Day 1 of the annual ski celebration Blinkfestivalen in Sandnes, Norway:
| SANDNES – Øystein Pettersen enjoys the town of Sandnes in southwestern Norway. Home to the annual ski celebration Blinkfestivalen, where skiers and biathletes from all over the world come to compete on roller skis in the city center. Friday, Pettersen defended his champion title from last year’s festival when he won the 15K roller ski race.Pettersen initiated the sprint early and cruised across the finish line while catering to the spectators. World Cup stars and Olympic champions including Petter Northug and Dario Cologna looked like second tier. “I know at least one racer here who gets a tad cocky when he wins on snow, so it felt good to do the same here tonight,” Pettersen said to Norwegian newspaper www.dagbladet.no, with more than a subtle hint to that someone being Northug.
In the women’s 10K race, Marit Bjoergen was, as expected, unbeatable. She too defended her title from last summer. July 23, 2010. From www.langrenn.com Translation by Inge Scheve, FasterSkier |