Tour de Ski: Fifth stage goes to Roenning, Kuitunen

Norway's Edlar Roenning won the men's fifth stage of the inaugural Tour de Ski on Saturday, and Virpi Kuitunen of Finland was first in the women's race.  

VAL DI FIEMME, Italy — Norway's Edlar Roenning won the men's fifth stage of the inaugural Tour de Ski on Saturday, and Virpi Kuitunen of Finland was first in the women's race.  
    Roenning beat six other skiers in a seven-way sprint over the last few hundred meters of a 30-kilometer classical race. The Norwegian won the mass-start event in 1 hour, 21 minutes, 30.0 seconds.
    Ivan Alypov of Russia was second, 0.6 seconds behind, and Sami Jauhojarvi of Finland was third, 1.6 seconds back.
    Roenning's teammate Tor Arne Hetland finished fourth and Tobias Angerer of Germany placed fifth. Angerer maintained his lead in the overall standings entering Sunday's final leg, a 15-kilometer freestyle pursuit up Mount Cermis.
    Kuitunen won the women's 15-kilometer classical race in 42 minutes, 2.2 seconds, increasing her lead in the overall standings.
    Kuitunen's teammate Aino Kaisa Saarinen was the only other skier able to keep up in the first half of the race, before Kuitunen went ahead on her own.
    Saarinen finished second, some 37.1 seconds behind, and Marit Bjoergen of Norway was third, 1:06.5 back.
    ''I had some problems in the early races so that is probably why I still have so much energy now and can get it all out of myself,'' Kuitunen said.
    Kuitunen takes a lead of 1 minute, 39.5 seconds over Saarinen into Sunday's final leg, a 10-kilometer freestyle pursuit climb.
    ''I am pretty satisfied with my shape but I also have respect for the final climb. We will have to wait to see whether the winner will be myself or the mountain,'' Kuitunen said. ''I am afraid that at some points the climb is so steep that it will be difficult to ski properly.''
    Kuitunen completed a two-year suspension for doping following a failed test at the 2001 World Championships in Lahti.

World Cup cross-country results
VAL DI FIEMME, Italy — Results Saturday from a World Cup cross-country ski meet, the fifth stop of the Tour de Ski:

Men's 30-kilometer classical mass start
1. Edlar Roenning, Norway, 1 hour, 21 minutes, 30.0 seconds.
2. Ivan Alypov, Russia, 0.6 seconds behind.
3. Sami Jauhojarvi, Finland, 1.6.
4. Tor Arne Hetland, Norway, 3.8.
5. Tobias Angerer, Germany, 4.2.
6. Frode Estil, Norway, 5.1.
7. Simen Oestensen, Norway, 7.1.
8. Petter Northug, Norway, 11.1.
9. Jiri Magal, Czech Republic, 11.7.
10. Alexander Legkov, Russia, 13.9.<

Tour de Ski rankings (after 5 of 6 events)
1. Tobias Angerer, Germany, 2 hours, 56 minutes, 10.2 seconds.
2. Simen Oestensen, Norway, 15.2 seconds behind.
3. Petter Northug, Norway, 38.4.
4. Tor Arne Hetland, Norway, 1:05.8.
5. Franz Goering, Germany, 1:16.8.
6. Sami Jauhojarvi, Finland, 1:16.9.
7. Frode Estil, Norway, 1:23.6.
8. Jens Filbrich, Germany, 1:37.7.
9. Edlar Roenning, Norway, 2:01.4.
10. Alexander Legkov, Russia, 2:13.1.<

Women's 15-kilometer classical mass start
1. Virpi Kuitunen, Finland, 42 minutes, 2.2 seconds.
2. Aino Kaisa Saarinen, Finland, 37.1 seconds behind.
3. Marit Bjoergen, Norway, 1:06.5.
4. Vibeke Skofterud, Norway, 1:20.1.
5. Justyna Kowalczyk, Poland, 1:21.3.
6. Viola Bauer, Germany, 1:21.6.
7. Katerina Neumannova, Czech Republic, 1:21.7.
8. Evi Sachenbacher Stehle, Germany, 1:23.7.
9. Petra Majdic, Slovenia, 1:26.0.
10. Stefanie Boehler, Germany, 1:40.3.<

Tour de Ski rankings (after 5 of 6 events)
1. Virpi Kuitunen, Finland, 1 hour, 43 minutes, 38.6 seconds.
2. Aino Kaisa Saarinen, Finland, 1 minute, 39.5 seconds behind.
3. Marit Bjoergen, Norwway, 2:09.8.
4. Petra Majdic, Slovenia, 2:40.3.
5. Vibeke Skofterud, Norway, 3:00.7.
6. Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle, Germany, 3:09.5.
7. Valentina Shevchenko, Ukraine, 3:27.3.
8. Katerina Neumannova, Czech Republic, 3:36.5.
9. Marianna Longa, Italy, 3:45.1.
10. Viola Bauer, Germany, 3:59.4.