We arrived to Oberstdorf, Germany the evening of the 10k Pursuit race in Italy. It was a 4 hour drive through the winding roads of the Alps! Very beautiful. After a quick massage and dinner, it was time for a good night of rest! We woke up to a rainy morning, and nearly 50 degrees. It was not just warm, it was hot. We were not able to ski until 2 in the afternoon, so we went on a morning run, and with the warm weather, we were in shorts and a tee shirt but quickly took the shirts off! We went to the venue around 2 to get skis dialed and get a feel for the lay of the land. It was a ribbon of snow on green grass! This venue was used as the site of the 2021 World Championships, so the course was hard and hilly!
The first race was a 10k individual classic race. I was really looking forward to this race because I have had some strong results in individual classic races this season and in the past. Also my dad and one of my sisters surprised me by coming and watching! They were by far the loudest cheerers on the course, it was awesome! I started strong and tried to keep a light quick tempo. The hills on this course all feature a steep section to start, then a more gradual pitch to finish the climb. This proved to be challenging for me because I lost my rhythm from the bottom of the hill and struggled to get it back on the more gradual sections. I pushed hard the entire 10k and came into the finish in 54th. I was 1:50 from the winner of the day. It is a very tight field, unlike anything in the US, and to place well, you have to fight the entire time for every position. “Settling in” isn’t an option anymore, and it is something I am learning.
The following day was another race I was very excited for, a 20k skate pursuit start. This means I would start 1:50 from the leader. I was hoping to be a bit closer from the day before, to be able to ski with some fast guys and hopefully close the gap to the leaders. The lead group ended up being around 40 guys, after 10k and I could not close the gap to catch them. I started pretty hard to try and close this and paid for that in the last 5k. I got dropped from the group I was with, and fought with my teammate Zak Ketterson for 55th and 56th place. Definitely not the result I was hoping for. For me, and my coach, it's a respectable finish, but not a result to be proud of I would say. I know I have more in me.
It's now off to Val di Fiemme for the final 3 races of the Tour de Ski! I am excited, still energized, and ready to fight for every position, and a result to prove myself with the best! Thanks to all who have followed along and sent me messages, I read them all, and more importantly, appreciate them all! Stay tuned.
