With 17 US skiers competing in the La Feclaz OPA race, we showed our colors well today in the 5/10k mass-start skate race...yes, it was a mass start! We woke up to some flurrying snowflakes, but it didn't accumulate to much. When we arrived at the venue 1 1/2 hours before the race, all the girls in the car looked at each other, wondering if we were even in the right place. There were very few signs of a race, very few people and the course wasn't even set up yet! As we sat in the car waiting to start our warm-up, we watched volunteers set up the course and began to see more and more people arrive. That relieved our worries.
Half of the crew
At race time, 33 women lined up at the start. Last night in our team meeting, we discussed the importance of standing your ground and defending your space. I knew that tip was going to be key to my success today. Within a couple of kilometers, girls were getting tangled up, loosing poles and falling. I tried my best not to get caught up in that mess and not to get pushed around. Whenever there was an opening to pass, I took advantage of it. I knew this race was going to be a good race for points...I kept that in my head as I was racing in a cluster of 10 girls and reminded myself that every second counts. I sprinted to the finish with a pack of girls and ended up 11th. How they figured out who got which place, I'm not sure, but I am happy with my result.
The men's race was fun to watch as well! There was a lot of the same racing tactics and tangling going on. Our men skied strong and represented well. Here is a list of the results for the US team:
Line of men as they climb a hill
10. Caitlin Compton 15:01.7
11. Nicole De Yong 15:02.0
14. Sadie Bjornsen 15:03.0
19. Taz Mannix 15:17.3
22. Katie Ronsee 15:28.9
25. Becca Rorabaugh 15:35.1
10k Men
12. Brian Gregg 22:08.8
13. Mikey Sinnott 22:12.8
20. Mike Hinckley 22:18.4
22. Noah Hoffman 22:19.0
31. Sylvan Ellefson 22:57.1
34. Marshall Greene 23:03.7
36. Brayton Osgood 23:05.6
47. Sam Naney 23:48.8
53. Peter Kling 24:38.3
Clink
HERE for full results
After the race, we enjoyed a yummy lunch that was prepared for us at the venue. We were amazed by the size of the soup pot they made it in. It was very tasty!
Taz and the BIG soup pot!
Half of the crew
Line of men as they climb a hill
Taz and the BIG soup pot!
3 comments:
Nicole: Wow! Congratulations on such a great race! And thanks for publishing such a wonderful blog post, photos and all. Keep us all informed as you continue your racing "across the pond." We're holding good thoughts.
Awesome result! Keep it rolling.
Hey Nicole - congrats! Good to "hear" from you. Love the soup pot pic! stay loose, Trish (& Lee)
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