Stars like Norway’s series winner Therese Johaug or the Russian Sergej Ustjugow skip the six-stage event this time in favor of a long training block. Others like the Norwegian sprint dominator Johannes Hösflot Kläbo will only tackle the first part.
Austria’s only starter, Teresa Stadlober, wants to hold out until the finish on January 4th in Val di Fiemme (Ita), but a top place in the final ranking is not an issue for the fifth overall in 2017/18. “Unfortunately, the preparation for the tour wasn’t perfect,” the 28-year-old alludes to a cold. “After Davos I couldn’t train for a few days.” The Radstadt resident will therefore focus on “one or the other individual stage”. After Lenzerheide it goes to Oberstdorf and further into Val di Fiemme, where two competitions are on the program.
Chipped serial winner
The defending champion is the American Jessica Diggins. In the absence of Johaug, Sweden’s Frida Karlsson will also have to be looked out for. In the men’s category, Russian Alexander Bolschunow, who was recently in poor health, is going for his third win in a row. Norway relies on Simen Hegstad Krüger and Didrik Tönseth.
Source: Nachrichten
