Kuusamo

After a very successful week in Kuusamo, we packed up and returned to Norway on Monday. We had three races in Kuusamo that were a mini tour format, so we raced three days in a row and the final race was a pursuit start based on your results from the previous two days, so the first person to cross the line won the overall tour. Some of the highlights from the weekend were Kikkan's 2nd in the classic sprint, Sadie's 3rd in the qualification, Sadie's 7th in the classic, and Noah's 9th overall in the tour and fastest time of the day. I was happy with my sprint and my classic race and even though I didn't feel very good in the skate race, I learned a lot by trying to ski with some of my speedy skater teammates as they passed me. Kuusamo was an awesome little resort town, but I was ready to see some sun by the end of the week. Lillehammer still doesn't have a huge amount of daylight, but we have seen the sun each day and it's crazy how happy the smallest amount of sunshine can make you!

View of the ski jump and stadium in Kuusamo

One day we ventured out from the race courses to ski some of the tourist trails. The trails were a little easier terrain and a lot of fun! Sadie and I practiced taking selfies on the downhills without falling.

Signing the autograph board before my race (FIS photo)

Sadie and me

Our Thanksgiving dinner...salmon and potatoes!

Andy celebrated his 30th bday

And Rosie celebrated her 25th bday

We had a team bowling night

I think Liz was the MVP, unfortunately she wasn't on my team

Noah put together a Hanukkah celebration for the team complete with dreidle and latkes

Fastest man in the world!

The races in Lillehammer this weekend are a 10k classic and a relay. I will not be racing in the 10k classic, but we're able to enter two women's relay teams because we have eight women! I was able to ski on the Birkebeiner trail this morning and yesterday I skied on the race courses. There isn't very much snow here, but the race course winds up and down a hillside and has some fun downhills and bridges. I raced Noah down the biggest hill yesterday and beat him. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but since he was the fastest man in the world on Sunday, I'm feeling pretty good about myself!

Holly and I have acquired some new friends in our hotel room. Now that it's December, Kikkan has started playing Christmas music, advent calendars have been opened, and Holly broke out her Christmas cloves and oranges, so we're getting in the holiday spirit!