Sophia Laukli and Novie McCabe saved their best for last, finishing fifth and seventh respectively to post career-best World Cup results in the final stage of the FIS Tour de Ski in Val di Fiemme, Italy, Tuesday. 

“It felt pretty good,” McCabe said after finishing the traditional final 3k climb up the Alpe Cermis in Cavalese. “It was tough, obviously, but I’m stoked about it.”

“It was quite a shock,” Laukli said of her fifth-place result. “After yesterday, I was extremely tired, so it was a bit of a 180. I was really looking forward to this race though, and I knew that this was my style of course, so I was really excited.”

Indeed, the Alpe Cermis certainly fits the style for Laukli and McCabe with pitches as steep as 28 percent. The course kicked off with a 2.5k loop before heading out onto the famed Marcialongo trail, which provided a fast respite for the athletes prior to the final climb. Jessie Diggins was fifth coming out of the Marcialongo, with Laukli and McCabe a bit further back in the field of 46 athletes who started the race. 

“I was right with Sophia,” McCabe said as they began the climb, “and I knew that she was going to be in a good position, so I tried to follow her.”

“I tried to stay pretty chill and ski it tactfully well,” Laukli said, “and I was able to start the climb with a lot of energy. Like Novie said. We were pretty far back, up until the climb started, so we were well-rested and able to make some moves on the climb.”

Norway’s Heidi Weng won the race, with Sweden’s Ebba Andersson in second and Delphine Claudel of France in third. Russia’s Natalia Nepryaeva was fourth to secure the overall Tour de Ski victory. The overall win also moved her into atop the World Cup overall standings. Jessie Diggins was 15th Tuesday and finished eighth overall. Alayna Sonnesyn was 36th Tuesday. 

In the men’s 10k freestyle mass start, Norway’s Sjur Roethe took the win, with Russia’s Dennis Spitsov in second and Friedrich Moch of Germany in third. Norway’s 19 KLAEBO Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo took the overall Tour de Ski victory. For the U.S. Zak Ketterson finished 48th in Tuesday’s stage, completing his first six events on the World Cup circuit.

“That was definitely the hardest race I have ever done,” Ketter said of Tuesday’s final stage. “It just kept going and there was not a lot of rest of course because you’re only going uphill. But I’m proud to have finished because it was a long journey just to get here.”

RESULTS
Women’s 10k freestyle
Men’s 10k freestyle

STANDINGS
Women’s Tour de Ski final overall 
Men’s Tour de Ski final overall

On Monday, the remaining Davis U.S. Cross Country Team athletes dug deep into the pain cave to fight for another day at the FIS Tour de Ski on a world-class course in Val di Fiemme, Italy. 

Jessie Diggins, rebounding from her unfortunate race in Oberstdorf, Germany, Saturday, led the way, finishing 13th in the women’s 10k classic mass start. “I went as hard as I could and really dug deep,” Diggins said. “I gave it what I had today, and I am proud of that.”

After the penultimate stage, Russia’s Natalia Nepryaeva won her second-straight stage to maintain her overall Tour de Ski lead. Norway’s Heidi Weng was second, followed by Sweden’s Krista Parmakoski in third. Katharine Ogden just missed scoring World Cup points, finishing 31st, while Novie McCabe was 36th; Sophia Laukli was 39th, and Alayna Sonnesyn was 51st.

Diggins dropped to sixth overall in the Tour de Ski standings, 1:42 back. However, she moved into second in the overall FIS World Cup standings, just five points behind Sweden’s Frida Karlsson, who took Diggins out in Saturday’s Stage 4 classic sprint. Karlsson did not start Monday’s Stage 5.

In the 15k men’s classic mass start, Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo skied away from the field once again to win his fourth TdS stage. Finland’s Iivo Niskanen was second, followed by Russia’s Alexey Chervotkin in third. Gus Schumacher was 50th, and Zak Ketterson, competing in his first Tour and fifth World Cup race, was 59th.

“This is my first Tour, and probably the first time I have ever done this many races in so few days, so you kind of go into the race just seeing what would happen, and today was pretty tough,” Ketterson said. “But it’s just the nature of skiing that you have to look toward the next stage. We have another race tomorrow, and it’s a new chance.”

