This coverage is made possible through the generous support of Marty and Kathy Hall and A Hall Mark of Excellence Award. To learn more about A Hall Mark of Excellence Award, or to learn how you can support FasterSkier’s coverage, please contact info@fasterskier.com.
If there’s one true thing that can be said of Jessie Diggins (USA), it’s that she is willing to pay the price. Today, on the unforgiving slopes of Alpe Cermis, her willingness to pay that price was on full and glorious display. For ten grueling kilometers, Diggins matched and managed the best efforts of a group of world-class rivals—keeping one in sight and the rest in check—as she ascended toward the overall championship of the Tour de Ski.
Over the course of nine exhausting days, racers from around the world have contested the Tour de Ski: the most grueling multi-day spectacle in the cross-country ski world. Back on December 30th, in Toblach, Italy, 70 women lined up for Stage 1. Today, only 30 remained at the start. The reward for those 30 hearty souls was a 10 kilometer, lung-busting, head-splitting race up Alpe Cermis, with its average climbing gradient of 11.6 percent. The FIS’s (International Ski Federation) calendar simply lists today’s race as 10 kilometer Mass Start Freestyle Final Climb. With a gradient of over 28 percent at spots, that’s like labeling an ascent up Mount Everest as, nice walk up a big hill.
For the last several years, the climb of Alpe Cermis has been a mass start format. For Jessie Diggins (USA), that format could work to her advantage. Going into the race, she held a 43 second lead over Jonna Sundling (SWE), 44 seconds over Frida Karlsson (SWE), and 49 seconds over Kerttu Niskanen (FIN). The mass start might allow Diggins to have the help of the group during the race’s initial flat section, allowing her to conserve energy before they began to power up the mountain, and helping her to keep track of the competition.
Last year, Diggins finished fifth on the climb, 17 seconds behind Niskanen, who was a pre-race favorite to give Diggins one of the toughest runs for her money. But the women lurking behind her read like an all-star cross-country list, including perennial Alpe Cermis star Heidi Weng (NOR). The threats to Diggins lead were many and significant.
It was also an important day for Rosie Brennan (USA) who had steadfastly worked her way up to ninth place at the start of the day, 1:24 away from the final podium. It was a wide margin to overcome: unlikely, but not impossible.
Sophia Laukli (USA) hoped today would be her Tour highlight. The longer and more difficult the event, the more it is to Laukli’s liking. Last year she finished third up Alpe Cermis, behind only Delphine Claudel (FRA), and Weng. Today she would be in her element with the uncomfortable Sprints now far behind her.
After the brutal climb was over, it was Laukli delivering a dominating performance to take first place. Weng was second with Claudel finishing third. Diggins finished sixth, 48.5 seconds behind Laukli, and most importantly, 31 seconds behind Weng, which was enough to earn Diggins the Tour de Ski victory.
Weng’s impressive performance moved her up to second in the overall standings, and Niskanen ended up third.
Other American finishers were Rosie Brennan finishing 12th in the stage, and Sammy Smith (USA) finished 23rd.
After the race, Laukli expressed her satisfaction with the results. “I didn’t want too high of expectations today,” Laukli continued. “I don’t know if I fully believe it. I was really excited for today. I’m definitely going to savor it.”
For Diggins, it was a huge achievement in her career. Today was her second TDS overall victory and moved her up in the rankings of top skiers of her generation. Most obvious in her dominant victory this year was her improvement in Classic races. It has been an incremental, but noticeable change punctuated this year with two podium finishes in the three TDS Classic stages. In past years the quick synopsis on Diggins’ pre-Tour chances would be something along the lines of, “if she’s able to hold on in the Classic races, she’ll do well.” That parenthetical clause is now gone. It’s now hard to tell whether Classic or Freestyle is her real strength!
The same can be said of Brennan’s Classic prowess; if not for one off-day, she might also be sitting on the podium. She had a podium finish and fourth place in two of the three Classic races, so it really is time to dispense with the idea that Americans are skate-only skiers.
