January 2, 2008 (Nove Mesto, Czech Republic) – Czech favorite Lukas Bauer won the fourth time in five FIS Tour de Ski stages Wednesday, boosting his overall time lead to more than two minutes. Finn Aino-Kaisa Saarinen won the women’s 10km classic, but teammate Virpi Kuitunen was second and regained the women’s lead.

Bauer led from start to finish in the men’s interval-start, 15km classic. He won in 38:26.9 – nearly a half-minute ahead of Jens Arne Svartedal, the outstanding classic specialist from Norway, with Russian Nikolai Pankratov in third place (38:55.4). Canadian Dave Nighbor, in his first extended taste of World Cup-level racing during the Tour, finished 51st.

Bauer was 4-for-4 in Nove Mesto, winning each of the stages – the two opening legs of the 10-day, eight-stage Tour and the two which opened the new year. Sunday, he took the sprint in Prague as a semi-day off, finishing 45th – he skied the qualifying loop and then was done for the day.

Through five stages, Bauer’s overall time is 2:02.04.0 with Norway’s Tord Asle Gjerdalen in second place at 2:04.11.3 with Italian star Pietro Piller Cottrer third, another 25 seconds out. Nighbor is 57th overall.

Not only are race times figured into the overall calculation, but the stages also include bonus seconds for designated sprint sections. Kuitunen picked up 30 bonus seconds in the 10 km to move her back in front of Swede Charlotte Kalla.

Saarinen, who earned 20 bonus seconds in the sprints, won the three-lap 10 km with a time of 28:55.7, just 2.6 seconds ahead of Kuitunen. Norwegian Therese Johaug was third (29:09.0).

“I was fighting for the first bonus seconds and after that I was more relaxed,” Kuitunen, the defending World Cup overall champion – and Tour champion, told reporters. “Aino-Kaisa had better skis than I did; in fact, I lost 10 seconds to her in the last downhill.

“I’m looking forward to the upcoming races and my goal is to win Tour de Ski this year again.”

Saarinen echoed her teammate. “My race was perfect today, I had great skis. I had quite a lot of pressure in the previous races because of the skating style – classic is so much better for me.

“So I did what I had to do today. My goal for today’s race was to take all bonus seconds and win.”

Through five stages, Kuitunen’s total time is 1:32.21.4 with Kalla 25 seconds back at 1:32.46.4. Poland’s Justyna Kowalczyk is third (1:33.03.5). No North American women are competing.

Thursday is a day off to allow for travel to Asiago, Italy, where the final sprint race is scheduled for Friday.

Stage 5 full Women’s results.

Stage 5 full Men’s results.

Tour de Ski Overall after 5 events

Women

1. Virpi Kuitunen (Fin) 1:32:21.4
2. Charlotte Kalla (Swe) 1:32:46.4
3. Justyna Kowalczyk (Pol) 1:33:03.5
4. Olga Rotcheva (Rus) 1:33:07.1
5. Arianna Follis (Ita) 1:33:17.6

Men

1. Lukas Bauer (Cze) 2:02:04.0
2. Tord Asle Gjerdalen (Nor) 2:04:11.3
3. Pietro Piller Cottrer (Ita) 2:04:36.8
4. Rene Ommerfeldt (Ger) 2:04:43.3
5. Emmanuel Jonnier (Fra) 2:04:45.7