SANTA CATERINA, Italy (AFP) - Frenchman Vincent Vittoz beat overall World Cup champion Lukas Bauer to win the men's World Cup 20km mass start cross country held in classical style here Saturday.

Vittoz finished only seventh in Friday's 3.3km 'prologue', but fared much better over the longer distance to claim his first victory of the season.

This weekend's final races of the season are being held in a mini Tour de Ski. The final event of the men's season will be Sunday's 20km race, held in freestyle.

However that event will be raced with the results of Friday and Saturday's races determining the starting order.

Bauer, of the Czech Republic, finished second on Saturday and 10th on Friday. He has already secured both the 'distance' and overall World Cup crowns.

In the women's 10km mass start race, which also counts towards Sunday's season-ending 10km freestyle, Finland's Virpi Kuitunen extended her World Cup overall lead over Norway's Astrid Jacobsen.

The Finn claimed victory in the 10km mass start 2.5secs ahead of Poland's Justyne Kowalczyk in a winning time of 38:21.

Jacobsen finished 10th at over a minute behind.