Alpe Cermis
Pre-race, Diggins was her normal loose self, smiling and rocking while waiting at the start line. As the race began, it was Diggins at the front with Heidi Weng (NOR) beside her. Weng sat 1:03 behind Diggins in overall standings, but only 20 seconds off the podium. As they left the stadium, Laukli moved to the front of the pack with Sundling at her side. An early Bonus Point sprint briefly separated the field, though it quickly reconsolidated.
As the race entered the countryside, Teresa Stadlober (AUT) moved to the front with Jonna Sundling behind her. Frida Karlsson tucked in behind her teammate as the skiers tried to push the pace. At this point, Laukli was seventh, right in front of Diggins. Last year’s Alpe Cermis winner, Claudel, also put in a push and moved up to join the leaders.It was a tricky part of the course that narrowed considerably and had deep ruts from the lead snowmobile transporting the television cameras. Racers needed to proceed cautiously.
Stadlober continued to lead on the approach to the mountain’s base. As they started the climb, Sundling was still right behind her, but as the course widened Weng moved to the front. Laukli marked her as Diggins continued to stay on Laukli’s tails. It was Weng, Karlsson, Sundling, Laukli, and Diggins pressing the pace. Diggins was not content to hang in the middle of the pack and made her presence felt at the front. U.S. coach Kristen Bourne told FasterSkier that Diggins was receiving splits on her overall lead during the race. So she was in the favorable position of being able effectively manage her race.
At 7.5 k, Weng was out front with Margrethe Bergane (NOR) moving into second and Diggins third, but the steepest section of the climb hadn’t started. When the steep parts began, Weng stayed out front and was pushing extremely hard making a bit of a gap on the field. But, Laukli shot forward and followed her as the two quickly created a serious gap. At one point in the twisting switchbacks, Laukli tripped over an errant pole plant and fell. She quickly jumped back up, but had to put in extra effort to reel Weng back in. It didn’t appear that much damage had been done.
As the skiers hit the 24 percent grade, it was Weng, Laukli, and Diggins. Diggins had widened her lead over Karlsson and Sundling, but had lost valuable time to Weng who was now less than a minute behind Diggins in real-time overall standings.
Niskanen joined the hunt and crept up on Diggins. But it looked like the writing was on the wall as Diggins was sucessfully managing the overall race—suffering, but managing. She was in third place on the stage, having dispatched all of the overall challengers except Weng and Niskanen. Niskanen was with Diggins, and Weng was still in sight.
Delphine Claudel (FRA) is always dangerous up Alpe Cermis, and finished third. But she started too far back to affect the overall standings. (Photo: NordicFocus)
The race for the stage victory had become a game of cat and mouse between Weng and Laukli with Laukli marking every move that Weng was making. As the two leaders were fighting it out, Niskanen moved up on Diggins and passed her. But Diggins stayed right behind Niskanen and the Finn wasn’t able to inflict much damage on Diggins’ lead.
At the 22 percent grade section, Weng was still eating in Diggins’ lead, but Diggins had started with over a cushion of over a minute ahead of Weng; while there was a threat, it didn’t look like Weng would have enough real estate to erode Diggins’ margin, though that margin had dwindled to 39 seconds.
As they approached the flatter finishing stretch, Laukli speeded past Weng, an amazing burst of speed that left Weng in the dust. Laukli continued to relentlessly V2 to the finish and put more and more time over Weng who struggled to try and catch her, but was way too far back.
Laukli took the win looking remarkably fresh, notching her first World Cup victory. Weng was second with Claudel finishing third.
Diggins’ finished 48 seconds behind Weng; enough to keep the lead and take the Tour de Ski win!
It was a signature victory for Diggins and an incredible day for U.S. skiing with one American taking the TDS victory, and another taking the stage victory.
Forgotten in all of the TDS buzz is that, after today’s race, Diggins and Brennan sit first and third in the World Cup overall standings. They are also are first and second in the distance category. Diggins has a comfortable cushion in her fight for the overall, but Brennan is in a tight race for the third place overall standing. The competitors get a mere 11 day respite before resuming the World Cup season in Oberhof, Germany.
Stage 7, Alpe Cermis RESULTS
Return to FasterSkier throughout the day for updates on this story.
