PHOTO: Bildbyrån
The rules of this year’s Tour de Ski are not crystal clear.
Not even for the riders themselves.
– I had no idea about that, says Calle Halfvarsson to Expressen.
The first three stages of the Tour de Ski have been completed. This means that the tour now moves on from Toblach, Italy to Davos in Switzerland. Two races await there before the finish in Val di Fiemme.
Calle in Tour de Ski
The big star Johannes Hösflot Kläbo did not make it to the start in the Tour de Ski due to illness. But despite that, there are three Norwegians who top the total so far in the competition. Harald Östberg Amundsen, Erik Valnes and John Thomas Jensen is the one that performed best during the three initial stages.
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Happily, we find a Swede in joint fourth place – William Poromaa. The 23-year-old is one minute and four seconds behind number one Amundsen, just like the Norwegian Martin Löwström Nyenget. For Calle Halfvarsson, who got sick with corona just before the tour, it has been tougher. The 34-year-old is in 29th place overall, almost three minutes behind Amundsen.
Halfvarsson’s confusion
In the chase start, Poromaa came fourth, and was a tenth of a second off the podium. But it was a dark day for Halfvarsson, who finished three minutes behind the winner Amundsen. The conditions for the start of the chase were such that the start time was based on the overall standings in the tour. When the start of the hunt in Davos approaches on Thursday, however, the conditions are different.
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The start times are then based on the result in Wednesday’s sprint. Something that confused many, including Calle Halfvarsson.
– It is very strange. I don’t understand why they do this. I had no idea about it before today, he tells Expressen.
READ MORE: Frida Karlsson is now fighting back in the best possible way – after harsh Norwegian criticism: “I already said that…”
Criticizes the ending
The Tour de Ski also does not end with a chase start. Thus, it is not necessarily the overall winner who will finish first in the finish.
– Now it’s not a person who understands who actually wins at the finish line. That is the big mistake on this tour, says Halfvarsson to the evening newspaper.
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Andrew Musgrave is equally confused.
– So, I was allowed to sit and start googling to understand what applies. It’s downright ridiculous, says the Briton in the podcast “Skirious problems”.
READ MORE: Anders Blomqvist’s unexpected verdict on Calle Halfvarsson and William Poromaa – before the tough challenge: “They can be…”
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