Scenes from the Road: Drammen, Norway Edition

On the World Cup, early morning race starts are a rarity. On the morning of Drammen race day, I went out for about an hour trot jogging and walking and photo-taking in the Fornebu neighborhood of Oslo. The site of Oslo's old airport, the arena beside the Atlantic is being transformed into the Norway's version of Redmond, Washington or Silicon Valley.

Where old and new work in unison. 

It's an interesting mix of new meets old, where hand-laid stone lighthouses and such mix with sleek,  futuristic buildings that play host to many Norwegian tech startups and firms. 

An old forgotten skiff rests as a reminder: don't forget your roots.

As always, the crowds were out in force in Dramman. Norwegians love their cross country skiers. This is something as an athlete you can easily feel.

Head-to-head World Cup racing. Here I follow Kalle Lassila of Finland, sitting in second place with Anssi Pensinnen(FIN), Eirik Brandsdahl (NOR), Ola Vigen Hattestad (NOR) and G.L. Cologna (SUI) stalking behind. [Photo stolen from Das Hoff].

Here I am with the men of Team Sjusjoen after the race. John Anders Gaustad (red jacket) was a longtime top Norwegian skater, and now works for the National Federation. Petter Hagen is the team leader of Team Sjusjoen, my Norwegian race team. He gives great advice and is one of those positive influencers that you need in your life. It was really cool to share the experience of getting back in the points with Mr. Haugen. 

Randy Gibbs prepared mine and Rosie Brennan's race boards for the event. It's been five years since I last worked directly with Randy at a ski race, but even in tricky conditions and in the more hectic city sprint mileau, I had full control over my Rossignol's, and confidence in their preparation. Mr. Gibbs played a leading role in helping make that happen.

Scenes from the Road: Oslo 2013

Last night the U.S. Team rolled into Norway, sharing the plane with the Japanese and Russian World Cup teams. So often, the American and Canadians, Japanese and our blue track suit loving competitors from the north travel the circuit together. It's a little more difficult for us to sneak a day or two or three between race weekends.

While we might have been up in the esteemed real estate of Holmenkollen for a little stride and glide on the famous trails above Oslo, I'm pretty sure Dramman was on everyone of the sprinter's minds. Here is what awaits us in tomorrow's city sprint. It will be interesting to do this race again after several years away, and even more so because the day's temperature high is -4C. Could we really be racing on hardwax in a city sprint? That'll be a call for the wax service team.

Rosie Brennan takes in the view from our wax cabin before heading out on the morning ski.

Simi Hamilton and two Ruskies just about ready to start their workout in Holmenkollen - the cathedral of cross country skiing.

Lahti, Finland

I try to stay in touch with my In The Arena 5th grade class as much as possible when I'm away from the classroom. Here's my latest digital scene from the road for Mr. Peck's class at Osborn Elementary in Leavenworth, Washington.

LAHTI, FINLAND______________________WORLD CUP CROSS-COUNTRY

                                                                                                                                       MARCH 9 &10

The next stop in this year’s cross-country world tour for me is Lahti, Finland. The country of Finland sits between Sweden to the west and Russia to the east. Lahti itself sits just a little outside of Finland’s biggest city, Helsinki. Finland itself, and particularly Lahti, is a place known for its forest and lake landscapes that provide a natural living environment. When I first visited Finland, I could understand better one of my favorite architects, Alvar Aalto.

Mr. Aalvo’s architectural style ranged from nordic classicism during the early years of his career, to later on a more organic modernist style. To me, Mr. Aalvo had a genius way of using a site’s available resources. His buildings and housings could arrest your eyes, but also blend into the environment and terrain where it resided. My favorite thing, though, is how he used sunlight. In Finland, especially in the winter, sunlight is a precious commodity. Mr. Aalvo knew how to capture its essence brilliantly.

