Jan 26, 2017

          
       
Its was the pre-pre-Olympic sprint, as the Korean National Championships, classic race was held in Pyeongchang, Korea. The event was a night sprint, with 41 racers, using the course for the upcoming World Cup at the beginning of February. The snow was mainly man-made with fast, icy conditions, and 2 large climbs, temperatures were -15 deg. C.

Julien Locke was the only Canadian participating, arriving the day before from Canada. He dominated the morning qualifier, winning by 16 seconds. Qualifying Results

This is Julien's account of the racing experience: " It was fun to race in the Korean Nationals. The sprint day was very well organized and there was a good turnout of skiers. It was nice to see the enthusiasm of the young Koreans. The course is long and challenging. It was a great opportunity for me to race the WC course ahead of next week and get a feel for the demands of the climbs, best lines for the descents and a handle on the tactics. The Koreans were racing fast at the beginning of each heat but this is a course that favours endurance with a substantial climb near the end. The last climb ends with a steep herringbone pitch before you drop back down a twisty descent into the stadium. It will be a critical section in the World Cup next week. 

I was happy with the body felt, particularly with racing the day after arriving. I plan to race the 10km classic as well."
Results