OPA Finals
I almost titled this post “Jetlagged in Anchorage” because the 9 hour time change from central Europe to Alaska has made me feel a little zombie-like. Which is mostly the reason why this post is so late in coming! But I’m finally starting to collect my scatter-brained thoughts (somewhat) on OPA Finals last weekend.
So, here we go. Pat and I traveled from Rogla, Slovenia to Valdidentro, Italy to compete against the best OPA skiers in their final races of the season. These races are incredibly competitive, a quick scan down the results list shows regular World Cup starters, U23 champions, etc. etc. It’s also a small field so you have to be on your game! Luckily Pat and I both had a much better weekend than in Rogla. The weather in Italy came through for us big time. It was beautiful, sunny and warm every day and froze pretty solid every night except for the last one. We were also totally spoiled with the amazing food. We could have eaten pasta every day for lunch and dinner, and some people did! Coupled with the great scenery, and Valdidentro was probably my favorite spot out of all the places I traveled this winter.
Friday was a 2.5k/3.3k skate prologue, a notoriously tough distance. Go out too hard and you might be limping into the finish, go out too easy and it will be over before you know it. I erred towards the latter strategy and was able to push really hard on the final hill and have a decent result in 31st, 5th American. I had a somewhat forgettable 10k classic on Saturday where I struggled with slick skis and a big blowup happening at almost the same time, ouch! Then on to a 10k skate pursuit on Sunday. I was in the wave start, which was helpful because I could use the skiers around me. Which I didn’t at all use to my advantage because I immediately got dropped (oops!) The conditions were super soft and slushy, and I realized that my skis were running really well in the dirt and slush, so I put my head down and resolved to catch some people! I reeled in one, then two, then three people in the final 4k, so although it wasn’t a spectacular race I had to be happy with the last few kilometers. Then right after the race we put on our face paint and glitter and got into full cheering mode for the guy’s 15k pursuit. It was an awesome race to watch, just pure grit getting through the slush, especially on the uphill’s where it was almost ankle deep. It was also great to watch Pat get a solid result with the 22nd fastest split of the day. He was leading a big group through the final 5k and he slowly dropped all but one guy then outsprinted him in the finish. Everyone was screaming at the top of their lungs for him on the final hill.
After the races I had to switch from spring skiing mode into real winter mode as I’m now in Anchorage getting ready to race SuperTour finals. It has been pretty cold here, but the skiing is nice and the place we’re staying has an awesome view of the Cook Inlet and the Alaska Range including Denali. Our first race is a 10k/15k skate on Saturday, then we have a classic sprint on Sunday so it will be a busy couple of days! Follow along for live results on Summit Timing, and stay tuned for more updates from the races.
I was THIS excited to be in Italy!
Really, we don’t just take jumping pictures. But it was so nice this day, we had to get at least one for NNF
Racing a tough but fast 2.5k prologue at OPA Finals.
The venue in Valdidentro was stunning. Here’s the stadium from about halfway up the major climb
Brian Gregg and Torin Koos battling it out in the 15k skate pursuit in some deep slush
Pat had a really solid race in the pursuit with the 22nd best time on day. He led this pack for a while and then dropped or outsprinted them all by the end!
Final hill, Koos vs. Gregg. Sounds like Torin got him by a boot length in the final lunge!
Annie and I have been skiing together since elementary school, it’s so fun to be racing in Europe with her now. And she ALWAYS bring the facepaint and glitter, I dig it