US Ski Team: 2018-19 U.S. Ski Team Cross Country Nominations
May 24, 2018
U.S. Ski & Snowboard has announced its U.S. Ski Team cross country nominations for the 2018-19 season. Nominations include those active athletes who qualified based on published selection criteria in the prior season. Kevin Bolger earns a spot on the B team for his sprint performances last season, and of course, Jessie Diggins remains on the A team. Ian Torchia remains on the D team.

Weekend Events
May 23, 2018
May 26 Stillwater Half Marathon - Point to point races finishing in Stillwater including half marathon, 10K and 5K events.
May 26 Rib Mtn Adventure Challenge - 3 and 8 hour adventure races near Wausau.
May 28 Joy Memorial Criterium - Memorial Day criterium races in New Hope -- flat and fast course.
May 28 Brian Kraft 5K - Going on 21 years, traditional 5K running race around Lake Nokomis in South Minneapolis.

Web Roundup
May 23, 2018
Busy Bee - Jessie Diggins catches readers up on her whirlwind of activity this spring.
Ice Cream - Selma's Ice Cream Parlour in Afton revealed their new flavor, Here Comes Diggins!
Torching 400 - Ian Torchia won the Red Bull 400, a crazy running event up one of the biggest ski jumps in North America.  Finnish XC star livo Niskanen took 3rd in the Finland event.
Adventures Big and Small - Jan Guenther blogs on her trip to Alaska this spring, skiing with the Inuit kids.
CXC Center Jr Kickoff - CXC Center of Excellence in Madison recently held a junior training kickoff event.
Weekend Rest - Sleeping in on the weekends, according to a recent study, may catch up on sleep deficit.
Ski-bird - Video of skiing ostriches -- which, yes, are not real.

More Jobs
May 23, 2018
New job postings including: Bike Assembler at Gear West, Head and assistant Coach at Lakeland.

Midwest MTB Report
May 22, 2018
Jay Richards Midwest MTB report this week covers the MBMNS Woolly Race, WORS Englewood, midwest racers on the World Cup, and new IMBA Ride Centers.

MNMBS: Woolly Race Coverage
May 20, 2018
The Minnesota Mountain Bike Race Series kicked off on Sunday with the Woolly Race in St. Croix Falls, WI. Photographer Cece Boyle was out catching images from the afternoon races, Jay Richards will have a full report in his weekly MTB column later this week.
Related:
Photoset from Cece Boyle: Afternoon Events - 146 photos
Photoset from Cece Boyle: Top Picks (high res)
Results: Woolly Race

City Trail Loppet Results
May 20, 2018
Nearly ideal weather Sunday morning for the City Trail Loppet as runners linked a mixed of streets, trails and singletrack to go from downtown Robbinsdale to the Walker sculpture garden. Brian Gregg bested Matt Liebsch by 13 seconds to win the men's 10 mile race. Laura Mead was the top female, just 29 seconds ahead of Caitlin Gregg.
Related:
Results: CityTrail Loppet
CityTrail Loppet Official Recap

Pioneer Midwest: Rollerskiing 101 Clinic Thursday
May 19, 2018
Pioneer Midwest is offering a beginners rollerski clinic this Thursday, May 24th, at the Elm Creek swimming area. The clinic is free, just register and indicate if you need a pair of rollerskis to try out.

Ski Hut: Summer Fever Sale
May 18, 2018
Ski Hut is offering their Summer Fever Sale, May 20-27, with deals on paddling and bike gear, including 10% off Yakima racks, cargo boxes, and hitch mounts.

Finn Sisu: Springfest This Weekend
May 16, 2018
Finn Sisu is holding their annual Springfest celebration this Saturday and Sunday, May 19-20th, with 10% off all saunas and accessories. Also come in Saturday afternoon for their fitness test (push ups, sit ups, dips, pull ups, and curb steps) and you'll get a coupon for 10% off a pair of Marwe rollerskis or 20% off any running or hiking gear.

Midwest MTB Report
May 15, 2018
Jay Richards MTB Report this week catches the first two big MTB races of the season -- Iola Bump and Jump and the start of the Thursday night races at Buck Hill. Plus some scenic riding in the Paul Bunyan State Forest and a look ahead to upcoming events.

Hard Core Fitness Academy
May 14, 2018
Sun Valley's Hard Core Training Center has teamed up with Matt Liebsch to offer a special masters training camp, July 28th thru August 5th. The camp features 9 days of world class hiking, biking, rollerskiing, strength and conditioning, and personalized technique training. Only 12 spots are available and space is filling fast, so act quickly.

LNR Juniors Summer Training Retooled
May 14, 2018
Loppet Nordic Racing (LNR) has announced a reorganization of the summer training programs and camps to better match the age groups involved. There are four summer camps for the Development team and six for the Competition group.

NSC Velodrome’s Thursday Night Lights Returns May 17
May 12, 2018
The 2018 race season is almost here -- with an early start to the year on May 17, the NSC Velodrome is excited to have an extra week of racing. Racing starts each Thursday at 7 PM. Admission is $5 and kids 12 and under are free with food available at the Track Shack concession stand. There are only two seasons of racing left at the National Sports Center, so come up to watch the racing before it's gone! The Fixed Gear Classic will return on August 24-25.

