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Jessie Diggins knows how to race for the win, but that wasn’t her job today. Entering Stage 6 of the 2024 Tour de Ski with a lead of 44 seconds over second place, Kerttu Niskanen (FIN), Diggins seemed likely to spend the race protecting her lead . . . especially with the truly challenging waxing conditions that greeted racers in Val di Fiemme, Italy. With snow steadily falling—and temperatures hovering near freezing—wax technicians scrambled nervously in the hours before the 15 k Class Mass Start. This would be a morning of anxious decisions—of risks and rewards—as all teams understood the consequences. Much could be lost in the Tour’s penultimate stage, but it seemed that most racers would be prevented from making up time gaps suffered in earlier stages.
“I had a bad race [a few days ago in Toblach],” commented Rosie Brennan (USA. “That was unfortunately the day that all the time gaps were made. It was really hard to make up time gaps in the last two [classic races] . . . It’s frustrating when you have one really bad day, but everything else is kind of where you would hope, or at least not too far off. That’s definitely been a mental battle for me.”
On a Val di Fiemme course that is often blistering-fast, optimal waxing conditions could have created a race that played out much differently. But in such slow, difficult conditions, the ambitions of those chasing Diggins were tempered by the realization that anyone who attempted to go it alone was risking being caught, and dropped, themselves. As it was, Frida Karlsson drove the pace the the last two 2.5 kilometer laps, only surrendering the lead in the closing meters to her teammate, Linn Svahn (SWE). Katharina Hennig (GER) rounded out the podium in third.
Diggins was able to accomplish her mission on the day by simply remaining in contact with the lead group. She would finish 8th, just ahead of Brennan in 12th, and Sophia Laukli (USA) in 17th. Brennan and Laukli skied together through much of the race, with Laukli commenting on her choice to follow Brennan so closely.
“[I] decided it would be smart to follow her because she is such a strong classic skier,” Laukli said. “I knew it’d help me out a lot. It’s always fun to ski with a teammate and work together a bit, so it was fun for me to follow her when I could.”
Ultimately, Diggins was able to protect her lead in the overall standings. She had begun the day 44 seconds ahead of Niskanen. After today’s results, Jonna Sundling (SWE) moved up to second (43 seconds behind Diggins) where she leads her teammate, Karlsson (who sits 44 seconds behind Diggins). Kerttu Niskanen (FIN) and Svahn round out the top five in the overall standings, 49 and 53 seconds behind, respectively. Rosie Brennan moved up to ninth in the overall standings, 2:09 minutes behind the leader. Laukli moved up one spot to 16th in the overall standings, while Sammy Smith (USA) occupies 28th.
15 k Classic Mass Start
The Tour de Ski field had dwindled to only 32 starters (from an original field of 77) by the start of the 15 k Classic Mass Start in Val di Fiemme, Italy. It’s just hard to finish this event, but with a Tour de Ski victory being worth three-times the amount of normal World Cup points, any contenders for the season-long Overall World Cup are compelled to finish this Tour de Ski.
Conditions continued to test the racers as many suffered significant slips on the uphills. Downhills offered challenges of their own as Diggins tripped heavily on a simple downhill when her kick wax grabbed dramatically during a lane change. That potential disaster narrowly averted, Diggins remained comfortably tucked in the middle of the pack through the opening kilometers.
“You cannot perform well in the Tour without competitive skis,” Diggins said. “And our techs have been absolutely crushing it. Today was just another tricky classic day, and [the wax technicians] have been handling it with such poise, and grace, and grit.”
“We chose to stay on klister,” Diggins continued. “I knew that on this course—at this stage in the Tour—the most important thing was that I would have kick. Even if it was to sacrifice glide, it ended up being just fine because the tracks were getting skied in.
The women seemed to be following a strategy similar to what would’ve been used if this were a stand-alone world Cup race: stay together, don’t take too many chances, don’t commit to long solo efforts that could prove disastrous if ski kick/glide proved incorrect. Unfortunately for those competitors, this was not a stand-alone race, but a stage in the Tour de Ski. With the ultimate prize being the overall win, the contenders seemed to have forgotten that they needed to take considerable time out of Diggins in anticipation of the ultimate stage up Alpe Cermis. Diggins would benefit from any strategy that allowed her to sit in while others made the pace. Anyone who hoped to disturb her would need to attack: going off the front in a high-risk maneuver designed to crack Diggins. But any such tactic could also prove disastrous.
“I was purposely skiing around eighth to 15th place most of the time, “ Diggins said. “Just trying to let the tracks get skied in. Ski a smart race, and conserve wherever I could.”
A time-bonus sprint staged at 8.5 k—with 15 seconds available to the winner, and time bonuses being awarded ten-deep—could have been a significant game-changer leading into Ale Cermis. Niskanen (who could’ve benefitted most from the time bonus) seemed to have the worst kick of the contenders, and Diggins seemed content to maintain a position just ahead of Niskanen. Team Sweden played it best, with Karlsson coming across the line first to claim the 15 second winner’s bonus while her teammates—Sundling and Svahn—sprinted forward to take the next two places, essentially depriving Sweden’s rivals of valuable time bonuses. Victoria Carl (GER) (who sits out of contention for the overall) grabbed the fourth place bonus, followed by Diggins in fifth, Katharina Hennig (GER) sixth, Niskanen seventh, and Teresa Stadlober (AUT) eighth.
The increased effort necessitated by the bonus sprint did seem to disrupt the field somewhat, and a group of eight separated itself off the front. Weng and Diggins were forced to chase across the gap to maintain contact; their efforts brought the field back together, allowing Brennan and Laukli to return to the lead group, as well.
Karlsson pushed the pace through the last two laps, though the day’s slow conditions seemed determined to prevent anyone from getting away. More than once, Karlsson appeared to verbally exhort her rivals in the hope that someone else would come forward to make the pace. Usually, only Hennig complied. Notably, Karlsson’s own teammates remained tucked in behind her rather than coming forward to help. Ultimately, Karlsson was outsprinted for the win by her teammate, Linn Svahn, who secured her own third stage win of this year’s Tour de Ski. Winner of last year’s Tour de Ski—and still seeking her first World Cup win of the season—Karlsson collapsed as she crossed the line behind Svahn, just ahead of Hennig in third. The Swedish team has suffered from poor waxing choices during this Tour de Ski. Today, though, Swedish skis seemed to be among the best in the field.
With just one Tour de Ski stage remaining—the daunting climb up Val di Fiemme’s Alpe Cermis—Diggins seems poised to secure overall victory. But much can happen in the final ten kilometers of the Tour de Ski.
Tour de Ski Stage 6, 15 k Classic Mass Start RESULTS
John Teaford
John Teaford—the Managing Editor of FasterSkier — has been the coach of Olympians, World Champions, and World Record Holders in six sports: Nordic skiing, speedskating, road cycling, track cycling, mountain biking, triathlon. In his long career as a writer/filmmaker, he spent many seasons as Director of Warren Miller’s annual feature film, and Producer of adventure documentary films for Discovery, ESPN, Disney, National Geographic, and NBC Sports.
