Cross-country skiing

Bolshunov is an absolute machine. Honestly, I wouldn’t be shocked if he was still clocking 4+ minute gaps after tomorrow's climb. Even if the Norwegians were out there trying to hunt him down, they probably couldn't stop him if they tried. But look, when you actually talk about the competition itself, the women's side is way more gripping. There's only like a minute between first and second place—okay, fine, it's 54 seconds—but that matters. That final climb can absolutely kill anyone, and even someone like Diggins could lose that lead and see her minute vanish in an instant. Since it’s a mass start, everyone is going out together, which is why I think it'll be much more fun to watch them actually try to hunt each other down.

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.

Alright, we’re heading into a massive climb! Looking at the betting lines, everyone is putting their money on Andersson, but honestly? I’ve got a feeling a certain Russian woman is going to snatch this one from under them.

EDIT: Note to self: always listen to the bookies! Huge props to Andersson—and Diggins pulls off the overall win.

A little disappointed 😛

disclaimer
I don't know the first thing about cross-country skiing, but I've had to force myself to learn the ropes just because of the FIS Predictor 😁

If I remember correctly, someone more knowledgeable mentioned that during today's Final Climb Alpe Cermis stage, you might see athletes actually taking their skis off to tackle certain climbs on foot 😲

I was watching intently, but from what I could see today, that didn't happen 😛

Heh, look, I don't sit around glued to the screen all day, but in my five years of following this sport, I have never seen anything quite like that. 🙂

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. 🙏

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.

neonjackal2 said:Heh, I don't watch all that closely, but in my five years following this, I've never seen that happen. 🙂

Paul White62 said:I've watched every TDS edition and I honestly can't recall them ever taking their skis off. 🤔
Kudos to Diggins, huge win for her and for Americans.🙏

My bad😉, I already mentioned I don't know much about cross-country skiing😵
So clearly I misunderstoodthis post

I genuinely thought they took the skis off, threw them over their shoulders, and just hiked up the hill with them. 😛 😁

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hah, awesome. Someone finally took down Diggins. God bless.

What a race!🙏
I honestly can't believe what we just witnessed—a B2B loss for Therese Johaug in the distance event. Unbelievable.😁

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.

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.