In terms of racing strategy and tactics for mass starts, I think XC skiing is in it's infancy, especially compared to sports such as cycling. There is a huge tradition in XC that fitness is the only true determinant, and it's still not "cool" to draft and win it in a sprint. Personally, I have a great appreciation for time trial races, but things change. Bjørn Daehlie would have had a hard time to get his 47 or so WC wins and multiple Championship medals in today's racing climate - he wasn't a sprinter. I feel sorry for Anders Sødergren for the same reason. But things change, and the sooner we and the athletes accept the changes, the richer the races and race tactics can become. Because the new nature of XC racing makes it harder for the same people to win every race, and racers need to be able to admit when to help a team mate rather than go for the win themselves.

In spite of Alsgaard's sprinting prowess and skill, he hated the tactics the Italians used of betting everything on a sprint. But now, slowly, true team tactics are coming into play. The 2004 Marcialonga was a great example with Jørgen and Anders Aukland first used bike tactics to win. The same happened in the 2004 Vasa, with the same two brothers. They had clear tactics: Anders would pull away in the diagonal stride portion, and if that didn't work, he would help Jørgen win it with double poling by slowing down the field. They even had domestiques to help with feeds and to share the work load. Sweden and Italy scuttled Norway's hope in the Olympic relay this year by working together in the skating portion. Norway tried to stretch the field in the Olympic double pursuit with rabbits for the classic portion (the plan was changed when Estil broke his ski). I think every race has more and more of this going on, but there are no broadly available and truly skilled commentators who can get "inside" the race. I get so much more from watching the races on Norwegian or Swedish TV, because the commentators are more skilled, and there is more information about the racers, their conditioning and relative comfort with the conditions and the course.

So what's my point? There are tactics and excitement involved in all mass start races, and with events such as the new Tour de Ski next year (with a mini version this coming week in Scandinavia with the Vasa, the sprints and Holmenkollen), we will see more and more tactics. Mass starts are here to stay, and by introducing more elements such as intermediate sprints, points jerseys etc. the races will get more and more exciting. What we need are better commentators who understand and can get "under the skin" of the race. These new formats will help that happen. I hope.