January 04, 2014 (Val di Fiemme, Italy) – Norway was on fire today in the men’s 10km CL individual start as Petter Northug Jr. descended on the Tour de Ski with a resounding victory. Tour leader Martin Johnsrud Sundby settled for second with Chris Jespersen having a stellar day claiming 3rd at 16s behind Northug.

Men's 10km CL final podium (l-r) Sundby 2nd, Northug 1st, Jespersen 3rd © Nordic Focus

The big news on the North American front was Canadian Alex Harvey’s decision to withdraw from the Tour to focus on the Sochi Olympics after placing 5th on the stage and dropping to 4th overall.

“It was pretty messy weather today but overall my skis were good and I felt good the whole way,” said Harvey. “I started aggressive and fought for the podium the whole way. I think I paced things well and attacked where I needed too which is key to an individual start.”

Despite the strong showing Harvey will not start the final punishing 9km pursuit race up Alpe Cermis as the steep climb wreaks havoc with an artery in his left leg. Lifting the leg going up the alpine ski hill forces the hip flexor to buldge, which impedes blood flow and circulation according to a team release.

Alex Harvey (CAN) is out of the Tour © Nordic Focus

In a press conference following the race Harvey, Head Coach Justin Wadsworth and the team doctor confirmed that the 25-year-old Quebec star will not continue as well as Devon Kershaw, who is fatigued after a difficult 35km pursuit race yesterday. Kershaw finished 52nd at 2:02.2 behind Northug and holds the record for the best Canadian finish at the Tour when he was fourth overall at the 2011-12 event.

“With his leg condition, it takes at least one week for Alex to recover from something like that,” said Wadsworth. “Alex knows he will not be able to fight for the top-3 tomorrow with his leg. So looking at what is really to gain he made the smart decision not to race.”

Devon Kershaw (CAN) © Nordic Focus

Harvey had one of the most successful performances at the Tour for Canada placing in the top-three of the overall standings until the final weekend with podium finishes including gold, silver and bronze medals. He also finishes the Tour in third place in the overall Sprint standings.

“For me it was pretty clear before the Tour started that I wasn’t going to climb that hill,” said Harvey, who also pulled out at the final stage last year. “Being in the lead and the top-three for the Tour opened the door to thinking about it, but there is just so much to lose for me physically when the blood flow shuts down completely when I’m working so hard. We don’t know exactly how long it takes to recover, and I just don’t want to risk anything especially with the Olympics coming up.”

Ivan Babikov (CAN) © Nordic Focus

Ivan Babikov, 33, who will be on the start line for Canada on Sunday, had the fastest time on the final stage of the Tour de Ski in 2009. In today’s 10km CL, not his strong suit, he had a solid outing placing 27th.

The USA’s Noah Hoffman, coming off a stellar day with the second best time in yesterday’s pursuit, suffered in today’s race finishing 47th. We caught up with the Hoff post race for his impressions…

“Today was a little rough. I just never got firing on all cylinders. I started under control, as I planned, but was never able to pick it up. Yesterday took a lot out of me, and I feel like I’m still recovering. I felt smooth but not snappy.

Noah Hoffman (USA) © Nordic Focus

“The conditions were also tough. When we woke up it was snowing, but it switched to rain as I departed for the venue. It was a very wet day. I raced on zero-degree skis but many athletes raced on klister. Because of lack of snow, the course was different from the 5-kilometer course we used at World Championships last winter. However, it was still challenging.

“My classic results have been disappointing this year. I am looking forward to making improvements to the way I’m skiing because I believe good results are not far away. In terms of the Tour, today was not catastrophic. Heading in to tomorrow’s final climb I am sitting in 31st place, but I’m only 45 seconds out of 18th place. I am looking forward to moving up and I believe my pre-Tour goal of a top-20 finish is still attainable,” he concluded.

Tomorrow’s fireworks will determine the final winner and it looks like Norway will final claim the one prize that has eluded it since the Tour’s inception. Will it be race leader Sundby, or super star Northug… or will Austria’s Johannes Duerr in 5th be the spoiler that takes the final crown ?

Full results here.
TdS Overall here.