Skiing At his best, Matti Heikkinen was the fastest skier in the final climb of the Tour de Skin – now he sees the joint start taking a significant element from the competition

Matti Heikkinen did not experience the biggest moments of his top skier’s career that ended in 2019 on the Tour de Ski tour, but still the resident of Jyväskylä achieved achievements that no other Finn has been able to.

The final ascent of the tour on the Alpe Cermis ski slope was suitable for Heikkinen, who is lightweight and has a high oxygen uptake capacity, and this was also reflected in the results.

Two times Heikkinen was among the top three in the finals. This happened during the best seasons of his career, when in 2016 he was third fastest in the final stage and second a year later.

In 2016, he was number one in the unofficial times of the actual rise.

Almost the same Finns have been able to Riitta-Liisa Roponen, which in 2010 was the second fastest skier on the closing day.

When Heikkinen competed in the Tour, the last leg was skied in pursuit, according to the time differences that had arisen so far. This was the case from the beginning of the tour, from 2007 until the format was changed to a joint start two years ago.

This meant that the skier who first arrived at the Alpe Cermis finish line was no longer necessarily the winner of the tour. The same is likely to be the case today, Tuesday, at the end of the 16th Tour.

Heikkinen does not consider the change successful.

“Tourin after all, the basic idea was that the winner is the one who is on the hill first. That’s when the winner of the Tour got the value he deserved. Fortunately, there was no need to experience a joint start, ”Heikkinen, who has won the World Championship and two other personal World Championship medals at his best, tells HS.

In 2017, Heikkinen struggled for third place in the Tour’s overall competition, but had to bend for the fifth place by 12 seconds.

“When a man went against a man, it was somehow in great shape. If I could decide, the last leg would start in the order in which the overall race is held. I think it would be better for viewers and in every way. ”

Heikkinen thinks that the reason for changing the format is familiar: television.

“When, for example Therese Johaug presented some superiority in some years, so it’s pretty hard to get a TV product if one is so much ahead of the other. At its best, that hill involves ruthless racing. Of course, the Kuitunen-Saarinen duo comes to mind. ”

On the 2009 Tour Virpi Kuitunen and Aino-Kaisa Saarinen took part in a grueling duel in the final ascent, culminating in Kuitunen’s second victory.

Heikkisen considers that the joint start removes a significant element from the final rise of the Tour. He names it for predation.

“It was the subtlety and tension of the pursuit when the power relations between the forward and the pursuer were anticipated and examined.”

When the final ascent is skied today with a joint start, the top spot holders, Russia Natalia Nepryaeva and Norway Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, can seem to defend their positions and observe the situation in the midst of their toughest challengers.

This is quite a different setup than climbing alone in front of others. It is a familiar thing that peesing is useful in cross-country skiing and downhill skiing, but according to Heikkinen, you can also benefit from the ascent.

“In Pees, skiing on an ascent is a little easier mentally if it has relatively even skiers. In a way, you can relax after those small moments and know that the pace is enough. The pressure to ski at the bow is always a little tougher. You can take every step a little more in control. ”

Klæbo’s lead is as much as two minutes, but Neprjajeva is only a minute and 12 seconds behind the Swedish To Ebba Andersson, who was the fastest skier in the final climb a year ago.

“Ebba needs to be pretty active in the top group so he gets to run away right away when the hill starts. It is even quite probable that Ebba will leave Nepryaeva on that hill for a minute, ”Heikkinen estimates.