World Cup Highs and Lows
Hello, everyone! It has been a little while since I last checked in. In my last blog, I wrote a preview about the Period 3 World Cup races (here) that I just finished competing in. I want to take the opportunity to write more in-depth reports of each of the races now that I have a solid period of downtime before I race again.
The last month or so of World Cup racing was a wild ride highlighted by my being a part of USA’s first ever World Cup Relay win and also having my best individual race of the year the day before. I also got to take part in a couple of historic Norwegian races during the Holmenkollen 50K and the Drammen City Sprint.
Pure joy after winning the Mixed Relay event in Falun, Sweden (L—R: Me, Jessie Diggins, Rosie Brennan, Scott Patterson)
That said, there were definitely plenty of average (or even shitty) moments along the way. I definitely want to talk about all of those moments as well rather than just focusing on the highlights. Let’s dive in.
Stop #1: Lahti, Finland
The first two races of this trip were a skate sprint and a classic 15K both in Lahti, Finland. Let me start by saying that Finland is a way nicer place than I thought it would be! There is a common stereotype that Finland is a dark and cold place but we had beautiful, sunny weather for both of the races. Maybe we were just lucky (I know Ruka can actually be pretty damn dark and cold) but I actually thought Lahti was an incredibly cool place.
That moment when you realize the “stadium” on the Lahti course is a literal stadium with capacity for thousands of spectators.
The first race in Lahti was the skate sprint. I had very little expectations going into this race as I have been really struggling to put together a strong prologue in skate sprints so far this year. That said, I still prepared as well as I could and took it very seriously. Unfortunately, I wasn’t fast enough to make the Top 30 to advance to the heats, though I was only a couple of seconds out.
The next day was a 15K classic interval start race that I was really targeting as a priority race. It ended up going okay, though not great. I started much too hard and struggled to find good kick on an incredibly hilly course. I ended up about 30 seconds out of the Top 30 and feeling pretty stupid for starting the race so fast. By about 2.5K into the race I had nearly caught the skier who started 30 seconds in front of me. He ended up 15th, I ended up 41st. Lesson learned.
Posing before the sprint with my boys (L—R: Logan Hanneman, Logan Diekmann, Me, Bill Harmeyer)
One of my biggest goals as a skier is to be equally proficient in all distances and techniques, something I feel I have nearly accomplished at a national level. To do so at the World Cup level is a whole different ballgame, as many athletes here choose to focus their efforts towards being good at a single discipline (sprint/distance). Some take it even further, specializing in only one discipline and one technique (skate distance skier, for example). It is definitely a work in progress for me but it is super motivating to work towards improving every aspect of my skiing.
Stop #2: Drammen, Norway
My second stop brought me to the historic city of Drammen in Norway. The next race on the schedule was the legendary classic sprint on the roads directly in the middle of the city. They literally use dump trucks to carry several tons of snow out to completely cover asphalt streets with temporary ski trails. It was an incredibly cool spectacle and I’d never seen anything quite like it before.
Logan photobombing my picture of the course. This was a couple of days before the event and they were still getting the snow ready for us to ski on.
I really wish I could say that my race lived up to the hype of the event, but this ended up being my most disappointing result of the season. I got absolutely crushed in the classic sprint which is discipline I have been super successful in all season long. This one left me feeling pretty depressed for a little bit because my expectations were so far off from what actually happened. I went into the event feeling incredibly confident and well-prepared, yet I flat out stunk. That is how ski racing can be sometimes and you have to just move on without any lasting damage to your confidence and self belief. Easier said than done sometimes for sure.
Julie travelled a pretty long way to watch me ski for just over two minutes! She insists she still had a good time but I honestly felt pretty bad about it.
Stop #3: Oslo, Norway
Though I was still pretty disappointed about the sprint in Drammen, I had no problem finding tons of excitement and motivation to try to ski fast in the Oslo 50K classic race in the Holmenkollen ski stadium. This race is one of the most historic and well-attended sporting events in all of Norway and I felt so honored to even be taking part in it.
Peter Holmes and I checking out the course in the days leading up to the race.
Seeing as the race was an incredibly long 50K and I had just raced only a few days earlier, I was trying to take training super chill and relax as much as possible. My goal was to get to the starting line with as much energy as possible.