With five races in the past seven days and more than 8 hours of travel between venues, the athletes are brushing off fatigue to put their best ski forward. “I felt tired, for sure,” said McCabe, who is competing in her first Tour de Ski. “Not my best, but I’m proud of pushing the whole way because it was not easy.”

“Definitely feeling the multiple races in me,” said Laukli, who is also competing in her first Tour de Ski. “I’ve had better days, and I’ve had worse days.”

Tuesday’s Stage 6 finalé climbs the final three kilometers up the lower slopes of the Alpe Cermis in Cavalese. The stage offers one last opportunity for the athletes to move up in the overall standings.

“I have been looking forward to this race for a long time,” Laukli said. “I’m going into it very tired, but I’m still pretty stoked to do it.”

RESULTS
Women’s 10k classic mass start
Men’s 15k classic mass start

STANDINGS
Women’s Tour de Ski Overall
Men’s Tour de Ski Overall
Women’s World Cup overall
Men’s World Cup overall
Women’s World Cup distance
Men’s World Cup distance

HOW TO WATCH
All Times EST

Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022
5:30 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Women's 10km Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
9:25 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Men's 10km Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

Jessie Diggins Tour de Ski title defense hit a bump in the road in Saturday’s Stage 4 classic sprint in Oberstdorf, Germany.

Diggins and Sweden’s Frida Karlsson were sitting third and fourth in the opening quarterfinal headed into the final climb. Diggins was in the track, and Karlsson was double-poling just outside the track and moved in on Diggins lane. Diggins switched lanes, only to see Karlsson switch into the same lane again and take her down. Diggins hit the deck, and Karlsson was subsequently disqualified for obstruction and incurred a three-minute penalty. 

“Sometimes these things happen,” said Diggins, who dropped to third overall. “We talked after the; we’re cool, there’s no drama. But it is a bummer because that severely impacts my Tour, and mostly, I feel bad because we had amazing skis today.”

Indeed, it was another day of great skis for the Davis U.S. Cross Country Team, with four athletes advancing to the heats, including Katharine Ogden, who qualified for her first World Cup sprint heats. Ben Ogden qualified just as he did in 2021, along with Luke Jager, who qualified for the heats for the second time in his career.

While everyone went out in the quarterfinals, not all was lost on the day, as Ben and Katharine gave their parents a lot to cheer about. “That was awesome to see,” Ben said of his sister qualifying for her first World Cup Sprint. “I’m sure my dad and mom are home (in Vermont) and pretty pumped to see us both in the heats.”

Russia’s Natalia Nepryaeva won, followed by Sweden’s Johanna Hagstroem in second and Finland’s Johanna Matintalo in third. Diggins finished 21st, Katharine Ogden was 24th. Julia Kern did not start Stage 4.

In the men’s race, Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo won his third stage in this year’s Tour and led a Norwegian sweep with Erik Valnes in second and Paal Goldberg in third. Ben Ogden was 22nd, and Jager was 27th. 

The Tour has a travel day Sunday, continues Monday, and concludes Tuesday in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Monday’s race is a classic mass start, and Tuesday is a freestyle mass start, both of which favors skiing style.

“I’m just going to focus on moving forward and doing the best I can in these last two stages,” Diggins said. “I’m going to go as hard as I can as each day is a new day, so I just want to have the best day I can.”

RESULTS
Women’s classic sprint
Men’s classic sprint

STANDINGS
Women’s Tour de Ski overall
Men’s Tour de Ski overall
Women’s World Cup overall
Men’s World Cup overall
Women’s World Cup sprint
Men’s World Cup sprint

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Monday, Jan. 3, 2022
6:40 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Women's 10km Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA,   Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
8:50 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Men's 15km Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022
5:30 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Women's 10km Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
9:25 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Men's 10km Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

On a hard, fast, course, Jessie Diggins skated her way to an impressive victory in the women’s 10k freestyle mass start in Stage 3 of the FIS Tour de Ski Friday in Oberstdorf, Germany. 

