On Dec. 31, New Year’s Eve, the Tour de Ski
kicks off with the prologue in the German win-
ter sports capital of Oberhof. Three Americans
are scheduled to start: Andy Newell, Kikkan
Randall and Kris Freeman. Last year, New-
ell became the first American to participate in
the event but dropped out after the last sprint
stage, about halfway through the Tour, in order
to prepare for Vancouver. This year, barring in-
jury or illness, the trio is all-in for the whole
show, and each has potential to compete for
stage podiums and high overall rankings, ac-
cording to USST Head Coach Chris Grover.
“All three are experienced athletes so we will
be looking to each of them for strong results
during the Tour de Ski,” says Grover. “We are
not necessarily after the overall Tour finish
placing, but rather a great stage performance
or two. Of course we expect big things from
Andy and Kikkan in the sprints, but I am also
very interested in how Kikkan and Kris might
do in the opening prologue. Kris in particular
has almost no practice in this type of event
and yet I think it could be quite good for him.”
As for the lack of American representation
in the past, Grover conceded there had been
scheduling problems, health risks, and the ab-
sence of a strong “all-arounder” on the USST
who might compete for a top overall placing.
But both Randall and Newell (dominant
sprinters) have seen marked improvement in
their distance racing over the past few sea-
sons. Newell finished with the leaders in the
Gaellivare relay in November and Kikkan has
scored World Cup points in three of four dis-
tance races so far. “We recognize that the Tour
is becoming more and more the major focus of
the World Cup racing calendar,” says Grover.
“The interest of the public is now in the Tour de
Ski and the mini-tours.”
This year’s event features eight stages over
nine days including the prologue, two sprint
races, four standard distance events and a
brutal final hill climb up the Alpe Cermis in Val
di Fiemme, Italy. The schedule alternates indi-
vidual and mass start races with two handicap
pursuits, including the final hill climb, where
the overall leader is the first to leave the gate.
In the final stage, it is the first skier to the top
of the mountain who claims the Tour title.
Throughout the Tour, most races, including
the sprints, award bonus seconds to even out
the disparate distances and keep the sprint
specialists in the running for the overall clas-
sification.
On the men’s side, last years Tour de Ski was
Kris Freeman
Oberhof, Germany
Prologue
Toblach, Italy
Sprint
Oberhof, Germany
Pursuit
Cortina-Toblach, Italy
Distance
Oberstdorf, Germany
Sprint
Val di Fiemme, Italy
Distance
Oberstdorf, Germany
Pursuit
Val di Fiemme, Italy
Final Climb
