Cross-country skiing

There is an undeniable lack of skiathlons and legitimate distance races in the schedule. I honestly cannot fathom why the organizers failed to include even a single skiathlon in this year’s Tour de Ski program, opting instead for a mass start in Aspen... It is quite baffling. Incorporating just one more skiathlon would have fundamentally transformed the entire dynamic of the Tour de Ski.
At this point, Diggins has already pulled ahead of Karlsson by a full 1:07.

Two sprints and three mass starts? Give me a break! That’s just ridiculous!

Niskanen absolutely crushed it—she was on another level!

It’s basically a total sweep for the guys at this point. 😁

Kert Niskanen🙏

I honestly thought Ivo was out of the running after seeing how she sprinted through those brutal conditions. It was clearly a nightmare for the wax techs; they were struggling just to get the skis ready because half the crew seemed to be coming down with the flu.
This could very well be the defining race of her entire career.

What an incredible day for the Niskanen family! Ivo just confirmed he’s officially the king of Cross-country skiing classic technique. Bolshunov is looking seriously strong too—it really feels like his form is on a steep upward trajectory. And let's not forget Klaebo, who was absolutely stellar out there; he didn't lose much ground at all.

The betting odds today have Klaebo as this massive favorite, way more than Niskanen was just a few days ago, and yet he isn't even doing a sprint. I honestly don't get it... it’s not like it's a pursuit today, right? It's not like they're going to tack on extra seconds to his lead like they do in those other races.

Or maybe people are just banking on him because he's such a beast at distance skiing. 😁

neonjackal2 said:The betting odds have Klaebo as a massive favorite today—way more so than Niskanen was just a few days ago—but they aren't even racing a sprint. I truly don't get the logic here... it isn't a pursuit race, is it? They aren't going to be adding time penalties to his current lead over the rest of the field, right?

Or perhaps he's simply the favorite because of his prowess in distance racing. 😁

Look, this is a freestyle mass start. In men's racing, which is incredibly tight right now, these types of races almost always boil down to a pack of about ten athletes deciding the winner in the final kilometer. Usually, it all comes down to a frantic sprint between three or four guys, and you can bet your life Bolshunov and Klaebo will be right there in the mix...

The last time he actually pulled off a win in the freestyle technique was way back in 2017. Honestly, he seems to have much better luck grinding through those longer endurance races when he's sticking to the classic style.

I'm thinking about taking him head-on and seeing what happens—whatever, let the chips fall where they may.

neonjackal2 said:The last time he actually pulled off a freestyle win was back in 2017. He tends to fare much better in the longer distances when they’re using the classic technique.

I suppose I shall attempt to argue the opposite, though whatever the outcome may be...

I wasn't aware of that specific statistic; I actually went to verify it because it struck me as somewhat unrealistic at first glance. However, upon further reflection, aside from the stages in the Tour de Ski, most distance races in the World Cup are individual starts. Klaebo simply lacks the sheer endurance required to consistently challenge the leaders in an individual start format. In mass starts at 9.3 miles, where the race effectively boils down to a frantic 3-4 kilometer sprint, perhaps only Bolshunov can truly match his pace. But once you get into those grueling mass starts at 30 or 31 miles kilometers, that is an entirely different matter altogether...

Klaebo performed exactly how everyone anticipated. Honestly, I feel like they should scrap the mass start in Cross-country skiing entirely, or at least limit it to just a handful of races. It’s a different story in biathlon, though—I don't mind the mass start there because the shooting adds such a unique layer of tension and dynamic to the race.

Karlsson just got slapped with a three-minute penalty because she interfered with Diggins during the sprint

Honestly, she might just want to pack it in and skip the rest of the Tour de Ski. Those three minutes are going to absolutely wreck her standing. It feels way too brutal.

And looks like nepray is snatching the lead—she’s hitting the final stretch of the classic sprint right now!

neonjackal2 said:I honestly think she might just pull the plug on the rest of the Tour de Ski. Those three minutes are going to absolutely wreck her standing. It feels incredibly harsh...

And it looks like nepray is taking the lead; she’s heading into the finals of the classic sprint.

I am sincerely hoping the Swedish team files an official protest and that it actually holds water, because I truly believe Karlsson still has plenty to offer this Tour de Ski. You could see it clearly during yesterday's climb—she is easily the strongest athlete out there, and she remains my top pick for the Aspen finale. Regardless, I don't see any logical reason for her to withdraw at this stage. There are still two distance races left on the schedule, and even without a penalty reduction, I suspect she can fight her way into the top 15, or perhaps even the top 10. Either way, there are significant points available for the SK. With Johaug missing so many races this year, there is a legitimate shot at winning the SK overall. If we were looking at four or five more races, including some sprints to close out the Tour de Ski, then maybe I would understand the urge to quit... but as it stands, I believe the potential reward of finishing those two remaining races far outweighs the risk of staying in...

It looks like nepryayev has likely sealed the win at TDS. With F. Karlsson bowing out of the competition, it’s honestly such a shame things wrapped up this way. I can't help but think that if she were competing at the upcoming meet in Aspen, we would have seen a nail-biting battle right down to the final stretch for the overall title.

What an absolute masterclass from Johannesهِ Kleeb! It just goes to show he’s in a league of his much own right now—he didn't even need to rely on that signature late sprint because he simply powered through the field from the front.

In the end, there wasn't any massive drama, though we probably saw a bit of an artistic slump from de Fabian.
Of course, things might have played out quite differently if we hadn't dealt with that mass start on the final climb, because I'm convinced
that we would have seen some shifts in the standings—for instance, Niskanen definitely wouldn't have held onto that podium spot if it had turned into a pure sprint finish.
That said, the top 10 on that final ascent was incredibly interesting; it’s been ages since the men's results looked this diverse.
We saw two Germans, Esteva from Andorra, and then a Japanese racer rounding out the top nine at Baba.🙏

Johannesهِ Kleeb absolutely dominated and earned his title deservedly, whereas nepryayev just had a bit of luck on her side.
Still, you could argue she's finally seeing some payback, especially since she already has two other second-place finishes at TDS, making this her first overall win for an American athlete at TDS.

Honestly, this year's competition was such a massive letdown. It was just... meh.

And don't even get me started on that mass start. What a total joke.

How on earth is it possible that there is absolutely zero mention of makeup dates for the races scheduled in France and Aspen? It’s just completely silent... I was equally baffled by how they managed to cancel a whole string of women's ski jumping events without even a whisper of a plan for rescheduling them...

Gary Ward20 said:How is it even possible that they aren't mentioning any makeup dates for the races scheduled in France and at Mount Everest? It was just as confusing to me when they canceled a whole bunch of the women's ski jumping events without any clue about rescheduling...

Let's be honest here—there are very few countries where Combined events are actually followed closely, and don't even get me started on the women's jumping,
the money and the sheer overhead costs are likely the biggest factors. Plus, you have to consider the current COVID situation and how close we are to the Olympics; even if they tried to hold these competitions, most of the top athletes would end up missing them anyway. As for finding new
dates, there simply isn't any room left on the calendar.

Finally, some action in Europe after that total washout in China, Aspen, and Finland!👍
Sundling dominated the sprint once again, though Johannes Klæbo managed to edge her out by a hair this time in the sprint ahead of
Chanavat.