Cross-country skiing: best career result in the overall rankings for Hugo Lapalus
In 2023/2024, Hugo Lapalus finished ninth in the overall cross-country skiing World Cup rankings. His first top 10 finish at this level. Last winter, the Haut-Savoyard took another step forward. By improving his consistency, the Frenchman climbed two places to seventh overall.
On the overall podium of the prestigious Tour de Ski for the second time in a row, the skier from La Clusaz (Haute-Savoie) has established himself more than ever as one of the best cross-country skiers on the circuit. Third in the distance rankings, the 26-year-old cross-country skier owes his consistency to strong performances throughout the season, even on off days.
“He clearly had his best season. He’s been very, very strong. Right from the start, and that’s where I find it difficult, because in November and December we had the impression that the team wasn’t firing on all cylinders. That was a certainty, especially in the sprint. But nevertheless, we still had a team of distance runners that had never started out so strong,” recalls Thibaut Chêne to Nordic Magazine. It was great, except that you couldn’t see it.
“I think we’re going to have to run even more intelligently and do things at the right time”.Thibaut Chêne at Nordic Magazine
“Despite a few illnesses, he’s always been good. In Les Rousses, with the level of fitness he had, he did a crazy classic mass-start,” continues his coach. I think we’re going to have to run even more intelligently and put the right things in at the right time. In the middle of the season, he understood that.
This tactical aspect cost Hugo Lapalus dearly. Having arrived at the World Championships in Trondheim (Norway) with the aim of winning a medal, the Cluse was unable to find the key in conditions that were difficult to master. “Where he is good is on very difficult and very physical tracks. And the biggest disappointment was the individual classic in Trondheim. He arrived with a lot of ambition,” confirms the French coach. Maybe we had too many ambitions, but I think that’s just as well, and he needs to race the way he is with his heart and his intensity.”
“His skiing was too intense to compete with [Erik] Valnes, [Martin Loewstroem] Nyenget or even [Johannes Hoesflot] Klæbo that day. That’s what’s a bit lacking in his palette,” concedes the Haut-Alpin. But at the end of the season, he still competed and was consistent all season long.
However, despite this disappointment, the leader of the French team can still be satisfied with a more than successful year on all levels: “He has his first individual podium. He’s still on the podium at the Tour de Ski in the general standings and he’s taken the best climber jersey. He’s also third in the distance classification and that’s very exciting. He’s had an exceptional season at his level,” enthuses Thibaut Chêne.
From now on, Hugo Lapalus will be resting before getting back into the swing of things in May for a summer of preparation that the skier from the Aravis region will undoubtedly begin with desire and ambition: “We’re going to continue to work on the aspects of running better and managing mass starts, being better at finishing the race, and managing our tactics better by being clear about our strategy,” explains the Les Bleus coach.
Read also
- 355,217 for Johannes Hoesflot Klæbo, €215,622 for Jessie Diggins and €83,987 for Hugo Lapalus: how much did the cross-country skiers earn this winter?
- Hugo Lapalus becomes the third Frenchman to climb the overall distance podium
