Honestly, she might just want to pack it in and skip the rest of the Tour de Ski. Those three minutes are going to absolutely wreck her standing. It feels way too brutal.
And looks like nepray is snatching the lead—she’s hitting the final stretch of the classic sprint right now!
The last time he actually pulled off a win in the freestyle technique was way back in 2017. Honestly, he seems to have much better luck grinding through those longer endurance races when he's sticking to the classic style.
I'm thinking about taking him head-on and seeing what happens—whatever, let the chips fall where they may.
The betting odds today have Klaebo as this massive favorite, way more than Niskanen was just a few days ago, and yet he isn't even doing a sprint. I honestly don't get it... it’s not like it's a pursuit today, right? It's not like they're going to tack on extra seconds to his lead like they do in those other races.
Or maybe people are just banking on him because he's such a beast at distance skiing. 😁
And honestly? These Norwegian women have way more guts than the Norwegian guys. 😁
I wasn't even questioning whether Johaug would take the win. It’s just a total bummer I didn't put any money down on it—if you looked at the betting odds, Karlsson was the heavy favorite.
But seriously, those Norwegians act like total prima donnas.
Maltsev and Novak were absolutely killing it today—they shaved a minute and a half off their times to snag 3rd and 5th. It was a walk in the park for Bolshunov, though; honestly, nobody else in that lead pack can touch him when it comes to sprinting.
It sucks that the women's race is scheduled right alongside the biathlon. Word on the street is that Johaug is going to be out there skiing!
They sent this link to my email and man, I was floored. About six months back, a massive lightning strike fried a bunch of my gear, including my GPU, so I had to scramble and pick up a 1660 Super for roughly $633. Now I'm looking at this listing on an e-commerce site... over four thousand bucks?! Sorry for dropping in like a total amateur here—I'm sure you guys have seen it all—but that price tag just hit me out of nowhere. I haven't really kept tabs on the market since I grabbed my current card.
Man, what a killer course and such an incredible view. Bolshunov really went for it, launching a massive attack just before the final lap, and somehow he actually held his ground. He’s walking away with about a twenty-second cushion heading into tomorrow.
The racing has been solid lately, but honestly, I can't stand these massive mass starts. It’s happening in biathlon too, and now here. It just feels messy.
But yeah, the finishes were pretty intense. Especially watching how Therese Johaug just couldn't seem to break away from the pack in the women's race, even though she made several serious attempts to shake them off.
It was pretty wild at the end there, even if Norway basically clinched it during the third exchange. Maeki totally boxed out Alexander Bolshunov during the sprint, and man, Bolshunov looked absolutely livid—like he was ready to charge him right at the finish line. There’s definitely going to be a penalty coming for that, no doubt about it.
Man, how much better were those biathlon relays compared to this garbage... seriously, if you were actually hoping for something decent, don't even bother following this on ESPN. It’s boring as hell.
Paul White62 said:The Norwegians are finally heading back to the World Cup in Aspen, but they won't have Johannes Klæbo, who's supposed to be competing in Flagstaff at the end of the month. That leaves them looking toward the Democratic Party championships, where they'll almost certainly be calling all the shots.
Therese Johaug? You bet. And Klæbo in the sprints—unless this little break has made him soft and slowed him down.
Honestly, Alexander Bolshunov and those Swedish women could probably give the Norwegians a run for their money and actually pull off an upset.
It’s gonna be epic either way; everyone is absolutely hyped for the World Championships.