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IN TRAINING: Snow splashed the feet of Johannes Høsflot Klæbo and the other Norwegian sprinters when they tested the track around 12 noon on Wednesday.
OBERSTDORF (VG) On Wednesday, the sprinters completed the last training session before the opening of the World Cup. Then the organizer suddenly decided to skip the road.
When VG watched Wednesday’s practice, Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (24), Maiken Caspersen Falla (30) and the other riders participated in games where the consistency of the snow resembled white sleet. Around 15 temperatures reported in the stadium during Thursday’s World Cup premiere means the organizer is now taking action and salting the entire field.
– The thing about salting is that it has so much to say that it must be done correctly to last. Bad salting dissolving is worse than anything else, but they had no choice but to do something about the conditions, Norwegian lubrication manager Stein Olav Snesrud tells VG.
In this video, Russia’s cross country coach tells where he thinks the sprint will be decided:
Suddenly
Cross-country coach Espen Bjervig says the decision comes abruptly, after all runners have trained on salt-free trails in recent days.
– They threw it at us, but we have to deal with it. We have tested the skis both when they have been fixed in the morning and loose during the day, Bjervig tells VG.
But no one has been tested with salt under skis, says the lubrication manager.
– There are many changes here. First they change the start time and then you have to salt it. Most things change at the last minute. That’s the way they operate, obviously. But in any case we should not be less prepared than others, says Snesrud.
IN THE STADIUM: Arild Monsen and Klæbo in Oberstdorf.
Can be dramatic
The Norwegian lubricators will probably be at the stadium to test the skis as early as 0500 on Thursday morning. The start of the prologue is four hours later.
– Now it will fix around the entire trail, but wondering if the salt takes all day. If you go through the salt for the first time, it becomes very loose, says Bjervig.
– What kind of competition do you imagine now? Is it likely to get more dramatic?
– Isn’t it always quite dramatic in sprints? It is a trail with steep slopes and sharp bends. There will be close, high-speed and very exciting duels.