It doesn’t a visitor to Lahti long to figure out the place is a winter sports city. Right on the edge of town a full compliment of ski jumps sit atop the area’s biggest hill. As an athlete, the venue is almost a metaphor telling a story. There are all sizes of jumps. Off to the ski jumper’s far right, the jump set starts with perhaps a ten meter in-run, then a half-meter jump where five or six year-olds fly through the air for maybe a half-second.  The granddaddy of them all, though, is the K-124. The athletes fly through the air for around five seconds, covering up to a football field-and-a-half on their winning jumps.

Since 1923 the town and venue has played host to the Lahti Ski Games, an annual World Cup event. Tens of thousands of spectators from near and far come here every March to watch the competitions and revel in the streets and nightclubs afterwards. It’s an energetic crowd – and energy that you can feel as a racer, especially when you are having a special day. And it’s one of these days I look to have on both Saturday in the skate sprint, and on Sunday in the 15 kilometer (9.3 mile) classic World Cup.  I have raced here in Lahti many times, though this will be my first time pulling on a racebib here for something other than an individual sprint or a sprint relay.  To new experiences, and new challenges!

SATURDAY, March 9: Skate Sprint Qualification at 11 AM

SUNDAY, March 10: Men’s 15km Classic at 11 AM

FOR MORE INFORMATION, AND UPDATES: www.lahtiskigames.com

Scenes from the Road: Davos, Switzerland Edition

Sometimes the sun out, your friends are with you, and the scene is just right. Sometimes you can have one of those days while skiing the Dischma Valley in Davos, Switzerland. Today was one of those days. Here Mauro and Bettina Gruber strike a pose where the nordic grooming ends and the off-piste skiing begins. The snow isn't quite right for crust-cruising yet, but when it is, going for a little langlaufing up-and-down the Dischma is out of this world.

Bettina getting her flowing classic stride on the bootpacked track. After yesterday's challenging double-pole only intensity session with another Swiss World Cup skier, relaxing on skis and moving with the least amount of effort as possible was the goal of the morning ski.

I think a shot like this could almost be an advertisement for Rossignol skis. A river ran through it. And I skied it. A lot. Both with rollerskiing and on-snow, I have spent more than a couple hours training up this valley this year.

Four foxes, hanging out in the sun. I think they've seen better days, though. One satiating thing about spending time in Europe is how certain means of production are still carried the old school way in the Old World.

Dry cured meat like these hunks of speck are another area where time combined with the touch of tradition produce some culinary delights.

Next stop - Lahti, Finland! I'm sure there will be a story or two to tell from the land of saunas, lakes and  ski jumps and ski trails.

And you know Pearli will be on tour with me there as well - as he comes along everywhere. Here he takes in the first light of the day in the Trentino region of Italy. While here, Pearli got to check out his orchard fruit competition from Europe. This arena of Europe is home to the most renowned apples and pears and some of the finest wines of Europe. Pearli thinks, though, that the trees back in Peshastin, and areas like that back home still are the best in the world.

La Morte del Sogno

The women's final, moments before the start.

La morte del sogno, in homage to the terme where the dream came to die. Usually the death to a dream is a sad affair, a cautionary tale. On the ski trails of Lago di Tesoro arena, beside the village of Val di Fiemme in the northern Italian region of Trentino tears might have been shed, emotions might have overflowed. But from what I saw and what I heard they were the joyful kind. For the first time America stood atop the podium at the World Ski Championships. Ever. That's some pretty desirable real estate. The view must be quite nice from up there.

It's a dream many Americans have chased, and are chasing, myself included. All you can do is tip your hat in appreciation to what Kikkan Randall and Jessica Diggins were able to accomplish in the team sprint event. February twenty-fourth, two-thousand-thirteen marked the end of a dream, and one that will be remembered in the history books.

Men's semifinal number one.

An old coach wrote, saying he had already watched the race over and over. The result, he said, was  always the same - Jessie handing off to Kikkan with the lead, Kikkan leaving nothing in doubt, crossing 7.8 seconds in front of second. And every time, big old tears ran down the old coach's face. Even cowboys can cry.

***

The day before, I raced a European Cup (OPA Cup) Sprint in Hirschau, Germany. My friend Martin Jaeger put up the best time of the day. I was second. After not feeling fresh or having much of any snap since coming across the Atlantic a couple weeks ago, two days before I had that little feeling that I was back. Now I have the confirmation. The stoke is burning hot for the springtime ski racing scene.

