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Final stages of the Tour de Ski

January 11, 2023
by
Finn O'Connell

The final three races of the Tour de Ski included a classic sprint, classic 15k mass start, and the infamous 10k skate final climb up Alp Cermis. It was a 3 hour drive from Oberstdorf to Val di Fiemme. We again traveled directly after the race in Germany. This time however, we couldn;t go back to the hotel for a shower, so it was a long stinky car ride. Upon arriving in Val di Fiemme, we were greeted with a massive buffet style dinner, with desert already on the table! I started with creme brulee! We took showers and got to bed pretty quickly. 

The next morning we headed to the venue. I have watched all the races before on TV, but it never prepares you for the actual experience of racing and participating here. The hills are steeper, the corners are way sharper, but also the venue is way more beautiful. We tested classic skis today because we would be racing classic skis the next two days. It has been a little frustrating for me because the world cup skis are on a completely different level of speed than my skis. The past couple races, I have been using Scott Patterson's second pair. This means I am starting the race with already slightly worse skis than Scott, and the rest of the athletes on the World Cup. I don’t let this bother me though on race day because I know there is nothing I can do to change this, and my techs will make the skis as fast as possible.

The first race of the weekend was a classic sprint. If you remember from my previous blogs the past couple seasons, I have never been the best sprinter. However, this summer I worked very hard to improve this and It has shown. I still didn’t have any big goals for this race, but wanted to finish strong compared to my fellow teammates. This course was exciting and fast so I went out hard and gave it all I had. I finished 3.5 seconds from the top 30 and was happy with how my body felt. It was now time for the race I had been most excited for, the 15k mass start classic.

We wouldn’t race until 1:30 on this day, and nothing like a good late race day to make you extra nervous and anxious in the morning. I had my usual breakfast and went outside for an easy run. Mainly just trying to get the body awake and pass time. I had a cup of coffee around 11:30 right before leaving for the venue. We showed up right as the girls were finishing so it was motivating seeing them do so well. I was bib 35 for the day, which is right in the middle of the 70 skier field. My goal was to defend my position the first lap or two until it strings out, and then move up slowly over the next 4 laps. Unfortunately on the very first downhill corner, I must have caught an edge or something, and ended up falling. I got the wind knocked out of me, and broke my pole. It took me a while to catch my breath so I was unable to get right back up with the group. From here it became a mental battle for me to make it to the finish line. Some hills I would feel great, and others it felt like my lungs were not filling all the way. I knew to compete in the final day, I would have to finish. So I powered through and finished, but it was a devastating and frustrating day for me.

As you have probably seen or heard of, the final day of the Tour de Ski is the climb up Alp Cermis! No matter how many times I have watched the final climb, it could never prepare me for the actual thing. It was way steeper and way harder than any camera makes it seem. For me it wasn’t about the result today, it was about finishing my first Tour de Ski, and completing my first period of World Cups. While the results were not what I know I can do, the experience and knowledge I have gained over the last 9 days is huge. I am really looking forward to my next World Cup races, and showing everyone what I can do. Thanks to everyone for following along!