Niilo Moilanen shines in new race format — “I give myself a clean sheet”

Niilo Moilanen delivered Finland’s best male result on stage three of the Tour de Skin in Toblach, where organisers trialled a new race format: a 5 km heat mass-start. The stage was won by US skier Gus Schumacher, who outsprinted the rest of the leading heat.

Moilanen finished 7th overall, skiing in the same fast heat as Schumacher. Known primarily as a sprinter, Moilanen said the fast group skiing and the tactical nature of the short-distance mass-start suited him.

“Good skiing — it was fun to try the new concept for the first time. After this I have nothing bad to say about it. It was fun,” Moilanen said after his heat.

He noted that sprint specialists could benefit from this format: “Very fast group skiing and a sprint to the finish. You had to ski as relaxed as possible within the pack and stay alert the whole time. People faded in front, so you had to make moves along the way. I give myself clean papers for today.”

Moilanen has until now scored mainly in sprints, so this result ranks among his best on normal (distance) races. The placing also lifted him to 28th in the overall Tour de Skin standings. He said his body is sending positive signals: “It seems my body is working, the aerobic endurance feels good. This was my best distance effort of my career.”

Iivo Niskanen finished 10th in his heat and 22nd overall. Niskanen regretted a slow start that left him too far back to make a late climb, noting that Harald Østberg Amundsen blocked the turns at one point. “Well, at least I got to ski,” he commented.

Race winner Gus Schumacher praised the format as entertaining and said he had discussed tactics with other skiers, including Lars Heggen and Benjamin Moser, and with teammate Kevin Bolger. Those three set a brisk pace in their heat that other heats could not match.

Men, 5 km (classic) / mass start — official top results

1. Gus Schumacher (USA) 9:35.4
2. Benjamin Moser (AUT) +0.2
3. Lars Heggen (NOR) +0.6
4. Jules Chappaz (FRA) +0.7
5. James Clugnet (GBR) +0.7
6. Michal Novak (CZE) +5.4
7. Niilo Moilanen (FIN) +6.0
8. Emil Iversen (NOR) +7.1
9. Andreas Ree (NOR) +7.2
10. Richard Jouve (FRA) +8.4

Others of Finnish interest

1. Iivo Niskanen (FIN) +10.1
2. Perttu Hyvärinen (FIN) +14.0
3. Petteri Koivisto (FIN) +15.2
4. Niko Anttola (FIN) +19.8
5. Lauri Vuorinen (FIN) +36.2
6. Joni Mäki (FIN) +47.7

The article was published as a short sports news item covering the Toblach stage of the Tour de Skin and the new 5 km heat mass-start format.