The Tour de Ski of the cross-country skiing world cup is contested at the turn of the year in a historic way. Only one country and two competition locations. Italy, Toblach and Val di Fiemme.
The Tour de Ski, the number one event of the World Cup tour, will now be organized for the 19th time.
The difference to the first years is huge. For example, during the second competition, in the 2007–2008 season, the number of kilometers traveled between the competition locations alone was ten times more.
Top names in Finnish skiing Kerttu Neck and Krista Pärmäkoski are happy about the change.
It doesn’t hurt the neck at all that traveling has been compromised. Pärmäkoski promised a year ago that he had skied for the last time at least on Alpe Cermis and even for the last time in the Tourbut now he’s at it again.
– This (two towns and one country) helped me go to the Tour. The transition between those two locations is quite short. I have a dog with me, so this also helps with that, Pärmäkoski describes.
In Pärmäkoski’s opinion, traveling less helps as many people as possible go on tour.
– Yes, this reduces the strain. If we want all the tough guys to be there, this is how it has to be done, says Pärmäkoski and thinks that it could be done this way in the future.
– When you think about environmental issues, why can’t there be fewer towns. Skiing is the most important thing.
FIS cross-country competition manager Michael I lamplotted according to the historic decision is precisely the desire of the teams.
– The teams have given us feedback to make Tour more compact. When athletes need to travel more, there is a greater risk of fatigue, illness and interruption of the Tour.
– Now we stay in Toblach for almost a week. I think this is the best we can offer for athletes’ well-being, says Lamplot.
Lamplot hopes that the Tour de Ski will continue to work well and that the tour will have more exciting races.
– Nowadays, it is more important for us to have exciting competitions and great competition locations. Traveling, 8-10 hour drives, are no longer so important, Lamplot underlines.
An exceptional solution from Johaug
The tour starts with quite a star cast. Only Finnish men’s top names and Swedish women’s top names that suffered from health problems, such as Ivo Neck, Perttu Nice one, Jonna Sundling mixed Frida Karlssonare aside.
Norway’s star skier Therese Johaug is included, even though it’s a value competition year. The last time Johaug has skied was in the Tour’s prestigious competition year before the 2015 World Championships in Falun.
– It’s a bit different now, when there are fewer countries, but you have to think about the total strain on the athletes. In that sense, it probably makes sense to compete in only two places. It’s a value competition season and you have to think about the overall package, Johaug told .
Norwegian Viaplay TV commentator and former top skier Niklas Dyrhaug reminds that the Tour de Ski is an important screen for the Norwegians for the looming World Cup home games in Trondheim in February-March.
– If there is no green light for the World Championships, you have to compete in the Tour. This is good for the tour, says Dyrhaug.
Is the Tour Tour anymore?
In the middle of the 2000s, the then FIS power duo Jürg Capol and Vegard Ulvang devised the Tour de Ski to find out who is the best and most versatile skier. Lamplot sees that this is still what the Tour is all about.
– The Tour is still the Tour. It’s quite a tough program this year. Of course, my favorite places didn’t fit into this year’s program, but this Tour is really good, Kerttu Niskanen describes.
Niklas Dyrhaug understands that a lighter Tour is better for guardians, athletes and the media, but reminds us of the traditional meaning of the Tour. He would not like the current Tour to be renewed.
– I personally hope that we will be in Switzerland, Germany and Italy next year. I also heard some rumors that there will be a big Tour next year. Eight or nine races. If I could choose, it would be wonderful for me and I would do it that way.
Norway is a big source of frustration
Swedish newspaper Expressen raised about the historical Tour de Ski also one drawback. According to Expressen, this year’s Tour is not only about being environmentally friendly, but also about the small number of willing race hosts.
Norwegian cross country team boss Ulf Morten Aune opened the issue to Expressen.
– Last year we were in Davos and Switzerland, but they lost an incredible amount of money while we lived there. We paid maybe only a third for housing compared to normal tourists, Aune said.
– We have talked about the Czech Republic, but it is really long distances. What’s left? Germany and Italy?
The Norwegian boss answered his own question.
– The Germans have big problems because the Central European Hill Week takes place at the same time. The only option is Oberstdorf, but it also overlaps. This is some kind of hell.
Aune does not hope that the Tour will only be contested in one country in the future.
Of course, this can happen. According to FIS boss Lamplot, next year too the Tour will have a similar arrangement with Toblach and Val di Fiemme.
According to him, it is not difficult to find race organizers, but during Christmas and New Year it is difficult to find accommodation for the entire tour crowd.
Head coach of the Swedish national team Anders Byström revealed an interesting idea to Expressen.
According to Byström, Sweden had proposed at the FIS autumn meeting in Zurich that a tour like the Tour de Ski could be contested in Scandinavia. However, it was not ignited.