History of the Tour de Ski Female Edition 2008

Continuing our review on the history of the Tour de Ski. In this episode we revisit the & rsquo; female edition of 2008, eight stages disputatesi between the Czech Republic (Prague and Nove Mesto) and l & rsquo; Italy (Asiago and Val di Fiemme). Germany returns the & ldquo; & rdquo favor; s & rsquo; previous year to the Czech Republic, by failing to organize the stages in Oberstdorf for lack of snow.

Tuesday 22 December 2015 9 minutes reading time

PROLOGUE NOVE MESTO is introduced to the so-called Tour de Ski Prologue, a 2.5 km classic technique (sar & agrave; free in subsequent editions) help to establish the & rsquo; starting order of & rsquo; pursuit of the next day. The gaps in fact it is assumed that they are tight to transforming the next test in a sort of mass start. Virpi Kuitunen, reigning champion as well as & eacute; holder of the crystal ball and leader of the early season, & egrave; the natural favorite, and the prediction is fulfilled with the Finnish burning of a few tenths of the Aino Kaisa Saarinen and compatriot Poland's Justyna Kowalczyk, doing immediately understand not wanting abidicare. The best blue & egrave; Arianna Follis, good tenth in a race on the technique to her less congenial. 10 KM TL TRACKING NOVE MESTO L & rsquo; pursuit freestyle shuffles the cards, also because & eacute; Kuitunen not to skating & egrave; pi & ugrave; dominant as the & rsquo; previous year. Size cos & Igrave; the finish line first Marit Bj Ã¸ rgen front of the young Charlotte Kalla, author of the best time of the race and can also outsiders for the final classification. Kuitunen relegated to fourth detached 15 seconds immediately behind Kowalczyk. It dates back to the great Sabina Valbusa, the second half of the race and seventh in the overall standings before Arianna Follis. SPRINT TL PRAGUE The third stage & egrave; yet in the Czech Republic and & egrave; The first of two Sprint skating. It comes the first Italian to win a stage of the Tour de Ski: Arianna Follis is imposed in fact, has become one of the pi & ugrave; strong sprinter in freestyle in the world, so that & rsquo; & agrave will win next year; the world title in Liberec. Second & egrave; l & rsquo; other specialist Pirjo Muranen third Bj Ã¸ rgen, a fourth & rsquo; excellent Magda Genuin, in turn grown a lot in recent times. Ranked general takes command Bj Ã¸ rgen front Follis and Kowalczyk; Kuitunen & egrave; fourth at 23 seconds Kalla sixth at 38. 10 KM TL TRACKING NOVE MESTO The tour returns to Nove Mesto, replacing a Oberstdorf free of snow, for a chase according to postings accumulated in the first three stages. It breaks Charlotte Kalla, who thanks to the fastest time of the race takes all opponents that preceded and takes the lead of the Tour de Ski in front of a beautiful Arianna Follis, separated by 8/2, and Justyna Kowalczyk. Kuitunen & egrave; fourth, collapses instead Bj Ã¸ rgen, now ninth in 38 seconds off the pace. 10 TC NOVE MESTO L & rsquo; last stop in Nove Mesto & egrave; a 10 km classic technique with interval start. Virpi Kuitunen & egrave; the logical favorite, but the champion Finn Aino Kaisa Saarinen is beaten by just 2.5 seconds. Third & egrave; the young Therese Johaug, for the first time on the podium in his career. They defend very well Kalla, sixth, and Follis, ninth, both often in trouble & agrave; in alternating step. In the overall standings Kuitunen takes leadership with 25 seconds on the Swedish; Follis & egrave; fifth less than a minute. SPRINT TL ASIAGO The Sprint freestyle Asiago see the surprise hit of Charlotte Kalla. The Swede had never been able even to reach the final of a sprint race, but his condition and the sensational form of & rsquo; & atipicit agrave; the sprint that are held during the Tour de Ski to allow this exploit. Second & egrave; Russian Natalia Korosteleva, third Justyna Kowalczyk, only fourth Arianna Follis in what was his race. Virpi Kuitunen & egrave; eleventh and feel your breath on my neck Kalla, now second only 2 tenths. 10 KM TC MASS START VAL DI FIEMME The penultimate stage & egrave; a 10 km classic technique with mass start. Kuitunen needs many rebates and a large advantage to not having to fear Kalla on Cermis; manages to scrape together 45 seconds in the intermediate sprints, but the finish comes with only 3 on his direct rival, competitive also in alternating step, all that & rsquo; era was definitely not his technique. In & rsquo; last stop Kuitunen partir & agrave; 40-second margin, but not many many in a race that also & rsquo; previous year had shown to suffer. Completing the podium stage the German Claudia Nystad. Arianna Follis & egrave; fourth in the overall standings to 10 seconds by Olga Rotcheva girl that you will play without acute & agrave; a place in the top three. CLIMB TO CERMIS Predictably Kuitunen is in trouble & agrave; ramps Cermis; cos & Igrave; Charlotte Kalla, about half & agrave; climbing, takes it up and off, going on to win a surprise but with merit, the second edition of the Tour de Ski; the Finnish manages to retain second place, reaching the top 36 seconds behind the Swede. Third & egrave; Arianna Follis, who reaches and off Olga Rotcheva, then fifth, defending very well by the return of Valentina Shevchenko, author of the best time to climb and fourth at the finish line. The podium is reached par with that of Giorgio Di Centa to the male, making the Tour de Ski in 2008 the best to date for the & rsquo; Italy. TOUR DE SKI FEMALE 2008 & ndash; FINAL STANDINGS 1. KALLA Charlotte (SWE) 2: 43: 01.0 2. Virpi Kuitunen (FIN) +36.4 3. Arianna Follis (ITA) +53.3 4. Valentina Shevchenko (UKR) +1: 09.2 5. ROTCHEVA Olga (RUS) +1: 14.8 Click here for the complete ranking & Nbsp; & Nbsp;

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