January 03, 2011 (Oberstdorf, Germany) – Finland’s Matti Heikkinen surprised the field with an end run surge to claim the victory in the men’s 20km pursuit (10kmCL+10kmF) on Sunday with TdS leader Dario Cologna in second earning more bonus points along the way to strengthen his hand while Martin Jaks (CZE) took third.

Canada’s Devon Kershaw had a solid day staying out of trouble in the congested pack to finish 7th and remains second overall. Skiing near the front most of the day with team mate Alex Harvey, Kershaw looked comfortable and ready to strike but he elected for a more conservative approach.

“It was super chaotic out there today – there were several crashes and the course is really narrow in some places so it was harder to find spots where you could gain position – plus it was crowded out there,” Kershaw told SkiTrax by phone from the team bus as they headed to Italy happy for tomorrow’s rest day.

“I grabbed five bonus seconds by chance as the opportunity came up but I was happy to stay clear of any mishaps. I lost a bit of ground but I’m still in second place and feeling good. We’re looking forward to the rest day – a chance to do laundry – and getting ready for the next stage.”

Several skiers went down today including Sweden’s Marcus Hellner who was leading the charge early in the race with team mate Emil Joensson and Jaks – he recovered to rejoin the leaders later and finished 10th. France’s Maurice Manificat also crashed soon after picking up 15 bonus points mid-race as he and Lukas Bauer (CZE) mixed it up at the front.

The USA’s Kris Freeman, who seems to be getting stronger with each stage, was just outside of the top ten in 11th while his team mate Andy Newell was off pace and placed 62nd on the day. Freeman was in 7th after the classic leg and only lost a bit a ground in the faster skate portion.

“I felt good in the warm up and my exchange was ok – I wasn’t suffering today which can affect many things including your exchange. I had more to give and wanted to attack and try and move up but got stuck in a few trains.”

Freeman said the course was tough but he liked it. Still he wondered why organizers didn’t use a great 5km trail that’s in Oberstdorf. “Maybe the 2.5km course is better for TV which drives the sport here,” he added.

Alex Harvey (Can) in 15th also had a good day grabbing five bonus seconds at the 9.5km mark as Bauer took 15 and Cologna 10. He and Cologna we leading as they left the exchange at the 10km mark and they were soon joined by Italy’s Frasnelli.

“It was a crazy day out there with lots of crashes. I felt strong and good in the warm up but there was lots of traffic and I did my best to stay clear of trouble and still grab some points. It wasn’t a day to take stupid chances and I’m still in the top 5 overall so I feel good going into the rest day with less stress on the body for the upcoming races,” said Harvey in a SkiTrax interview while transferring to Italy. Team mate, Ivan Babikov, who hasn’t been a player so far at the Tour, finished in 37th. Babikov has performed well in Italy at the Tour in the past so time will tell.

The pace began to pick up as Bauer and Alexander Legkov (RUS) charged to the front with Petter Northug (NOR) beginning his move looking for bonus seconds himself as Hellner also joined the lead group recovering from his earlier crash. But it was Northug grabbing the 15s at 14.5km followed by Cologna scooping another 10s with Hellner taking the last 5s.

Things continued to shift slightly as the kilometres clicked down and by the next bonus marker at 17.5km it was Hellner’s turn to turn on the jets for 15s with Northug in second for 10s and Bauer edging out Cologna for the final 5s. Just behind Kershaw and Harvey were sitting around 10th and then Leghov suddenly went down.

The Russian recovered quickly but it was a reminder at how quickly fortunes can change in such tight quarters at high speed.

Heikkinen nestled near the front was watching everything and the wily Finn saw his opening at 19.5km and attacked creating a gap. Only Cologna could respond as everyone behind sensed the immediate threat but Heikkinen was untouchable. In the finishing stretch Cologna came within 1s with Jaks in third at 5s.

“The classical was quite difficult today, but the free technique went better. My victory gives me a good sign,” said the winner in a FIS XC interview. “My main goal is still in February and I will take it day by day, I don’t want to risk anything with Oslo. Yesterday I said to my team mate Sami Jauhojärvi I could do Tour de Ski without any rest days, but today I feel somehow different. I look forward to some rest tomorrow.”

The Tour takes a break on Tuesday and picks up again with the 1.2km skate sprints on Stage 5 in Toblach, Italy as the final countdown of the Tour de Ski begins.

Pursuit Results HERE.
Overall HERE.
Overall detail HERE.