“I had the best skis in the whole world today,” Diggins said after her second World Cup win this week and 13th overall career World Cup victory. “It was amazing! I’m so proud of our team, they worked so hard, and they gave me some absolute rockets.”

Indeed, she had fast skis, thanks to her tech Jason Cork and all the hard work of the entire U.S. tech team. Her skis were so fast, that at times on some of the long, fast downhills on the Oberstdorf track, it seems she was just along for the ride. In fact, coming into the finish stretch, she never used her poles, opting to remain in a low power-tuck skate, as she let her skis carry her to victory. 

“Being able to trust the draft, and trust my skis, that was the difference-maker,” she added. 

Diggins remained near the front of the field for almost the entire race. After leading out of the start, she settled into a pace among the top 10, but thanks to her fast skis, she found herself gliding into the lead numerous times. 

Heading up the final climb, Sweden’s Frida Karlsson held about a five-meter advantage with Diggins battling for the second position with Russia’s Tatiana Sorina. Down into the finish arena, Diggins took the slingshot around the outside of Karlsson and simply skated away. Karlsson held on for second, with Sorina taking third. 

Julia Kern put in a solid effort and finished 24th, while Katharine Ogden just missed the top 30 by 1.7 seconds, finishing 32nd. Sophia Laukli was 37th;  Alayna Sonnesyn 52nd; and Novie McCabe 54th. Due to a slight cold, Hailey Swirbul did not start Friday’s race.

“It was fast, furious and a lot of fun,” Kern said. “I didn’t have the best energy out there, but it was a hard fight.”

In the men's 15k, Gus Schumacher finished 25th. It was a great result for Schumacher, who was battling a cold last week. “I’m feeling better and better,” Schumacher said. “That cold was slowing me down a little bit, but every day I’m feeling a little more energy and more rested, so I’m looking forward to Val di Fiemme.”

Competing in only his third career World Cup start, Zak Ketterson continued to climb up the results ladder, just missing his first top-30 result by less than five seconds, finishing 36th. “I’m really happy with that (result),” Ketterson said. “The goal for anyone is just to be in the top 30, that is just the first stepping stone. So for me to be close to that today is kind of a dream come true, especially after a couple of rough first races of this Tour, it’s nice to get some positive feedback.” 

Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo outsprinted Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov for the victory. Sjur Roethe of Russia was third. Ben Ogden was 64th; Kevin Bolger 65th; Luke Jager 70th and Logan Hanneman 75th.

Friday’s win moved Diggins back into the overall Tour de Ski lead through three of six stages.  Kerttu Niskanen of Finland, who won Tuesday’s 10k classic, is second overall, 13 seconds back. Russia’s Natalia Nepryaeva is third at 14 seconds back. Kern is 17th overall.

The Tour de Ski kicks off 2022 with a classic sprint in Oberstdorf Saturday, followed by a rest/travel day Sunday and the final two stages in Val di Fiemme, Italy, Monday and Tuesday.

RESULTS
Women’s 10k freestyle mass start
Men’s 15k freestyle mass start

STANDINGS
Women’s Tour de Ski overall
Men’s Tour de Ski Overall
Women’s World Cup overall
Men’s World Cup overall
Women’s World Cup distance
Men’s World Cup distance

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022
6:00 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour de Ski Stage 4 Men and Women’s Classic Sprint - LIVE Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

Monday, Jan. 3, 2022
6:40 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Women's 10km Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA,   Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
8:50 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Men's 15km Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022
5:30 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Women's 10km Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
9:25 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Men's 10km Mass Start - LIVE, Val di Fiemme, ITA, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
 

On a day with heavy, wet snow falling, the classic Lenzerheide, Switzerland track presented challenging conditions throughout the day as Jessie Diggins led the way with a 16th-place result in Stage 2 of the FIS Tour de Ski. Hailey Swirbul was close behind in 18th, and for the men, Gus Schumacher was 38th.

“Overall, a good day,” noted Head Coach Matt Whitcomb. “I’m pleased with our team, and really pleased with the service staff. We tried every wax under the sun and at the end of the day, it is always a bummer when you flip to zeros.” 

