We took an extremely fun field trip to the Mad River today…rallying in the valley and up over App Gap to our friends at GMVS! The first order of business was to gather up with the new GMVS coaches Kat Howe and Garrott Kuzzy (hey, that name sounds familiar??) for a lo-down on the course and races: 10km and 5km mass start races on East Warren road. (results at the bottom of this post)
When the morning fog lifted we were greeted with an awesome fall day with great foliage and even some frost and ice on the mountaintops.
5km racers just after the gun goes off! Yes, Ben is on classic gear…he double-poled the whole 5km including the Plunkton hill!
Will, Elliot and Forrest out of the gate!
Here’s a short clip of the 10km men…I was very excited about the skiing and also about the scenery as you can tell!
A nice handy tailwind allowed for some very fast times, and all three of the 10k boys posted some of the faster times ever for the course! Kat and I only got to witness the start and finish, but Garrott (in van #2) saw the battle unfolding. He said it was an impressive display of smart, aggressive skiing: lead changes, quick little breakaways and re-connections and great head-to-head racing for the whole 10km!
In the 5km, Greg stuck to his pre-race plan: go out hard and push the whole way. He threw down a blistering race in just over 13 minutes and came across the line looking strong. Greg has put in some great training this summer and was slamming his poles down into the pavement with some jackhammer forces! Andre hung tough and tried to latch on to Greg for the first section of the course, ending up with a really strong performance for his first-ever rollerski race. Just like Greg, Andre is still a U16 and is going to turn some heads this season!
Andre rounding the turn…possibly hitting 40mph
Due to nerve injuries that are still getting diagnosed, Ben C has been classic skiing and double poling all summer. He definitely put that to the test today as he double poled the entire course…tough stuff. It takes a lot of perseverance to only be able to ski one technique but the payoff has been big gains in strength, power and technique!
Due to XC running season and SAT exams, the MNC female contingent was unable to make it. Coach Sara jumped in to double the women’s field size and had a great race…there are rumors she may put Alaska behind her and roll VT-style to jump in some Eastern Cups this winter!
Happy gang at the finish…never forget the flag!
Heading back to base…and spotting some frost on the top of the mountains!
After a cooldown both groups enjoyed some large burritos, cokes and mingling at the Mad Taco in Waitsfield…a classic apres-ski joint if I have ever seen one. All in all it was a pretty great lunch…Greg limited himself to one soda, Kai learned what cilantro was and nobody burned their faces off with hot sauce.
A burrito from the Mad Taco
After parting ways with GMVS we saddled up for another adventure. The Gumbies were finishing off a week of intensity but we were after volume, and we weren’t just about to drive all the way to Waitsfield for a rollerski hammerfest and some mexican food! On Garrott and Forrest’s advice we headed up to Blueberry Lake for some light distance training.
I went out for a mountain bike ride with Kai and Greg, while Sara explored the same trails on foot with Andre and Ben. Great trails with only a few Jerry’s in the way to inhibit maximum speed and gnar on the downhills!
Greg shreds so hard he can bike on water!
Happy group after session number two…coach is too tired to keep his eyes open?
What started as a frigid morning turned into a spectacular fall day in the mountains. Adventures like this are a great way to make the most out of the incredible terrain (and friends/competitors/teammates) we are surrounded by. Here in VT we are lucky to have ski clubs and training partners around every corner, so it’s easy to coordinate and get groups together for collaborations like this. Plans are already in the works for our next rendezvous with the GMVS crew…discussions of a rollerski sprint race under the lights at the Range were tossed around…stay tuned!
Parting shot: Kai and Sara ice their legs in Blueberry Lake under the watch of the green mountains!
Men 10km freestyle
Forrest Hamilton GMVS 30:11
Will Solow MNC 30:15
Elliot Ketchel GMVS 30:25
—–
Women 5km freestyle
Sara Falconer MNC 15:52
Lizzy Martin GMVS 16:48
—–
Men 5km freestyle
Greg Burt MNC 13:18
Andre Eastman MNC 14:44
Ben Carnahan MNC 15:35 (double-pole)
Tanner Ketchel GMVS 17:04
Comments are closed.