– There have been many different results and results on the course here. It is exciting, challenging and interesting. Lubrication manager Tobias Dahl Fenre stops while skiing around and around the stadium in Nove Mesto. There are several plus degrees in the air and around him there are green forests. A thin trail of artificial snow winds through it. There are conditions that can and have presented slightly unfamiliar problems. – It’s a bit like walking on glue, describes Ida Lien. – The forces are drained. It is a very tough road with wet snow. These are difficult conditions, says Johannes Dale-Skjevdal. Because there is something mysterious about the snow out in the Czech forests. The buttermen have worked day and night to crack the code. – We don’t have the same control as we’ve had in other championships, admits Fenre. Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen is usually among the roughest in the track, but something special happened at the WC’s longest distance. The double bronze winner had only one additional minute, but had to settle for 16th place, with a cross-country time that was a full four minutes and 41 seconds slower than gold winner Johannes Thingnes Bø’s. – I did finish the race on paper, but in practice I gave up midway. I got such bad feedback out on the trail, Christiansen said after the finish line. Like Christiansen, Sturla Holm Lægreid had a late start number, and he too was almost four minutes behind Thingnes Bø on the course. The latter went early. – You just have to laugh about it. It is sick that you are so far behind, said Lægreid. There were several reasons, according to the lubrication manager. First WC without fluoride The Norwegian men have cleaned up the table, and all the Norwegian skis are lubricated equally, but during a long race the conditions can change. And especially here in Nove Mesto. The warm weather means that new artificial snow is laid out every day from a huge warehouse close to the stadium. The trail is also not the same throughout the trail, due to, among other things, salting, and in addition the skis lose weight much faster now that there is a ban on fluoride. – It has probably affected the competitions in that it is a little tougher and harder to walk. We see a good number of runners who have a very hard time at the end of the competitions, confirms lubrication manager Fenre. PREPERS SKI: Tor Olav Håkenrud puts the final finishing touches on Johannes Thingnes Bø’s skis in the Norwegian lubrication trailer. Photo: Hanne Skjellum / news Therefore, there is some uncertainty before the WC’s last weekend with two relays and two joint starts. – It is a new situation for us and all the lubrication teams, so we have seen variations in the way that we perhaps prepared a lot at the start and communicated: that there will be variations from day to day and team to team. We have seen that in the championship here, perhaps for the first time, says Fenre. – I think they are very happy. The International Biathlon Union (IBU) is aware that the snow conditions provide extra work for both the teams and volunteers. – The organizer works hard to guarantee the best possible conditions for each competition. The hot weather and the new fluoride ban present new challenges for everyone, says communications manager Christian Winkler. In any case, the smear team does not feel that they have missed the championship completely, which is also indicated by the Norwegian result. But the athletes have noticed that a little extra work is being done. – I think they have had a challenging time, it seems that way. The route changes almost from day to day, it gets a little salty here and a little there. Suddenly it changes when we start with it becoming wet and sharp one after the other, says Dale-Skjevdal. FIVE OUT OF FIVE: Johannes Thingnes Bø thrives in Nove Mesto and has won five medals. Photo: BILDBYRÅN And Thingnes Bø, who has won medals from all races so far, pays tribute to both the oilers and the organizer for the conditions they have managed to achieve under difficult circumstances. – I think the greasers liked it. It is nicer to work with something that is a bit challenging, where you have to dig out the best effort and power. I think they are very happy that there are challenging conditions, because then they have something to motivate and hunt for them too, says the biathlon star.
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