Monday, March 11, 2013

Lahti - video

Here is a youtube link to check out the video for the sprint finals:

Lahti Skate Sprint - finals


What a race!

Lahti

This morning we head back to Helsinki to fly to Oslo. Our shuttle doesn't pick us up until 11:00, so it was a pretty relaxed morning. We had a chance to sleep in and eat a leisurely breakfast, which is a luxury at the World Cup.

As per usual, I don't really have any pictures of my own from this trip... at least not yet. But here are a bunch that I stole from other people. 



Our accommodations for the week were in the village of Vierumäki. We were not housed in a hotel, but rather in a sport school. This meant that our rooms were sort of dorm style, but they were very comfortable. 
The Lahti stadium with the ski jumps in the background. Ski jumping is a big deal here.
Up close and personal with the big jump.
Skiing in general is a big deal in Europe. This cool helicopter was flying around all week with a TV camera attached.
Saturday was a skate sprint. The race was super short and super flat. The field was really stacked and Sadie and Kikkan both ended up in the same semi-final.

The final was an incredibly exciting race. Given the flat course, Marit and Kikkan basically entered the stadium together and it was a drag race to the finish. Unreal to watch two of the fastest skiers in the world battle it out.
It was a photo finish, but in the end Kikkan took the win. BOOM!
Two of the classiest ladies on the world cup.

Flower ceremony.
It turns out that March 8 is International Women's Day. This is a big deal in Europe and here two of the wax techs give flowers to all of the girls on the team. Needless to say, the girls were pretty excited about this.