World Cup Rogla, Slovenia

The trip to this event involved a rather interesting solo driving adventure for sole Aussie athlete Callum Watson, an amusing account of which can be read on Callum’s blog. But he did make it to the 15km mass start classic, managing to hold on to the pack for almost a third of the race, which held quite a cracking pace over the relatively short (for a mass start) 15km. Callum said the tracks on Saturday were very blown in with fresh snow, making it difficult to ski efficiently. Dropping off the pack with two other skiers, Callum experienced some pain and difficulty breathing during the middle of the race, an ongoing result of chest injuries sustained two weeks ago. However he managed to finish a respectable 11.6% off the pace in 64th place. This result is around the level that Callum achieved during the previous World Cup season, and while he was a little disappointed and frustrated, Callum hopes to be injury free for the next races.

Sunday’s freestyle sprint went smoothly, with Callum achieving a slightly better percentage result than a week earlier in Davos, finishing in 75th place. The field in Rogla was one of the smaller fields for a World Cup, providing a more condensed spread of skiers and tough competition for signing the list!

After making it back to Davos without any major hassles, Callum will join teammates for the Christmas break before the World Cup races pick up again in late December.