“For Jessie to be 16th, and Hailey to be 18th, and some of our other women right around the top 30, that’s good,” he added. “What we’re trying to avoid on a challenging day like this is a big time bleed, and we didn’t sustain that, so we can take this and be fine with it. We have two very strong days coming up (mass-start freestyle Friday, and classic sprint Saturday).”

“We had some crazy conditions,” said Diggins, who dropped to second in the overall Tour de Ski standings. “It went from clear, to rain, to snow, from klister and wax to zero.”

Finland’s Kerttu Niskanen won the women’s 10k race and moved into the overall Tour de Ski lead, 0:29 seconds ahead of Diggins. Sweden’s Ebba Andersson was second, followed by Russia’s Natalia Nepryava in third. Novie McCabe was 34th; Katharine Ogden 35th; Julia Kern 41st; Sophia Laukli 44th, and Alayna Sonnesyn was 66th.

Two years ago at the same venue under similar conditions, the wheels came off the bus for the U.S. Team and ruined the overall chances for the team in the Tour de Ski standings. But this time around, a positive vibe kept spirits high, and a hard-working tech team powered through the challenges.

“I was really, really proud of the team,” Diggins said. “Everyone stayed calm and collected on a day when it would have been really easy to panic and waste a ton of energy. Working on the process and zoning in on the process goals have always been a big thing for me, and days like this are when it is very clear why it is so important.”

With heavy wet snow picking up in intensity, the men took to the same course for a 15k under fading afternoon light. Both Schumacher and Luke Jager, who finished 84th, took to the race with improving health as they both recover from colds the past week. 

“It’s good to see them feeling good again,” Whitcomb said. “Gus back to being close to the top 30 is a very good sign.”

Finland’s Iivo Niskanen won the race with Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov second, and Norway’s Paal Golberg in third. Ben Ogden was 44th, just 14 seconds out of the top 30. “That was a very hard-fought fight for Ben out there today,” Whitcomb said. 

Kevin Bolger was 65th, Logan Hanneman was 70th, and Zak Ketterson was 85th in his second career World Cup start.

The Tour de Ski has a travel day Thursday to Oberstdorf, Germany - the site of the 2021 World Championships last March. Friday’s Stage 3 is a freestyle mass start 10k for the women, 15k for the men. Saturday’s Stage 4 is a classic sprint.

RESULTS
Women’s 10k classic
Men’s 15k classic

STANDINGS
Women’s Tour de Ski Overall
Men’s Tour de Ski Overall
Women’s World Cup overall
Men’s World Cup overall
Women’s World Cup distance
Men’s World Cup distance

HOW TO WATCH
All times EST

Friday, Dec. 31, 2021
6:55 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour de Ski Stage 3 Women’s 10k Freestyle Mass Start - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
9:25 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour de Ski Stage 3 Men’s 15k Freestyle Mass Start - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022
6:00 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour de Ski Stage 4 Men and Women’s Classic Sprint - LIVE Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

Jessie Diggins kicked off the FIS Tour de Ski in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, with a victory in Tuesday’s freestyle sprint, leading five of her Davis U.S. Cross Country teammates into the top 29, including Julia Kern. The latter just missed the podium in fourth.

“I'm so proud of our team,” Diggins said following her 12th career World Cup victory. “(We) had really amazing skis…they were flying out there and we had a great day as a team.” 

Diggins’ parents Clay, Deb, and her sister Mackenzie were in the crowd to cheer her on, making the win all the more special. “It was so special for me to have my family here,” said Diggins, who spent the Christmas break with her family. “That just means so much. I had such a wonderful Christmas break, it was such an incredible burst of happiness and a wonderful reset. And for me, happiness is fast. I came into (Tuesday’s race) in a good place, rested and ready to go!”

