This past week was my first time racing the Engadin Ski Marathon and my first time racing in Europe.  What an incredible experience!  I arrived at the Zurich airport Tuesday morning and without my checked ski bag.  Sort of a nice deal since I didn’t have to haul my 50lb ski bag on 4 hours of train rides.  From the Zurich airport I took a train with Clarke Sullivan and Caitlin Compton-Gregg to the Zurich main station, then Chur and then on the Rhaetain Railway up over the mountains and dropping into the Engadin Valley… so beautiful. 
We stayed at the Hotel Bernina in the town of Samaden.  My first day in Europe, I was kind of worthless.  Jet lag and the altitude made a 30min ski feel like a marathon.  But after resisting the urge to nap and a solid night’s sleep, I woke up Wednesday morning feeling great.  Lars Flora, my roommate, Clarke Sullivan and I classic skied up Val Fex for a mountain side lunch of risotto, speck, cheese, cappuccinos, cola and beer.  The mountain and sun were amazing! 

The next few days we spent more time exploring the Engadin Valley.  Everything is connected by bus, trains and a vast network of ski trails.  On Friday, we began final course inspection and ski and wax testing; luckily, my ski bag finally arrived so I could do the race on my own gear.

Tony Wiederkehr, our trip organizer, sponsor and just super awesome guy, was given the task of being Team Captain.  Tony was great at getting all the race details in order.  We had great logistics for waxing, parking, feeds and everything. 
The race itself was simply amazing and just a little crazy.  Starting with thousands of other skiers all at the same time is a little interesting.  We began on 10km of flat lake skiing into a head wind and soon no elite men wanted to lead.  Instantly our group was swallowed by the hundreds of skis.  I was stuck in about 500th place skiing behind the elite women and masters.  So much traffic I could barely move or ski.

As we progressed, the wide trail on the lake, up to 10 lanes, would narrow to 1-2 lanes at points and then back wide again.  Somehow I managed to move up by the time we hit the first uphill of the race.  I made my way into 3rd position hoping that the race would break apart a little but it was not to be.  I spent the remainder of the race skiing to close to the front since it was not relaxing to be in the scrum of the pack… I saw way to many crashes, broken poles and one guy shoot off into a river ravine!

The rest of the race went well but it was a very large group sprint finish at the end with lots of bike/team tactics.  The race course is mostly flat/downhill and very fast snow this year so the top 25 finished within a close span.  I was 25th place, 14seconds back. Other American men included Lars Flora, Billy Demong and Torin Koos... 35th, 38th, and 83rd.  The American women that raced included Holly Brooks, Caitlin Compton, Evelyn Dong and Nicole DeYong; Holly finished 8th, 2:30 back and the rest of the women finished in the top 20.  Cailtin was skiing near Holly when she fell with 10km to go.  She hit her head and suffered a mild concussion.  When I saw her last she was feeling a little better and recovering.

Switzerland and the Engadin Valley are an amazing place and great for skiing!  Racing in Europe against deep and tough competition was a great experience for me. I felt good the entire race and had a lot of fun.  I just wish the snow had been slower or a few more hills to let it become a little bit more of a fitness race instead of a tactics race. Overall, great experience!

-Matt

Thank you to all my great sponsors that made this trip and this season possible!
Team Strong Heart, Team Biekie, Tony Wiederkehr, Gear West, The Fix Studio, Fischer, Swix, Casco Eyewear

The 2012 Birkie was one of the deepest and strongest fields in the history of the race. There were elite skiers from France, Switzerland, Finland, Russia, Latvia, Canada and Norway (I think something like 11 Norwegian elites); plus a multitude of strong American skiers. I was trying not to get nervous or catch “Birkie Fever” before the race as my best results always come when I am relaxed. This year it was hard not to get worked up with all the competition and also the fact I had not raced for 3 weeks… the Mora Vasaloppet was canceled this year due to no snow. I watched live results from the weekend before as the European competition skied very strongly in the Madison SuperTour races.

In the 2011 Birkie, the European racers skied very well and took all the podium spots and placed 5 in the top 6. This year, "Team America" had a plan. Brian Gregg and Tad Elliott both shared ideas on how we needed to have the Americans perform better this year. It was discussed that we did too much work at the front of the race last year and that we needed to break things apart before the finish because many of the Europeans have a strong finishing “kick.”

Race morning I was fortunate enough to ride to the start with Santi Ocariz. He was so pumped for the race and he was certain I was going to have a great race. Upon arriving at the start, I tested skis and did the shortest warm-up of my life - about 20 minutes. The snow at the start was slow due to a dusting overnight. I picked a pair of skis that was good, but I was banking on no new snow on the trail south of OO. When I left my cabin outside of Hayward at 6:00 am there was no new snow. I wanted fast skis late in the race.

The start of the race was anticlimactic this year after last years pole explosion. The group stayed together until we entered the woods at 7km. At the time, just like last year, the strong French skier blasted off the front. No one chased initially but a few kilometers later, the strong Canadian racer Graham Nishikawa, bridged to the Frenchman. I watched from 20th place as those two hooked up, trading leads and skiing quickly away from the group.

