Feelings on the Tour de Ski - by Zak Ketterson

6 races in 8 days

Hello—and Happy New Year!

It’s been four days since I wrapped up this year’s Tour de Ski, and I’m feeling surprisingly good. I’m already excited to get back into training and racing. That said, I know I need to hold back a little and stay aware of any lingering fatigue. The last time I did the Tour (22/23), I struggled with recovery afterward, so I’m trying to be smarter this time around. Knock on wood. 

Overall, the Tour was a bit disappointing for me. I had dreamed of a stronger overall result, especially given how good I felt going in and how well the schedule of events suited me. On paper, the races looked great, and I hoped to string together solid days throughout the week. It didn’t quite play out that way—and that’s life.

Now that I’ve had a few days to reflect, I’ve landed in a better place mentally. I’m happy with where I’m at and with what I was able to do with what I had. There’s always more to learn.

Key Takeaways from the Tour

Tactical calls

• I need to dare to be tougher and pushier in heat formats. You have to fight for good positions to finish well—while still being a good sport.
• Sometimes I want too much in the moment, which can lead to less-than-ideal decisions – need to stay cool, calm and collected.

Fueling

• My fueling was solid this Tour. I intentionally ate more carbohydrates than I naturally wanted to, but without forcing food the way I have in the past. I felt comfortable and energized.
• When you race and train this much, carbohydrates need to be the main fuel and take up most of the space on your plate.

Off days

• An hour – an hour and a half of training per off day is more than enough. Save energy, ski easy, and get daylight. 
• Blood flow and ski testing was my main goal, and it felt good.

Equipment

• Stick with equipment you’ve used all season. No last-minute changes—no matter how tempting it is to try something new and exciting. I tried a few new items this tour, and I shouldn’t have. It was a spontaneous call that I should’ve known not to make. 

Race-by-Race

Day 1: Skate Sprint
I was happy with my qualifier. I placed 36th, less than one second (o.4 sec) out of qualifying. I had hoped to crack the top 30 but being that close made it hard to be too disappointed. My technique felt good, I felt strong, and I did what I could. Must be okay with that. It was also the first day of the Tour with a very deep, competitive field. 

Day 2: 10km Classic (Individual Start)
I was really excited for this one. The 10km classic has historically been a strong event for me, and I enjoy the balance between pacing and sustained effort. During the race I felt better and better and really started to come alive. I was around 15th at 7.6 km.

Then, at about 8 km, on a fast downhill, I suddenly found myself on my face with the wind knocked out of me. After the fall, my legs cramped and my body felt stiff and beaten up. I’m incredibly glad I finished the race—if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to continue the Tour.

Without the fall, this could have been one of my best 10km classic races. Instead, I lost about two minutes and dropped to 79^th. That one hurt. Going from a potential top 15 result to being completely out of the overall fight was tough to swallow. Eventually, I reset and focused on Day 3. 

Day 3: 5km Skate (Heat Start)
I woke up excited and motivated to move up the rankings. Starting with bib 82, I knew I had room to gain places.

This was a brand-new format, first introduced last summer at Toppidrettsveka in Trondheim. It’s exciting for spectators, but as an athlete, it was hard to feel like it was entirely fair. The goal is for each heat to work together to produce the fastest time. Starting with bib 82 that day (based on current overall placement in the tour), I didn’t feel like it was my place to speak up and coordinate with the top guys—though in hindsight, maybe I should have.

Our heat didn’t go particularly fast. The winner of our heat ended up 20th overall, and I finished 41st. Not great, not terrible. The highlight of the day was Gus Schumacher winning—his second World Cup victory ever. That was awesome to witness and be part of.

Day 4: 20km Classic Pursuit
This was a really fun day. The pursuit is based on overall Tour standings, and since I was sitting somewhere in the 70s, my focus was on skiing a strong time of day and passing as many people as possible.

I started in the wave start, skied most of the race with Ben Ogden, and genuinely enjoyed it. I moved up 28 places—the most of anyone that day—which felt like a big win. I was tired afterward, but I had my eyes on the classic sprint coming up. Up to this point, I hadn’t yet qualified for a World Cup sprint (top 30), and I really wanted to change that to earn more sprint starts later in the season.

Day 5: Classic Sprint
This day meant a lot to me, and I was nervous. I warmed up normally, fueled well, and somehow raced my best qualifier ever—11th. Huge relief.

I was also hoping to break my streak of exiting in the quarterfinals. I didn’t quite manage that this time, finishing 18th, but I still felt okay about it. Progress is progress. Maybe next time. 

Day 6: Alpe de Cermis – 10km Uphill Skate (Mass Start)
The final day. I was ready to be done. Alpe de Cermis is a spectacle—in the best way—and I was excited to race it, even though I didn’t have much to fight for in terms of overall position.

I started somewhere in the 40s, had one fall during the pre-climb laps, and eventually finished 36th overall in the Tour. My best Tour result so far—and that’s something to be proud of.

All in all, a decent Tour. As you can probably tell from the tone, I wish I had been able to use my fitness better. The fall on Stage 2 really set me back, and I’m hoping to avoid moments like that in the future.

Now it’s time to move forward and start preparing for the races in Goms, Switzerland, in two weeks. Thanks for reading and following along. I’ve been posting weekly YouTube videos since this past spring, so if you want more behind-the-scenes content, feel free to check those out 🙂

https://www.youtube.com/@zaketterson

~ Zak