Alexander Bolshunov wins first edition of Engadin World Cup
Mar 13, 2021·Cross-Country
The final FIS Cross-Country World Cup weekend of the season started with the 15km C Mass start of the men in the Swiss town of Surlej. The valley of Engadin had taken over the World Cup weekend on short notice after Oslo announced that they had to cancel their scheduled, traditional World Cup at Holmenkollen.
A bluebird day with the traditional Engadin wind joined the 83 starters on the hilly course. Four laps awaited the contenders where Alexey Chervotkin (RUS) and Hans Christer Holund (NOR) set the pace and tried to pull away from the group. For the bonus sprint in the third lap, where extra World Cup points could be collected, Alexander Bolshunov (RUS) and Johannes Høsflot Klæbo (NOR) approached from the back. From this point, Bolshunov took up the speed and at first, Klæbo managed to follow. However, the already set winner of this years Overall World Cup, Alexander Bolshunov set out at a thrilling speed and crossed the finish line with a 25 second margin. In the meantime, the two following chasing groups had caught up together and the fight for the remaining podium spots was a close one. With the finish set up in a slight uphill, Klæbo managed to overtake his team colleague Pål Golberg and secure the second place before Golberg on third.
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