Telemark World Cup rolls on in Switzerland

The second Telemark World Cup weekend was held in Melchsee Frutt (SUI) with a classic sprint and two parallel sprint races.

Glory at the Classic for the Switzerland and France:

With minus ten degrees, winter was finally in the air for this first classic event of the season. With two skating sections the Norwegians were expected to dominate. But favorites Goril Strom Eriksen and Trim Nygaard Loeken (back from ACL injury) had their hands full with the icy and steep sections. They both finished 7th.

Instead it was the Swiss and French teams  who claimed the top-six places in both the women's and men's races. The Swiss women Amélie Wenger-Reymond (1st) and Martina Wyss (2nd, +2,56) were unbeatable for the the French women Argeline Tan-Bouquet (3rd, +9,45), Laly Chaucheprat (4th, +12,04) and Augustine Carliez (5th, +13,35). On the men's side, Bastien Dayer won but the Swiss king of the Classic was surrounded by the French on the podium with a brillant quintet: Elie Nabot (2nd, +1,43), Petex Charly (3rd, +2,85), Noe Claye (4th, +3,32), Alexis Page (5th, +5,34), Yoann Rostolan (6th, +5,49).

Emotions at the Classic:
This Classic race was also the last dance for Swiss legend Stefan Matter who announced officially the end his racing career. It was impossible to not to cry, and emotions were high all around, for Stefan who retired in front of his former teammates and the Telemark Laïf crew to which he belongs. He said;

"The Comeback, home race, retirement - a lot of emotions in one weekend. For me it was the right time to say goodbye. To be on the start line one more time and to finish a race was very important for me. I made the decision to retire a long time ago because after my injury I just couldn't get back to my old level. I had lost the fun of racing. It was the right decision.

The races in Melchsee-Frutt are always very special for me. As a member of Telemark Laïf We always try to do the best possible to offer the athletes a nice event. I am very proud with the result of the Swiss team. It was a good team performance."

Antoine Bouvier (French team coach) said of the races,"Melchsee Frutt hwas once again a great stage on the world cup circuit. The "Monster Classic", on the steepest slope of the season, was successful for the french team. O It was also a emotional moment with the last race in career of Stefan Matter, one of the most beautiful telemark style on the world cup circuit."

The Parallel Sprint: Norway back in the game after a missed Classic race
After the epic Classic race it was time for two days of parallel sprint action which featured very tights races between the athletes.

The first parallel spring day already gave a hint of the winning strategy: engagement, speed and no penalties, a bit of strategy and luck. With a selective steep wall before the jump section, Amélie Reymond (1st) was on fire to win the first parallel of the season followed by Argeline Tan-Bouquet (2nd), Goril Strom Eriksen (3rd) and Laly Chaucheprat (4th). For men, The king of the classic was also the king of the Parallel. Bastien Dayer won followed by the blazing rookie Alexis Page (2nd), Elie Nabot (3rd) and Trym Nygaard Loeken (4th).

The French coach Bouvier traced the second Parallel Sprint race with more speed between the gates after the jump section and toward the Loom. The French-made course didn’t help the French, who missed the podium. For the women, Martina Wyss won followed by Amélie Wenger-Reymond (2nd), Goril Strom Eriksen (3rd) and Kaja Bjoernstad Konow (4th).

For the men the second Parallel signs the return on the box of Nicolas Michel (1st) and Trym Nygaard Loeken (2st) both back from ACL injuries last season. Dayer and Page respectively finished 3rd and 4th.

Trym Nygaard Loeken said after the weekend,"Melchsee delivered great races, and a good atmosphere, as always. To be back racing means a lot, since I was told the ACL rehab would take at least 9-12 months. To be back not only racing but also on the podium in the World Cup from time to time after 9 months is just incredible. It makes all the hard work the past year worth it."

The Norwegian squad was in the forefront for the Parallel Sprint and solid  team in Aal (Nor) awaits for the next Parallel Sprint of the circuit in February.

The next World Cup round is just around the corner with two sprint races in France in Les Contamines  (2-3/02/23). All eyes are sure to be on the Swiss team, who will need to defend its current leadership while dealing with a galvanized French team playing at home.

This weekend was organised by the Telemark Laïf crew, which was founded in 2020 with the organisation of the 2020 Telemark Swiss Championships. In 2021 the crew accepted the challenge to hold the World Championships and it was a great success despite the Covid 19 restrictions. In 2022 the steepest Classic in the Wold Cup calendar was held in Melchsee-Frutt. As last year the Queen of the telemark races, the Classic, didn’t disappoint in Melchsee.