neonjackal2 said:The racing itself was great, but I’ve never been a fan of mass starts. Not in biathlon, and certainly not here.
But you're right—those finishes were intense! It was especially wild seeing how Johaug just couldn't shake her pursuers in the women's race, despite trying several times to break away.
On the flip side, mass starts allow for drafting, which adds a whole different layer of strategy.😁 That’s why I find them interesting, even though I’d love to see more biathlon events throughout the season. Honestly, I don't think Svanh would have pulled off that second distance win in the same discipline if it hadn't been a mass start. She's primarily a classic sprinter right now, and it was clearly a huge help that she could draft, even though she's proven a few times that she can hold her own in solo distance races too.
Diggins outpaced Johaug in the distance race🙏 That doesn't happen very often! It was such an incredible, nail-biting race to watch. Plus, we've got three Americans landing in the top 10. The men's side looks just as promising, too—the young Schumacher managed to crack the top 10, which is a huge win. And finally, Johannes Klæbo is officially back in action.
neonjackal2 said:If you thought biathlon relays were exciting, don't even bother following this on ESPN. It’s boring as hell.
Nothing unexpected here.😁Honestly, it doesn't bother me much because I find cross-country skiing to be a better sport than biathlon. The courses tend to be tougher, too. Of course, I’d love to see more relays where the athletes can really go head-to-head, but that's just not realistic to expect. After all, cross-country skiing is the national sport for Norwegians, whereas for most everyone else, it's just one of many sports.
A hat-trick for the comeback kids! That was an incredible men's race—Alexander Bolshunov and Erik Holund both stumbled just a few hundred meters from the finish line, allowing Johannes Iversen to snatch the win from Rothe in a blistering sprint. As for the women, it’s more of the same... :mrgreen: Therese Johaug takes the gold once again, but we saw a brilliant performance from the next big Norwegian star, Fossesholm, who is only 20. It’s also wonderful to see the return of the legendary Charlotte Kalla to the US circuit after being away for nearly a year. Just like they do with the biathlon individual events, I really think they should incorporate more biathlon-style skiathlons into the CCU schedule this season. It’s such a fantastic discipline to watch.
The Norwegians have been competing heavily lately, and since their circuit is so intense, I really don't think they've lost their edge. Alexander Bolshunov probably needs to take a breather at some point because the Tour de Ski is absolutely brutal, especially considering he has such a massive lead in Cross-country skiing. I’m with everyone else on this—the Swedish women are going to be a serious threat. They are absolute powerhouses in the sprints, and when it comes to distance races, Ebba and Frida could easily give Therese a run for her money. Even if their dominance gets a little repetitive sometimes, let's be honest: the sport just isn't the same without a major powerhouse leading the pack.😁 Keep an eye on the National Team; even though Johannes Hoem Riiber is dominating right now, his finish yesterday was incredible—ten guys packed within a few seconds, and the top three were separated by just 0.1 seconds!🙏 I should also mention that starting this year, we finally have the women's Cross-country skiing squad included in the National Team lineup.
The Norwegians are finally heading back to compete in the sprint in Lahti, though they’ll be missing Klaebo, who is slated to show up in Falun at the end of the month instead. All eyes remain on the upcoming SP, where they are almost certainly going to dominate the field.
Bolshunov successfully defended his title, which really wasn't even up for debate, and he’s actually looking poised to defend his SK title too. In such a short span of time, he has stepped out from under Klaebo's shadow by securing two TDS titles and likely holding onto his SK crown as well. We're already counting down the days until the Norwegians make their comeback in Lahti and we get that showdown at the SP in Oberstdorf.
I've been following every single TDS event, and honestly, it's just not clicking for me—I don't recall seeing anyone actually changing their skis mid-race. 🤔 Huge congrats to Diggins! This is such a massive win for her and for all the American women. 🙏
It would definitely be more exciting because right now Diggins can just hang onto Stupak's heels and coast along, but once they hit the Ramp, there’s no more coasting😁 plus we aren't seeing any bonus seconds, which is such a shame. They really should have awarded some bonus seconds for things like whoever tackles the Ramp the fastest. It's such a bummer that Frida had that accident at the hotel; I see she dropped out today, and I'm sure she would have been right in the mix for the overall win.
neonjackal2 said:Man, what a way to end the race. Iversen from Norway really messed things up for both himself and the Finn. They both wiped out, allowing Russia and Italy to sweep right past them to grab the gold and silver.
It’s pretty obvious this thread has been quiet for a while.😁 Everyone was busy following the TDS, though it hasn't been particularly thrilling since Bolshunov is basically just playing around with a weak field. The Norwegians aren't even in the mix for reasons we all know—they're too busy competing in every other winter sport under the sun. The women's side is actually much more interesting, even if the Swedish women underperformed after skipping everything leading up to the TDS. Diggins is on track to win the TDS and rake in a massive amount of points; honestly, it wouldn't surprise me at all if we end up with our first American overall SK winner by the end of the season.