Cross-country skiing: “I want to build on last season”, Hugo Lapalus tells Nordic Magazine
With just a few weeks to go before the start of the World Cup season, Hugo Lapalus is fine-tuning his final preparations in Bessans (Savoie), now a key venue for the French cross-country skiing team.
Last winter’s third-placed finisher over the distance talks to Nordic Magazine about his preparation and sets out his goals for the Olympic winter.
- How are your preparations going?
Frankly, everything went well. I’ve been able to do what I wanted without injury, and that’s the most important thing. We’ve had a series of really good training sessions over the summer. Now we’re in the home stretch and we’re fine-tuning the final adjustments with the staff and technicians. Being back on the snow does us a lot of good, so the idea is to finish off this preparation properly before taking the plunge. I’m feeling good and can’t wait for the season to start.
- This return to the snow in Bessans is an essential step for you.
Yes, clearly. We arrived on Saturday and it’s really important to get back on the skis before setting off for the first races. Now we’ve had a dozen days of good on-snow training, which is perfect for getting back into the swing of things. We see everyone again, the staff and the technicians, and we can do some really good work. It’s always a moment I enjoy.
“Looking for good results to secure selection for the Games”.Hugo Lapalus at Nordic Magazine
- Does the Olympic context influence your approach to the season?
Not really. I’m trying to keep in line with what we’ve been doing for the last four or five years, without putting any extra pressure on myself. I do what I know how to do, using the same method. For example, this year the individual at the Games will be skateboarding, so we’ve been working more on skateboarding. But that’s normal, we always adapt our training a little to the formats of major events. We’re not reinventing ourselves because it’s the Games, we’re building on our strengths.
- The first races are coming up, with Beitostølen in a fortnight’ time. How are you approaching the start?
Beitostølen isn’t necessarily about results. Of course, it’s always better to perform well, but the main objective is to get back into the swing of things, put a race number back on and get back into the racing atmosphere. After that, the start of the season will be very important: first of all, we’ll have to get some good results to qualify for the Games. After that, there’s the Tour de Ski, which could still play a role in selection.
And if everything goes well, we’ll then be able to concentrate fully on preparing for the Olympics. The season is divided into three phases: selections, the Tour de Ski, then the Games, culminating in the races in Milan. The aim is to get the season off to a good start, qualify quickly to take away the stress, and then ski more freely.
- What are your objectives?
I want to continue where I left off last season, sailing around the top 5, the top 3. I’d like to get more podiums, be regular and be present in all the distance races. After that, there will inevitably be days with and without, but the idea is to be there at every start, to be on the podium every time. That’s what we’re training for. I really want to perform well in every race.
Read also
- Hugo Lapalus becomes the third Frenchman to climb the overall distance podium
- The composition of the French national teams for the 2025/2026 season
- Tignes, Prémanon, La Féclaz, Font-Romeu, Norway or Bessans: the full programme of French team training camps to prepare for 2025/2026
- The French teams are back on the snow in Bessans: “It’s a really important stopping-off point for everyone,” Alexandre Rousselet tells Nordic Magazine.
- The Bessans snowfarm is open: the photo album of the French on cross-country skis in Haute Maurienne Vanoise