Along with Diggins and Kern, Hailey Switbul, Kevin Bolger, Logan Hanneman, and Ben Ogden qualified for the heats. Both Swirbul and Diggins raced in the opening qualifying heat, but near the end of the first lap, Diggins was in the lead, with Switzerland’s Nadine Faehndrich sitting second and Swirbul in third. Faehndrich caught an edge and went down coming into the downhill corner, forcing Swirbul to the outside, where she crashed into the sponsor boards lining the exterior of the course. Fortunately, she wasn’t injured but did not move into the semifinals. Diggins won and moved into the semifinals, where she took her second win of the day to advance to the finals. 

Meanwhile, Kern won both her quarterfinal and semifinal heats with a combination of smart tactics and fast sprinting. “I had a pretty dialed strategy based on looking at footage from previous years (of sprints at Lenzerheide)” Kern said, adding that being near the front, while trying to ski a chill first lap, and passing on the right were her keys to victory in the opening heats. 

In the women’s final, both Diggins and Kern positioned themselves well on the first lap, with Diggins charging into the lead on the second lap and powering up the final climb. Kern was right behind her, but Norway’s Mathilde Myhrvold and Slovenia’s Anamarija Lampic snuck around her on the downhill to take the final two podium spots. However, with her fourth-place result, Kern did achieve the criteria (top eight individual World Cup finish) to be nominated to Team USA to compete at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. 

“Our skis were awesome today,” said Kern, who also had her parents Dorothee and Gunther, and her sister Nadja in the crowd cheering her on. “A lot of fun energy out there and great support from our staff. So it was a great day to kick off the Tour.” 

Tuesday's victory was not only a big result for Diggins but a tremendous result for the entire U.S. Team at the Tour de Ski. “We have an amazing support team here on the Tour this year,” Diggins said. “So many resources and so many people helping us get the most out of this Tour.” 

For the U.S. men, Ogden finished fifth in the qualifier, with Bolger in ninth and Hanneman sneaking into the final spot in 30th. In the opening heats, Bolger finished fourth, while both Hanneman and Ogden were fifth in their respective heats. 

The usual cast of characters populated the podium, with Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo taking the win, followed by Richard Jouve of France in second, and Lucas Chanavat of France in third. Bolger was 16th, Ogden 21st adn Hanneman 25th. 

Stage 2 of the Tour de Ski features a 10k classic individual start for the women and a 15k classic individual start for the men Wednesday in Lenzerheide.

RESULTS
Stage 1 Tour de Ski
Women’s Freestyle sprint
Men’s Freestyle sprint

STANDINGS
Women’s Tour de Ski Overall
Men’s Tour de Ski Overall
Women’s World Cup Overall
Men’s World Cup Overall
Women’s World Cup Sprint
Men’s World Cup Sprint

HOW TO WATCH 
All times EST

Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021
7:30 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour de Ski Stage 2 Women’s 10k Classic Individual Start - LIVE, Lenzerheide, SUI, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
9:05 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour de Ski Stage 2 Men’s 15k Classic Individual Start - LIVE, Lenzerheide, SUI, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

Friday, Dec. 31, 2021
6:55 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour de Ski Stage 3 Women’s 10k Freestyle Mass Start - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock
9:25 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour de Ski Stage 3 Men’s 15k Freestyle Mass Start - LIVE, Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022
6:00 a.m. FIS Cross Country World Cup Tour de Ski Stage 4 Men and Women’s Classic Sprint - LIVE Oberstdorf, GER, Streaming Ski and Snowboard Live, Streaming Peacock

Women’s Sports Foundation Van DerVeer Fellow grant recipient Kristen Bourne, who is an assistant cross country coach at the College of St. Scholastica (CSS) in Duluth, MN, joined the Davis U.S. Cross Country Team for a couple of weeks on the FIS World Cup circuit in Davos, Switzerland, and Dresden, Germany, recently.

From coaching to driving athletes, and waxing skis Bourne was introduced to an  “intensive course” on all things World Cup. Faster Skier's Rachel Perkins caught up with Bourne and featured her in the following story...

World Cup Development Opportunities: an Interview with Rising Coach and Tech, Kristen Bourne

Coming in hot on the heels of one of the best starts to the season in recent memory, 14 members of the Davis U.S. Cross Country Ski Team will kick off Period 2 of the FIS World Cup season with the annual FIS Tour de Ski Tuesday in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. With the Olympics less than five weeks away, this year’s Tour de Ski will feature six stages over eight days instead of the usual eight stages over 10 days.

