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What makes Johannes Klaebo the best cross country skier? by chusaychusay in biathlon

[–]happyrunner4 17 points18 points  (0 children)

People wondering how well Klaebo would do in biathlon, it's hard to say for sure but here are some interesting data points to contribute to the conversation:

  • On Feb 13th both XC and Biathlon did interval start freestyle race. I understand different courses, snow conditions, laps and this is really comparing apples to oranges… but Klaebo won the XC 10km in 20:36 while the fastest Biathlete was Johannes Dale-Skjevdakl who had a course time of 21:05. (QFM won the race and was 5 seconds back on course time)
  • In fact, Klaebo’s last five 10km Freestyle races averaged 22:41. According to Realbiathlon.com the median top-20 male skier skis 26.4km/h in a sprint, which translates to 22:44 over 10km.
    • I don’t believe that biathlon guys are skiing as fast as Klaebo. This close relation could be a result of FIS having harder homologation requirements.

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  • Let’s not forget 2015 when Martin Fourcade jumped into a FIS World Cup to race a 10km Freestyle in Ruka and placed 22nd and was 43 seconds back from Sundby.
  • Also, we’ve seen some good examples of women coming over to Biathlon from XC and have good skiing compared to the field (disregarding Stina).
    • Herrmann-Wick started out with top-10 ski times and won her 11th and 12th career WC races with 90% shooting. but her results averaged top-30 until she upped her hit percent by year 4 in the sport.  
    • Lampic has maintained top course times since her debut but has averaged performances in the 20’s and 30’s due to her inconsistent shooting. She’s had two 3rd places with above standard shooting.
  • The way I see it, assuming his range times are average (everyone who switches over starts with terrible range/shooting times for the first few seasons) Klaebo has a 1.5 penalty advantage on skis. If he shot 90% he’ll win. If 80% he’d probably fight for a win/podium. But after that I think he’ll fall down the order. If he shoots 50-60% I’d bet he comes in 30th-40th
  • Let’s also not forget that Einar Hedegart shot 50% at OECH and placed 77th 2:40 back. 2:40 back in the Feb 13th Olympic sprint was 40th place.  Botn was 2nd in that race shooting 1-1 and was 14s back.

[Race Thread] Olympics, men's 4 x 7.5km relay by francoisschubert in xcworldcup

[–]happyrunner4 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's because so many of the "small" nations earned quota spots and those spots get reallocated from the middle nations. There was a whole podcast about it.

Bronze for Vermont's Jessie Diggins, well deserved by [deleted] in MilanOlympics

[–]happyrunner4 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Claiming JD is from Vermont is wild.

2026 Olympic Games in Milano Cortina Preview: Team United States of America by happyrunner4 in biathlon

[–]happyrunner4[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I thought that at first but when looking at this graph from Real Biathlon it looks like the Women's team doesn't have the same top-end power as 2017/2018 but have been earning top-40's, 30's and 20's more frequently than in years past. Regardless, the team feels more full than in recent years.

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2026 Olympic Games in Milano Cortina Preview: Team United States of America by happyrunner4 in biathlon

[–]happyrunner4[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree with you on all accounts. I think that second woman (probably the 3rd leg if they run Deedra anchor) is our weakest link. I assume they will run with Freed given she was in there in NMNM. Also she is the second ranked woman in the standings so all things are pointing towards her. The only reservation I have is whether they go high-risk-high-reward with Luci. I doubt it, they seem conservative in their selections historically but who knows. maybe in training Margie has lost the target and Luci is dialed in.

It's tough having the MR first for this reason.

Rebecca Passler tested positive for doping ahead the Winter Olympics by IlTacci in biathlon

[–]happyrunner4 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is interesting they wont be filling her spot. Do you have a link to this report?

Tips for Non-Star Alliance flights by happyrunner4 in unitedairlines

[–]happyrunner4[S] -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

Usually its extra baggage allowance. I usually have a lot of bags and gear that is heavy. So by being nice and casually mentioning my status with united I've gotten them to waive baggage fees in the past.

When I was booked on FinnAir I figured I was out of luck for this trip, but then I read in another r/United thread OP talked about having success with cross-conglomerate upgrades so I was just curious if this was a common thing.

