 

[Bavarianrider]

You serious?

German media reports so, don't know if it is really true.
They say she has been training with the riffle in Rupholding the last months and eyes to make it to Sotchi

 

[Nielsa]

Oh man I thought Dunklee was going to win the whole thing when she went 5/5 on the last shooting .

And jeez, the German team doesn't have anyone better to replace Neuner & Henkel?

 

[roundabout]

Sachenbacher would be a better choice than that sprinter girl, Herrmann, I think who was also considered to fill the void.

Having said that, she must be about 30 if not more now so she better learn the shooting quickly.

 

[Bavarianrider]

Oh man I thought Dunklee was going to win the whole thing when she went 5/5 on the last shooting .

And jeez, the German team doesn't have anyone better to replace Neuner & Henkel?

Apparently.
There are even rumors that the DSV tried to convince some male xc skiers to switch to biathlon. Even old Jens Filbrich for example. Pretty desperate actuions

 

[jsem94]

If you're on that path you might even try to recruit Axel Teichmann

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Oh man I thought Dunklee was going to win the whole thing when she went 5/5 on the last shooting .

And jeez, the German team doesn't have anyone better to replace Neuner & Henkel?

I'd be sad if they've given up on Project Gößner so quickly. She's still got the potential to be super quick based on last year's ski times. But it is notable that most of the German entries in the IBU Cup have been people who've already been up to the World Cup at various points, most of whom are already as old as Neuner - the likes of Döll and Horchler. Then again, Birnbacher's had a career renaissance in the last 2 years, why couldn't someone else? They've got Kathrin Hitzer to come back too. And German XC skiing is pretty weak, perhaps because of the greater interest in biathlon, so I can see why there might be the temptation for the likes of Sachenbacher or Böhler to give it a go with the rifle in hand.

 

[Nielsa]

They might have a few barren years like the Norwegian female biathlon team, when Skjelbreid Poirée quit, until the time Tora Berger began to win races. (If my memory is right.)
I think there's too much interest and good coaching in Germany for there to be a long draught, but... I thought so about German jumping too, and they had many barren years after Schmitt/Hannawald, until they their now successful team headed by Richard Friday and Severin Friend.


Anyway. CJ Bergman picked up a rifle only at the age of 22 (Tarjei Bø started shooting when he was 10), so there are examples of adult skiers becoming good biathletes, but... it took some years for Bergman to start winning, and Sachenbacher is already 31-32!

Maybe they're just desperate for someone who can do a decent job in the relay team, with quick skiing and 5+2, 5+3 on the shooting... viel glück, Eva...

 

[Fetisoff]

Well, it's time to see if the Russians' "genius" strategy of resting the guys during individual will pay off today. Garanichev, Shipulin, Malyshko and Makoveev all running today, probably their best chance for a gold


Wow, big fail - Sweden

 

[Nielsa]

Well look at that!

Not sure what happened to Garanichev's skiing form. And the last shooting was a disaster, of course. Malyshko was not much better.

Sweden's Ted Almgren did his first relay (said the NRK announcers), maybe they shouldn't have set him on the first leg.

 

[Fetisoff]

Yep, the epicness of that fail by Garanichev was epic in itself. Did Malyshko ****-up his first shoot, or was that whole time loss all from Garanichev (I missed the first part of 4th leg as I was watching both cycling races finishing)

 

[jsem94]

Ted Armgren had bad omens from previous relays. Well, he messed up VERY badly in a relay over ten years ago and vowed never to race one again. After this, I don't know what's going to come of it.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Yep, the epicness of that fail by Garanichev was epic in itself. Did Malyshko ****-up his first shoot, or was that whole time loss all from Garanichev (I missed the first part of 4th leg as I was watching both cycling races finishing)

Malyshko needed all 3 reloads on his first shoot.

 

[Fetisoff]

Malyshko needed all 3 reloads on his first shoot.

Ok, thanks. That makes more sense.

 

[Nielsa]

Yep, the epicness of that fail by Garanichev was epic in itself. Did Malyshko ****-up his first shoot, or was that whole time loss all from Garanichev (I missed the first part of 4th leg as I was watching both cycling races finishing)

A Paris-Nice stage over the god damned relay in Rupholding? GTFO

But, seriously, who'd think one day that Bjørndalen would be the weak link on a Norwegian relay team.

Ted Armgren had bad omens from previous relays. Well, he messed up VERY badly in a relay over ten years ago and vowed never to race one again. After this, I don't know what's going to come of it.

Ten years? Oh dear. I thought he was some new guy.
It's for this reason I'm glad they introduced mixed relay. For the nations who have 2-3 strong performers of either sex, but just can't find that 4th wheel who can do decently on one leg and only lose 30-40 seconds to the leaders.

 

[python]

a little more than an hour is left to the start of my favourite event of the season - men’s classic 50k.

...northug isn’t among the 71 starters. my top 3-5 picks (give or take) are:

- cologna
- a swede. ( olsson, hellner or my 'twin' RICKARDSSON) .
- a russian (legkov or VYLEGZHANIN)
- i picked no norges, frenchmen or canadians but of course roenning, manificat or kershaw could prove me entirely wrong

 

[Bavarianrider]

a little more than an hour is left to the start of my favourite event of the season - men’s classic 50k.

...northug isn’t among the 71 starters. my top 3-5 picks (give or take) are:

- cologna
- a swede. ( olsson, hellner or my 'twin' RICKARDSSON) .
- a russian (legkov or VYLEGZHANIN)
- i picked no norges, frenchmen or canadians but of course roenning, manificat or kershaw could prove me entirely wrong

I loved this race so much.
But as a mass start it has lost all its grace No it's just another boring 48km procesion with a 2km sprint in the end

 

[python]

I loved this race so much.
But as a mass start it has lost all its grace No it's just another boring 48km procesion with a 2km sprint in the end

i hear you. to some extent the intermediate sprints do liven and split the field but yeah not enough.

but in fairness to us the skiing AND cycling fans, aren't we conditioned by the same dynamic in cycling already ?

 

[python]

I loved this race so much.
But as a mass start it has lost all its grace No it's just another boring 48km procesion with a 2km sprint in the end

actually, it's not that boring today...

ELIASSEN broke away already (about 40 minutes in to the race) and the norges were playing a perfect team trying to block the chasers as long as they could with their red suit wall. the russians burned some energy trying to go around and now the swedes are leading the pack of of about 30 (down drom the original 71).

so it's not too boring bavaria ! :-

 

[meat puppet]

any streams? ES is showing slalom

 

[jsem94]

A Paris-Nice stage over the god damned relay in
Ten years? Oh dear. I thought he was some new guy.
It's for this reason I'm glad they introduced mixed relay. For the nations who have 2-3 strong performers of either sex, but just can't find that 4th wheel who can do decently on one leg and only lose 30-40 seconds to the leaders.

Well, he was 13 then. It wasn't a big important race or anything, but he messed up really badly.

 

[meat puppet]

wtf, jauhojärvi featuring at the front of the race!

 

[goggalor]

Amazing sprint finish!! F**k poling!

 

[python]

but of course roenning, ,,,,,,,,,,,,could prove me entirely wrong

and he did...wow, i don't recall a kick and glide sprint at the end of a 50K.

well done, eldar !

 

[jsem94]

Rønnings diagonal sprint there... WOAH!