The 19th edition of the Tour de Ski is here once again! While many athletes have taken a conservative start to the season, skipping early races to focus on preparations for the World Championships in Trondheim later this winter, the excitement for the Tour remains high. With seven stages packed into just nine days — and rest days on Monday and Thursday — the Tour has historically seen relatively few skiers complete the entire event. However, many of the sport’s top athletes hope to compete all the way through, chasing bonus points and the opportunity to solidify their positions as World Cup leaders in this important week of racing.
The Tour kicks off in Toblach, Italy, with a skate sprint as the opening event. The first four races will take place in Toblach before athletes transition to Val di Fiemme for the final three races on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, marking the Tour’s conclusion.
This course demands sharp strategy, precise lines, and well-timed pacing to finish in the front of each heat. Athletes must not only position themselves effectively on the uphills but also navigate the downhills skillfully, taking optimal lines to slingshot themselves around both the trail’s corners and their competitors. Completing two laps on this challenging course requires a careful balance of power and tactics. With the finishing stretch emerging from a downhill turn, positioning becomes crucial long before the finish line itself.
The heats followed a familiar marching pattern to those we’ve already seen this season: with Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo (NOR) and Lucas Chanavat (FRA) skiing synchronously at the start of each heat to control pacing and claim podium positions together. Janik Riebli (SUI) followed closely behind, slipping into the final as a lucky loser, with the road paved to a podium position after competitors Ben Ogden (USA) broke a pole and Valerio Grond (SUI) slipped during the final ascent. Klaebo earned, in what appeared to be an easy win, his 95th sprint victory. “In the end, I’m really satisfied, and it’s the perfect way to start the tour,” he said upon finishing the race.
Four Americans advanced to the heats, with Ogden finishing 6th, Gus Schumacher, 10th, JC Schoonmaker, 14th, and Jack Young, 17th. Zanden McMullen just barely missed qualification, finishing 36th. On the Canadian side, Antoine Cyr (56th) and Olivier Leveille (60th) completed the race but did not qualify for the heats.
Men’s Sprint Quarterfinals
In the first heat, Klaebo and Chanavat dominated from the start, skiing side by side in a controlled performance that seemed almost choreographed, easily securing their spots in the semifinal heats. Other athletes vied for these positions, Emil Danielsson (SWE) tried to pass through the middle of Klaebo and Chanavat, who accelerated and maintained their position in front. French skier Remi Bourdin also approached the pair in front over the final ascent around two minutes into the race, though could not surpass Chanavat and finished third in the heat.
In the second quarterfinal heat, Ogden battled Riebli head-to-head for the leader position, both holding off sprint specialist Richard Jouve (FRA). The two exchanged leads throughout the race, with Ogden making a decisive move around the inside of the final turn. This maneuver set him up for a clear finishing sprint, allowing both Ogden and Riebli to advance together to the semifinals.
Schumacher took an early lead in the third heat, facing challenges from Niilo Moilanen (FIN) and Davide Graz (ITA). After a minute and a half, Schumacher was able to solidify himself in front, accelerating through the descent to establish a small gap ahead of the field. His competition narrowed again in the final stretch, though Schumacher maintained his position in front to advance to the semifinals alongside Moilanen. Meanwhile, Evan Northug’s race took an unfortunate turn as he broke a pole just out of the gate, forcing him to pull to the side of the trail and effectively ending his chances of progressing. Currently ranked 3rd in the overall sprint standings, Northug is a strong sprinter, but this setback could jeopardize his Tour prospects, especially given his relatively weaker performances in distance disciplines.
Young battled against Federico Pellegrino (ITA), 12 years his senior, in the fourth quarterfinal together with strong sprinters Edvin Anger (SWE) and Erik Valnes (NOR). Valnes established an early lead out of the start, joined by Pellegrino. Midway through the race, Anger accelerated into the lead, but the top three continued to trade positions as the heat progressed. Young stayed right in the mix, maintaining a strong position near the front of the pack.
“I started as hard as I could and put myself in position near the front of the heat. After that, there wasn’t much I could do to get around Pellegrino or Anger,” Young explained. After being boxed out in the inside of the finishing stretch, Young’s chance of qualification was low but chances at a lucky loser position seemed high, ultimately missing qualification by 0.3 seconds. “The only thing I’m wondering about is whether I could have swung out wide on the turn into the finish instead of checking my speed to get the inside,” Young reflected after the race, “that could have given me the three-tenths necessary to get a lucky loser spot.”
