Dear Jason@Fasterskier.com

I’d be interested to hear you and Devon’s take on this:
How far ahead would Klaebo have needed to be ahead for him to determine that it is NOT the best strategy to let Bolshunov catch up? Today, he determined that a 35+ second advantage was still too small. I find that this actually tells us more about what Klaebo thinks of Bolshunov in terms of respect than it does about how we should perceive Klaebo in terms of dominance. Let me explain.
Basically, Klaebo determined, “Well, if I ski this 10k as hard as I can and Bolshunov skis it as hard as he cans, even with a 35 second advantage, I still think I’ll probably lose….I better let him catch up so I can sprint by him at the end.”
What if he had been 1 minute ahead? How about 2 minutes? Hopefully you see what I’m getting at. We all know Klaebo is the king when it comes down to a sprint…he really can’t be touched. He’s a legend, he’s the most pure, beautiful skier, and his accomplishments/record is outstanding. But if he doesn’t think he can take down another skier by simply outskiing him….with a 35 second lead even….how can we consider him to be the greatest of all time….
And don’t let Devon get away with, “Well, it was obviously the best tactic for him, in these conditions, to do what he did.” We KNOW that. That’s the point. At what point does Klaebo have enough confidence in himself as simply being a better outright skier, over 10k, to simply go, “You know what, I’m not even gonna miss with this….I’m just going to bury everyone.”
It is kind of amazing really. Klaebo has so much respect for Bolshunov, he knew that HIS best chance of winning was to let him catch up so that he could win on his terms at what he is best at – a final sprint.

Published by rsederquist

My name is Ryan Sederquist. I am a man of many passions and dreams, and this website is the outlet for many of them. I am currently teaching 5th grade remotely in the Adams12 school district in Colorado. I have been an elementary music teacher in Alamosa, Colorado, as well as a 7-12 band director at Lake County High School in Leadville, Colorado. I am also in the final, final stages of acquiring my M.S. in Exercise Science from Adams State University. In 2018-2019, we spent a year in Presque Isle, Maine as I coached the UMPI Nordic ski team. I currently live in Leadville, Colorado with my wife Christie, a special education teacher, and our border collie-German shepherd mix, Ajee. Even though it is not my full-time job, ever since I was a child, I had the desire to do one of three things professionally - pro sports, writing about pro sports, or being a radio talk show host. This website is where I pretend to do the latter two, and when I'm out pretending to do the former, I listen to podcasts, think about topics, and pursue my wild dream of someday, at some event, in either running, biking, or skiing, wearing a team USA uniform. This website contains articles, podcasts, pictures, and journal entries that have to do with my passion and involvement in endurance sports. Our flagship project is the Seder Skier Podcast, which talks mostly about nordic skiing and attempts to interview influential individuals in the ski world. I also rant about the Big 4 sports, with a lean towards Minnesota teams (Vikings, Twins, Twolves, and MN Distance Running). I sometimes try to write Sports Illustrated like 'feature' articles about athletes as well. In addition to a focus on sports, you will find the occasional article or show that discusses the intersection of theology and society ...which is ...obviously everywhere. We place these in our Skieologians podcast. The heading at the top of my homepage reads, "Search for Truth. Play with purpose. Strive for success." It is the underlying theme for my coaching philosophy, which can be downloaded from this site. Basically, I'm always looking to search for the truth in my pursuit of knowledge, whether that is knowledge regarding the best methods for waxing skis, training a quarter miler, or defending my Christian apologetic. Searching implies a dedicated pursuit for knowledge, and that is what I'm about and what this site is about, even if it is simply for providing viewers with an accurate description of a product. Play with purpose has to do with living out our passions because they are fun. I ski because its fun. I play music and teach young kids because there is joy in it. This blog is about celebrating the joy and fun that inherently exists in the pursuit of excellence and in the activities themselves. Finally, strive for success is built on the principle that true success is the realization that we gave 100% effort to become the best that we could possible be. It requires 100% in preparation, competition, reflection, mental effort, etc. If something is worth doing, I believe it is worth doing with that level of effort. Someday, I hope to race the Visma Classics - the entire season, wear a Team USA singlet, and have a job that involves writing or talking about sports or theology all day. If you know of any body I can reach out to to help me accomplish these goals, please email me at sederquistrd@grizzlies.adams.edu View more posts