Ukrainian, Italian Win at Canmore
January 25, 2008

Canmore World Cup Coverage Special to CrossCountrySkier.com See the rest of our coverage

Photos and text by Matt Muir

Ukraine’s Scevchenko climbs to win in 10k, Italian Checchi takes his first World Cup in men’s 15k

Kate Arduser and Evelyn Dong first American women in 39th and 40th spots. Kris Freeman in 29th, Garrot Kuzzy 34th, and Leif-Orin Zimmerman 38th lead American men

The Canadian spirit at the awards -- Mounties and cowboy hats.

If today’s World Cup cross country interval start races at Canmore Nordic Centre had been a stage of the Tour de France, it would have been a mountain stage. In the post-race press conference, all of those on the women’s 10k podium – Valentina Shevchenko of the Ukraine, Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia and Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland – all professed a preference for climbing.

Italian Valerio Checchi was today’s men’s 15k winner, followed by Germany’s Rene Sommerfeldt, and Checchi’s countryman, Pietro Piller Cottrer. At the start of the men’s race, the snow read -13C (8.5F) and the air over the Olympic 5k loop registered -10C (14F).

Each lap contained a total climb of 537 meters (1762 feet) and played favorites by putting the World Cup’s big, Detroit-style engines in difficulty. For example, Lars Berger, known as the “moose,” missed making the Norwegian biathlon team for World’s so instead came to Canmore to race cross country. The big, fast Norwegian was a pre-race favorite but could only muster a 30th place finish.

Featherweight Ukranian Shevchenko was the winner of the final, uphill stage of this season’s Tour de Ski, which was a virtual hill climb up an alpine ski area. Shevchenko said that Canmore’s trails are the most difficult trails she has ever raced. Kowalczyk took her third podium in as many races, despite admitting to some mild throat and chest irritation throughout the week. All three women are petite and belonged to the class of athletes who float like butterflies up Canmore’s sustained, sequential climbs.

The interval start format is a different test for athletes who must focus themselves on paying out an even effort against the course with minimal tactical distractions or shared effort from other racers. Checchi, who often skied at the front of the lead pack in Tuesday’s 30k pursuit only to lose out in the sprint finish, said in Italian after the race that “yes, I had really good form on Tuesday too and I kept ending up at the front because of it but that is not a very efficient way to race in a mass start. Today, I could just focus on my own efficiency.”

Sommerfeldt stated that he was in good form for Tuesday’s pursuit race, too, but that his skis were not fast on that day. Today, according to Sommerfeldt, his skis zipped down the downhills despite the cold, slow snow typical of the Rocky Mountains. Plus, he felt right at home in the chilly conditions he prefers. Piller Cottrer was happy, too, since the Canmore area “reminds me of the mountains I live in at home.”

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