In past years I would have chased hard and wasted energy. Although both of the skiers off the front were very strong and I was not 100% sure they would come back. I guess I didn’t want to chase as I wasn’t feeling it at the time and I was waiting for faster snow later in the race (unknown to me it had snowed 1/4-1/2 inch of slow sharp crystals on the entire course after I had left Hayward in the morning). Tad Elliott had multiple trips to the back of the pack to ask me to help him chase down the break. I said each time, “No, don’t worry, it will come back.” I was really thinking to myself "… maybe 50/50." At OO Tad was freaking out as we were getting splits that the leaders were a minute up on the group. Again I thought, "wow, this is going to be hard to close." I was still not feeling it and said, “wait until after Gravel Pit road at 31 kilometers and then we will get them.”

On the way, Brian Gregg took a hard pull to reduce the gap. At 33km I gave Tad the nod and I pulled, he pulled, and I pulled once more and we closed the gap in less than 2 kilometers. Finally feeling good, I blasted past the escapees and tired to crack open the race. We were on a gradual downhill portion of the trail so I was unsuccessful in getting away.

As we approached Mosquito Brook road I knew there was only a few hard climbs left on the course, and I also knew attacks were coming. I took the pace up a notch as we climbed Mosquito Brook Hill. As I expected, Tad jumped very hard and I was prepared to jump in behind him. Brian Gregg jumped with Tad and was so close behind him I though they were sharing the same pair of skis! Way to cover the jump Brian! There was a small gap behind Brian and I tried to fit in someplace. That was not a great idea. I managed to place my pole between Lars Flora’s legs. My pole shattered instantly and I skied the rest of the climb with one pole as the entire group raced away.

As I skied along with one pole, it was bleeding time. I asked many spectators, with poles in the woods for a replacement. They did not understand my yells. At last I gave up on yelling and just skied off the trail and grabbed a pole from behind some spectators. I finally had a pole, although it was too tall, heavy, bendy and the strap would not work for me.

My good friend and former CXC teammate, Santi, asked if I wanted his pole. I said “No, I am okay, my Dad has a good pole for me 5km up the trail.” Santi was having a good race and I didn’t want him to ruin his chances at a good finish. We were maybe 30-45 seconds behind Tad.

5 kilometers later as we approached Highway 77 where my my Dad was waiting, I yelled for my spare race pole. He put his hands up in the air. I forgot my poles were with Swix at a different location. I was completely deflated. I thought my chances at the win, a podium, and even a top 6 (the Birkie pays out to the top 6) were over. Before I knew what was going on, skiing close to me ever since I broke my pole, Santi took off his race pole and was giving it to me. I don’t remember what he said, something along the lines of “Go get em” or “Go win this thing” or “Go catch those guys.” It didn’t matter, the mental, spiritual and physical boost (I had a pole I could ski hard on) was all that I needed.

I entered into some race gear not familiar to me… I was floating down the trail, almost out of body. I caught and passed most of the group as we climbed the last big hill on the Birkie Highway 77 climb. As we entered the fields by Wheeler Road I could see Tad up ahead… he had been out of my sight for a while. I was catching him quickly but I was also running out of gas. I sat up and let others pull. We were not making time on him so as we got on the lake I pulled very hard again.

Half way across the lake I was so close to Tad but again was feeling my chase efforts. I knew, if I continued to close the gap, I would have had zero left in the tank for the race up Main Street. Tad wouldn’t have had anything left as he had played his cards already. I knew Lars and Brian were in the group but also some Canadians and Europeans. A worst case scenario was playing out in my head… American catches American, both are tired, and non-American racers sprint down Main Street to take the podium spots.

I pulled up. I said to the others, “we gotta work together to close to Tad.” No one had the energy to chase down the rest of the gap. I think everyone knew it was about conserving what little energy we had left for one more push up Main Street. I went to the back of the chase group with mixed emotions. I was bummed. My chances at a 2nd American Birkebeiner title were over, but I was also thrilled my fellow racer, friend, training partner and American would win the race.

Somewhere along the last km of the lake, I started to feel good again, both physically and mentally. I told myself, I don’t want to make this a few hundred meter sprint, so I swung wide and jumped very hard with 1 kilometer to go. I knew with the strong headwind, if I could get a gap it might stick. I had a few second gap but as I hit the soft snow on the beach and Main Street my glutes started to cramp. I just keep my head down and pushed as hard as I could. As I skied closer to the line I was almost certain that racers were going to come pouring by me. To my surprise, I held on to wrap up 2nd place! Once I finished I heard from my wife that my great friend, training partner and fellow Minneapolis resident, Brian Gregg, had finished 3rd, out-sprinting a Canadian and Norwegian. I could believe it; the Americans had swept the podium!

