Poromaa’s biggest near miss came in this race at this venue two years ago, when he came into the last stretch in front, only to be overhauled by Klaebo and Iivo Niskanen (FIN). This time Poromaa would get the better of the Finn over the closing stages.
“It’s amazing,” Poromaa said. “I mean, I’ve been waiting for this victory for a long time and I’ve been struggling quite a bit at the beginning of this season so it’s amazing to be in Les Rousses and take the victory today.”
After Frida Karlsson dominated the women’s race earlier in the day, the men’s 20km was much more fiercely contested, with a large noisy crowd in Les Rousses there to witness the action.
While Karlsson led from the front the whole way, the men decided to share the early workload on a course that has quickly gained a reputation for its brutal uphill sections.
The challenging layout seemed to play into the hands of Hugo Lapalus (FRA), winner of the inaugural climber’s bib at the recent Tour de Ski. As the bells rang, the horns sounded and the cheers rang out, the home favourite made light work of the steep inclines, but in a leading group of 15, he was quickly reeled in on the downhill sections.