Ustiugov, Ustiugov, Ustiugov...the Russian skier has made it there wins in a row to open the Tour de Ski. Despite a wrong turn, Norway's Sundby placed second and sits second overall. Canada's Harvey has skied consistently -- a fourth today -- and is seeking an overall podium in the Tour. He's third overall after three stages.
FIS Cross-Country Tour de Ski Stage 3 (Oberstdorf): 10/20 k skiathlons Positioned in third heading into the third stage of the Tour de Ski on Tuesday, the women’s 10-kilometer skiathlon, Sweden’s Stina Nilsson made the case that she’s more of an all-around threat than some might anticipate. She contended with early leaders like Norway’s Ingvild Flugstad Østberg and Finland’s Krista Parmakoski throughout the 5 k classic leg, entering the ski exchange in eighth and 2.5 seconds...
Alex Harvey wasn’t feeling 100 percent on Sunday, but he didn’t need to be. Within three seconds of the leaders and eighth place at the finish of the men’s 10-kilometer classic mass start was essentially what he needed to secure one of the most coveted positions on the Tour de Ski right now: third place. Ahead of him, Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov and Norway’s Martin Johnsrud Sundby have built a nearly one-minute and 40-second lead on third place,...
FIS Cross-Country Tour de Ski Stage 2 (Val Müstair): 5/10 k classic mass starts Women’s report There was a lot of jostling between Russia’s Sergey Ustiugov and Norway’s Martin Johnsrud Sundby, with the latter leading early and the Russian not letting him get too complacent up front, but ultimately, Ustiugov was the first across the line in the men’s 10-kilometer classic mass start, the second stage of the Tour de Ski in Val Müstair, Switzerland. Ustiugov...
Alex Harvey had a bone to pick with Davos, and he made strides in resolving it on Friday and Saturday at the Swiss World Cup venue. Top-15 World Cup distance results have eluded him there, but not in Saturday's preseason tuneup. "It's always rough for me to race at altitude, so I was very pleased with the result and the way the body worked,” he explained.
Picture little Martin Johnsrud Sundby, "nine years old and tenting in the forest." That's when he knew he wanted to win in Holmenkollen. After four podiums in the world-famous 50 k mass start, he won the classic race outside his hometown on Saturday and set a record in the process.
Martin Johnsrud Sundby showed he's still got it, winning Saturday's 15 k classic mass start ahead of Norwegian teammate Niklas Dyrhaug and Kazakhstan's Alexey Poltoranin, for nearly a 1 1/2-minute head start in Sunday's final climb. Alex Harvey notched seventh on the day for 12th overall heading into the final stage.
The fifth stage of the Tour de Ski, the men’s 15-kilometer classic mass start on Wednesday, was decided by mere inches. Kazakhstan’s Alexey Poltoranin took the lead in a group of five athletes from the final descent, with several more shortly behind, and outlunged Switzerland’s Dario Cologna.
Photos from Wednesday's 10/15 k classic mass starts at Stage 5 of the Tour de Ski, including those who landed on the podium and several American and Canadians in action. Courtesy of Marcel Hilger.
It’s a new year, yet some things remain the same. Jan. 1 marked the opening stage of the 2016 Tour de Ski, a 1.5-kilometer freestyle sprint in in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. It also marked the third World Cup sprint victory in a row for Italy’s Federico Pellegrino.
Alex Harvey’s second place on Saturday remains a single drop in the bucket, but it’s a reminder that his quest for the World Cup overall is for real. With "new" legs post-surgery, the 27-year-old Canadian is now a contender in strenuous skate races as well as classic sprints and distance events.
Alex Harvey enjoyed the leader's chair for quite some time during Saturday's 10 k freestyle, the second race of the Ruka Triple World Cup. He ended up second to Martin Johnsrud Sundby, but the Canadian was pleased with his podium in a hilly skate race, especially in the first distance race of the season.
Norway's Sjur Røthe studied the tapes of Holmenkollens past, including how Petter Northug has taken some of his many wins. He had a plan, and executed flawlessly, beating Switzerland's Dario Cologna by just a toe length to earn his first ever World Cup victory.
Francesco de Fabiani broke through an 18-year barrier for Italy with a World Cup classic-distance win in the men’s 15-kilometer individual start in Lahti, Finland. Also on Sunday, Norway's Martin Johnsrud Sundby clinched his second-straight Overall World Cup title.
Alex Harvey approached Saturday's 30 k skiathlon with a winning mindset and came out with bronze, his second medal in as many races so far at 2015 World Championships. "A medal today is as good as gold," Canadian National Team Coach Justin Wadsworth says, "We couldn’t want anything more." Russia's Maxim Vylegzhanin outlasted Switzerland's Dario Cologna for his first world title.
Russia's Maxim Vylegzhanin outsprinted the field, and Switzerland's Dario Cologna, to win Sunday's 30 k skiathlon in Rybinsk. Finland's Matti Heikkinen placed third, and Russia took six of the top eight.
Dario Cologna was victorious in Friday's 15 k freestyle in Rybinsk, Russia and in the process thwarted four Russians who were gunning for a home-country podium sweep.
In the tightest race of the 2015 Tour de Ski, German Tim Tscharnke outsprinted four other non-Norwegian skiers to claim his best World Cup result of the season. The current Tour standings now leave the potential for a dramatic final Tour stage on Sunday.
Alex Harvey found himself in a slower group during Thursday's 25 k freestyle pursuit in Toblach, Italy, but still managed to get past Switzerland's Dario Cologna to take the sixth overall in the Tour de Ski. Canadian teammates Devon Kershaw and Ivan Babikov finished 25th and 31st, respectively.
Alexey Poltoranin proved that once in a while you just need to muscle your way to first place. He opted to use skate skis and double poled his way to the victory in Wednesday’s 10-kilometer classic race, the fourth stage of the Tour de Ski in Toblach, Italy.