Finally, Valerio Grond controlled the pace of quarterfinal five through much of the race, battling closely against Finland’s Lauri Vourinen. Italy’s Giovanni Ticco briefly challenged Grond for the lead initially but soon fell back, ultimately finishing last in the heat. Meanwhile, Schoonmaker stayed in the middle of the pack, focusing on “bringing good momentum into hills,” and positioning himself strategically to contest the leaders in the final sprint. Although he crossed the line in third, initially appearing poised to advance to the semifinals as a lucky loser, subtle time adjustments narrowly eliminated him from contention.
Men’s Sprint Semifinals
A quick look at the start list made it evident which semifinal was likely to produce the fastest times—and from which the lucky losers would emerge. Klaebo and Chanavat were set to face off again in the first heat, joined by Ogden, Riebli, and Valnes, all formidable sprinters capable of pushing Klaebo to reconsider his race strategy.
The heat unfolded precisely as would be expected, mirroring the quarterfinals. Klaebo and Chanavat led the pack side by side, skillfully controlling the pace around the course before Klaebo pulled ahead to take first at the line. Ogden positioned himself right behind them, confident that the speed of this heat would give him a chance at entering the final as a lucky loser. Ogden raced confidently and quickly, taking tight lines around the course and crossing the finish line in third, just behind Chanavat in second. The real drama came down to Ogden and Riebli, sprinting neck and neck to the finish, successfully securing lucky loser positions.
The second semifinal lacked a clear favorite, leaving the top two positions wide open for the competitors to claim. Richard Jouve and Federico Pellegrino both have a strong history in skate sprints, while Valerio Grond has recently delivered impressive results in the freestyle sprint discipline. Meanwhile, Anger, Vuorinen, and Moilanen have consistently been contenders in sprint finals this season.
Ultimately, this semifinal—perhaps aware that the lucky loser spots had already been secured by the first heat—turned out to be one of the slowest of the day. With six skilled sprinters, strategic positioning within the pack became the decisive factor in determining who would advance. Grond skied steadily from the start, moving into the lead later in the short race. In a close finish, Jouve narrowly edged out Pellegrino to claim the second qualifying spot for the final.
Men’s Sprint Final
Again, Klaebo and Chanavat took an early lead, executing their well-rehearsed, almost synchronized strategy to control the pace of the heat before battling it out at the finish line—a contest Klaebo typically wins.
While their dominance played out as expected, the race for the top three positions took an unexpected turn. Ogden broke a pole early on, losing contact with the leaders as they rounded the first corner. Moments later, Grond’s skis slipped on the uphill through the stadium, causing him to fall and take Jouve down with him. With three competitors effectively out of contention, Klaebo and Chanavat remained unchallenged at the front while Riebli skied through the chaos to contend for the third podium position.
Ogden recounted the chaotic events of the final to FasterSkier after the race. “I was trying to weasel in behind Lucas [Chanavat], and someone behind me wasn’t thrilled about that,” Ogden reported, describing the battle for position that ultimately led to his pole snapping. “I was kinda able to ski with one pole, but then the exchange was incredibly hectic, and I tripped myself twice, and there was little to no hope after that.” Once Grond fell too, the two of them competed head to head for the remaining positions.
Despite the disappointing result, Ogden found pride in his approach to the heats. “I’m most proud of my confidence today in the heats,” he shared. “I was more nervous today than I’ve been for a while because I’ve got some memories.” He was referring to his breakthrough performance last season, which included his first-ever sprint podium on the Toblach course. “I feel like I handled it really well—skied smart and never got too frantic. It’s an unfortunate way to end after all that work, but what can you do? It’s part of the deal.”
As for Klaebo, his victory came as no surprise, continuing his dominance in sprint racing this season. While another win may feel routine for the seasoned sprinter, Klaebo expressed excitement with his performance. “In the end, I’m really satisfied. It’s the perfect way to start the Tour,” he said with a smile.
With only Stage 1 of the Tour completed, Ogden is focused on the long week ahead. “My goals are to manage my energy as best as I can and make it all the way to the end!” he said, with his eyes on the Leader Bib. For now, fans can expect him to prioritize recovery, fueling for the upcoming races, and finding lighthearted distractions like browsing “clapped Jaguars and Porsches on eBay” to unwind between events.
Men’s Freestyle Sprint Results
Tour de Ski Overall Standings
