Tour de Ski pre competition facts

Preview women

• Norwegian athletes have won the women's Tour de Ski in each of the previous six seasons: Therese Johaug (2013/14, 2015/16), Marit Bjørgen (2014/15), Heidi Weng (2016/17, 2017/18) and Ingvild Flugstad Østberg (2018/19). Norway had not won any of the first seven editions (Poland 4, Finland 2, Sweden 1).

• Justyna Kowalczyk has won the Tour de Ski a record four times. Heidi Weng, Therese Johaug and Virpi Kuitonen each won the trophy twice.

• In only three of the previous 13 seasons the winner of the first stage went on to claim the overall Tour de Ski title: Justyna Kowalczyk in 2010/11 and 2011/12 and Marit Bjørgen in 2014/15.

• Lenzerheide will host Tour de Ski races for the fourth time, after 2013/14, 2016/2017 and 2017/18. It hosted the opening stage of the 2017/18 edition, when Laurien van der Graaff won the first race on home snow (sprint free).

• Val di Fiemme will be the venue of Tour de Ski races for the 14th time. It has been included in every season of the Tour de Ski. Toblach will host Tour de Ski events for the 10th time, all since 2009/10.

• The 10km classic mass start event in Val di Fiemme on 3 January 2020 will be the 100th stage held in the women's Tour de Ski.

Therese Johaug

• Johaug won 11 stages in the Tour de Ski, joint-second most with Marit Bjørgen (11) behind Kowalczyk's 14.

• Johaug once won a Tour de Ski stage in Lenzerheide, the 15km classic on 2 January 2016.

• Johaug has won five of the eight individual World Cup events this season, including two stages and the overall standings in the 3-Days Tour. No other woman has won more than one World Cup race this season.

• Johaug has won each of the last four individual World Cup races in which she started. She only failed to win on her World Cup season debut in Ruka when she finished 20th in the sprint classic in the 3-Days Tour on 29 November.

• Only Marit Bjørgen (102) has won more individual World Cup races than Johaug (51).

Stina Nilsson

• Stina Nilsson has won 22 individual World Cup events, most of all Swedish women (including Tour stages and overall Tour wins). Charlotte Kalla is next on 10 victories.

• Nilsson hopes to become the second Swedish winner of the Tour de Ski after Kalla in 2007/08. Nilsson's only podium finish in the competition was a third place in 2016/17.

• Nilsson has won six stages in the Tour de Ski, most among Swedish women.

• Nilsson has won three sprint events in the Tour de Ski (three of the last four). She could become the first woman to win four sprint events in the competition.

Heidi Weng

• Heidi Weng has won the Tour de Ski two times, in 2016/17 and 2017/18.

• Weng has won four stages in the Tour de Ski, most recently the 9km pursuit in the freestyle on 7 January 2018.

• Weng has not won an individual World Cup race since the 9km pursuit in the Tour de Ski on 7 January 2018. She has started in 34 individual World Cup races since that victory, claiming five podium finishes, including in each of her last three starts (2nd, 3rd, 2nd).

• This season, Weng has claimed three top-three finishes in individual World Cup races, equal to Jessica Diggins. Only Therese Johaug (4) has claimed more podium spots.

Jessica Diggins

• Jessica Diggins became the first US woman to finish on the podium in the Tour de Ski when she finished third in 2017/18.

• Diggins has won two stages in the Tour de Ski, both 5km freestyle events in Toblach, in 2015/16 and in 2016/17.

• Diggins claimed three third-place finishes in Tour de Ski stages in 2018/19 to finish sixth in the overall standings.

• Diggins has won five individual World Cup races. Kikkan Randall (1) is the only other woman to have won a World Cup race for USA.

• This season, Diggins has finished in the top-three three times in individual World Cup races equal to Heidi Weng. Only Therese Johaug (4) has claimed more podium finishes.

Ingvild Flugstad Østberg

• Ingvild Flugstad Østberg won last season's Tour de Ski, including the last four stages.

• Flugstad Østberg has won 10 Tour de Ski stages in total, one behind Therese Johaug (11) and Marit Bjørgen (11). Justyna Kowalczyk has won a record 14 stages.

• Flugstad Østberg has yet to make her first start in a World Cup event this season.

Krista Pärmäkoski

• Krista Pärmäkoski hopes to become the second Finnish winner of the Tour de Ski after Virpi Kuitunen in 2006/07 and 2008/09.

• Pärmäkoski was second in the overall standings in 2016/17 and third in 2018/19. Only Kuitonen (G2-S1-B0) has more overall Tour de Ski podium finishes among Finnish women.

• Pärmäkoski can become the first Finnish winner of a stage in the Tour de Ski since Kerttu Niskanen's victory in the 10km classic in Lenzerheide on 1 January 2014.

