Arsi Ruuskanen, who skied at a convincing level in the early season, accepts with a laugh the assumption of the final climb of the Tour de Ski. Many people think that skiing on the Alpe Cermis alpine ski slope doesn’t exactly remind you of competitive skiing and you only have to skate the mandatory patterns for the overall result. Ruuskanen is strong on the climbs and willingly accepts the steep slope for the race program.
– Maybe it’s not a treat for everyone else, Ruuskanen confirms with amusement.
– I think it’s really fun to ski once a year. There may very well be one such race on the tour. The trips could vary a bit from side to side anyway.
At last winter’s Tour, Ruuskanen was ninth in the final climb and at the same time improved the overall results of the tour by eight spots to 24th place. The result confirmed that Ruuskanen does not run out of fitness even on the toughest climbs, but he is still careful not to promise too much for the final climb of the tour that starts on Saturday.
Unpredictable finish
The total workload increases unpredictably over nine days and seven races. The final ascent is unpredictable also because the narrow route along the Val di Fiemme riverside is crowded onto the slope.
– The last leg is definitely a good opportunity for me if the mood is good and it seems that I can fight for good places in the overall competition at that point, Ruuskanen thinks about his chances on the last stage of the tour that ends like an epiphany.
– But the final climb is such a special thing that you never know how the total load of the tour will start to increase this time. It may feel good, or the thigh may be completely empty already when starting to climb. It’s hard to predict.
STT Sports