Denver Holds Off Colorado To Win One Of Closest Meets In RMISA History

Monday, January 18, 2016 • by Curtis Snyder, RMISA

BOZEMAN, Mont.—The Denver Pioneers simply said, “Not so fast!”

After watching their alpine lead disappear at the Utah Invitational last week, this time Denver’s Linn Eriksen and Moritz Madlener each won the classic races here at Bohart Ranch Monday to secure the closest of wins for the Pioneers, who end up winning the Montana State Invitational by just four points in one of the closest meets in RMISA history.

Race conditions were less than ideal with a few inches falling over night and another inch falling on the course after the race crew groomed the course about 7 a.m. Add more snow throughout both races, and tactics quickly began to change for skiers and coaches.

,p> Up by five points over Colorado entering the day, the Pioneers upped their lead over the Buffaloes to 11 points after outscoring them by six points in the women’s race. Eriksen won the 15K classic mass start race in a time of 54:50.3. She was in a lead pack of seven skiers at the end of the first 5K loop and then that pack remained at six women at the send of the second lap. She then turned it on over the last 5K to win by an impressive 23.6 seconds over Utah’s Veronika Mayerhofer.

Denver went 1-9-14 to tally 81 points and Colorado went 4-8-10 to pick up 75 points. New Mexico won the women’s race on the strength of a 3-5-6 finish, scoring 90 points, with Emilie Cedervarn rounding out the podium in third place and Eva Sever Rus taking fifth and Kati Roivas sixth. Colorado’s Petra Hyncicova led the Buffs in fourth place.

Utah, meanwhile, which made the final day comeback a week ago entering the day in third place and getting the win, basically held serve with the Buffs in the women’s race scoring 73 points. With one race left in the eight-race meet, Denver led with 556 points, 11 up on Colorado’s total of 545 while Utah remained in striking distance 31 points back with 525 points.

The men’s 20K classic race ended the day and Madlener ran a good race. About half way through he decided to make his move and it paid off as he ended up winning by 17.0 seconds over Colorado’s Petter Reistad. After the first lap, 31 of the 35 skiers in the field were within 26 seconds and by the end of the second lap, that lead group had reduced to 17 skiers who were all within 16 seconds of each other. By the end of the third lap, Madlener and Reistad had opened up a 30 second lead on the field and those two battled it out the last 5K with Madlener pikcing up the win. Reistad was then 23.4 seconds ahead of third place Aljaz Praznik from New Mexico.

Fitting that it was the Pioneers and Buffs that went 1-2 in the men’s race, those two battled it out down the final standings. Colorado’s other two team scorers finished 8-11 while Denver’s took 12th and 20th and the Pioneers needed most of that 11 point cushion to hold off the Buffs.

It was again New Mexico who won the race, scoring 81 points with two in the top five. Aside from Praznik, Petteri Vaherkoski rounded out the top five and the Lobos also had a skier in 13th place. Colorado scored 80 and Denver 73.

Fans won’t have to wait very long for the teams to square off again and this time it will be at the site of the NCAA Championships. Colorado hosts the Spencer J. Nelson Memorial Invitational in Steamboat Springs Jan. 22-24.

Action will kick off Friday night with a night slalom race followed by freesytle and giant slalom races Saturday and Sunday the meet will conclude with the classic races. The alpine teams will also compete Sunday in an RMISA Qualifier race, getting more quality time on the course that will determine a national champion in less than six weeks.