After the Tour der Ski opening sprint races in Lenzerheide yesterday, day 2 of the brutal six-stage race featured individual start classic races for both men and women. 

In grueling conditions with heavy snow and sleet throughout the race, the 33-year-old Finnish veteran basically parked her competitors, winning the 10-kilometer classic race by nearly 20 seconds. 

“Today was really good. I felt good today and my skis were working really well, and I usually enjoy being at altitude,” Niskanen says after her killer performance. 

Andersson enters the race for the overall 
Although Ebba Andersson was beat by nearly 20 seconds, the 24-year-old Swede was no less content than the winner. 

Andersson’s strong second-place finish in the 10-kilometer puts her in the mix of contenders for the overall Tour de Ski victory. 

While happy to be on the podium, the 23-year-old Swede, who has been struggling to find her groove so far this season, was more excited about her body’s response to racing than points and positions. 

“It finally feels like my body is responding the way I would like. For me, the overall goal for Tour de Ski is to find back to that good vibe that I’ve been missing this season. And today I feel like I am a lot closer to where I want to be,” says Andersson, adding that there are bigger goals than Tour de Ski this season. 

“I will try to pull out my absolute top performances when it really matters.”

Top 3, 10km Classic, individual start women
1. Kerttu Niskanen, Finland, 27:04.0
2. Ebba Andersson, Sweden, 27:22.2
3. Natalia Nepryaeva, Russia, 27:34.5

Complete results

Diggins loses overall lead
Jessie Diggins (USA), who won the opening stage of Tour de Ski yesterday, had a nightmare of a race today.

Despite pouring every ounce of energy onto the course, Diggins finished in 16th place, one minute and seven seconds behind Niskanen. Diggins, the defending Tour de Ski champion, thereby lost her overall lead to Niskanen. 

Four stages to go
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 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.