The Tour de Ski, a flagship event in the international cross-country skiing calendar, concluded on Sunday with the 10km free mass start in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Nine days of competition with a total of seven competitions to be completed: Antoine Cyr and Olivier Léveillé were far from having a relaxed New Year.
Without the World Championships and without the Olympic Games, the Tour de Ski 2023-24 was the highlight for athletes and cross-country skiing enthusiasts.
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After battling a virus over the holidays, Cyr only hoped for one thing: to be at the start on the first day in Dobbiaco. Luckily, his wish was granted.
“Being able to recover from the flu and compete in the Tour de Ski was quite an achievement in my opinion. Afterwards, it's even better to do well in the Tour de Ski!” mentioned the cross-country skier from Outaouais, shortly after he finished this real cross-country marathon.
Last year, in his first participation in the Tour de Ski, Cyr finished 16th overall. This year he proudly came close to the top 10 with a twelfth place.
“Twelfth place in the Tour de Ski is, in my opinion, one of the good results Canada has achieved, including the years with Alex Harvey,” he continued. It’s definitely very encouraging for my form and for the rest of the season.”
He achieved his best result in the fifth competition, the 20 km pursuit in classic style on Swiss slopes, where he finished seventh, almost 50 seconds behind the first cross-country skier.
“To be on the podium, in cross-country skiing, like any other sport, the stars have to align. You have to perform well and your physique is right. In Davos the stars aligned during the 20 km. I think it’s my highlight of the Tour de Ski,” he confided from the comfort of his Italian apartment.
Today (Sunday) Antoine Cyr finished 14th in the 10km free mass start, 1 minute and 34 seconds behind French winner Jules Lapierre. The German Friedrich Moch and the French Hugo Lapalus completed the podium.
“It's a stage that I'm always a little afraid of because it's usually not my thing. Today I had a really good race and was able to finish 14th while defending my overall ranking.”
Staying ahead of the peloton and giving it 110% once the climb began was the strategy he had in mind before finishing the final event.
“It was a complicated Tour de Ski, but if you are well surrounded, have a good team and are well supported, you can do it. I think that twelfth place today is a great reward for the entire support team and my coach at home,” he analyzed.
Antoine Cyr was overall happy with his performances and was not afraid to confide in Sportcom that the most demanding part of this type of competition was the travel.
“As soon as we finish racing, we jump in the car and drive for hours to get to the next stage. It's difficult physically and mentally because it's not the best way to recover from a ski race,” explained Antoine Cyr, who had the chance to ski in Europe for the first time in front of his parents.
“I spend a lot of time in Europe. It's almost my second home because I spend a little over five months a year here, not including training camps. […] I’m excited to be able to show you my everyday life when we’re in Europe.”
For his part, Olivier Léveillé also took part in the final start of the event, where he finished 45th with a time of 36 minutes and 53.1 seconds, which gave him 45th place in the overall Tour de France standings. Ski.
After a physically and mentally demanding week, the cross-country skiers in the province of La Belle have a well-deserved vacation. Cyr will also take the opportunity to go on a family vacation to Venice to take a few days off!