Iivo Niskanen sets clear Tour de Ski plan – new heat mass-start format added; schedule and TV info

Tour de Ski, staged annually since 2006–07, starts Sunday with freestyle sprints. After years rotating among Germany, Italy, Czechia and Switzerland, this edition, like last year, is held only in Italy: Toblach and Val di Fiemme. The Tour again ends with the Alpe Cermis final climb in Val di Fiemme—on the championship trails just over a month before the 2026 Olympics. While the Alpe Cermis climb is not on the Olympic program, the classic sprint is, and it will be raced as the penultimate Tour stage in Val di Fiemme.

A notable innovation this season is the New Year’s Eve format: for the first time on the World Cup, ‘heat mass starts’ will be used. The race is 5 km freestyle with athletes split into three or four heats per gender (about 25 per heat), depending on how many remain in the Tour. After all heats are completed, results are ranked by time. FIS cross-country race director Michal Lamplot says the aim is to keep the Tour dynamic and among the most exciting World Cup events. The New Year’s Day pursuit starts will then be based on the overall standings after the first three stages.

Beyond the overall Tour standings, World Cup points and prize money are awarded. The top three in each stage earn €3,000, €2,000 and €1,000. The sprint classification pays six deep (winner €6,000) and the climb classification pays the top three (winner €4,000). Overall, the top 20 men and women receive prize money, with €80,000, €55,000 and €40,000 for the podium.

Finnish stars enter the Tour with mixed form. Kerttu Niskanen will start but revealed recent health issues behind a sluggish opening to the season. Krista Pärmäkoski—who, per FIS, has the most Tour starts among active women, with 12 completed Tours and 94 stages—missed Davos with illness and struggled in Trondheim due to reflux symptoms. Having announced that this is her final competitive season, she confirms this Tour will indeed be her last and sets a goal of season-best performances. Before December problems, she was ninth in the 10 km classic in Ruka.

Iivo Niskanen, fifth in the Ruka 10 km classic, then struggled in Trondheim (citing back pain) and skipped Davos due to illness. He says his ‘Davos cold’ is over and he’s healthy again after too many sick days in December. Niskanen focuses particularly on stages 2 and 4—the 10 km and 20 km classic—where he believes he can stay competitive even if not at his best. He views the first four stages as decisive for his participation: he cannot improve much in the sprint or the Alpe Cermis climb, so if he’s outside the top 30 overall after four stages, returning home could be tempting, though workload-wise he can finish the Tour. He also welcomes the Tour as high-intensity preparation ahead of the Olympics, provided his body tolerates the load.

Johannes Høsflot Klæbo can become the sole record-holder for Tour de Ski overall victories with a fifth title; he currently sits at four, tied with retired greats Dario Cologna, Justyna Kowalczyk and Therese Johaug.