What a final act by cross-country skier Friedrich Moch at the Tour de Ski! On the last stage to Alpe Cermis on Sunday (January 7th, 2024), the 23-year-old came second thanks to a fabulous performance and thus also moved up to second place in the overall ranking.
Friedrich Moch has made a difference in German cross-country skiing. The 23-year-old from WSV Isny was the first German athlete since Axel Teichmann 15 years ago to achieve a podium finish in the overall ranking of the Tour de Ski.
Follow in Teichmann’s footsteps
Moch sensationally came second in the mass start over 10 kilometers on the final stage to the legendary Alpe Cermis. This meant he moved up to second place in the final tally of the tour. Teichmann achieved the last German podium finish to date with third place in 2008/09. Tobias Angerer won the premiere of the Tour de Ski in 2006/07, and a year later Rene Sommerfeldt came second.
“It’s unbelievable. We really hoped that it would happen today,” said an exhausted but visibly relieved Moch in the Sportschau interview after the race. “The last few days have left us feeling pretty under the weather. I just gave it my all and tried to shake off the others. Luckily, that worked wonderfully. Now there’s a coke, then the award ceremony and then we’ll celebrate a bit.”
The victory on the final stage went to the Frenchman Jules Lapierre, who narrowly prevailed over Moch in the final meters with a lead of 2.4 seconds and prevented his first World Cup victory. Third place went to Lapierre’s compatriot Hugo Lapalus (+16 seconds), who also made it onto the podium in the overall ranking. The second German starter, Lucas Bögl, finished the race in 17th place (+1:41.9 minutes), and he made it to 19th place in the overall ranking.
Amundsen takes overall victory
Moch had impressed with consistent performances in the distance races at this year’s edition of the tour and finished in the top 10 a total of five times. Only in the sprint did he lose the time that was ultimately crucial for the really big hit.
The overall victory in the 18th edition of the Tour de Ski went to Harald Östberg Amundsen. Given a lead of 1:34 minutes before the final stage, the Norwegian could only beat himself. In the end, fifth place was enough for him to win the prestigious stage race.
The overall podium of the Tour de Ski with Friedrich Moch (l.), Harald Östberg Amundsen (m.) and Hugo Lapalus.
Always at the forefront
“I’ll try to give it my all,” Moch had announced before the strenuous race with climbs of up to 28 percent – knowing full well that the Tour podium was only five seconds away.
Even in the first few kilometers, which were still fairly flat, the field slowly spread out. Moch stayed in the top group, while Bögl had to drop slightly. Even when it slowly but steadily became steeper after a good five kilometers, Moch was able to defend his position. At the front, Amundsen set the pace. Right behind: Moch and his Norwegian competitors for the podium, Erik Valnes and Martin Löwström Nyenget.
Duel between Moch and Lapierre
Even on the first really demanding climbs, Moch still seemed fresh. After 7.5 kilometers, the gap to Amundsen at the front was only 1.7 seconds. Meanwhile, Nyenget could no longer keep up and said goodbye to the fight for the podium. Valnes also fell behind. Moch was completely different: He maintained his position almost unstoppably and set an incredible pace.
With 800 meters to go he was leading the field, only Lapierre could keep up. There was a showdown in the last few meters, which the Frenchman ultimately won. Moch still couldn’t take second place and the Tour podium – synonymous with the greatest success of his career.
