Think Racing, Inc.

Late news from Team CW-X in the Far West. Tim Hill took out 1st place in Sunday’s Tahoe City Classic at Tahoe Cross Country. Congratulations & Happy Birthday Tim!

We’ll update Tim’’s results in the Tahoe Donner Downhill Series ASAP.

Verizon Sports Complex, Lake Placid, NY - After nearly a month of rain and weather related cancellations, racing action resumed in the North East with the NYSEF Empire State Games Qualifying round. This year, the format of the event consisted of a 15 km interval start freestyle race on Saturday followed by a 10 km interval start classic on Sunday. And once again, Team CW-X/ Think Racing topped the weekend’s leader boards.

Saturday’s weather was extreme. The day started at 7:30 AM (-21 F) and by 11:00 AM we’d seen something like at 45 degree temperature swing to the positive. While not entirely unexpected, it ensured abundant incremental page views for weather underground and the excellent Solda Wax Maestro.

The 15 km freestyle event traversed 3 tours of 5 km each both starting and finishing at the biathlon stadium, Momentum is a keyword that best defines success on this course. While not excessively technical in nature, the course’s gradual descents and acute accents made demands of all the athletes. Those with both momentum and extra gas to burn did well. Those with one of the two faired less well. Many with neither suffered.

Team CW-X scored a 2nd in the Women’s overall, Rosanne Lent and cleaned up in the age group categories with a 2nd in M2, John Tomlinson, a 2nd & 4th in M3, Joe Moore and Todd Carter.

Sunday’s 10 km classic was a different kettle of fish. First, the weather was not a factor with overnight lows around 0 and daytime highs about 26. But, the big new was the arrival of the big guns from the East, Tim Donahue and Sproule Love. These guys arrived at 10:00 PM after a 5 hour drive from the Team HQ, the XC ski capital of the world, New York City. They grabbed a couple hours of shut eye. Enjoyed a light breakfast of Oats and, I don’t know what and when on to grab 1st and 2nd place respectively in the overall. Congratulations Boys!

The rest of the team filled out the points with solid results in M1, M2, M3 and the woman’s events.

Photos: Sharon Middendorf, Team CW-X

The Sawmill 15 km at North Star Cross Country topped off two weeks of absolutely fabulous skiing here in the Sierra Nevada and Lake Tahoe. The odyssey that began on January 14, picked up steam with the Sierra Skogloppet on Jan 17, then kicked into high great with the arrival of Sproule Love and Tim Donahue on Jan 19 and finally concluded today with a storming performance from Team CW-X in the Sawmill 15 km.

The Sawmill is an unusual event. For starters, the Nordic Center at North Star is located mid mountain. Access to the venue is straight up the mountain via a 10 min tram ride. The course profile is aggressive. A 10:30 AM start time ensures lots of wicked fast snow.

Team CW-X results went something like:

Tim Hill 2nd
Sproule Love 3rd
Tim Donahue 5th
Todd Carter 42

This is a fantastic course and a race well worth doing if you ever have the opportunity.

Tim Hill has shown excellent form this season with a string on top 10 finishes and two individual race wins. Here’s a quick update from the Far West’s Fischer Cup Series.

Paco’s Fun Race - 10th Place
ASC Shoeshoe Thompson - 1st Place
ASC Sprint Challenge - 7th Place
Sierra Skogsloppet - 1st Place

Photo: Mark Nadell, Far West Nordic

I am writing this from 30,000 feet above altitude with the snow capped eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada just on the horizon. Withword from the North Country is grim, I decided to take my own advice, bite the bullet and trek out to Lake Tahoe where the snow pack isn’t in question.

The weekend race schedule is brimming with activity. On Sunday, ACS is hosting their annual Sprint Championships and Monday is the Tahoe Donner 20 km free technique Sierra Skogsloppet.

Sprouple & Tim Donahue inform me that they are thinking about coming out next weekend in time to experience and enjoy the legendary Tahoe snow pack and do and do some great skiing. That’s good because Far West is holding no less than three races next weekend

I heard there’s a write up in Runners World about/ by Sproule. I am looking for that but haven’t seen it yet.

Well, there’s plenty of snow where I am–albeit at 8200′, in the middle of Deer Valley’s bewildering array of ski mansions. Up to the New Year’s fireworks I caught over Tom Hanks’s house, it had been snowing for four days straight. This has resulted in about three new feet at this elevation and about a foot and a half in Park City proper.

But Soldier Hollow, which is at something like 5400′ has not enjoyed this same fortune. I think they got about 8 inches–significant by some standards–but not enough snow to open up the desired 15k loop for Monday’s 30k free race. I visited this Nationals venue on Thursday and I must confess that I was not all that impressed. They had only 5k of wet, tired snow going and the sno tubers outnumbered the nordic enthusiasts by about three to one. This meant Fubu sweatshirts occupying the coveted fireside seats, getting inadvertently pelted with snowballs by 8 year olds, and at least three moms losing their tempers while loading kids into SUVs while blocking the entrance!

I found nice training to be had at Park City’s White Pines Nordic, which is refreshingly flat and has a three foot base. Yesterday, I was out during the blizzard, when winds were consistently getting above 50 mph and the snow was pelting everyone’s face beet red. Let me take this opportunity to plug my latest gear acquisition–the Rudy Project Ekynox goggle–amazing things–they did not fog in spite of my meaty efforts. Today the sun came out and there was brilliant classical skiing to be had on foot of new snow that had fallen overnight.

I’ve not been back to Soldier Hollow since Thursday, but from Zach Caldwell’s report, they are running speed tests and working on opening a 7.5k loop. So many high power skiers in so little space will make for interesting drama. Monday’s race will be individual start. The course is probably hillier than anything I’ve skied–there just aren’t flats anywhere! Seeing as I have no USSA record, I think I’ll be one of the last to start. I can only imagine how chowed-up the course will be by then.