MONTREAL — Canadian Alex Harvey overcame cold winds and soft snow conditions to finish ninth in the second stage of a Ski Tour Canada competition Wednesday.
Harvey, 27, of Saint-Ferreol-les-Neiges, Que., posted a time of 46 minutes 21.8 seconds in the 17.5-kilometre classic-ski mass start race.
"Coming in I was only nine seconds behind the leaders so I tried to go for the podium in the second lap, and I kind of blew up," said Harvey. "I was just dead so I drafted the whole way around and settled for a top-10.
"It was tricky out there today. It was quite cold, and the snow was soft on the corners. I have to be happy. I was able to move from 10th to sixth in the overall so I am happy with where my position is."
Devon Kershaw of Sudbury, Ont., was 17th in 46:44.3.
"Finishing in 17th place is not something we are going to be lighting fireworks off for, but at the same time it is a step in the right direction," said Kershaw.
Ivan Babikov of Canmore, Alta., was 29th in 47:37.5 while Graeme Killick, of Fort McMurray, Alta., was 50th in 49:16.1.
Norway’s Emil Iversen won the race in 45:05.4. Compatriot Petter Northug was second in 45:10.7 while Russian Sergey Ustiugov was third in 45:19.9.
Norway’s Therese Johaug won the women’s 10.5-kilometre event in 30:05.6. Teammates Heidi Weng and Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen were second and third in 31:05.9 and 31:15.4, respectively.
Emily Nishikawa of Whitehorse, was the top Canadian in 45th with a time of 34:45.3. Cendrine Brown, of St-Jerome, Que., was 48th in 35:18.1.