Raising The Level Of Cross-Country Skiing In America
holmenkollen (50km interval starts)
holmenkollen is this weekend. there is a lot to say about that race (you can check out what pete and i wrote about last year's event here) but for now i'm interested in talking about the fact that it's an interval start 50km. i would love for someone out there to correct me - this is a totally unresearched statement - but i'm gonna say it's the last 50km interval start race. period. 2002 was the last one at the Olympics, 2003 at the world championships. i found one on the world cup in 1996 in slovakia. US nationals hasn't had one since 1999 (maybe because only like 6 people raced it?) if the race doesn't exist at the Olympics or Worlds, national organizers don't want to do it, either. so i'm guessing that even in scandinavia, where they'd have the numbers to attract a full field to an interval-start 50km, they just don't run them anymore.
which is sad. as a racer, i thought it was the most bad-ass race. as a spectator, i thought it was even cooler. the 50km at nagano 98 was one of my favorite finishes ever. daehlie catches jonsson from 30 back and they ski the whole race together. then with 3km to go jonsson has the balls to try to drop daehlie and win the race. he puts 22 seconds on the king. watching daehlie come down the stretch in the slush with the seconds ticking away. it was pretty rad.
it was cool to see dicenta win at home in torino 2006 and the finishing kick that estil put on in oberstdorf 2005 was pretty sweet and i was glad to see hjelmeset finally get a big win last year in sapporo 2007 but, for the most part, i think that 50km mass starts are a complete failure from the spectator perspective. if i want to watch sprints, i'll watch sprints. why watch a 40-person lead group go for a 2-hour tour before it? the only reason it's interesting in bike racing is because you're rooting for the escape to beat the peleton. i'm ok with - or i at least understand - a lot that the FIS has done with skiing in the last 15 years: short loops, lots of laps, mass starts, sprint finishes, sprints...but i think they should keep a little tradition and bring back the interval start for the 50km. 3x16.7km loops. am i right, cork?
back to holmenkollen. in 2000, someone born in 1958 wins. in 1995 in the middle of his career daehlie gets 48th. where else does that happen? tune in this year, more surprises to come that can only happen in a 50km interval start.
which is sad. as a racer, i thought it was the most bad-ass race. as a spectator, i thought it was even cooler. the 50km at nagano 98 was one of my favorite finishes ever. daehlie catches jonsson from 30 back and they ski the whole race together. then with 3km to go jonsson has the balls to try to drop daehlie and win the race. he puts 22 seconds on the king. watching daehlie come down the stretch in the slush with the seconds ticking away. it was pretty rad.
it was cool to see dicenta win at home in torino 2006 and the finishing kick that estil put on in oberstdorf 2005 was pretty sweet and i was glad to see hjelmeset finally get a big win last year in sapporo 2007 but, for the most part, i think that 50km mass starts are a complete failure from the spectator perspective. if i want to watch sprints, i'll watch sprints. why watch a 40-person lead group go for a 2-hour tour before it? the only reason it's interesting in bike racing is because you're rooting for the escape to beat the peleton. i'm ok with - or i at least understand - a lot that the FIS has done with skiing in the last 15 years: short loops, lots of laps, mass starts, sprint finishes, sprints...but i think they should keep a little tradition and bring back the interval start for the 50km. 3x16.7km loops. am i right, cork?
back to holmenkollen. in 2000, someone born in 1958 wins. in 1995 in the middle of his career daehlie gets 48th. where else does that happen? tune in this year, more surprises to come that can only happen in a 50km interval start.
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4 Comments
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Comment by Jonathan Rova on March 12, 2008 at 11:18am -
This year's Holmenkollen was a thing of beauty, a pure slush and guts race. You are correct, Phil, the 50k is a tradition not to be lost. It is a race of truth for everyone stepping up to the line. Almost a quarter of the starters not finishing and some swiss guy named Remo on the podium by .2 seconds.
It was rainy, foggy and cold and still the Norwegians were out en masse along the whole course. Drunk or not, they are the most faithful of fans. The ride up and back on the T-bane is enough to convince one of that.
The 50k/30k is to be more spectator friendly if your on the course. You actually see the skiers as they go by and not some big pack that is gone in a few seconds. And while there is no bunch sprint to the finish, there is a sprint for the line every time a finisher comes in. Vittoz missing his sprint by the .2 seconds was more compelling than Dementiev emerging from the pack for the first time in the race to win the pursuit in Torino. The 50k interval start is the king of races. I'll post some snapshots.
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Comment by Christopher Tassava on March 10, 2008 at 12:07am - Too bad. It sounds like it was quite a race - crashes, pit-stop ski changes, Soedergren skiing out of his mind, et cetera.
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Comment by Philip Bowen on March 8, 2008 at 2:44am - i would look forward to seeing photos from this year too! unfortunately i'm not in scandinavia this year. canmore was my one trip. i'll try to get up there next year, though.
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Comment by Christopher Tassava on March 7, 2008 at 11:29pm
- I'm with you. I think that every season should include a long interval start race, and there should be a 30/50km interval start at either the Olympics, the Worlds, or both. The interval-start marathon is a thing of beauty and a tradition worth respecting in its own right. I'm looking forward to following the races in Oslo tomorrow, and to seeing your photos of the action!
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