Defending Tour de Ski champion Jessie Diggins is among the scheduled starters. She looks to not only protect her TdS title but pick up valuable World Cup points toward defending the overall World Cup title and the World Cup distance title. Diggins is currently fifth in the overall World Cup standings with 319 points. Rosie Brennan is fourth overall (328), but like overall leader Maja Dahlqvist (464) of Sweden, and Therese Johaug (375) of Norway, who is currently third overall, has opted to skip the event. Sweden’s Frida Karlsson (400), now second overall, and will start the Tour alongside Diggins.

Diggins plans to use the Tour de Ski as an opportunity not only to increase her on-snow racing time but prep for the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing. This season, she has already surprised herself with two podiums and a win during the opening spring qualification round. The Tour de Ski provides yet another opportunity to prove her form.

“All of this racing is how I get in shape,” Diggins said following the Davos races. “Because racing that hard gets you in shape pretty fast. So for me, it’s using the Tour de Ski as part of my preparation for the Olympics, but also – whether or not I’m working into the season, whether or not it’s part of the intentional prep phase – for me, every single race I hit it as hard as I can. And as you probably saw in Davos, I crossed the finish line, and there was nothing left.”

The U.S. women currently sit third overall in the Nations Cup behind Sweden and Norway, thanks to podium results from Diggins and Brennan and top 30 results from Hailey Swirbul, Julia Kern, Hannah Halvorsen, Novie McCabe, and Sophia Laukli. Meanwhile, the men’s team is seventh in the Nations Cup, following top results from JC Schoonmaker, Ben Ogden, Gus Schumacher, Kevin Bolger, and Luke Jager. 

“Period 1 was very successful for us,” noted Davis U.S. Cross Country Team Director Chris Grover. “I’m a little surprised due to our lack of on-snow training…but I think we’ll start to click a little more at the Tour de Ski. And I expect some standout results.”

While the women’s team continues to make headlines, the men’s team has started to write an excellent sprint story, with Schoonmaker, Ogden, and Jager all posting career-best results in Period 1. “For JC to be ranked 10th (in the overall World Cup sprint standings) is really quite awesome,” Grover said. “He is getting it figured out and gaining some confidence.” 

Schoonmaker has opted to skip the TdS and, like Brennan, will race at the L.L.Bean U.S. Cross Country Championships at Soldier Hollow January 2-6. However, Ogden, Jager, Bolger, Logan Hanneman, and Zak Ketterson will bring plenty of sprint power to the Tour, while Schumacher will be gunning for top results in the distance events. And speaking of distance, both Laukli and McCabe will be bringing some serious climbing power to the stage 6 final climb up the lower slopes of Val di Fiemme, Italy, on Jan. 4.

“Both of them are excellent climbers, and I expect we’ll see a top performance from each of them,” Grover said. 

The Tour de Ski kicks off Tuesday in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, with stage 1 freestyle sprint, followed by stage 2 classic individual starts Wednesday. The Tour rolls into Oberstdorf, Germany for stage 3, a freestyle mass start on Friday, Dec. 31, and a stage 4 classic sprint on Saturday, Jan. 1. The tour moves to Val di Fiemme, Italy, on Monday, Jan. 3, with a stage 5 classic mass start, and concludes on Tuesday, Jan. 4 with a mass start freestyle hill climb. NBC's Peacock will stream all events.

Tour de Ski Schedule

Tuesday, Dec. 28
Men and Women’s Freestyle Sprint, Lenzerheide, Switzerland

Wednesday, Dec 29
Women’s 10k Classic Individual Start, Lenzerheide, Switzerland
Men’s 15k Classic Individual Start, Lenzerheide, Switzerland

Friday, Dec. 31
Women’s 10k Freestyle Mass Start, Oberstdorf, Germany
Men’s 10k Freestyle Mass Start, Oberstdorf, Germany

Saturday, Jan. 1
Men and Women’s Classic Sprint, Oberstdorf, Germany

Monday, Jan. 3
Women’s 10k Classic Mass Start, Val di Fiemme, Italy
Men’s 15k Classic Mass Start, Val di Fiemme, Italy

Tuesday, Jan. 4
Women’s 10k Freestyle Mass Start, Val di Fiemme, Italy
Men’s 10k Freestyle Mass Start, Val di Fiemme, Italy

 The complete Broadcast and Streaming schedule is available here!

