Cross-country skiing: the demanding Les Rousses track is popular with cross-country skiers on the circuit
On Thursday evening, on the eve of the launch of the cross-country skiing world cup in Les Rousses (Jura), the head of the French teams, Olivier Michaud , described the new Jura route as a “playful track”. Three days later, after the individual skate, classic sprint and classic mass-start, the foreign cross-country skiers gave their first impressions of the new course.
The 3.3-kilometre loop and the sprint loop were revised following the 2023 edition, when the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) and the members of the Tricolor clan gave the organisers suggestions for improvement.
“It’s fun to do something different from what we normally do”.Edvin Anger to Nordic Magazine
These changes were appreciated by the athletes from the other nations in the caravan: ” I like races like this where you suffer but it’s still fun. A lot of people are screaming and it’s great”, admitted American Ben Ogden, who scored his first-ever podium in a distance race, to Nordic Magazine.
A track that worked for the Swedes
Winner for the first time on the circuit the following day in the classic sprint, Edvin Anger also got a kick out of the Rousseland track despite his large size. Even if I’m not a big fan of the first part where it’s very uphill, I find it very different from what we’re used to seeing in the World Cup,” admits the young Swede. It’s fun to do something different from what we usually do. The sprint track was really good for me and I think the Swedes love Les Rousses!
A view shared by her compatriot Maja Dahlqvist, second in the sprint won by an impressive Kristine Stavaas Skistad: “I really like this course. It’s really cool because there are lots of people along the track and it’s very pleasant to race here,” she added.
Also back on the podium in the 10km skating event, Paal Golberg enjoyed his time in France. It’s a fun track and it offers something different,” he says. It’s not like other races. But it was already really good to ski here two years ago.
Read also
- The complete Les Rousses World Cup
- “It’s a playful track”, “It will bring more spectacle”: what the French clan thinks of the changes to the Les Rousses route
