The men’s 10 km free race was very fast-paced. Iivo Niskanen was far from the top, but was confident about his situation.
At the Les Rousses World Cup in France, the men’s 10 km free time trial saw a big surprise when the world champion of the distance and the race’s pre-favorite Norway Simen Hegstad Krüger was only fourth.
Before him, the last place on the podium was taken by the USA Ben Ogden. Third place is his first podium finish on a normal route. He has previously been third in the sprint.
For Norway, the double win was spoiled Iver Tildheim Andersen and Paul Golberg. The course was very fast, as Andersen’s winning time was 19:50.
From Finns Arsi Ruuskanen was the best since he was 18. The difference to the winner was 48 seconds. Returned to the World Cup Iivo Niskanen was the 19th
Niskanen started sharply. In the opening kilometers he was among the ten. At the end, however, it started to weigh.
Niskanen, who lost to Andersen by 49 seconds, was satisfied with his performance.
– It got off to a good start. It was a really good skate. The last free race was in Lillehammer, so the muscle didn’t last. My body didn’t feel good, but tomorrow will definitely be better.
– It felt better than I expected. When you get less than a free race from this, it’s about to get better.
Anttola was raining
Niskanen will compete on Sunday, when the 20-kilometer traditional joint starts take place in Les Rousses. He doesn’t expect to be able to break free in that terrain.
– The differences are small, so it will be tight and we will pull together as a group until the very end. It’s still nice to start hitting when you’ve lost one race.
In all respects, Niskanen is confident after his most recent race.
– I don’t think that my own striking ability will go in a worse direction from this. I feared the worse. It was a mystery when there was a long break from the previous free race.
Ruuskanen is not at his best on the fastest terrains.
– Considering the feeling, it was an okay bet. It was a fast-paced race. In the lowlands, you had to be able to pedal and work.
Niko Anttola was the 27th and Miro Karpanen 50’s According to Anttola, the feeling was not very good.
– It wasn’t the best feeling. Not really crap, but a moderate feeling.