Tour De Ski Confirmed For 06-07 World Cup

Oberhofen, 24th March, 2006/ — Following a meeting by the FIS Finance Commission, the FIS TOUR DE SKI 2006-2007 has now been confirmed to take place as part of the Viessmann FIS World Cup Cross-Country from 29th December, 2006, to 7th January, 2007, two months before the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Sapporo, Japan.

Set to become an annual highlight within the Viessmann FIS World Cup Cross-Country, the FIS TOUR DE SKI will include eight international top sport events in ten days and be the first-ever FIS Cross-Country event that takes place at five venues in three countries.

The Tour will begin with two Stages in Nove Mesto (CZE), move to Munich (GER) for a city sprint on New Year’s Eve before stopping in Oberstdorf (GER) for another two Stages. The last three Stages of the first FIS Tour de Ski will take place in Italy. First a sprint in Asiago followed by a mass start race in Val di Fiemme and as a culmination, a four-kilometer long Final Climb on the Alpe Cermis on top of which the Tour winners will be crowned on January 7th, 2007.

I. Goals of the FIS TOUR DE SKI:
– Introduction of a unique winter sport event to crown the season‘s best overall Cross-Country skier
– Enhancement of the image of the Viessmann FIS World Cup Cross-Country
– Increased interest in the sport of Cross-Country Skiing in general and among the media
– Provision of an effective marketing and communications platform for FIS Cross-Country sponsors

II. Highlights of the FIS TOUR DE SKI:
– The FIS TOUR DE SKI as an annual highlight within the Viessmann FIS World Cup Cross-Country
– The first-ever FIS Cross-Country event that takes place in three countries and five venues
– Eight international top sport events in ten days

III. Tour Schedule:

Stage # and Date Race Distance Technique Start Start Times (TBC) Location
• Friday, December 29, 2006 Prologue 3K W 4.5K M Classic Individual 14:00-16:00 CET Nove Mesto, CZE
• Saturday, December 30, 2006 Pursuit* 10K W 15K M Free Handicap start 11:30 CET W 13:00 CET M Nove Mesto, CZE
• Sunday, December 31, 2006 Sprint 1K W 1.2K M Free Mass 15:30 -17:00 CET (Finals) München, GER
• Tuesday, January 2, 2007 Pursuit 5+5K W 10+10K M Classic/Free Mass 11:30 CET W
13:00 CET M Oberstdorf, GER
• Wednesday, January 3, 2007 Distance 10K W 15K M Classic Individual 10:30 CET W 12:00 CET M Oberstdorf, GER
• Friday, January 5, 2007 Sprint 1K W 1.2K M Free Mass 14:00-16:00 CET (Finals) Asiago, ITA
• Saturday, January 6, 2007 Distance 15K W 30K M Classic Mass 11:30 CET W
14:30 CET M Val di Fiemme, ITA
• Sunday, January 7, 2007 Pursuit* (Final Climb on Alpe Cermis) 10K W 15K M Free Handicap start 14:30 CET W 15:30 CET M Val di Fiemme, ITA

TOTAL 50K W 101.9K M 5xFree, 4xClassic 2 x Individual, 6 x Mass

* The race will start in the order of the Tour de Ski ranking. That means that the leader of the Tour de Ski starts first, the second ranked athlete starts next, etc. The starting intervals are based on the differences between the competitors’ total times in the overall Tour de Ski standings.

Note: The distance/technique/start format details of the Tour Stages are subject to confirmation by the FIS Cross-Country Committee in its meeting in Vilamoura (POR) in May 2006. Start times provided here are preliminary and may change depending on scheduling concerns.

IV. Provisional FIS World Cup Schedule for 29th December, 2006 — January 7th, 2007: