15. Ski tour: with Swiss lucky bags, but no Norwegian favorites: sport

We provide the most important questions and answers about the 15th edition of the Elite Cross Country Ski Tour.

The 15th Ski Tour starts on Friday. The starting shot is fired in Val Müstair, the end point is set 9 days later with the legendary ascent to Alpe Cermis in Val di Fiemme. Here’s what you need to know about multi-stage cross-country skiing competition.

Where does the Ski Tour take place?

Where there used to be events with up to 5 different stages, this year the organizers have limited themselves to 3 stations. After 3 stages in Val Müstair, the tour entourage will move to Italy on January 4. The 5/6 January takes place in Toblach, before the deadline of the second day of travel and the last 3 stages in Val di Fiemme.

Who is there and who is not?

As recently in the Dresden and Davos World Cups, the Norwegians are the great absentees. Due to Corona’s concerns, they are also staying away from the Tour de Ski. But the Swedes and the Finns are back in the game and should have an important voice in the fight for daily and overall wins.

Legend:

The Treichler should be absent this year

Dario Cologna on the Ski Tour in Val Müstair.

Keystone

Who are the favorites?

For men, the overall win over defending Russian champion Alexander Bolschunow should lead. In the case of women, however, the starting point is open. The Swedes, the Americans and the Russians in particular have a broad position.

Which Swiss do you have to consider?

From the Swiss point of view, the main interests are Nadine Fähndrich and Dario Cologna. The central Swiss woman is in great shape and has been the winner of the Sprint World Cup for almost 2 weeks. In the absence of the Norwegians, Fähndrich can also be expected to have a lot on the tour.

In the first stage, the skating sprint in Val Müstair, the 25-year-old should fight for the day’s victory. Besides Fähndrich, there are 3 other Swiss women at the beginning, including Laurien van der Graaff.

Dario Cologna has to improve from the start of the season if he wants to break into the top 10 for the tenth time on the Tour de Ski. The four-time winner of the classic (2009, 2011, 2012, 2018) openly admits that the gap with the best is greater than he would like. Cologna leads a nine-man Swiss team.

How does SRF broadcast the Tour de Ski?