Wednesday, April 7, 2004

Hot weather in Colorado for Spring Series

Cross-country finale like Tour de France

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Unseasonably warm temperatures wreaked havoc on race organizers of the 2004 Colorado International Spring Series of cross-country ski races March 27-April 4 in Grand County, Colo. and its Devils Thumb Ranch.

By shortening distances and changing venues, they were able to stage a full week of races. Nine current Sun Valley Junior Nordic ski teamers competed and did very well, as did former Sun Valley skier and U.S. Nordic Development team racer Hilary Patzer.

Overall winners in the six-stage format likened to the Tour de France were U.S. Nordic Team hopeful Andrew Johnson of Vermont and Park City, Utah, and 2004 Boulder Mountain Ski Tour female champ Rebecca Quinn Dussault of the Subaru Team.

Johnson, 26, a 2002 U.S. Olympian, was a three-time All-American skier at Middlebury College before joining the national ski team.

Just two weeks before the Colorado Spring Series, 23-year-old Dussault earned her first-ever World Cup points in Italy. On Feb. 7 Dussault won the Boulder Mountain Tour near Ketchum. The mother of a two-year-old, Dussault was a three-time national champion in Maine during January.

Up for grabs for some of this country’s top Nordic racers at the Spring Series were $15,500 in cash prizes and $15,000 in merchandise awards.

For Sun Valley, Jack Harris and Morgan Arritola provided some highlights in Colorado.

Second in qualifying heats, Harris became the gold medalist in the Junior Men’s 1k sprint March 30, and Arritola won the "B" final sprint ahead of Alexa Turzian. Arritola was second in the sprint qualifying heats behind sprint winner Jamie Woelk.

Harris was also the bronze medalist for the Junior Men in the 10-kilometer classic race March 27. On the same day, Arritola raced to the Junior Women’s silver medal in a close heat with Michigan’s Cassidy Edwards on the 5k classic course.

In pursuit, Arritola clocked the ninth-fastest skate time among all women and finished 12th overall in the March 28 pursuit format.

Looking at the broad picture, Johnson was the dominant men’s skier while 2004 Nor-Am Super Tour overall queen Dussault battled back and forth with Katrin Smigun and Germany’s Olympic gold medalist Claudia Kuenzel.

Johnson won the Open Men’s 10k classic event in 23:29 and was the leader in pursuit. Johnson added a victory in the 3.5k Fischer Mountaintop Hill Climb, in 7:33.

Kuenzel (13:53) captured the Open Women’s 5k classic title March 27 by a healthy margin over runner-up Dussault (14:02), with Patzer 13th overall 69 seconds back. Kuenzel also won pursuit, but Dussault came on strong in the later stages of the week starting with her win in the March 30 sprint.

Patzer placed 7th behind winner Katrin Smigun of Salt Lake City in the Fischer Mountaintop Hill Climb.

Here are Sun Valley results:

March 27, men’s 10k and women’s 5k classic: Junior Men: 1—Ales Razym 24:45. 3—Jack Harris 25:17. 8—Alex Hamlin 27:47. 12—David Vanderpool 28:27. 23—Dawson Paschall 30:52. 27—Mike Matteson 32:02. 29—Brad Bradford 33:06.

Junior Women: 1—Cassidy Edwards (Mich.) 15:18.9. 2—Morgan Arritola 15:19.6. 6—Alexa Turzian 16:01. 11—Erin McQueen 16:54.

Senior Women: 1—Claudia Kuenzel 13:53. 2—Rebecca Dussault 14:02. 13—Hilary Patzer 15:02.

March 28, pursuit 5k classic and 5k skate: All men: 1—Andrew Johnson 27:18. 28—Jack Harris 29:57. 34—Alex Hamlin 30:32. 44—David Vanderpool 31:22. 66—Dawson Paschall 35:31. 67—Mike Matteson 35:37. 68—Brad Bradford 38:13.

All women: 1—Claudia Kuenzel 31:38. 2—Katrin Smigun 32:15. 3—Rebecca Dussault 32:18. 12—Morgan Arritola 34:12. 15—Hilary Patzer 34:25. 32—Alexa Turzian 36:31. 35—Erin McQueen 37:00.

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