Driving to the race early that morning, I was thinking back eight years, almost to the day, and the European Cup sprint in Oberstdorf, Germany. Eight years previous, I was in perhaps the shape of my life. Unfortunately I could not hold it, picking up a nasty case of bronchitis in the hills of Seiser Alm, Italy just days before the 2006 Torino Olympics. From my experience, having top shape to tipping over is the sharpest of an edge. Eight years ago, I won that European Cup, driving hard on the hardest climbs and breaking the field apart. Today might not have been quite that good, but... but... I see the way to the top.

Hop skating in Oberstdorf, with my then-teammate Andrew Newell chasing.

It's a nice state to be in. With very few exceptions - maybe Dario Cologna or Kikkan or Jessie Diggins feel differently - but I'd say there is more heartbreaks than breakthroughs in elite sport. Not that there is anything wrong with this, it's just part-and-parcel to the process. And with my apologies to the hokey-pokey, working hard and enjoying this process is what it's all about.

Where it all got started.

Grüezi

Just over a week ago, it was time to say gruezi to the little city Davos in the Swiss Alps. Since coming over it's been the cycle of train, eat, then try and sleep to the tune of the European clock. Everyday in this regard gets better and better.

This weekend, Leinzerheide, another nearby mountain hamlet, hosted the Swiss National Championships. The racing format was a 15 kilometer skate (~10mile) followed by a 15 kilometer classic hunting-style pursuit race. After the skate race, I sat in 18th. By the end of the event, I crossed the line 10th. Three Swiss, two Kazaks, one Swede, and three Americans (Noah Hoffman, Erik Bjoernsen, Tad Elliott) in town for the final preparations before the World Championships made it to the finishline before me. All in all, a pretty decent way to start off the European racing campaign.

Until the next time...

A Clean Pair of Heals

Charging hard up the infamous Hermod's Hill with a national 30km title on the line. My club coach Dragan Danevski  cheers along trailside, telling me to keep putting the pressure on my pursuers.

Since the last time writing here it's been a bit of a whirlwind of racing. Four races in seven days on the trails of Soldier Hollow, Utah (venue of the 2002 Winter Olympics) included more national titles ( two, in the 30km and the classic sprint) than broken skis (one, in the skate race). I think for a successful week of racing one must always be in the over category of this distinction. 

Another shot from the race action. Digging.

After nationals, I had a brief five day respite back to Washington. This meant two days back in the classroom with Mr. Peck's 5th graders. As this was the last time I would see them until probably until April, it was a good time to reconnect with the class. Until then, postcards, letters and photos from the road will have to do. 

Next time in class, instead of shoveling snow pits or measuring  the acidity of  rain water, I imagine we will be out hunting wildflowers like this trillium with the 5th graders. 2012 file photo.

This week, I cracked open an old favorite. The book's corners are soft, white and fraying a bit from the years. But the story and the words inside are still so spot-on, Once a Runner by John L. Parker Jr. still holds undisputed spot as best sports-themed book ever. At least according to me. 

Consider this conversation between the book's two main protagonists, the elder Bruce Denton conversing with the young rube Quenton Cassidy:

“That quarter mile oval may be one of the few places in the world where the bastards can’t screw you over, Quenton. That’s because there’s no place to hide out there. No way to fake it or charm your way through, no deals to be made. You know all that stuff. You’ve talked about it. It’s why you became a miler. The question is whether you are prepared to live by it or whether it was just a bunch of words.”

After five days of racing the Minne-Tour in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, I was able to hold my hand up high as the overall champion. There was a lot of great competition with close finishes. Fortunately, I found myself on the podium steps everyday, crossing the line first on two occasions, second twice, and third once. I think this consistency shows I'm on the right track.

Having been born in the Twin Cities, I still have plenty of family and friends in the Midwest. Here is part of the contingent that made it out to the races Sunday. It was really cool too see so many uncles and aunts and cousins while out racing through the serpentine trails of Theodore Wirth Park.

Viel spass!