The Swede started tenth in the pursuit start in Toblach, far behind the Norwegian tour leader Johannes Høsflot Klæbo who rode in solitary majesty the entire race, 20 kilometers in classic style.
Edvin Anger moved up through the field and was about mid-pack in the group chasing Klæbo, about a minute behind. Norwegian Mattis Stenshagen then pulled away. In the sprint, Anger was strongest and finished third.
"It was revenge from yesterday anyway, but shit, I had to fight with myself. (Erik) Valnes picked up sprint speed on the first lap; I was completely exhausted at the top of the second lap," Anger said.
“You see stars”
He said he didn't have a chance to keep up when Mattis Stenshagen broke away.
"I managed to mobilize strength at the end. I'm really happy with today's effort considering how yesterday was and how my body felt at the end," Anger said.
Anger describes the struggle when the body really can't take it:
"It's like fighting demons. You don't see anything else; you see stars and then you have to thread the track between the stars. It's horrible, but at the finish it's fantastic."
Third before the final stages
Klæebo now has a 51.1-second lead over Stenshagen ahead of the two final stages of the Tour de Ski: Saturday's sprint and Sunday's climb up the slalom slope in Val di Fiemme.
Anger is just under nine seconds behind Stenshagen, but six riders are level with him or only a few seconds behind.
"It's good. There's still a long way to go and I need to have a good day on the last stage if I'm going to be able to overtake him. And first it's the sprint, then anything can happen," Anger said.
Anger finished 78th in the five-kilometer race on Wednesday.
