Lukas Bauer led the Czech squad in yesterday’s Tour de Ski prologue in Oberhof. Bauer was the only Czech skier to win World Cup points, having finished the 4.1 km Prologue in Free technique on 27th spot with a margin of 35 seconds to Petter Northug.
“We’re not quite satisfied with the results, but the gap is not that big,” the Czech head coach Miroslav Petrasek said to www.czech-ski.com. “It’s not a big deal, the prologue won’t make you win the Tour. Tomorrow the field will be back together and the margins around me are tiny,” Lukas Bauer added before the second stage of the Tour – 15 km Classic Handicap Start.
“Conditions were quite difficult. Until 1.7 km I had been struggling to catch the rhythm. I was losing 10 seconds, and then it was not that much. It was much better towards the finish,“ Bauer wrote on his Twitter account. The Czech ace has been struggling with cold and problems with airways.
The rest of the Czech contingent finished outside top 30. Jaks claimed 43rd place, Razym finished 49th and Magal 68th. Ondrej Horyna crossed the finish line on 91st spot out of 99 athletes. “On the icy surface it was quite difficult for the guys to find the right technique,” the coach noticed. “Martin (Jaks ) aimed to be higher as well as Lukas. But Ales (Razym) did a very decent race; Jirka (Magal) did a good race too. Only Ondra (Horyna) was bad,” he added.
And what about the next plan? “The margin is tiny, and they should be back together soon. If you aim for good results at the Tour you cannot start losing behind at the beginning. All the best classic specialists are within 10 seconds,” Bauer says and is planning tactics already. “My goal is to catch up with the leading group and benefit from that. Third stage is sprint again and I don’t count on a good result there. For me the Tour kicks off tomorrow ( 30th December) as in the previous years. I need to be perfect in distance competitions, keep your fingers crossed,” Bauer wishes.
On the ladies’ side Eva Nyvlttova scored her season best with 31st place. “My skis were super good. I was damn fast, and I almost did not know how to handle it and was kind of shaky,” Nyvltova said. Anotehr Czech Ivana Janeckova was finishing right behind Marit Bjoergen, which meant 51st spot for the Czech skier. Second stage of the Tour for the ladies is featuring 10 km Classic Handicap Start.
