On a day in which American Kris Freeman took the 5th spot, Lukas Bauer (CZE) skied away from the field after a slow start to win by 20 seconds. Said Bauer, “It was a super race for me but the start was not so easy. However the second and third laps were excellent. At the start many other racers were faster and when I heard my ranking after the first lap I thought there was no chance. But then I took the lead and I got better and better.”
Norweigan Eldar Roenning was second, German Axel Teichmann third, and Vasilli Rotchev of Russia was fourth, just ahead of Freeman – who finished 7 seconds out of second place. Teichmann started slowly, as he often does, passing the 3.1 kilometer mark in 24th place. “I’m satisfied with my race,” said Teichmann. “I started slow but I was able to increase the speed to the end. Lukas was the right winner and he is also the right man in the yellow bib.”
Canadian Devon Kershaw also had a strong race, finishing 16th, just under a minute behind Bauer. “Devon went out to fight today and he raced to win,†said Dave Wood, head coach of the Canadian Cross-Country Ski Team. “His performance was light-years better than yesterday so it was good to see him go out there and show he had something to prove.â€
Kershaw started fast, posting the 2nd fastest time over the first 3 kilometers. He was unable to maintain the pace and lost time over the rest of the course. “Devon’s speed was good and he was able to maintain it until near the end,†said Wood. “It shows he has enough speed and is fast enough. We just have to do a bit more work so that in the future he can carry it to the finish.â€
Lars Flora (USA) finished 62nd, 2:55 off the pace. Chris Cook (USA) was 75th. George Gray (CAN) finished 50th, with teammate not Drew Goldsack not far behind in 54th.
Contributing Sources: FIS, Cross-Country Canada, Fischer Skis
 (Photo Credit: Fischer Skis)</font></center></p>
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