15:25
begin
Now the starting signal sounds. The remaining 57 athletes set out from five corridors in Lago die Tesero.
15:23
conditions
In the valley we are here at an altitude of around 1,000 meters. The temperatures are around three degrees. Since the sun doesn’t play a role anyway due to the cloudiness, it is more likely to attract. So the snow conditions should be right.
15:19
Four Swiss
We didn’t have an Austrian cross-country skier with us on this year’s tour right from the start. The Swiss have four athletes left. The best in the overall ranking is Jonas Baumann (20th). Its federal compatriots are more of an accessory, are around ten minutes behind. That would be Roman Furger (41st), Candide Pralong (44th) and Cyril Fähndrich (45th). A total of 57 athletes want to face this special challenge today – of the 111 who had tackled the sprint qualification in Lenzerheide at the end of last year at the start of the tour.
15:11
German quartet
Since Thomas Bing no longer does this final stage, a German quartet has remained. Janosch Brugger, who is sixteenth in the overall ranking, has a good chance of making it into the top 15. Friedrich Moch is also doing very well on his first tour as 22nd. Lucas Bögl (28th) and Albert Kuchler (36th) are also there.
15:02
Klæbo on course for victory
For the third time since the 2019/2020 tour, the final stage will not be held as a pursuit, but as a mass start race. The first at the finish is not necessarily the tour winner. On the way up, overall leader Johannes Høsflot Klæbo is allowed to build two minutes of cushion on the first rival Alexander Bolshunov. According to what we know so far, that should be enough for the Norwegian for his second triumph after 2018/2019. Iivo Niskanen and Erik Valnes are then already around three minutes behind. It’s all about the podium. There could be a separate race for the day’s win. Denis Spitsov would be a candidate for this. The Russian was the fastest in the mountain run last year. But of course this demanding competition is subject to very special laws. Let’s wait and see what happens.
14:53
Final climb
At the valley station of the Fondovalle cable car, the route turns left – into the alpine ski slope. You have a little mercy on the athletes. There are only three and a half kilometers to climb from below. This includes a predominantly red marked alpine slope section. However, gradients of up to 30 percent await the athletes. At the particularly steep points, the route is laid out in serpentines. The suffering comes to an end near the middle station Doss dei Laresi. The winners will be chosen there.
14:44
Alpe Cermis
From the cross-country stadium in Lago di Tesero, it is initially quite leisurely in the valley. Over two-thirds of the ten-kilometer competition distance, this is a rather harmless affair. This section of the route is part of the legendary Marcialonga, a 70-kilometer cross-country skiing marathon. The alpine ski area Alpe Cermis is reached near Cavalese, a small town in Trentino. Its longest continuous descent is a more than seven kilometers long mostly black slope called Olimpia. And the Nordic skiers have to climb these up.
14:34
Welcome
Welcome to the Tour de Ski! On the final day of the Fiemme Valley, the sixth stage of the grueling final ascent to Alpe Cermis is now also on the program for the men. At 3:25 p.m., the cross-country skiers tackle the task.