With a seventh place obtained in the classic pursuit on Thursday in Davos, Switzerland, cross-country skier Antoine Cyr climbed to provisional tenth place in the general classification of the Tour de Ski, with only two stages remaining.
The Quebecer found himself at the heart of the action from the start of this 20-kilometer race. At the halfway mark, he was fighting for a place on the podium, closely followed by his opponents.
It was in the last two kilometers, which included a difficult climb, that Cyr slipped slightly in the standings. He was ultimately the seventh skier to cross the finish line, just under 50 seconds behind the winner, Harald Oestberg Amundsen.
The Norwegian had the last word over his compatriot Henrik Doennestad in the sprint at the end of the race. Martin Loewstroem, also from Norway, led a group of four riders about 30 seconds later to complete the podium.
This is a second victory this week for the man who fell in the freestyle sprint event on Wednesday. Amundsen at the same time increased his lead in the general classification of the Tour de Ski. It is now 1 minute 39 seconds ahead of Doennestad and Loewstroem.
Antoine Cyr is in 10th place, 2 minutes and 56 seconds behind the leader. Also in action on Thursday, Olivier Léveillé finished 41st (3 minutes 32.6 seconds) and moved to 49th in the general ranking.
The last two stages of this 18th Tour de Ski will take place in Val di Flemme, Italy. A 15km classic style mass start event is scheduled for Saturday, followed by a 10km freestyle mass start the next day.
