What a final act by cross-country skier Friedrich Moch at the Tour de Ski! On the last stage to Alpe Cermis, the 23-year-old came second and was rewarded with a podium finish in the overall ranking.
Friedrich Moch has made a difference in German cross-country skiing. The 23-year-old from WSV Isny was the first German athlete since Axel Teichmann 15 years ago to achieve a podium finish in the overall ranking of the Tour de Ski.
Moch came sensationally second in the mass start over 10 kilometers on Sunday (January 7th, 2024) in the final stage to the legendary Alpe Cermis. This meant he moved onto the podium in second place in the final tally of the tour. Victory on the final stage went to Frenchman Jules Lapierre, with his compatriot Hugo Lapalus coming third.
The Norwegian Harald Östberg Amundsen took overall victory in the 18th edition of the Tour de Ski for the first time in the absence of his sick compatriot Johannes Hösflot Klaebo. Given a lead of 1:34 minutes before the final stage, Amundsen could actually only beat himself. In the end, fifth place was enough for him to win the prestigious stage race.
Always at the forefront
“I’m trying to fit everything in“, Moch had announced before the strenuous climb – knowing full well that the Tour podium was only five seconds away. Even in the first few kilometers, which were still fairly flat, the field slowly separated. Moch stayed in the leading group, while Bögl was already slightly ahead had to be torn down. Even when it slowly but steadily became steeper after a good 5 kilometers, Moch was able to defend his position. At the front, Amundsen set the pace. Directly behind: Moch and his Norwegian competitors for the podium, Erik Valnes and Martin Löwström Nyenget .
Even during the first really demanding sections with gradients of up to 30 percent, Moch still seemed fresh. After 7.5 kilometers, the gap to Amundsen at the front was only 1.7 seconds. Meanwhile, Nyenget could no longer keep up and said goodbye to the fight for the podium. Valnes also fell behind. Moch was completely different: he remained in his position almost unstoppably and was leading the field at the last time measurement 800 meters from the finish. There was a duel with Lapierre, which the Frenchman ultimately won. Moch still couldn’t take second place and the Tour podium – synonymous with the greatest success of his career.