Chris Rose training for the big race... note the well-groomed track at Mitchellbeiner Skistadion!

Joergen Aukland has predicted that Chris "the Kick-Double-Poltergeist" Rose is the favorite for Sunday's Monsters of Rock ski race. "The course at MitcHELLbeiner Skistadion is rolling with no extended climbs... This course is perfect for naughty-bad-evil-double-polers like Chris Rose." The early Vegas line has Rose as 5:3 favorite to win the race. He has been consistent with his classic training, and has good results in classic events all year, albeit on rollerskis. He should be able to hold off Freestyle specialists, Mike Wynn and Mike White, with his impeccable technique. Expect rose to clock about a 36 minute 12 km. It should be close, but the early spread has Diehl at +15 seconds, Wynn at +16 seconds, Maswick at +33 seconds, and Kobak at +34 seconds. A good bet is biathlete, Tom Moffet who could easily beat the +55 second spread, despite his disdain for classic technique and kick wax.