Muonio Pictures - Classic Race

Sun, Nov  16, 2008 - By Pete Vordenberg

 

Over 500 registered racers in today's classical race.  Real deal for a lot of racers as it is qualification for Kuusamo and Gallivare and from there on.

There are a lot of racers working very hard to get under the big top.  Think you are working hard? Have no illusions, there are a lot of people working very hard.  What did you do today to make sure you get there?

Andy Newell winning qualification yesterday.

Ladies sprint heat.  Manuela Henkle trained with us in Whistler this past May... here leading the heat.

Torin Koos battling it out.

Today's course wasn't the hardest around but there were still some good hills.  Tobias Angerer climbs one here.

Chris Cook, today's lone USA racer, finished about 1:25 behind Angerer.  We are waiting for results, but that is a good start to the season as far as a time-back split goes for Chris.  One thing we do know - the racing was tight: 3 seconds would have moved Chris up 8 spots.

Women's start in yesterday's sprint.  Note sky...

Today the clouds lifted it was a beautiful, cold, clear day and we got the full view of Muonio - or as it is called, the full Muonio.

Shot a few nights back this is the full moon, yo.

Newell with a good gap on second, Wadsworth yells him on.

Angerer.

Koos on the second to last climb in the sprint.

Lukas Bauer - hours and hours and hours (and hours) of training.  Here pouring on a little mean 3/4 of the way up the final climb.

Axel.

Wax staff:  Randy Gibbs, Oleg Regilo and Peter Johansson (also not pictured Joakim Augustsson and Zach Caldwell).  These guys are world class.

Signing off from Muonio for today.  Tomorrow 15km skate - Newell and Freeman starting.

(Vordenberg Images)  [email protected]