City of Lakes Loppet Recap

It has been a season of extremes for the 2011 Minnesota Skinnyski Series.  During the first three races of the year saw bitterly cold temperatures test even the hardiest of skiers.  However, the tide turned during last Sunday’s City of Lakes Loppet as temperatures rose into the low 30s and provided beautiful conditions for the mighty race with 1200 skiers in the 35k freestyle.

The mens race was dominated by the one and only Matt Liebsch who broke away from the field at the 15k mark and never looked back, with CXC teammate Garrott Kuzzy taking second and Chris Cook taking third.  The womens race saw a bit of drama as Olympian Caitlin Compton snapped a pole early in the race but picked up another to win the race by over 5 minutes!  Following her was Kristina Owen in second and Johanna (JoJo) Winters in third.

The overall competition saw no cahnge at the top as Cheryl DuBois continued to lead the women with fellow Finn Sisu Vakava teammates Angie Robinson and Kathleen DeWahl in second and third respectively.  On the mens side, David Christopherson continued his dominant run by racking up another perfect race and extending his lead over Odd Osland and Jay Wenner.  The Skier of the Year competition between for the most improved skier from one year to the next is down to a horse race with Richard Anderson holding a ten point lead over Jason Dalebroux, with David Christopherson in third place.  With only two races to go, this competition is going to go down to the wire.

The age group competition saw a number of lead changes once again as the competition continues to heat up.  In the womens 35-39 age group Kim Rudd took the lead from Jena Ogston and holds it by only five points, while in the 55-59 age group Carol Markham-Cousin broke her tie with Robin Downs to take the lead.  In the mens 40-44 age group Mark Ahlers of Finn Sisu Vakava took the lead over City of Lakes Loppet Director John Munger in what should be an exciting finish with only two races left.  The age group standings are as follows:

Age Group    Women;                                            Men
00-24    Kathleen DeWahl                                    Peter Olejniczak
25-29    Johanna Winters                                     Eugene Beletskiy
30-34    Elaine Nelson                                           Jacob Beste
35-39    Kim Rudd                                                Bob McKenzie
40-44    Angie Robinson                                       Mark Ahlers
45-49    Cheryl DuBois                                         James Schultz
50-54    Marise Widmer;                                     Jack Baker
55-59    Carol Markham-Cousins                       Richard Anderson
60-64    Jean Lavelle;                                           David Christopherson
65-69                                                                      Odd Osland
70-74                                                                      Will Gosnold
75-79                                                                      Wally Hed

Finally, the heated team competition doesn’t look so hot right now, unless of course you are Finn Sisu Vakava who holds a nearly 500 point lead over their hated rival Peter’s Cheaters, with Hoigaards Breadsmith in third place.  Though Vakava might seem to have the inside track, history has proven that anything can happen during the last two races of the MiSSeries.

This weekend the MiSSeries takes its talents to Mora for the annual Mora Vasaloppet 35k freestyle.  Temperatures look to be downright hot with temperatures in the 30s and thousands of skiers ready to descend upon the small town.  With only two races left in the 2011 MiSSeries, the final stretch begins now.