Which races do you plan for next season?

October 1, 200%

The 2005-2006 WL season includes two new classic races valid for the “Gold” Master. La Transjurassienne (TJ) will organize a 50 km CT race on Saturday Feb. 11. On Sunday, skiers can choose between a 50 km FT race and the traditional 76 km FT race. Dolomitenlauf (DL) will extend the Dolomitenclassicrace to 42 km in the Obertilliach area, on relatively easy terrain down the valley. Because of the altitude of 1500m it qualifies as a Gold Master race. Thus, after König-Ludwig-Lauf and Keskinadaloppet, DL and TJ enter the club of races which offer the opportunity to ski two Gold races,   Saturday and Sunday, one CT and the other FT.

The IAWLS Committee was involved in these new developments. By definition, FT races must offer tracks also for CT skiers. However, due to limitations of space, classic tracks are quickly destroyed by skaters in many WL races. Numerous classic skiers have therefore expressed the wish to have a separate classic race. We approached the organizers of DL and TJ and encouraged them to introduce a CT Gold race the day before the FT race. Concerning TJ, this proposal was also supported by the Association of French Masters. We argued that this could lead to a strong increase in the number of participants, referring to what happened at Marcialonga where their decision in 2003 to make the race classic resulted in an invasion of Vikings from the North.

We encourage WL skiers to participate in the two new CT races at DL and TJ. Their efforts merit appreciation.

This page was last revised on September 16, 2007