Season ending 2019/20
Mar 20, 2020·Telemark
Unfortunately, the world wide spread of Covid-19 has also effected the Telemark World Cup circuit. The final two stops of the 2019/2020 season had to be cancelled due to the outbreak and thus the season came to an end.
Although this season had to be cut short, it was not without action!
The Telemark World Cup season began in the end of January with two stops in France. The first races of the season were held in Pralognan-la-vanoise and continued only a few days later in Samoens. In Pralognan, Bastien Dayer and Amelie Wenger-Reymond of Switzerland stormed out of the gate to start the season, winning the opening Sprint Classic races at the idyllic French resort. While Dayer continued his winning ways on day two, Germany’s Johanna Holzmann bested Wenger-Reymond to take her first Victory of the Season.
In Samoens, it was Holzmann who was able to persevere through difficult conditions on the first day of racing to take the victory in the first Classic of the season. Although Wenger-Reymond picked up her pace on the second and third day of racing, taking victories in both the Classic and Sprint Classic. On the men’s side, Samoens belonged to Switzerlands Stefan Matter. The Engelberger was unstoppable, taking victories in all three events.
After a short break, the World Cup moved on to Rjukan, Norway in the beginning of February where racers spent almost a week of great racing. The women’s side was again dominated by Wenger-Reymond, who won both Sprint Classic and the Parallel Sprint event of the season. On the men’s side it was again Bastien Dayer who dominated the Sprint events. Although it was Jure Ales who would take what would turn out to be the final victory of 2019/2020 in the Parallel Sprint.
The unseasonably warm and stormy weather conditions also took a toll on this years Telemark World Cup. The events in Bad Hindelang / Oberjoch, Germany scheduled for mid February were cancelled after heavy storms and wind devestated the racing slope there.
As the athletes and teams prepared for the final stops of the World Cup season in Mürren and Thyon, Switzerland, so too was the COVID-19 virus spreading rapidly throughout Europe. While both Organizing comittees, who had already taken on the cancelled events from Germany, worked tirelessly to prepare the events for this season, both made the difficult but correct decision to cancel the events in an effort to curb the spread of the virus.
While we are all disappointed with the abrupt end to the 2019/2020 season, we would like to congratulate the winners of this season, and look forward to more World Cup Telemark action to come in 2020/2021!
