January 1, 2008 (Nove Mesto, Cze) – Lukas Bauer won his third stage of the 2008 FIS Tour de Ski Sunday with Czech teammate Martin Koukal second in the men’s 15km pursuit freestyle race. Swede Charlotte Kalla won the 10km skate and took over the women’s overall lead.

Lukas won the first two stages Friday and Saturday in Nove Mesto but Norway’s Simen Oestensen was the overall leader following Sunday’s sprint in Prague. So, Oestensen skied first Tuesday in the pursuit (a.k.a., the “hunting start” because the field hunts the leader), leaving 12 seconds ahead of Bauer, according to the total times for three races. After that, it was Bauer’s show.

He led Oestensen by nearly six seconds at the 6.3km timing check and was up by 16 seconds over Italy’s Giorgio DiCenta at the 10km point. He led all the way, finishing in 36:34.9 with Koukal, the 50km champion at the 2003 World Championships, second in 36:38.1.

Third place, another two-tenths of a second off the winning pace, went to Italy’s Pietro Piller Cottrer. After four stages, Bauer’s total time 1:24.02.1. Koukal is 3.2 seconds back with Piller Cottrer third, 3.4 out as the Tour resumes Wednesday with the men’s 15km classic technique, interval start race.

Bauer ignored any New Year’s Eve festivities to keep his focus on the Tour, turning in early so he was rested for the pursuit. “Tomorrow, I have to be good. I don’t have enough seconds in front of the others,” he said.

He also noted that after Wednesday’s race the action turns to Italy for the final three stages – a skating sprint Friday in Asiago and distance races on the weekend in Val di Fiemme.

“In Italy,” he explained, “Piller Cottrer will be in his home country and will have a lot of support from the crowd. For me, it was a big advantage to compete in my home country. I never raced the final climb [the last day’s tortuous uphill to the final finish line], just saw it on TV.” But he said he would focus on one race at a time and see how things play out on the weekend.

Piller Cottrer said his pre-race plan was to finish behind Bauer so he could start ahead of him in the interval start for the classic race Wednesday… and hopefully pull away from him.

Women’s Race

In the women’s race, Norway’s Marit Bjoergen fell out of the overall lead, finishing ninth. Kalla, who had two gold medals and a silver at the 2007 World Junior Championships and has emerged as the new Swedish women’s star, started sixth, 38 seconds back of Bjoergen. However, the Norwegian star began sputtering over the last half of the race while Kalla was on fire.

Fifth at the 2.2km point, she was fourth at 5.5km, and finished in 26:59.9 – 8.5 seconds ahead of Italy’s Arianna Follis. Justyna Kowalczyk of Poland was third (27:10.0). Bjoergen finished ninth, 38.1 seconds out.

During the summer training period, Kalla, just 20, said she never figured to be the Tour de Ski leader, wearing the golden bib halfway through the eight-race schedule. “My plan for the race today was to go out quite hard, but with control. I wanted to make my own race and not stress too much,” she said. “I like to hunt, so it was perfect for me to go out behind the others.”

The North American field of entries was cut in half when Devon Kershaw of Canada, battling a sore throat and flu symptoms, pulled out of the Tour before the pursuit began. Teammate Dave Nighbor, the only other North American racing, was 61st, nearly seven minutes back.

Results (brief)

Women
1. Charlotte Kalla (Swe) 26:59.9
2. Arianna Follis (Ita) 27:08.4
3. Justyna Kowalczyk (Pol) 27:10.0

Men
1. Lukas Bauer (Cze) 36:34.9
2. Martin Koukal (Cze) 36:38.1
3. Pietro Piller-Cottrer (Ita) 36:38.3

61. David Nighbor (Can) 43:33.1


Full Women’s results.

Full Men’s results.