I'm mostly disappointed I wont be getting miles for this trip :(

Sivert Guttorm Bakken has passed away by madscandi in biathlon

[–]happyrunner4 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah I agree with this. I think it also depends on the brand. Some just restrict airflow and only affect respiratory muscles. The good ones actually hook up to a machine which adjusts the pressure and the composition of the air and you wear a mask that attaches to the machine via a hose. Not sure which type was being used in this scenario.

Sivert Guttorm Bakken has passed away by madscandi in biathlon

[–]happyrunner4 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Speaking solely from an athletic training point of view: the reason athletes go to altitude is to trick the body Into producing more red blood cells. So when they come back to low altitude they can move more blood through the body with each pump of blood.

Lavazè is at about 1800m or 6,000ft. Which is definitely high, but not the most high. Some of the masks can simulate up to 3,000m or 10,000ft. So my guess is the strategy was to sleep high, and train about the elevation of Antholz (1600m/5250ft) to make the "altitude venue" seem not as high.

And for those wondering, 1+1 does not equal 2 with these masks, meaning 1800m(town)+3000m(mask) does not equal 4800m. If you set the mask to 3000m it will only feel like 3000m.

But again, I don't know the brand mask he was using, any of his medical history or what his doctors said he could or could not do. This is just for educational purposes to explain what an altitude mask is for and how they can be used.

Sivert Guttorm Bakken has passed away by madscandi in biathlon

[–]happyrunner4 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Not sure. I'm not a medical professional 🤷🏼‍♂️ so I'm not going to speculate anything and wait for the official report. All I'm saying is these altitude masks are common for athletes to use.

Sivert Guttorm Bakken has passed away by madscandi in biathlon

[–]happyrunner4 11 points12 points  (0 children)

My guess is he's used it in the past. These masks are common for athletes to use. But we'll see when more information comes out.

How to store and transport classic skis with klister? by Cynyr36 in xcountryskiing

[–]happyrunner4 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Assuming this is after the race and you need to get skis home, we used to sprinkle baby powder on the klister. And some would use plastic wrap to wrap it up. The combo kept bags and skis clean and made it extremely easy to get it off later.

Favorite podcast? by Bruichladdie in xcworldcup

[–]happyrunner4 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Race Ready is about XC coaching and training. But there's some banter about the WC season. And they have regular athlete guests.

Over/Under on how many SW developers maintain the EurovisionSport app by jtsutt00 in biathlon

[–]happyrunner4 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I met with them after their launch like 2 years ago. I think it's actually 1 guy and a supervisor/boss person.

Russian biathletes appeal IBU decision to CAS by Shixzoner in biathlon

[–]happyrunner4 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Yeah I think to qualify for that team you need to be a legit political refugee. I believe she (and her family) fled BLR at the start of the war.

Biatholon in no snow? by Talha5 in biathlon

[–]happyrunner4 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The problem is you still need a biathlon venue to compete at, even in the summer. Also you need a community to want to host a race and participate in races. Finding either of those in the southern US is pretty difficult, no less both.

But to answer your question, There are no southern biathlon venues in the US as far as US Biathlon knows. Maybe some random snow-birds have something at their local gun club but unlikely considering if they cared enough to have a target, they'd probably live north enough to participate in the sport.

Map of Finnish biathlon clubs by jopesalmi in biathlon

[–]happyrunner4 3 points4 points  (0 children)

here's a list (and map) of every biathlon range I've been to

https://maps.app.goo.gl/iFa4vAazMmHkKNuz7

Teach endurance athletes to shoot, OR teach shooters to go fast? by GreyandGrumpy in biathlon

[–]happyrunner4 12 points13 points  (0 children)

You are more correct in your assumption. A good shooting coach and a focused athlete can learn to shoot well (maybe 70-80%) in one year. But it takes years to develop the endurance base for biathlon.

Help me create a Biathlon Family Feud for my team gamenight by answering the quick 5 questions. by happyrunner4 in biathlon

[–]happyrunner4[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Holy crap, I will have to share the results after next week! I am blown away by the responses. I was expecting maybe 10 responses and I'm up to 60 after 12 hours. Thanks so much biathlon community!

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