Niilo Moilanen did not spare

Toblach

Free a 20-kilometer race in skiing is not considered a sprinter Niilo Moilanen to favorite trips. It was visible on New Year’s Eve in Toblach, where the Finn finished in 82nd place in the intermediate start race.

Difference winner Harald Östberg to Amundsen stretched to more than five minutes.

“That was today’s level”, Moilanen said.

The competition was skied as one 20 kilometer run. The track was a gentle climb until the halfway point. The rest was a downhill section, but not so steep that the skiers would have been able to rest in the so-called egg position.

“A great race and a different track. It was a tough trip and I was able to ski the whole time.”

Moilasen was asked a couple of times if he skied from start to finish with the gas at the bottom. In the middle of the race, he was only a minute and a half behind the leader, but the gap widened ugly for the rest of the race.

Moilanen’s main race is a traditional sprint that will be held on Friday in Val di Fiemme. Many other sprint skiers passed in Tuesday’s special race.

The Finn rejected the claims that he had beaten himself up.

“I didn’t set out to save money. I don’t know, it was a smooth grind today.”

The same question was asked again.

“I didn’t set out to save in advance. It was steady work.”

The competition the best Finn was Niko Anttola ranked 24th.

“I tried to split the pace evenly. It was probably fairly successful. I guess it’s okay. Skis probably worked just fine too. Probably a grade of 7.5,” Anttola said.

Arsi Ruuskanen ranked 26th.

“It was a special race. Kind of hard to say. “Going up didn’t seem very exciting, so it didn’t become a favorite,” he said.

Ruuskanen came directly from Finland to Toblach at an altitude of 1,200 meters. Many others were preparing for the tour in the high air. He suspected that he had not fully adapted to the thinner air.

“Would it be because it doesn’t work properly? Isn’t the Tour still going on,” he said.

31st squeezed Lauri Vuorinen was happy that the skiing felt fresher than in Sunday’s traditional race.

“Everything was at stake. Tomorrow’s chase will be all the more comfortable, the better the starting point is.”