Hi Everyone,
This is Luke Allan coming at you with a recap of the World Cup Finals weekend from the perspective of a racer. For those who don’t follow World Cup Ski racing, the FIS cross country world cup is the highest level of competition in the sport, featuring the top athletes from around the world who compete against each other throughout the winter. Lake Placid hosted the final races of the 2025-2026 season from March 19-22.
The world cup weekend in Lake Placid was special for a few reasons. First, FIS rarely hosts races in North America (usually every 2-3 seasons). When a world cup is held in the U.S. or Canada, both nations receive extra race starts, (12 per race per gender), allowing more athletes to gain world cup experience on home trails. Second of all, it was the world cup finals, meaning the season-long crystal globe titles were up for grabs (more on crystal globe here). Finally, these races were Jessie Diggins’s retirement races, finishing her historic career.
What was cooler and more exciting than any of that, though, was that The BSF pro team had 5 athletes racing these world cups (that’s a lot!). Emma Reeder, Emma Albrecht, Erin Bianco, and Reid Goble represented the U.S. and I (Luke Allan) raced for Canada.
Day 1, March 20 - 10km Classic Individual
When I stepped off the bus at Mt. Van Hoevenberg, I could already hear the crowd roaring from the parking lot, and it gave me a big boost of excitement and energy. Snow was coming down hard on the day of the classic 10k, and by the time the men started, the tracks were getting messy and slow.
Once I got out on course, it was almost hard to stay focused. Every hill and corner was lined with fans, and I kept hearing familiar voices yelling my name which was super cool. My favorite section was at the very top of the course, where the crowd closed in on both sides with chainsaws and air horns. It felt like climbing a stage of the Tour de France.
Day 2, March 21 - Skate Sprint
Skate sprint day! Because the sprint course is only 1.5km, it seemed like there were a lot more fans spectating. Every section of the course was lined with thousands of them screaming. It made the qualifier go by super quickly, and for me it felt like I was just floating on the energy of the crowd.
After the quali, I joined my teammates, friends and family on the side of the course to watch the heats action. It was cool to watch world cup heats live, cheer on Canadians, Americans, and other skiers that we regularly get to see on TV. The Lake Placid sprint course was tight and twisty, making for some falls and lots of unique strategy. It was cool to see Federico Pellegrino, a legendary Italian sprinter, take the win in his last sprint race ever. On the women’s side, Linn Svahn led a Swedish women's podium sweep.
Day 3, March 22 - 20km Skate Mass Start
The skate 20 was my favorite race of the weekend. Despite the persistent rain (see picture of me below), the crowds still came out in force, and delivered another unforgettable day of racing. I wasn’t sure what to expect from my first World Cup Mass Start race, so I decided to pace it conservatively and save gas for the final few laps. I ended up working with a strong group to catch stragglers who’d fallen off their respective packs, and slowly moved up the field from my starting bib.
All in all, it was an incredibly fun, valuable, and electric weekend. The North American ski community showed up in a big way and made a statement. I heard a lot of European athletes talk about how loud the crowds were and how much fun they had. It was especially meaningful to share the experience with the BSF team and be part of something that felt bigger than just the races themselves.
