The FIS Cross Country World Cup made its way to North America, and the BSF Pro Team had 4 athletes put their stamp on what turned out to be a rather historic two weeks for the U.S. Ski Team.
“Graham Houtsma, Reid Goble, Logan Diekmann, and Erin Bianco all represented team USA well in Canmore,” said BSF Pro Team Coach Andy Newell, who was also in attendance as part of the US support staff. “It was really fun to be back on the World Cup helping the BSF athletes.”
“Both Reid and Graham got to start their first World Cup races and gained valuable experience; we are super proud of their efforts,” said Newell. “Logan and Erin had stand-out performances. Logan finished a career best 16th in the Canmore skate sprint, 2nd American. Erin placed 29th and was the 5th American.
Take a look at Logan's strong finish in the quarterfinal sprints, finishing 3rd to Norway's Klaebo.
It had been 23 years since the FIS Cross Country World Cup had raced in the U.S., and the pre-race hype didn’t even begin to match what actually unfolded at Theodore Wirth Park in downtown Minneapolis. 30,000 spectator tickets sold out in minutes. The sheer mass of the crowd lining the course was impressive enough, but their utter devotion and stoke for cheering created an electric atmosphere. As each skier moved over the race course, a wave of sound followed their progress. Fans raced from one viewing spot to the next, ringing cowbells, cheering for Team USA, but also for every other nation out there in what competitors would later claim to be the most unbelievable World Cup races of their careers.
Overwhelming might be another word for it: this is Jessie Diggins skiing into Andy Newell for a hug on Saturday after an emotional warmup ski through the crowd. "These are extremely happy tears."
BSF’s Erin Bianco (originally from Minnesota), placed 38th in the sprints, while hometown hero Jessie Diggins was 4th. Reid Goble was 64th in the men’s 10K Freestyle; the same race where 23-year-old American Gus Schumacher stunned everyone with a win (the first American male to win a distance race in over 40 years).
“Logan unfortunately caught a cold before the MN sprint and had to sit out,” said Newell. “These are always really tough decisions for skiers to make and it was difficult for him to sit on the sidelines during one of the biggest races in the past 20 years. But an athlete's long-term health is critical in xc skiing, and racing while you are sick can have serious repercussions. So we decided to sit him out so he can prepare for future World Cup races.”
With such great results, both Erin and Logan qualified for more World Cup racing in March. Logan will race in Lahti, Finland, next weekend and Erin will race in Drammen, Norway, and Falun, Sweden, in mid-March.
Graham Houtsma and Anders Weiss both qualified to the team USA OPA trip and will represent the USA in France next month.
Meanwhile, the rest of the BSF Pro Team is in Wisconsin for the 50th American Birkie and will race the 50km on Saturday. The Birkie is one of the most prestigious ski events in the US and is also a Supertour event.
Simon wrote a recent blog about Birkie preparations: HERE
And the athletes penned a blog about Canmore HERE.
