We finally got some snow here in Northfield, but not quite enough for skiing. I continue to hope for a good old-fashioned prairie blizzard. To make do, last night I watched the men's final stage of the Tour de Ski, which ended by sending the racers up the Alpe Cermis downhill course - 4000 meters of skiing over 400 meters of elevation change. The winners were no surprise, of course, since the race had actually occurred the weekend before, but it was nonetheless exciting. Cross-country ski courses are usually twisty things hidden in woods, but even before the racers hit the Alpe, the stage had several long straightaways that let the racers see each other and the television viewer see many racers at once. The long, grueling climb itself was even better for TV viewers. Some angles showed everyone on the hill, from those just starting the ascent to Tobias Angerer near the top. Frequent hairpin turns allowed skiers to gauge each others' progress and to grab a moment of recovery before turning back up the hill. The crowds were everywhere respectable and downright thick at the summit (though not quite the million-strong crowds on l'Alpe d'Huez). Watching, it was clear why and how Angerer won, as his form was a clinic in steady gliding, even on sections so steep that they forced his pursuers to essentially walk.
The "Final Climb" stage has come in for some serious criticism in the cross-country ski racing community, including influential figures like the coach of the Norwegian team. I loved watching it, for the same reasons that I (and thousands of other cycling fans) prefer the mountain stages in the Tour de France to the flat one: gravity is the ultimate enemy, seeing humans power themselves over the steeps is a primitive thrill, and you never know who's going to crack. Thankfully, some athletes are saying that they liked (or at least did not hate) the stage, too. Tobias Angerer said, "I had a lot of respect for the Final Climb but it was not as difficult as I thought." Kristen Skjeldal, who retired from the Norwegian national team after last season having won eleven World Cup podium places and a silver at the Salt Lake City Olympics (but who did not race the Tour de Ski), told Norwegian TV that the stage "was hard for many, but that’s what it’s supposed to be. It’s supposed to be hard to compete in cross country skiing and the last uphill in Tour de Ski fascinated me. A lot happened in a short time frame up the last hill, and that’s great entertainment. That characterized the whole Tour as well." And he hit the nail on the head by saying, "In cycling there is an enormous difference in the pace on the flat stages versus the climbing stages, but no one is complaining about hard uphills and low speed there." Exactly. How about a polka-dot jersey competition in next year's Tour de Ski?
In other news, Czech skier Katerina Neumannova was just named the athlete of the year in the Czech Republic. Neumannova won the 30km mass-start skating event at the Torino Olympic Games last February (the Czech Republic's only medal at the games), but she had a pretty good season otherwise, too, winning three World Cup races, finishing on the podium in two more, and capturing a silver in the Olympic pursuit. All that, and she hugged her daughter after winning the 30km. Czech skier Lukas Bauer finished third in the voting, just behind hockey star Jaromir Jagr. The Czech Republic has its priorities in order!