Quebec City World Cups

Kikkan!!! Taking a victory lap after an amazing double victory weekend!!! So fun to be a part of!

 The Quebec City Sprints were absolutely AMAZING!!! This was my first World Cup event since the year of the 2010 Olympics. I have qualified for World Cup Starts the past two seasons but due to financial constraints I have had to forgo accepting my starting spots. This year thanks to CXC and their Elite Athlete Fund I was able to Qualify and Start these races!!!

The Parliament Building.

The Streets of Quebec City. The City is very European feeling.

  

The Quebec Sprints were held in Old Town Quebec City. This proved to be not only a fantastic venue for racing but also for spectating. We literally raced just below the steps of the Parliament Building. Apparently on Friday while were we were all huffing and puffing along the course during the Team Sprint, the parliament was still in session. I wonder if they felt a little distracted??? 

 Not only did I get to compete...I was also able to stay at the World Cup hotel. As silly as it may seem, this is a big deal! The past couple of World Cups I have done I have stayed with friends or friends of friends. This can be nice for the local experience but logistically being in the same location as everyone else makes the whole day much easier! The Hilton was located just steps from the start line and every meal was a buffet and always warm!!! I had a wonderful time catching up with my fellow Americans who have been racing on the World Cup this fall and the other Americans who I compete against in the Super Tour but never get to relax over a cup of coffee with!

Fans climbing the fences and walls around the course.

During the races the Fans were INCREDIBLE!!! This was only one section of the course near the start/ finish. The entire course was this packed and the noise and cheering was the best I have ever heard!!!The trail was approximately 800 meters and we skied it twice for each sprint. The course twisted and turned with a large bridge and even a drop down (sort of jump) for excitement. I have to say it was one of the most fun courses I have ever skied!!!

The first turn of the course with the Parliament Building in the background.

The fans yelling and cheering along the finishing stretch.

Kate Fitzgerald, myself and Lauren Fritz happy to be at the World Cup.

The Jumbo-Tron a few blocks away for spectators at the Equipment Expo.

There was an Awesome showing of USA Fans!!!

The entire weekend was a bag of mixed results. Kikkan and Jessie won the Team-Sprint event on Friday which was a huge deal. Becca and I were 18th. I felt like I skied well and left everything I had on course. For some reason I find it much easier to push myself to the limit when I am racing with someone else counting on me. During the individual Sprint I also felt great but failed to move on to the heats. Again Kikkan skied incredibly and WON her second race of the weekend.

Klister the Canadian Ski Team Mascot and myself out for a jog the night before the race :)