After waiting nearly the entire winter, northwest Wisconsin received its first real snowstorm of the year. The fresh snow was exactly what I needed to get me up and outside after being sick in bed for four days. Instead of expressing my own thoughts about the day I’ll let the photos do the talking…
Every so often you have a race that goes utterly disastrous. This was the case for me this past Saturday during the 10k classic mass start of the Tour de Twin Cities. Leading up to the start I was feeling strong and confident and was stoked to mix it up in the mass start. Waiting for the gun to sound I replayed certain situations that could occur during the race and how I would react to these. Unfortunately, seconds after the race began all my planning went out the window. As we rounded the first corner and made the transition from seven lanes down to five and eventually three, I thought I was clear of any chaos. As soon as this occurred the skier in front of me started pizza’ing and before I knew it I was smack dab in the middle of an NFL sized pile (Link to crash can be found at http://www.skinnyski.com).
There was little I could do but wait until the guys above me cleared out. In the meantime I tried to collect
myself mentally and move forward. Finally scrambling to my feet I realized Matt Liebsch was right in front of me, so I decided to try and stay with him.
As expected Matt worked hard to reconnect with the leaders and I did my best to keep up. This idea worked for a solid half a lap and I kept telling myself there was still plenty of racing left. I rounded the corner at the top of the biggest descent and decided to take the middle lane seeing a skier a little ways down in the left lane not going as fast. I quickly gained ground on him and was about to cruise by him when he lost his balance popping his right ski out of the track and clipping my skis causing me to launch right across the trail and roll off into the unpacked snow.
Now in a rage I got back on my feet and tried to regain speed as nearly all of the skiers I had just worked so hard to pass went flying by me. This time with no composure at all I started pushing hard to move up in the race. I made it a whole two laps staying upright. The icing on the cake came however when I was running up the last climb of the third lap and a skier I was tracking went the wrong way right into my path. He slipped doing this and faceplanted into the hill, bringing me down with him. Eventually I finished the race nearly 3 minutes back and knowing that I had just wasted a great opportunity.
Although I was furious for a little while after the race, I slowly regained my emotions and realized that all you can do sometimes is laugh it off. Luckily it’s not everyday that you’re a part of a few pretty epic crashes.
This past weekend I left Hayward and traveled to the Chicagoland area for a Salomon Superfit at King Keyser ski shop in Hinsdale. Going down there I really had no idea what to expect, but after spending a few days there I was really impressed with the shop as well as the training possibilities in the surrounding area.
Along with helping out at the store all weekend, my teammate Benjamin Lannin and I were able to participate in a few different workouts. On Saturday morning, we joined a group of master skiers for a skate roll at Waterfall Glen Park. The cool thing about this park is that it has a ten mile loop consisting of crushed limestone. With the use of aero rollerskis, the trail had a very smooth, snow-like feel to it. If you are ever in the area I recommend trying out this little diamond in the rough.
On Sunday morning a few hearty individuals came out for a dryland clinic that focused on hip position and weight transfer. Although we had a wide range of skiing experience, I was really stoked with how well each skier progressed throughout the morning. I look forward to seeing these fast masters at the Birkie this winter!
It is always so cool to see a devoted nordic crowd like this one make skiing work in an area not typically known for their skiing opportunities. I just want to give a big thanks to Rick, Jim, and all the other King Keyser staffers for a great event. Here are a few photos.
The shop loaded up for the weekend
Big wheels make for a smooth ride
Erg runner-up Chuck Zagozdon putting the hammer down
By: Eric Wolcott
When you spend so much of your time with your teammates at training camps and on the road during the race season you get to know them very well in that context. It is also great, however, to spend some time with them in a more casual setting outside of the ski world.
This past Sunday I had CXC Elite team members Santi and Carolyn Ocariz over for a night of food and fun. On the menu a gourmet dinner and two hours of making fresh apple sauce. The process itself was incredibly simple:
1. Walk outside the front door to the Cresthill Resort apple tree, shake the base and collect a Leinenkugel’s case worth
2. Slice the apples into chunks
3. Boil in water for five minutes
4. Combine the hot mushy apples with some brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in the newlywed’s spanking new Cuisinart food processor
5. Voila! Apple sauce better than any brand name equivalent.
One healthy apple tree!
Cuisinart ready for action...
It’s always cool to see how simple pleasures like spending time with friends tends to keep everything in perspective. Although we all share the same passion for skiing and competing, we can connect on other levels as well. When life throws you apples, make applesauce…
One happy couple spending some quality time together!
By: Eric Wolcott
After being in a variety of places over the last six weeks I am finally back in Hayward and am excited to settle down before we head west. This current week of training is relatively light in volume and I am trying to take advantage of my free time. Yesterday I tagged along with Brian as he went in for an afternoon with the kids at the local Boys and Girls Club. Having been there before I wasn’t a complete stranger to the place, but it took about half an hour for the children to warm up to my presence. After that though I jumped right into the swing of things and started playing math fraction card games with a group of third grade girls during educational power hour.
