Iivo Niskanen proposes change to Tour de Ski after new ‘heat’ format sparks criticism

Tour de Ski will feature a completely new race format in Toblach on New Year’s Eve, and Finnish stars reacted skeptically to the change.

Yle Urheilu’s Kimmo Porttila asked Iivo Niskanen what kind of race he would prefer at the Tour.

On the 20th edition of the Tour de Ski the third stage will be contested in a format never seen before in the World Cup: 5-kilometre timed heats (eräyhteislähdöt). Competitors are split into several heats of roughly 25 skiers each; each heat is a mass-start and after all heats the final places are determined by recorded race times.

Finnish skiers were asked for their views. Lauri Vuorinen, who had experience with the format in a summer roller-ski event at Norway’s Toppidrettsveka, said he finished 14th overall in the combined results and recalled that Martin Löwström Nyenget, who skied in Vuorinen’s heat, did a lot of early work which ultimately left him struggling on the final climb. Vuorinen said drafting and cooperative riding matter a lot in this format: “If you don’t find the teamwork, it becomes a bad race.” He noted that the format should suit sprint-type skiers such as himself and Joni Mäki.

Mäki, however, was not enthusiastic: “On paper it doesn’t look very sensible, but we’ll see how it feels. There’s a bit of luck depending on who you end up in a heat with.”

Niskanen described the format as artificial and pointed out that the way heats are drawn and which competitors are grouped together will heavily influence outcomes because of pacing. He suggested an alternative radical change for Tour organisers: when the race reaches Alpe Cermis, try the final climb in classic technique instead of free technique — and even experiment with very long flat races if event organisers want to continue inventing novel formats.

Norwegian star Johannes Høsflot Klæbo said he was curious about the new format: “I think it’s interesting. It’s the first time, so probably nobody knows exactly how it will work.” When asked what kind of race he would like added to the Tour, Klæbo joked: “50 kilometres.”

Yle’s report includes reaction from several Finnish skiers and notes that the TV rights for the Toblach races belong to Viaplay Group, so Yle will not broadcast those events live but will cover them on its websites and apps. The article also reproduces the Tour de Ski Toblach and Val di Fiemme schedules and TV information.

The piece discusses past Tour experiments (for example a prologue time trial used in seasons such as 2006–07 that suited Virpi Kuitunen and Aino-Kaisa Saarinen) and puts the new 5-km heat format in that context.

Quotes and comments were collected by Yle reporters Joel Sippola and Kimmo Porttila in a story published 30 December 2025.