Four athletes from the BSF Pro team competed in Canmore World Cup races: a 15k skate, skate sprint, 20k classic, and a classic sprint. Below is a blog post written by Reid Goble, Graham Houtsma, Erin Bianco and Logan Diekmann with their thoughts on performance, fans and what it's like to race with the fastest skiers in the world.
With that, let's get to it.
BSF PRO TEAM
Reid Goble
This was my first World Cup race, so it was a very new and exciting experience for me. The energy at the venue was super fun and it was cool to be a part of the races I watch every week. Friday was my first race, and it was supposed to be in the individual start 10k skate, but there was an issue with the timing equipment not getting to Canmore in time, so it got changed to a 15k mass start. This wasn’t too big a deal for me as I was just excited to start!
Now that I was racing in the big leagues, I started in the back of the pack…so that meant it was a bit hectic on all the hills and corners for the first couple laps. I knew that the pace was going to be fast, so my big goal was just to try and stay as relaxed as possible and conserve my energy. On lap two (of four) the field started to spread out, and I found myself falling off the front of the group. I knew this would happen at some point, and just tried to keep a solid pace and hang on to the people around me. I felt pretty good through the second half of the race and was able to catch a few racers. I ended up being 44th in the field and had a good finish to the race.
I also raced the 20k classic mass start, which was a pretty similar start to the skate race, except when I fell off the pack I was really hurting, haha. This race did not go as well for me and didn’t necessarily feel great, but still fought and was able to make something out of it. I finished 50th in this race. Overall, I was happy with my first World Cup and was glad I felt solid for it. The atmosphere was a ton of fun with the cheering, the sun out, mountains in the background, and family and friends all around!
BSF PRO TEAM
Erin Bianco
Last week I made it into my first sprint heats! This was sprint start and I was definitely putting more pressure on myself than in my first one. I was motivated to break into that top 30. However, while I was racing I just thought about skiing relaxed and powerful instead of frantic under pressure. Lining up for the heats was a feeling I won’t soon forget. However, when the race started you kinda forget who you are up against and just grind.
In addition to making heats, some of the other highlights included having my BSF teammates and coach there along with my parents. I feel like I always race a little faster when I hear my parents cheering for me. It felt comforting to have a support system there along with all the USA fans out on the course (and there were a lot!!).
BSF PRO TEAM
Graham Houtsma
This past weekend in Canmore I started my first World Cup ski race, and I could say it was a dream come true but that would not be an entirely accurate statement. I want first to say that I am incredibly grateful and extremely appreciative of the support from everyone who helped me get to the World Cup, something that I have been dreaming about since I was a little kid growing up in the Colorado Rockies. The support from the Bridger Ski Foundation and my teammates over the past three years has been nothing but perfect and exactly what I needed to achieve my dream of wearing the stars and strips of Team USA on the biggest stage in the world. One of the most amazing aspects of the week was seeing my teammates achieve the success that they have worked so hard for, with both Logan and Erin getting their best-ever World Cup results! I could not be more proud of them and happy to see all their hard work and dedication pay off!
With all that being said, the races didn’t go the way I wanted them to, with each race showing just how far off the top 30 I am. Going into the races I felt for sure that I had what it would take to at least be within a shot of the top 30. However, what you hope for and what happens are very different sometimes - reality is cold and honest. I saw that I still have a long way to go in my training before I’m knocking on the top 30 door. There were aspects of the races that I did enjoy, that even when I was off the back, suffering deep in the pain cave, I was having fun and that is the most important part. One part of my first World Cup experience that was pretty amazing was getting to meet and race against the skiers that you watch on TV, and find out they have the same stress and nerves you have before a competition. Overall, it was a pretty amazing experience and I can’t wait to get more World Cup starts!
BSF PRO TEAM
Logan Diekmann
The team had some great results this week. Starting your first World Cup can be intimidating and stressful. However, Graham and Reid handled it like season veterans landing within the top 50 and each scoring World Cup points. Erin and I both managed to qualify in the skate sprint and finished within the top 30.
I believe it comes down to the comfort factor associated with racing in North America. I’ve raced a handful of World Cups but none of them have been as comfortable or as fun as this one. Being in an English-speaking country with food that you’re used to and having driven just 8 hours north of Bozeman, to Canmore, really fostered success within the team.