September 24, 2009 – There are now 100 days to go until the Viessmann FIS Tour de Ski performance by Craft Sportswear will have its 4th edition. And that means it’s time to update you on the activities we’ve undertaken in the last weeks, including a visit to all the Tour sites Oberhof, Prague, Toblach/Cortina and Val di Fiemme.

With Toblach/Cortina we have a new LOC involved and I can tell you, I’m looking forward to 6th January 2010. This new stage will start in the middle of the town in Cortina and follow the old railway track, including through two tunnels! The start is at 1200m above the sea level and the highest point is reached after approx. 14 km in Cimebanche at 1500 m. The course then passes the most famous mountains in the Dolomites, the “Tre Cime,” and follows the track until Toblach. There, the OC is building a new stadium and the athletes will ski over the roof of the finish house, before adding another 3.3 km loop. The whole stage will be 35 km for men and 16 km for ladies, who will start with a view of the “Tre Cime”. Two helicopters and an airplane will help us produce unique TV pictures! We of course hope for an outstanding day and I’m sure this addition to the schedule will help promote winter sport from its best side.

As before, we have been focused on improving quality and with Oberhof carrying out the first three stages of the 4th Tour on 1st- 3rd January 2010, we think we have made further steps in the right direction. These are the first three days of the year and the event, and I’m convinced that we will reach high TV viewer figures. The final days will again see the traditional and experienced LOC in Val di Fiemme in action, and I don’t want to reveal too much today, but their target is to increase the on-site audience by 50%. Last season we had 20’000 spectators at the final stage to Alpe Cermis. I’m again looking forward to seeing a lot of Tifosi and fans of the Nordic sports there.

So, at this point it should be clear that we plan to start the New Year from 1st- 10th January 2010 with 10 days of celebration of Cross-Country Skiing and intend to use those to reach many new Nordic fans. Hope you’ll come and join the 4th Tour!

Overview of Rule Changes
Everybody agrees that the FIS Tour de Ski is a great development in the FIS Cross-Country World Cup, but it is still a child that needs support and guidelines in order to develop and grow up. For the fourth edition, the FIS Cross-Country Committee led by Vegard Ulvang reviewed the rules and made some small adaptations at the FIS Calendar Conference in Dubrovnik last spring.

Notably, the FIS Cross-Country Committee agreed on a major rule change for the FIS Tour de Ski which allows the racers that have to quit the Tour before reaching the finish line on Alpe Cermis to keep their World Cup points from the earlier Tour Stages. This rule was implemented to avoid sick athletes racing the Tour to the end only in order to keep their points.

That means that FIS will be able to provide a new current World Cup standing on a daily basis as well as to present the current World Cup leader with the yellow leader’s jersey.

Given the new general rule for the FIS Cross-Country World Cup, the B-Final in all ladies and men’s sprint World Cup races has been eliminated, which also applies to the Tour. The goal is to allow a longer time after the A-Final for emotions and interviews on TV.

Please click here for complete rules of the 2009/10 FIS Tour de Ski.

Tour from A-Z
T as Toblach: Today, we would like to introduce the new Tour de Ski host Toblach/Dobbiaco in Italy. Thanks to the breath-taking view of the Three Peaks, Toblach/Dobbiaco (1,256 m) is also called the Door to the Dolomites. The village is located very close to the most renowned peaks of the Dolomites. Given its location in Alta Pusteria it does not only offer a healthy climate and many sports options in summer and winter but also boasts cultural variety with the Gustav Mahler Music Weeks, living traditions and the Santa Maria Pilgrimage site. Since June 2009, Dolomites were added to UNESCO’s list of “Natural World Heritage Sites.”

Toblach/Dobbiaco has a long history in the FIS Cross-Country World Cup. 11 World Cup competitions have already taken place in this famous tourist destination since 1988. With Saskia Santer, the Chief of Competition, a former top Cross-country skier will contribute her experience and support the OC which is led by her father Herbert.