Just when it appeared as if Lillehammer’s famed trails had thoroughly conquered Canada’s skiers over a three-day mini-tour in Norway, the Canucks exacted revenge in a 15-kilometre world cup classic race on Sunday, (Dec. 7).
Alex Harvey finished 10th in the race, clocking a time of 40:47, to go along with a 33rd-place finish on Saturday (Dec. 6) and a sixth-place finish in the sprints on Friday (Dec. 5).
“Overall, I had two out of three good races this weekend so I have to be happy,” said Harvey. “During these stage races, at some point your body dictates how you are going to feel. You have to focus on recovery, so last (Saturday) I just did all the proper things to allow my body to recover overnight and I felt really good and strong today. I guess I’ll have to work a bit on my skate-skiing, but overall I am pleased.”
Harvey finished 10th overall over the three-race event with a cumulative time of 1:06:31.
Martin Sundby of Norway led the way in 1:05:38.5, as the home nation took all five top spots on the tour.
Starting 56th in the 15-km classic mass start, Ivan Babikov passed 28 skiers to finish in 28th spot with a time of 41:40. It was a huge comeback for Babikov, who was 43rd in the 10 km classic and 110th in the sprint.
In the staggered start, Babikov had the 10th fastest time on the day. The hilly course suited his style and he managed to find the speed that had eluded him to this point. Babikov usually starts the season fast, but this year appeared sluggish in his first three races.
“For me to finish top 10 in a classic ski race is very special,” he said. “I worked really hard this summer on double poling and I think that helped today. The course was extremely tough with lots of hills, which is right up my alley. I had a good group of guys around me to work with, the skis were fast and my body felt great all day.”
Devon Kershaw started in 66th after a pair of poor races. He was 66th in the sprints and 58th in the 10 km. On the final race day, he picked off 25 competitors to finish in 41st spot, recording the 28th fastest time on the day. Through his career, he usually follows up poor performances with stellar races, and this weekend was no different.
“I was pretty upset with how Saturday went for sure, and I was extra motivated for Sunday’s race - especially seeing how it was classic and I’ve been feeling good in that technique so far this season,” Kershaw said. “It’s true that over the years after a set-back or a race that was less-than-stellar I seem to use that disappointment to bounce back better. But that sort of strategy takes a lot of energy mentally and has been something I’ve been trying to work at getting better at (as in, taking it as it comes and just making sure to prepare as best I can everyday).”
He may skip one of the races this weekend in Davos, depending on her performance on Saturday.
Jesse Cockney moved up to 67th in the mass start, while Len Valjas was 71st and Graeme Killick grabbed 73rd spot. The young racers are targeting Davos, Switzerland for their breakout performance.
Emily Nishikawa also climbed up the ranks to 42nd in the women’s 10 km classic, passing 22 skiers on her way to a time of 32:36.6. Her classic skiing is proving to be her go-to discipline, as she was 67th in the 5 km skate race on Saturday and 76th in the sprints.
Perianne Jones had her top result in the sprints, finishing 33rd. She didn’t start the 10 km mass start.
