This edition of the classical night race in the Italian Madonna di Campiglio occurred in January, and it offered a crazy show with surprising outcomes.
The Tough Course Set
The Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen’s coach set the first course. Kristoffersen often expressed in the past that he likes rough and tough courses and hates easy ones. So, the course was as turny as possible, which made it challenging on the steep slope. In the first run, we saw 23 DNFs, including the biggest favorites: Clement Noel (FRA), Timon Haugan (NOR), and Marco Schwarz (AUT). Alex Vinatzer (ITA) tried to get away with his straddle, but the camera put him to the proof and disqualified him. Alte Lie McGrath (NOR) ranked first with a significant 0,62-second lead on Loic Meillard (SUI) and Samuel Kolega (CRO).
The second run took place under a mist that got worse every minute. However, the course was icy and did not deteriorate much, ensuring fair conditions for everybody. But the course was again so challenging that at some points, the skiers had to traverse half the width of the piste to fit into the gates on the steep slope with waves and horizons. And once again, we saw many DNFs in the second run, precisely 9 (meaning that only 21 racers finished the race). As they had to ski on the edge, many favorites fell out in this night drama. One of them was Manuel Feller (AUT), who desperately needed a good result.
New Faces and New Flags on the Podium
The biggest surprise, however, was the result of the shortest guy on the tour, the Bulgarian Albert Popov – 1meter and 64cm “tall”. Popov smashed the course, and with three remaining racers on the starting block, Popov was seen biting his nails in the red chair. Samuel Kolega did not outrank him and Loic Meillard only managed to fit behind him. Fastest man in 1st – Atle Lie McGrath, waited on the starting block and with more than 1second ahead of popov after 1st run, the deck was in the norwegians favor. The Norwegian run started perfectly, and he increased to -1.21s ahead of Popov after 1 intermediate – but on the icy steep slope, McGrath skied out and did not finish.
So, the classical race, one of the most demanding slaloms on the tour, features a new face in the statistics: the Bulgarian Albert Popov. Loic Meillard finished second, acquiring the red bib in the slalom rankings and proving his unbelievable consistency this season. No wonder, we know how hard-working this guy is. Third place went to Croatia. Samuel Kollega was very emotional. He is having an incredible season and just got his first podium. This was the first time he scored any points on this crazy slope.
The night race in Madonna – the 5th slalom race this season – proved how exciting and surprising this season is. Looking forward to other races and maybe new faces on the podiums.
