Alexander Bolshunov lashes out at the Tour de Ski, arguing that the entire stage race concept has been reduced to “Tour de Ski Sprint.”

Alexander Bolshunov of Russia is highly critical of the format of the 2022 edition of the traditional Tour de Ski stage race. 

The defending champion from the 2021 Tour de Ski was eliminated in the quarterfinal at the sprint stage in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, on Tuesday. After finishing second in the challenging 15-kilometer classic stage yesterday, Bolshunov now sits in fourth place overall with four of six stages to go. 

Justified complaints
The Tour de Ski concept is designed to crown the strongest, most complete cross-country skier through a series of races of varying formats. However, with only six stages including two sprints, the 2022 edition of the Tour de Ski is not ideal for everyone.  

The 24-year-old Russian is hardly the only one to point that out. Several athletes, including Bolshunov, complain that the sprinters have an unfair advantage. They are particularly critical of the distribution of bonuses, which awards a full minute to the winner of each sprint stage.

“The sprint bonus had become a real luxury. We (distance racers, editor’s note) need several distance races to close the gap (the sprinters put on us). Even being eliminated in the quarterfinals, we lose a minute on the winners. That’s too much,” says Bolshunov according to Sports Infos, and continues: 

“Moreover, on this Tour, apart from the 15-kilometer race (in Lenzerheide), we will only have mass starts and yet another sprint. Keep in mind that these mass start races also offer bonus sprints.”

Accordingly, Bolshunov argues that with the current setup, the fundamental concept of the stage race is lost. 

“For me, (Tour de Ski) is no longer a Tour, it’s a sprint Tour. Tour de Ski is no longer a long, challenging stage event,” explains the defending Tour de Ski champion to Match TV.

It is hard to dismiss Bolshunov’s argument, given the importance put on the sprints and the amount of bonuses awarded in those stages. 

Moving on to Germany
Tour de Ski now moves on to Oberstdorf, Germany, for Tour de Ski stage 3 and 4 on December 31 and January 1. Stage 3 features a 10-kilometer mass start skate race for women and 15-kilometer mass start classic skate race for men. Stage 4 features classic sprint races for both men and women. 

Check out the Tour de Ski 2021/22 day-by-day schedule and ProXCskiing.com’s predictions for the overall stage race: Who Will Win Tour de Ski? 

Curious about where to watch Tour de Ski in your area? We got you covered! 

FACTS: Tour de Ski 2021/22 

• Tour de Ski 2021/22 starts in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, on December 28 and concludes in Val di Fiemme, Italy, on January 4. 
• The race consists of six stages in eight days. Here are all the Tour de Ski details and the day-by-day schedule
• Tour de Ski 2021/22 is the 16th edition of the brutal stage race. These are the winners from the previous 15 Tour de Ski events. 
• The overall winners get 400 World Cup points for the Tour de Ski, which consists of six stages in eight days. Stage winners get 50 World Cup points. Accordingly, there are potentially 700 World Cup points for winning every stage of the Tour de Ski, which would determine the overall World Cup for the season.