January 4, 2010 (Prague, CZE) – Virpi Kuitunen (FIN), winner of the 2007 and 2009 Tour de Ski, made a surprise announcement that she will not continue with the Tour according to a report SkiNordique.net. Kuitunen has decided that her fitness is not sufficient to continue and she’s returning home to prepare for the upcoming World Cup in Otepaa, January 16-17, and the 2010 Olympics. She is currently ranked 6th overall at 1:04 behind TdS leader, Justyna Kowalczyk (POL).

“I could test my body during the first three events and I quickly realized that my form was not optimal. The goal is to do good races and since I cannot do more, then the best solution is to go home,” Kuitunen told Mirko Hominal of SkiNordique.net. “I prefer to play safe with training and work. The remainder of the season is very important and I’ll use the best time I have left before the next competitions.” – read more (in French) here.

Other notable withdrawals from the Tour include Swiss skiers Silvana Bucher, Seraina Mischol and Doris Trachsel, and Germany’s Claudia Nystad, Manuela Henkel, Miriam Gössner and Benjamin Seiffert.