Once that was finished it was onto the Wednesday night run series. Throughout the course of the summer and fall the kids participate in a one mile challenge every Wednesday. Yesterday was the final run and although it had to be carried out in the gym the kids were fired up because it was the last of the year and a spaghetti feast followed. It is quite the spectacle to watch forty little rascals sprint, walk, scream, and trip around a gym sixteen times. It is also questionable as to how many of the participants actually did all the laps. All in all though the run and feast was a huge success.
After a bit of digestion and recuperation the gang was ready to move onto the next activity. Brian organized a big game of last man/woman standing, a form of kickball. We played this for a while and slowly boys and girls started to trickle home. After five hours of hanging out at the Club I was pretty tired, however I look forward to getting back and spending some quality time with a great group of people again.
Although the rest of the week won’t be as action packed as yesterday, I look forward to continuing the routine of training, resting, and working. Next week I crank up the intensity again and put in one final period of dryland.
By: Eric Wolcott
Currently the CXC elite crew is holding camp at Crest Hill Resort in Hayward, Wi. For most members of the team this morning’s three and a half hour over distance skate ski was the icing on the cake for one of the hardest intensity and highest volume training weeks of the summer. Along with the skate OD, the camp has been highlighted by a few tough interval sessions
Thursday morning the team headed to Telemark Resort in Cable, Wi. for some threshold ski walking intervals and shorter, harder bounding intervals. After a summers worth of threshold intervals, it is always sweet to fire up the engines on high intensity bounding repeats. All of the crew meant business during the session and by the end of the workout everyone was feeling good about their efforts.
The boys doing work
After a specific strength session and recovery ski the team cranked up the intensity again on Saturday morning and held a mock classic sprint. The workout consisted of four rounds taking place on a rolling 1.2 km course. Although there was no elimination involved the workout was an excellent way to simulate a real sprint event and compare individual times.
This past weekend a few of the CXC boys loaded up the car and took a 24 hour vacation up north. The trip started off with an easy recovery run on the Chippewa trail in Cable. Having never been on this trail system I was stoked with the terrain and the landscape surrounding. Following this we grabbed some fresh pizza from The Rivers Eatery and headed toward Ashland and the ABC Raceway. The intended entertainment for the night was stock car racing on the legendary ABC red clay oval. As we drove north the threat of rain seemed possible but clear skies ahead kept us optimistic. By the time we reached the track I was pumped for the smell of gasoline, rubber, beer, and cigarettes. To my surprise the super-stocks (the big boys and main event) were already on the track warming up the tires. Within a few minutes of finding our seats the green flag dropped and the engines roared. Over the course of the next fifteen minutes I was locked into the action as I anxiously watched to see if my pick, the #30 car, could take the victory. He was by far the most aggressive driver out on the track bumping and grinding around every corner, even causing a crash which brought out the caution flag. Although he eventually settled for 4th, his driving style and color choice of black, red, and silver reminded me of the Intimidator. Soon after the race finished the skies opened up and the event was shut down for the night.
Kuzzy posing next to the #1 Muzzy car
The next morning we woke up early and headed down to the town of Cornucopia for some breakfast and coffee. Living in New England my entire life I had never been to the shores of Lake Superior. To say the least I was blown away by the ocean like sandy beach and crystal clear water.
Breakfast on Superior, not a bad way to start the day
After relaxing for awhile in the crisp morning air we threw on the skate rollerskis and went for a solid OD on excellent pavement and hilly terrain. When the ski was done we returned to our beach side location for some food and a refreshing swim.
Taking it all in after a solid rollerski effort
We eventually packed up our stuff and headed home. By this point in the trip I was completely satisfied and would’ve settled for an easy car ride and the completion of a solid period of training. What lay ahead though was a diamond in the rough. The Delta Diner is a throwback to the days of old. Located basically in the middle of no where, this small restaurant has some of the best food I’ve had in years and one of the coolest atmospheres. As we waited for our food and chocolate malts we looked around at all the old photos and little sayings on the walls. One reoccurring theme of the restaurant was the name and face of a man named Billy. He was quoted numerous times on the walls and even had his own meal, #9 The Billy. Eventually it was realized that an old man with a hunched back sitting at counter was Billy. By his posture and appearance it can be concluded that Billy has been sitting at the Delta Diner for years and is a local legend. We eventually received our orders and proceeded to devour the food in minutes. When all was said and done we paid our bill and drove away from the place with a new appreciation for the Diner. All in all the trip was a huge success and a great way to spend some time with friends and teammates.
The one and only Delta Diner
Could've been eating here 50 years ago and it would've looked the same
