Skinnyski Race Team Weekend Recap
By Bruce Adelsman
February 3, 2003
The snow is finally here, but it seems the cold temperatures
have settled in. This past weekend was no exception as -20F
degree temperatures covered the region on Friday, giving way
to a "heat wave" Saturday with race time temperatures
in the single digits below zero.
Dan Campbell followed by Ben Popp (where
are they other sprinters...?) |
Most of the team was racing in the second annual City of
Lakes Loppet. On Friday night, Ben Popp, Margie Nelson and
Maria Stewart participated in the Elite Sprints in temperatures
well below -10F. Ben got mixed up with a false start, skiing
a hard lap before realizing of the error. Margie and Maria
had exciting heats, with Maria just missing the finals in
a "photo finish" (no photo). On Saturday morning
the temperatures were a balmy -5F and the big race was on,
with the event finally able to use the full course, running
from Theodore Wirth to the streets of Uptown Minneapolis.
Read Josie's write up for some interesting details.
Grant Nelson, Abbi and Brian May braved even colder temperatures,
racing on the hilly trails of Giants Ridge in the Pepsi Challenge.
They came away some some excellent results, including victories
for Grant and Abbi. Brian's write up has a low-down on his
freestyle race.
Race Team Results
Jan 31 City of Lakes Loppet
Josie Nelson 1st female 35K classic 02:17:46
Maria Stewart 3rd female 35K classic 02:24:57
Siiri Morse 14th female 35K classic 03:29:03
Margie Nelson 23rd female 35K freestyle 02:09:50
Ben Popp 15th male 35K freestyle 01:40:31
David Nelson 24th male 35K freestle 01:44:17
Per Nelson 39th male 35K freestyle 01:47:42
Jan 31 Pepsi Challenge
Grant Nelson 1st male 48K classic 02:33:30
Brian May 6th male 48K freestyle 02:13:54
Abbi May 1st female 24k classical 01:27:43
Team Member Reports
City of Lakes Loppet Report from Josie Nelson
"I can hardly believe we're sleeping in our own
bed the night before a big race," my husband Dave said
as we tried to wind down last Friday night. We'd been eagerly
anticipating "The Loppet," and when we got snow
last week our enthusiasm reached new levels.
I love hills, so you can imagine my excitement when
I looked up at the race course from the starting line. I
tested out my Rossi classics, and they felt so good that
I decided to skip my pre-race panic wax. I put my skis on
the line and started running around to warm up. My poles
seemed unusually long, and thankfully I realized that although
they were swix stars, they were Dave's swix stars. Since
I had Dave's skate poles, I decided I should check whose
Rossi's were sitting on the line. Sure enough, a nice fast
pair of skaters were waiting for me to try to stride up
that first hill. I quickly put Dave's gear back along the
fence in exchange for my nearly identical, but crucially
different set of skis and poles. Phew!
Despite the cold, I convinced myself it would be a good
idea to take my warm-ups off. I lined up so that I was as
close as possible to the beautiful sets of tracks that seemed
to be calling my name. The cannon blasted and I hopped in
the tracks and took off. What a thrill it was to ski up,
down, and around the hills of Wirth! There were enthusiastic
spectators around every corner. I often ski by myself in
races, so it was a real pleasure to get to ski with a pack
of 5 or 6 very supportive and encouraging men. They didn't
even get mad when (on several occasions) I thoughtlessly
stepped in the tracks right in front of them.
Josie heading to the finish (Note
the left pole) |
Right before we crossed over 394, I stuck my pole between
the feet of a friend who was handing me an Enervit gel.
Snap! I lost the bottom 4 inches of my left pole. At first
I thought I needed to find another pole, but then I realized
my shortened pole really wasn't holding me back much. I
was very thankful to find that all the time and energy spent
grooming the course had made the track firm enough to prevent
my basketless pole from sinking too far into the snow. I
was blown away by the selflessness of Ian and Marcus, two
friends who were skiing with me at the time. Despite the
fact that they were racing just like me, they each offered
to give me their left pole! That strongly supports my theory
that skiers are darn good people.
Although I enjoyed every kilometer of the race, I was
really pumped to turn onto the streets of uptown. The cheers
of the crowd were amazing (I didn't realize at the time
that the deafening roar was intended for Chad Giese, who
won the skate race moments after I crossed the line). It
was a real treat to share stories with other skiers in the
warmth of Calhoun Square. We ended a great day by celebrating
winter with other skiers at the "Nordic Ball."
What a fun event! The dinner was amazing, the venue was
impressive, and the company was fantastic. If you didn't
make it this year, I would strongly encourage you to go
next year. We were so proud of our friends and fellow skiers
for their dedication to making "The Loppet" a
first-class event!
Pepsi Challenge Report from Brian May
With multiple races on the calendar (i.e., Pepsi and
City of Lakes on the same day!), this year's Pepsi turned
out to be a pretty small event. Nevertheless, with American
Ski Marathon series points on the line, there were a number
of fast skiers on the start line. It was cool but absolutely
calm, which was a major blessing. The course was in fantastic
shape, freshly groomed corduroy and relatively fast despite
the temperature. The start was smooth and I quickly settled
into position at the back of the lead pack. Cory Wubbels
(defending champ) was in front with Scott Loomis and Nathan
Schultz (Subaru Factory Team), Karl Walczak (Michican Tech),
plus Duluth skiers Bruce Bauer, Adam Swank and myself. I
had really good skis and was gliding as well as anyone,
which was very nice.
The early going was pretty relaxed, with noone out to
blow the race open quite yet. With some hot skiers in the
group, I was content to hang out at the back and hang on
for the ride. Heading up the first major climb on the Summit,
I was gapped as we came over the top, but soon managed to
regain contact. The pace spiked again on a gradual climb
on Biwabik Spur. I dropped off but thankfully was able to
reel in the pack by the end of the next long downhill. I
downed a gel and finished off my bottle of Enervit before
we headed into the stadium at the end of lap one. I was
pretty pumped to be hanging in the lead pack.
As we headed onto the Silver, I knew that the race was
soon to begin in earnest. About half-way around the pace
stepped up and I was off the back for the final time. As
we came through the golf course, I grabbed a bottle from
one of the Factory Team supporters. Luckily I got a good
drink before planting a pole between my legs and sprawling
to the ground! Abbi had finished up her race (winning the
24k classic) and was watching along with our friend Anne,
so I got some good cheers! It was then a matter of survival,
up and over the Cedar/Gold and then back down the Bronze.
I held on and rolled across the line all smiles with a 5th
place finish. All in all, a great race for me and a lot
of fun skiing with the big guns.
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