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How to beat the Italians at the Birkie?
I wonder what Nathan, Justin, Marc, and other super fast guys think
about the fact that the Italians show up, work as a team and keep winning the Birkie year after year. I understand that the Italians are very good (hey, there was Fauner skiing with them this year), but didn't Marc finish just several seconds behind? I am just a middle-of-the-pack skier who is happy about just keeping his wave 1 start, but... Do the Factory team guys have some kind of a strategy? After all, the Birkie is the premier North American race... |
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#2
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How to beat the Italians at the Birkie?
It seems to me that the Italians are up front at the finish for one
important reason: they are really good, really fast skiers. Sure, they work together, but drafting alone doesn't get you to the finish line in the lead pack. If guys like Nathan, Justin, etc. are minutes behind, there's not much strategy that's going to get them into the winner's circle. They have to be able to ski with the pack for the duration to have a shot at it. As for Marc, he did great but didn't have the closing speed to battle for the win. Until the Americans can get multiple skiers in the lead pack at the end, there's little good in talking strategy, i.e., it's simple: head for the lead pack and hang on as long as possible. On the other hand, other than Zanatel drafting behind Cattaneo for much of the race, I haven't heard much about the strategy that the Italians were using. Were they slowing the pace (to favor the sprinters at the end). Were they surging (to drop slower skiers). Were they keeping other skiers from cutting into the pack near the front. I heard that Flora and Gilbertson both took turns at the front, so they didn't control the pace the whole way. I do wonder how they managed to get their skiers into 1st through 4th coming off the lake. Cheers, Brian In article , revyakin wrote: I wonder what Nathan, Justin, Marc, and other super fast guys think about the fact that the Italians show up, work as a team and keep winning the Birkie year after year. I understand that the Italians are very good (hey, there was Fauner skiing with them this year), but didn't Marc finish just several seconds behind? I am just a middle-of-the-pack skier who is happy about just keeping his wave 1 start, but... Do the Factory team guys have some kind of a strategy? After all, the Birkie is the premier North American race... |
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