Grassmarket

Andrew Musgrave 6th, can guarantee that’s an all-time best for in classic. Andrew Young 16th, also a classic PB.

Klaebo takes the early lead. Team Andrew showing well early on, very good news, classic has always been a weakness for us. Musgrave in the chair! Great to see, he suffered from over-training in summer 2019.. That’s the win for Klaebo. Good last 5k from Bolshunov gets him up to 3rd after trailing early.

Guigonnat is clear & fast after 2, still has a chance.

He got it! And has plenty time !

Podium for Fillon Maillet. Win for Johannes barring a miracle. Whoah Moravec!

Well, not quite, but the principle was the same.

We haven’t seen Fak but he’s also 15/15.

Rastorguevs building up for his classic 3 missed shots on the final shoot.

Yeah, must be, it was too weird.

Looks like the wind gauge PC reboot worked.

Early lead for Loginov.

101 starters, very impressive. Most sports are operating at 75% capacity or lower. Not as much snow as at Ruka though.

Ohoh, Karlsson leads Johaug at the first split... Johaug gets it back at 6.2km though. Johaug gets it by 21.8. Still got a couple of good Russians out on the course, but that’s surely it for the day.

OK for me; pay your bills!

Shame he is on his own: I always love the “random passer-by co-commentator” aspect of luge.

insane day all day tomorrow! From 08:30 our time CC, biathlon, NC, Ski Jumping, Bob & Luge. Plus chez nous, second round FA Cup - ie genuine honest uncorrupted grass-roots football - Euro Climbing, cyclo-cross, snooker....

Here in Britain nowadays if a sports pundit says that a Spanish, Italian etc sportsman “has a latin tempremant” they get instantly fired & can’t even go back for the second half. But since you are an official representative of the Senatus PopulusQue Romanus you can get away with it.

In Britain the BBC picks it up once every four years in Olympic years only. Well done Marcus Wyatt, first ever podium after storming second run.

Yeah, of course, we are on a mini tour weekend with a pursuit on Sunday.

Dunno if any of you remember the cross-country drugs cheat Johann Mühlegg*, but before he was caught he switched his nationality from German to Spain & competed at the very top level for a couple of years. But after he switched, he refused even to speak German & German journalists who interviewed him had to do so in either English or Spanish. Was always a bit , seemingly. * Temporary holder of 2 gold medals at Salt Lake City 2002, was done for EPO which had previously been undetectable.

Yep. That’s all.

That’s Norwegian skiing. There’s always some guy that’s in red-hot pre-Christmas form who fades in the New Year. I’m sure Klaebo will be looking to peak in February. Norwegian team also in the private jet club, according to the ES British commemtators. Good to see the snow is waist deep up in Finland. Decent day for , not often we get WC points in classic sprint.

Wonder if the Austrians and Hungarians would be interested. Or if the Habsburg family could come in as a title sponsor.

Not like lugers use their stomach muscles much. I suppose this is an instance of how sprint races are now more important for the overall WC than they probably should be.

Thanks for the invite, but I never do prediction contests. If I lose, it makes me look stupid. If I win it makes me feel stupid for not betting & winning lots of money.