Davis U.S. Cross Country Team athletes scheduled to start the Tour de Ski:

MEN

• Zak Ketterson
• Ben Ogden
• Kevin Bolger
• Gus Schumacher
• Luke Jager
• Logan Hanneman

WOMEN

• Alayna Sonnesyn
• Jessie Diggins
• Hailey Swirbul
• Julia Kern
• Hannah Halvorsen
• Sophia Laukli 
• Novie McCabe
• Katharine Ogden

Julia Kern and Jessie Diggins rallied back from a couple of early-race falls to finish second in the FIS Cross Country World Cup freestyle team sprint in Dresden, Germany, Sunday. 

“I’m always proud of the ‘never give up' attitude, and I think it really paid off today,” said Diggins, who also credited the U.S. Service Team with working under challenging conditions and providing them fast skis. “We didn’t panic, we just skied as smooth, and smart, and as hard as we could.”

Kern and Diggins, who won their heat to advance to the finals, was sitting comfortably among the top three in the 12-lap race on the Dresden city course, when Diggins got tangled up with Slovenia’s Eva Urevc on the back corner - her second fall of the race. “The first time I crashed, that was all me,” Diggins said. “The second time, that was not my fault. Eva took me down skiing into me from behind, which is a bummer but unintentional, and happens in sprint racing.”

Fortunately, neither fall resulted in any damage, only bruises, and Diggins jumped back up. She tagged off to Kern in ninth-place, who proceeded to turn on the afterburners, weaving her way through the field and pulling the American duo back into podium contention.

With two laps to go, Diggins and Kern had moved into third, and on the final exchange, Diggins tagged off to Kern, who took an inside line and sprinted ahead of Slovenia’s Anamarija Lampic, and Finland’s Jasmi Joensuu for second. Sweden’s duo of Jonna Sundling and Maja Dahlqvist won the race, which was the second-straight victory for Dahlqvist, who has a commanding lead in the overall World Cup sprint standings after winning all five sprint races so far this season. Slovenia’s Lampic and Urevc were third.

“I’m so proud of Julia,” Diggins said. “She was confident and smooth. It was really a battlefield out there. You had to fight for position and she did so with such grace, poise, power, and speed. It was so fun to watch her ski.”

"I thought Jessie and I skied tactically really well and brought awesome energy.," Kern added. "The crashes are part of the game here in Dresden and I thought Jessie skied super smart by getting us right back in it and staying calm. We made a plan for tags and tactics and executed that to the best of our ability and I am proud of the effort we put out as a team."

 

 

 

 

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For Kern, the podium result was extra special, as numerous members of her family, many of whom live in Germany, were there to watch her race. 

"It was extra special to have such a large part of my family here in person," Kern said. "Despite no spectators allowed on the course, my family was able to cheer loudly on the bridge from above, and every lap that was the best part of the course. This is always one of my favorite races of the year because it is exciting and it feels like the closest thing to racing at home with my German family there to support me."

In the men’s race, Kevin Bolger and JC Schoonmaker advanced to the 10-team finals and finished ninth. Norway took the top two spots with Thomas Helland Larsen and Even Northhug taking the victory. Sindre Bjoernestad Skar and Haavard Solaas Taugboel were second. Russia’s Alexander Bolshunov and Gleb Retivykh were third. 

Up next, the athletes are off for the Christmas holidays, returning to competition with a freestyle sprint on Dec. 28 at the first stage of the Tour de Ski in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.

RESULTS
Women’s freestyle team sprint
Men’s freestyle team sprint

STANDINGS
Women’s World Cup overall
Men’s World Cup overall
Women’s World Cup sprint
Men’s World Cup sprint