The race itself was an incredible experience. I have plenty of regrets about my strategy during the race, such as my being way too timid in the first few laps. I let myself fall back way too far in the pack due to my being afraid to spend too much energy early into the race. If I could do it over again I would be much more aggressive in moving toward the front pack and working to stay there.
I also had a pretty nasty crash about halfway into the race that resulted in my face hitting the icy snow pretty hard and me tearing up my knee.
OUCH!
All said and done, I ended up in 41st (again) and was fairly disappointed with the result. It was certainly not a disaster by any means but it was also nothing special. The experience was invaluable though and I know that next time I do the Holmenkollen 50K I will be much better prepared for having done it this year.
Working together with a pack of dudes in the 50K (L—R: Ristomati Hakola, Me, Alvar Alev, Beda Klee)
Stop #4: Falun, Sweden
Up next were the final three races on the World Cup calendar for 2021-22. I was set to do a classic sprint, a skate 15K, and a relay event. I was a bit nervous to see how my body would respond racing so soon after the incredibly difficult Holmenkollen 50K. I prioritized rest and recovery in the days leading up to the Falun races because I wanted to make sure I wasn’t still tired from the 50K at the start line in Falun.
The first race was the classic sprint and I was hungry for redemption after a very lackluster performance in Drammen. I ended up in 39th, only 1.4 seconds away from the Top 30. Being so close was super frustrating but it was definitely a lot better than Drammen where I wasn’t close at all. Being so close left me with lots of confidence for next season because I know it is a margin that I can make up with another year of good training.
The next day was a skate 15K interval start that I went into with cautious optimism. I learned from my mistake in the Lahti 15K that I should start much slower in this race so as to not completely die at the halfway point. My plan worked to perfection and I ended the day in 15th place, my best World Cup result by a mile.
It was a day where I felt like I finally showed what I always felt I was capable of at this level. Despite all of the lackluster results in other World Cups, I never lost the belief that I was capable of really competing here. This was a race where all the important variables for success came together and it was a really special experience. I can’t wait to try to do it again. And again.
On my way to 15th!
That night, the coaches told me that I earned a spot on the Mixed Relay team with Jessie Diggins, Rosie Brennan, and Scott Patterson due to my performance in the 15K skate. I barely slept at all that night because I was so excited for the relay. I had a ton of confidence in my ability to put down a solid 5K skate race, which is what would be required of me the next day.
The race the next morning was the coolest experience of my life (so far). After an awesome first leg, Rosie handed off to me in the lead group. I felt great and managed to stay right with the lead guys and hand it off to Scott in a good position. Scott skied an incredible leg and then handed it off to Jessie. Jessie absolutely crushed the last leg and brought our team into the finish in first place. Holy shit.
Unbelievable.
Having grown up in Minnesota, Jessie Diggins is one of my biggest heroes. She is an incredible athlete and an even more incredible role model. People often ask me if her bubbly personality is too good to be true — it’s not. The way she is in TV interviews and stuff is EXACTLY how she is in person. She is an amazing teammate and person and I feel insanely lucky that I got to share such a special moment with one of my idols.
The video below is probably my favorite Jessie Diggins content on the internet. She has been and continues to be a massive source of inspiration for me as a kid from Minnesota with dreams of being one of the world’s best skiers.
That’s pretty much it! The last couple races were the absolute cherry on top of my most successful season to date. Here are some of the biggest highlights:
7 SuperTour Podiums, 4 of which were wins
Started and finished my first FIS Tour de Ski
Participated in 12 World Cup races, one of which was the United States’ first ever relay victory
Scored my first World Cup points with a 15th in Falun
Did it all as a member of Team Birkie, living and training in my home town of Minneapolis
Support squad cheering me on from back home.
Even though this was my best season ever, I still had some truly awful races! I was almost dead last in a couple of the World Cups I did. I had some SuperTour races where I raced like garbage. I fell on my face in front of thousands of fans in Holmenkollen.
The bottom line: The only thing you can always control 100% is your attitude and self-belief. As long as you believe in yourself, the rest doesn’t matter! It sounds extremely corny but it’s the truth. At the end of the day, I believe that we make our own luck.
Thank you for reading!
It doesn’t matter if it’s a World Cup race or the Minnesota State Meet — the most important thing is to believe that you can succeed.