Borah Teamwear: Nordic Preseason Push
May 11, 2018
Borah Teamwear is encouraging clubs and teams to get an early start on next season by placing their Nordic kit orders now. As an added incentive, they are offering a 10% discount and a "free design" for any team wanting to get a jump on the season.

Giants Ridge Summer Training Camp Set for June 7-10
May 9, 2018
Coaches Jason Kask and Ellen Anderson will be leading a special multi-day summer training day at Giants Ridge, focused on northern skiers. Rollerskiing, mountain biking, trail running, bounding, and swimming are just some of the activities planned. Package includes lodging, meals and coaching. Register soon, camp is nearly full!

Web Roundup
May 9, 2018
Diggins - FasterSkier had an extensive interview (podcast) with Jessie Diggins recently.
Common Sense - New Moon has tips on smart cycling this summer.
Tick Collector - Duluth scientist is collecting ticks in an effort to judge the spread of Lyme disease in Minnesota. 
Giddy Rupp - American marathon star Galen Rupp set the third faster marathon time in American history in winning the Prague Marathon last weekend.
Turn up the Heat - Researchers have found that people that used saunas 2-3 times a week were less prone to strokes.
Engen Gone - Three time Olympian Jon Engen passed away in late April.
Fossavatn - Nice video recap of the Fossavatn race in Iceland last month.
Live Longer - Shocking results show healthy habits can led to longer life.
Beartooth - Beartooth Basin stakes claim to the only North American summer ski area.
Laser Eyes - Researchers claim they could build ocular lasers.

Midwest MTB Report: Season Kickoff
May 8, 2018
Jay Richards of Maplelag is back again this season with his review of the Midwest mountain biking scene! Kicking off the season, Richards rolls out a big update with news on CAMBA, skills building, Hard Enduro, Buck Hill racing and the two big Midwest series, MNMBS and WORS.

Rice Creek Boat Club Programs
May 8, 2018
Rice creek Boat Club in New Brighton has posted info on their summer programs including a new cross-training program for youth ages 12-18, particularly targeted at Nordic skiers.

Snake River Canoe Race Results
May 5, 2018
A beautiful Saturday morning in Mora for the annual Snake River Canoe Race with temps in the 70s, sunny and little wind. Nearly 150 paddlers turned out for the big race down the Snake River to Mora. Top Pro boat: Fred Kueffer/Dana Henry and Emily Broderson/Lilly Brick, mixed Jessica Kozarek/Ryan Peterson.
Related:
Results: Snake River Canoe Race

Chippewa Triathlon Registration Open
May 4, 2018
The popular Chippewa Triathlon is scheduled for June 9th in Cass Lake and registration is now open. Event includes 14-mile canoe leg, 27-mile bike leg and finishes with 5-mile run (compete solo or as a team).

Collegiate Racing: From Cross-Country Skiing to the Marine Corps
May 3, 2018
Minnesota native and Colby College skier Andrew Egger outlines his journey from cross-country skiing to the Marine Corps, and reflects on the many benefits and support he received along the way.

Web Roundup
May 1, 2018
Road Tripping - Paul Schommer posts a big photo blog of his activities since the end of his biathlon season.
Diggins in DC - Jessie Diggins was in Washington DC, discussing the real impacts of climate change (video clip).
Diggins Sundae - Selma Ice Cream shop plans to pay tribute to Jessie Diggins with her own flavor of ice cream (and you can vote).
Snow Farmers - Mora's snowmaking crew was honored by the Minnesota high school coaches with the volunteer of the year award.
Honors - US Ski and Snowboard has issued a number of big announcements involving Midwesterners: Diggins Beck Int'l Awardee and Bryan Fish development coach of the year, Nordic Rocks win Russell Wilder Award.
Team USA - Jessie Diggins' coach, Jason Cork, was recognized by Team USA as the Olympic Coach of the Games.
Go Dark - Studies indicate dark chocolate may help with memory, the immune system and even your mood.

Lake Superior College Cycling Program
April 30, 2018
Lake Superior College in Duluth is an emerging USA Cycling collegiate varsity program. For ambitious student-athletes who want to compete in college, this program is the only one of its kind in the Midwest. They are seeking high school mountain bike riders that want to continue competing in the sport of mountain biking at the collegiate level.

Birkie Registration Opens Tuesday
April 29, 2018
The snow is just coming off the Birkie trail and now the registration for the 2019 American Birkebeiner events is opening this Tuesday, May 1st! And back again this season, in limited numbers, is the Birkie backpack. If you missed the backpack last season, jump on the registration pronto.
Related:
Registration for 2019 Birkie Events

Weekend Skiing and Trail Reports
April 26, 2018
Still skiing in the UP. No recent reports.

Borah Teamwear Releases Custom Cycling Sock Program
April 26, 2018
Borah Teamwear has officially launched its latest addition to the companies long list of made in USA custom apparel items, custom sublimated socks.

Fitzharris: Rollerski Package Spring Sale
April 25, 2018
Fitzharris Ski and Sport in St. Cloud has special deal on Swix S5 Pro Skate rollerskis with bindings and poles!