This past weekend’s races were a “mini tour” style race, meaning there was three races in three days, a skate sprint, an individual 10km skate and a pursuit start 15km classic based off the results from the previous two races.

Friday was the fist race, the skate sprint. Right off the start line in my qualifier I knew it wasn’t going to be good. I felt tired, slow and had no “snap” in my stride. I qualified 30^th, the last person to make it through to the heats…not the good start I had hoped for to start the day. My quarterfinal heat started pretty easy, and halfway through the course all six of us were tight together, but at the bottom of a short, steep uphill my attempt to move up a couple positions didn’t work as I got boxed out and lost all my speed and ended up pushing up over the hill in last place. I was able to move up two positions from there to the finish but the leaders were too far ahead to have any chance of making through to the semifinals. So my day ended there. I finished 20^th in the final results. Not a terrible race, but I know I’m capable of much better.

Saturday’s 10km skate wasn’t so hot either. Again, right off the start of the race my legs felt dead, and let’s just say that they didn’t get any better as the race went on. It was a very painful 10km for me. I finished in 25^th, 57sec behind the winner in a really tight field of racers. Again, the result isn’t THAT bad, it’s just that I know I can do better.

Sunday’s pursuit start 15km classic race was better than the two previous races. I started the race in 23^rd position, 1min 45sec after the leader, and finished in 19th position, 2min 29sec behind the winner. So I lost about 45sec to the winner on the overall mini tour standings, but moved up four positions. I finished in 16^th for the day’s race, about one minute behind the winner. So each race is gradually getting a little better and better, but I still have some improvements to be made to be fast for the U23 World Champs trials in Thunder Bay in early January!

Now I’m on my way back home for the holidays.

Attached are two pictures of me from the sprint race taken my Jesse Winter.

Photos © Jesse Winter