January 11, 2015 (Val di Fiemme, ITA) – The day belonged to Norway’s Marit Bjoergen who finally claimed the Tour de Ski women’s title with her victory on the final stage up the grueling 9km FR Pursuit climb to the top of Alpe Cermis. It took nine editions before Bjoergen, the world’s most successful World Cup cross-country female skier, could stand on the top step of the final podium.

Finishing second was defending champ Therese Johaug followed by Heidi Weng for a familiar  Norwegian podium sweep that has become the norm this season.

“It is a big victory for me. To win the FIS Tour de Ski has been a goal for me for a long time. It took me nine years to achieve it. I knew I had to be strong before the last stage and I felt good on the climb. It is an amazing feeling and it is great to share the happiness with my teammates. They mean a lot for me. They motivate me and they push me in training every day. I am very happy for Ragnhild and her fourth place,” commented Bjoergen at the finish.

For American and North American fans all eyes were on spunky Liz Stephen from Vermont who was poised for a historic Tour result following her superb 6th-place personal best finish in yesterday’s 10km CL Mass Start. That put her sixth overall with the famed 9km Alpe Cermis climb remaining, one of her favourite stages, where she has previously finished with the 2nd and 3rd fastest times.

“This is my favourite event of the year,” Stephen said prior of the Tour de Ski’s final 9k hill climb. “I made it my goal to finish in the top five.” And that she did with the fourth fastest time of the day up Cermis.

Starting in sixth she skied with a trio of skiers just behind her for the first four kilometers but upped the tempo once she hit the climb closing a 37-second gap on Polish star and four-time Tour winner, Justyna Kowalczyk, and then focused on Norway’s Ragnhild Haga another 15s ahead.

Fans were on the edge of their seats when Stephen passed Haga and moved into fourth but Haga caught her on the second wall just 800 meters to the finish. The two duked it out with Haga pulling away in the end as Stephen made history delivering the best US result ever at the Tour improving on her 7th last year which was the best previous result at the Tour. For North Americans, Devon Kershaw (Can) holds the record with his 4th overall in 2012.

“My strategy was to ski the flats strong but conserve energy for the climb and try and catch Ragnhild but I think I may have gone a bit too hard in closing the gap,” said Stephen. “I really wanted a fourth place today and it made for my best finishing fight ever and she was stronger than me up the last little pitch at the end. But what a fun day it was.”

“Liz has had a very strong year of training and exhibited top shape all summer and fall, and now we get to see all of the hard work pay off,” described head coach, Chris Grover. “I know there are more big results in store from her this season.”

“Liz set one of her goals this summer as finishing in the top five in the Tour de Ski,” recalled Coach Matt Whitcomb. “Watching an athlete accomplish a top-tier goal like that is really satisfying and we are all very proud of her ability to prepare and execute.”

Full results here.
Overall Standings here.
Cermis results here.