The Preseason Episode: Descending on Ruka

Beitostølen, Norway and Bruksvallarna, Sweden hosted FIS Cup racing over the weekend. The news from Norway tells of a Johannes Høsflot Klæbo who might be back on form when it comes to his distance racing chops. He's also keyed in for the sprints. In his two races this weekend, he won the classic sprint and placed second in the 15 k classic. Therese Johaug, unsurprisingly, swept the women's distance events in Beito. Same old same old for her on the World Cup this season? Maybe. Devon also lets us know he was unimpressed by the members of the Swedish men's national team in Bruksvallarna. That may be nothing new to listeners of the podcast, but it's a reminder that while the women's program in Sweden remains on par with Norway's top-level talent, the men's squad might be poised for another let down on the World Cup.  This much is true: the World Cup begins this Friday in Ruka, Finland with a three-race series starting with a classic sprint. Every athlete, regardless of talent, sponsor dollars, or pedigree, will have to deal with racing during a pandemic. There's no need to dwell on what that means, besides the extra caution stakeholders and athletes must take to remain healthy. This will be a season with ups and downs, some unforeseen some predictable. In this preseason pod, Devon revs up for a race season rife with unknowns galore as the cross-country skiing world descends on Finland to kick it all off.