-Matt Liebsch

Cross-Country Skier Matt Liebsch:  Matt Liebsch gives it his all as he trains for the 2014 Winter Olympics.
By Adrienne Richter
Published in the March 2012 Issue of Lake Minnetonka Magazine

"In some ways, Orono’s Matt Liebsch is just like many other young adults his age—energetic, overscheduled, and trying to balance a hectic work schedule with the thrills of an 8-year marriage and the spills of fathering two busy toddlers.  But when you throw in thetiny detail that Liebsch is also training for a spot on the US Nordic Ski Team for the 2014 Winter Olympics, suddenly, his life doesn’t seem so average after all.

In fact, Liebsch’s skiing career has been unusual from the get go. Instead of growing up with a ski pole in each hand—as most elite-level Nordic competitors seem to—Liebsch spent his adolescence concentrating on hockey and soccer. However, after a scheduling conflict snuffed out his skating dreams, Liebsch was left with an athletic void to fill—one that Brad Rosch, Osseo’s then-Nordic ski coach, was quick to recognize.

“[I saw] in Matt a drive that I see in few athletes,” recalls Rosch, “and I was impressed with his hard work and positive attitude [in other areas of interest].”  It was no surprise, then, that these admirable characteristics transitioned seamlessly into Liebsch’s subsequent Nordic skiing career—propelling him to All Conference standing as a sophomore and the Minnesota state competition by the end of his high school career.

Unlike many of his peers, Liebsch decided to continue skiing competitively after graduation, and over the next several years—through informal practice with the University of Minnesota’s club team and dedicated, higher-level training with Piotr Bednarski of GO! Training—Liebsch dialed in on the technical aspects and subtle nuances of the sport, and began to fully realize his athletic potential. “I started getting faster because I was understanding the sport more completely,” explains Liebsch, “how the skis worked, how to wax, how to train, when to sleep, when to eat, how to recover—it all just came together.”

As Liebsch’s speed and form continued to improve, others around him began to recognize his developing potential, as well—including CXC, the regional governing body and Olympic development program for cross country skiers across the Midwest. In 2006, Liebsch signed on with the CXC Elite Team, training under Brian Fish, and positioning himself as an irrefutable contender for the 2010 Winter Olympics.  

Over the next couple years, Liebsch repeatedly proved his skiing prowess, scooping up first place finishes at the Mora Vasaloppet and the American Birkebeiner in 2009 (the latter being the largest cross country ski marathon in North America), placing third in the 2009 U.S. Nationals, and placing second of the U.S. men and 29th overall in Canada’s Canmore World Cup distance races in 2010.

Despite his obvious talent—as evidenced by a fantastic array of awards—Liebsch’s late start and status as a relative “unknown” in the sport still dogged his Olympic aspirations. “Since I didn’t have that formal training right away, I never really got in the U.S. ski team pipeline,” explains Liebsch. “And since I wasn’t in their system, I [realized that I] have to put myself in a position where they’re forced to recognize me. I can’t be [on the cusp]; I have to be the obvious choice.” 

And according to Liebsch, being the “obvious choice” for the 2014 Olympics means nothing less than asserting himself as the top distance skier in the country—a lofty goal—but something Liebsch feels is definitely possible “with the right support structure.” 

Topping that list of support essentials are the blessings of his wife and children. “Family is always first,” Liebsch notes sagely, “but there is definitely some sacrifice [with this training regimen], and they’ve already been through this once.”  By tailoring his work-out schedule around important family events, spending more time with his kids during “recovery” days, and keeping his travel schedule “concise and focused,” however, Liebsch hopes to minimize any negative impact that his Olympic aspirations may have on his family. He also works hard to keep his training close to home whenever possible—practicing at Baker and Elm Creek parks through the Three Rivers Park District, and competing in local races, like those hosted by Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis and Battle Creek in St. Paul.

Financial support is Liebsch’s next biggest hurdle, but luckily, he has found a workplace that pays for his passion. After spending a year working part-time at Gear West, a local Nordic skiing and running outfitter in Long Lake, Liebsch was recently promoted to a full-time position as their director of race services. Though his training schedule does obviously cut into work availability, Jan Guenther, co-owner of Gear West, is quick to point out the benefits of their symbiotic arrangement.

“[Matt] brings new life, new knowledge and cutting-edge information [to Gear West],” she effuses, “and he gains a lot of that from being out in the ski world and on top of what’s happening in the racing circuit—so with that,” she continues, “comes an excitement for us to work with him, to make sure that he continues to be able to reach his goals [outside the store].”

And not only does Gear West support Liebsch through flexible employment, they are also one of Liebsch’s major sponsors—along with family-owned Fischer skis, Team Strong Heart, Swenor Rollerskis, Swix poles, Casco eyewear, and Minneapolis’ The Fix Studio—and have been instrumental in the financial aspect of keeping Liebsch’s Olympic dreams afloat.

Once he’s out there on those skis, however, it will be Liebsch’s own electrifying passion and steely determination that will determine how far he goes, and whether our community will be afforded the opportunity to cheer for the hometown hero in the 2014 Olympics.

But regardless of the outcome, concludes Rosch, Liebsch has been—and will continued being—“an inspiration to the entire Minnesota skiing community.”