Goms World Cup/U23 World Championships
Goms World Cup:
With a successful trials, I was very excited to qualify for world juniors my first year back racing after my injury. I also got a chance to race my first world cup after my hip surgery in Goms. So with all of this racing ahead I made my way to Europe. Traveling to Goms was a long day. It started at about 4 AM Calgary time and I did not get to Goms until about 48h later. It started with a flight from Calgary to Toronto. Then Toronto to Munich. In Munich I was picked up by the team and we drove to Goms. But on our way, we ran into some issues. The team van we drive is… let's just say a bit old. It has a built-in GPS that Eric (our coach) loves to use. So when I got picked up in the airport he punched in the directions and off we went. The only issue was that when we got to about an hour away the GPS was saying we needed to get on a train to take the car over the mountains. Crazy I know, right? But it's a thing I promise. Unfortunately, the train we were relying on stopped working a long time ago but the GPS that Eric had in the car (that old thing!) told us it was still there. So we had to go on the train while Eric drove the car around. And somehow he ended up beating us. For the rest of the trip, we made fun of Eric for using the ancient GPS.
Taking the Train with the car on our way to Planica
In Goms the racing went ok but I was definitely tired from a big training block I put in trying to peak for U23’s. It was still a cool experience that I got and had a ton of fun seeing Xav again and hanging out with the U23 boys (Xav, Max, Sasha, Derek...)!
photo credits: Nordic Focus (3ed photo)
Ramsau:
Before we went to Planica (the venue that would host U23s and world juniors this year), we went to Ramsau to do a pre-camp. Because I got a few races in at Goms, I arrived a little later than the rest of the team. So I was only able to be there for 3 days. But nonetheless it was a super fun trip. Nice to get a few days in Ramsau skiing where it was so beautiful. It's always so great to get to ski somewhere new!
Planica:
The racing there started with a sprint but I decided to sit it out to rest up for the distance races. Getting to watch the sprint was insane! Being able to watch Sonjaa race so fast and end up winning! It was so cool to be there for that and be a part of the crazy team energy that came with Canada having their first female world champion. After the sprint was done I raced the 20km. It went pretty well all things considered. Left me wanting more but happy with it. It was a super hot day and the snow was very soft. The 10km was better than the 20km but still left me wanting more. It was cool to see all the boys that high up in the results though. Also, it poured rain for the race. It was the wettest condition I have ever raced in and possibly ever skied in. There were puddles you had to avoid, and the tracks were like rivers; rushing with water. Finally, it was relay day. The most exciting day of the championships. Sadly this year I was not chosen to be part of the team. I'm not going to lie and say this was easy, it was super hard. It was the first time I had been at a world junior championships and not been on the relay team. But it goes to show the strength of the team right now and that is exciting to see. Watching the race unfold was a roller coaster of emotions and it was amazing to see the team win. But honestly, it was not a surprise. I knew how strong everyone on that team was and I knew that they had it in them. An amazing day for Team Canada and I am so happy I got to be a part of it.
Photo credits: oneskatephotos
The travel home:
We traveled home the night of the relay. Drove to Munich for the night and then flew out the next morning to Minneapolis. I am now here for a World Cup before I head home. Looking forward to racing a World Cup so close to home. I think the fans are going to be incredible as the US hasn't had a world cup in way too long! But by saying all of that, I am also excited to get home to my own bed and start working on what's next for me.
Thanks for reading and following along with whats going on with me.
Chat soon,
Tom