More facts about FIS Cross-Country female athletes:

• Natalia Nepryaeva became the first Russian to finish on the podium of the Tour de Ski last season (2nd).

• Nepryaeva claimed her only individual World Cup win in the 10km freestyle in Toblach on 30 December 2018. The only other Russian woman to have won a stage in the Tour de Ski was Natalia Korosteleva in the sprint freestyle in Prague on 4 January 2010.

• Jonna Sundling will make her debut in the Tour de Ski. Her two wins and six podium finishes in individual World Cup races all came in sprint events.

• Charlotte Kalla won the Tour de Ski trophy in 2007/08. Her last World Cup win was the overall standings of the 3-Days Tour in November 2017.

• Vesna Fabjan (11) can equal Stefanie Böhler on a record 12 Tour de Ski participations.

Preview men

• The previous 13 editions of the Tour de Ski have been won by eight different athletes. Dario Cologna (2008/09, 2010/11, 2011/12, 2017/18) has claimed a record four victories. Martin Johnsrud Sundby (2013/14, 2015/16) and Lukáš Bauer (2007/08, 2009/10) are the only other men on multiple wins.

• Last year's winner Johannes Høsflot Klæbo can become only the second athlete to win the Tour de Ski in consecutive seasons after Cologna in 2011-2012.

• Nine of the previous 13 winners of the Tour de Ski went on to win the overall World Cup that season.

• Only Bauer in 2010, Alexander Legkov in 2013, Sergey Ustiugov in 2017 and Cologna in 2018 failed to add the overall World Cup title to their Tour de Ski victory. All four finished in second place in the overall World Cup standings that season.

• Norway and Switzerland have both won a record four editions of the Tour de Ski. Norway claimed its four wins in the last six seasons. Cologna won all four for Switzerland.

• In total, Norwegian athletes have claimed 15 overall podium finishes in the Tour de Ski, at least eight more than any other country (Switzerland and Russia both 7).

• Only Norwegian athletes have won at least one stage in all previous 13 editions of the Tour de Ski. Their total of 37 stage victories is 24 more than any other country (Russia 13).

• Petter Northug has won a record 13 Tour de Ski stages. Cologna, Sundby and Ustiugov all follow on seven stage wins each.

Johannes Høsflot Klæbo

• Johannes Høsflot Klæbo won last year's Tour de Ski to become the youngest winner in history of the competition (22 years and 76 days).

• Klæbo can become the first skier, male or female, to wear the yellow bib from the opening event to the final race of a World Cup season since Marit Bjørgen in 2014/15.

• Klæbo has won each of the last three Tours (2018/19 Tour de Ski, 2018/19 World Cup Final, 2019/20 3-Days Tour) and can now match Sundby's record of four consecutive Tour wins (set twice, 2013-2014 and 2015-2016).

• With 31 World Cup wins, Klæbo is in fourth place all-time (including Tour stages and overall Tour wins). Only Petter Northug (47), Bjørn Dæhlie (46) and Sundby (44) have won more World Cup events.

Alexander Bolshunov

• Bolshunov, third in this season's overall World Cup standings, can become the third athlete from Russia to win the Tour de Ski after Alexander Legkov in 2012/13 and Sergey Ustiugov in 2016/17.

• Bolshunov has won eight World Cup events (including Tour stages and overall Tour wins). Six of his eight wins came in distance events.

• Only Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (17) has won more World Cup events since the start of last season (including Tour stages and overall Tour wins) than Bolshunov (6).

More facts about FIS Cross-Country male athletes:

• Sergey Ustiugov can become the fourth athlete to win multiple editions of the Tour de Ski after Dario Cologna (4), Martin Johnsrud Sundby (2) and Lukáš Bauer (2). Ustiugov won the Tour de Ski in 2016/17.

• Ustiugov has reached the overall Tour de Ski podium in three of his four appearances, with a "DNF" in 2017/18 as the only exception.

• Ustiugov is the only athlete to have won at least one stage in each of the last three editions of the Tour de Ski.

• Emil Iversen, second in the overall World Cup standings, has yet to claim his first overall Tour victory (3-Days Tour, Tour de Ski, World Cup Final, Ski Tour Canada). His best result in the Tour de Ski was a 10th-place finish on his debut in 2015/16.

• Iivo Niskanen is hoping to become the second skier from Finland, male or female, to win the Tour de Ski after Virpi Kuitunen, who won the women's competition in both 2006/07 and 2008/09.

• Jean Marc Gaillard is the only athlete to have appeared in all previous 13 editions of the Tour de Ski. His best result in the competition is a fifth-place finish in the 2009/10 edition.

• Gaillard has participated in 32 of all previous 34 Tours (3-Days Tour, Tour de Ski, World Cup Final, Ski Tour Canada). He did not compete in the 3-Days Tour in 2015 and 2019.