December 28, 2018 (Toblach, Ita.) – Five of Canada’s top cross-country ski athletes are set to hit the start line for the annual nine-day journey through Europe while taking on the best Nordic athletes on the planet in the 13th edition of the epic Tour de Ski.

The veterans of the Canadian squad, Alex Harvey and Len Valjas, will lead a trio of rookies including Bob Thompson (Thunder Bay, Ont.), Emily Nishikawa (Whitehorse) and Dahria Beatty (Whitehorse) into the Nordic spotlight ski when the world’s best all-round cross-country ski athletes kick off the ultimate grind in high-performance sport in Toblach, Italy on December 29. Harvey and Valjas have both been on the podium at various stages of the Tour de Ski over the last decade. Harvey finished third overall on the Tour de Ski one year ago.

Modeled after the Tour de France in cycling, the featured event on the Nordic calendar will test some of the most physically and mentally fit athletes in the world in seven punishing races that will start and finish in Italy while making stops in Switzerland and Germany to determine the king and queen of cross-country skiing.

Healthy, fit and hungry for the podium, Canada will focus on fighting for the podium at each stage while contending for spots in the top-10 in the overall Tour.

Louis Bouchard, coach of the World Cup Team, will follow the squad through the Tour. Cross Country Ski de fond Canada has also assembled a closely-knit wax team of experienced technicians including Yves Bilodeau, Nicola Bonetti, Lee Churchill and Miha Plahutnik. Joel Jaques will be the team leader. Jodi Perras joins the support team as massage therapist.

Team Canada – 2019 Tour de Ski
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– Alex Harvey (St.- Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que.)
– Len Valjas (Toronto)
– Bob Thompson (Thunder Bay, Ont.)
– Emily Nishikawa (Whitehorse)
– Dahria Beatty (Whitehorse)

2019 Tour de Ski Schedule
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December 29 – Toblach, Ita.
Skate Sprint
December 30 – Toblach, Ita.
10km/15km Skate
January 1 – Val Mustair, Sui.
Skate Sprint
January 2 – Oberstdorf, Ger.
10km/15km Classic Mass Start
January 3 – Oberstdorf, Ger.
10km/15km Skate Pursuit
January 5 – Val di Fiemme, Ita.
10km/15km Classic Mass Start
January 6 – Val di Fiemme, Ita.
9km Skate Pursuit (Hill Climb)