Patterson and Sargent Score Points in All-Classic World Cup Weekend

Ben Lustgarten striding and gliding in Planica this weekend (Photo Nordic Focus/TokoUS)

Ida Sargent riding the pain train to another WC top 30 in Planica (Photo Nordic Focus/TokoUS)

Last Updated: 22.Jan.2018

The World Cup in Planica, Slovenia this weekend was a classic specialist’s dream. It featured two classic races, a sprint and a distance race, with plenty of sustained uphills for gradual striding. Three GRP skiers competed in Planica: Caitlin Patterson, Ida Sargent, and Ben Lustgarten.

Classic Sprint
Saturday’s race was a 1.4/1.6k classic sprint on a tough course with steep climbs and icy downhills. Qualification times for both the men’s and women’s races were around 3:30 minutes, placing it on the longer end for World Cup sprint courses. Ida Sargent qualified in 17th position, 6 seconds out from the winner. Patterson was 53rd in qualification. On the men’s side, Lustgarten placed 59th in the qualifier. Sargent raced in the 5th quarterfinal, and she placed 5th to end up 23rd overall on the day.

10/15k Classic Individual
The course the following day also featured icy corners and long climbing sections, but this time it was for an individual start distance race. In the men’s race, Lustgarten had a very solid result, placing 46th in a field of 74 racers. Patterson had a very strong result in the women’s 10k, placing 20th, +1:45 from the winner. This is her 6th time placing in the top 30 on the World Cup, and her second best World Cup result (behind a 4th place in the 15k skiathlon in Pyeongchang last season). Sargent also had a solid race, placing 37th in the field of 59 female racers.

All three GRP skiers will compete next weekend in Seefeld, Austria, where the focus will turn to skating for a freestyle sprint and freestyle mass start. As always, results from the World Cup are available on FIS-ski.com. Finally, the US is expected announce their Olympic Team tomorrow (January 23), so we will update on the Craftsbury and Green Racing Project site after the team announcement.