 |
|
|
Johnson, Wonsavage victorious in NENSA roller-ski race
Updated: Mon Sep 10, 2007 11:09 PM MDT View video of the races here: A hot, humid day in Jericho, Vermont saw the first NENSA summer rollerski series come to an end with a challenging 12k freestyle race at the Ethan Allen Firing Range. The course consisted of four 3k loops of excellent skiing terrain — fun downhills, steep climbs, and rolling flats, this course had it all. With 70 participants, the field was by far and away the largest of the series — and there was no lack of quality. Andrew Johnson, Dave Chamberlain, and Eli Enman were the big names toeing the line in the men’s race. The women’s race featured biathletes Haley Johnson and Beth Ann Chamberlain, Dartmouth’s Elsa Sargent and Sara Studebaker, UVM’s Carina Hamel, and the interminable Dorcas Wonsavage of Alpina. With such a large field, racers were started at one-minute intervals, heading out on a course made somewhat slick by the previous night’s rain. The top seeded competitors in both events raced on matched rollerskis donated by V2, literally taking the equipment variable out of the loop. Andrew Johnson, wearing bib 1, set the time to beat, completing the 12 kilometers in 27:05. With second starter Enman having an off day, it was looking as though Johnson might go unchallenged, taking his second straight victory after an opening day loss to the US Ski Team’s Kris Freeman. But late registrant Dave Chamberlain was lurking back at number 45. With Johnson long warmed down, Chamberlain hammered out of the start to challenge the leader.
Article continues below 
(Photo: Patrick Coffey)The course consisted of two smaller loops – athletes set out on an initial 2k section of fast downhills and steep climbs, before reentering the stadium area briefly and then completing an additional 1k portion of rolling terrain. This made for excellent spectating as Chamberlain attempted to best Johnson’s pace of 6:45 per lap. Skiing a strong race, Chamberlain ultimately came up short — finishing 20 seconds back in a time of 27:25. Junior star Alex Howe rounded out the top three in 27:48. With the last male racers on the course, the women lined up for the same 12 kilometers of skiing. Series leader Ilke Van Genechten held the first start spot. With victories in the first two races, she had all but wrapped up the series win, but was certainly gunning for the hat-trick. It wasn’t to happen, however, as she was overtaken by several of the skiers starting soon after. Dorcas Wonsavage set a blistering pace in her new Alpina rollerski-specific boots. Crossing the line after making up minutes on Sargent, Hamel, and Van Genechten, Wonsavage only had to wait and see if later starters Haley Johnson and Beth-Ann Chamberlain could match her time of 32:25. Neither could, and Wonsavage walked away with a 43 second victory over Johnson. Johnson, with a time of 33:08 edged out Chamberlain by another 13 seconds.
Dorcas Wonsavage flies to the finish (Photo: Patrick Coffey)Said Wonsavage after the race “I’d never had a chance to ski the Jericho rollerski course, and I am impressed with the serious terrain it offers in such a short loop. I was very excited to see so many skiers come out and take advantage of the race — everyone seemed clear on how it fit into their own training, their own level of experience and fitness.” Van Genetchen’s 9th place finish, coupled with her two earlier victories, was enough to give her the women's overall title. Andrew Johnson took top honors on the men’s side with two victories and a 2nd. NENSA program director Stuart Kremzner was extremely pleased with the inaugural summer rollerski series. “Overall the series went great for it's first year. They were very well run events, which is important for any first year series, and the last race showed us that there is strong demand for a well scheduled race.” Kremzner is already planning improvements for next summer — hopefully adding an additional September event, cash prizes for winners, and the top 30 men and women all on matched skis. "Our goals with the series are multi-fold" says Kremzner. "We hope to diversify Nordic skiing so that we can interest a larger group of people in the sport, have summer evaluation opportunities for Nordic skiers, create summer events to maintain the important ski community social network in the off-season, and create an event series that effectively eliminates the competitive advantages of equipment." Series winner Van Genetchen sees the races as a great complement to summer training. “I think the roller ski race series is a great way to test yourself and push that high end in the summer. Skiers have a relatively short season, so most of the improvement comes during the summer.” Wonsavage agrees, saying “With the matched rollerskis, xc skiers can now use these races as an honest test to check their fitness against their peers. I hope we'll see more rollerski events in the future.” She also sang the praises of the new boots — “Andrew Johnson, Topher Sabot, Robert (Duncan) Douglas, and I raced in the boots. Considering the 86F temperature and 90% humidity, it was the boot of the day. Especially when I looked at the older boots most skiers use for the summer, it looked like they were skiing w/ down jackets on their feet, while we had on our while we had on our surf shorts.” “What is significant about this boot is what it doesn't have — a lot of the insulation, waterproof features, and cuff material necessary for a winter boot. Instead, the ventilation in the toe box area and the open ankle offers key "air conditioning" for those rollerskiing in the heat of the summer.” The race was followed by a biathlon clinic, put on by Ethan Allen Biathlon Club, and a NENSA coaches clinic, led by Andrew Johnson and Stuart Kremzner. Photos below Results
Related on FasterSkier.com
Women's Podium (Photo: Patrick Coffey)
Men's podium (Photo: Patrick Coffey)
 Series champions, Andrew Johnson and Ilke Van Genechten (Photo: Patrick Coffey)
|
|
