Cross-country skiing : Hugo Lapalus still generous with his effort
Ailing just a few days ago, Hugo Lapalus arrived at the cross-country skiing world cup in Les Rousses (Jura) with little to go on. Twelfth in the opening individual skate on Friday, the Frenchman was keen to make his return to the front of the pack in Sunday’s mass-start classic. And as is often the case, Le Cluse put his heart and soul into it.
The Haut-Savoyard was at the front of the race for a long time , but lost contact with the leaders towards the end. Nevertheless, the French cross-country skier fought hard to snatch a very solid fifth place in front of his home crowd. Nordic Magazine talks to him about his weekend in the Jura.
- How did you manage your effort in a race where there was a lot of movement?
It was a bit of a crazy race. It started off really fast and it was all over the place. Mika Vermeulen was really on form and he wanted to try and hurt everyone. I think that hurt us a little bit as well, as we tried to dynamise the race.

- We’ve often seen you at the front of the pack. What are you missing if you hope to finish on the podium?
I think there was a bit of excitement with the crowd and the atmosphere. It was incredible. We’re at home, so we always want to do a bit better than usual. Sometimes that costs us a bit, but it’s not so bad. I think that with a bit more management and a bit more self-control, we really could have been on the podium. There’s not much missing here, but it’s a bit of youthful enthusiasm.
“The public multiplies everything”.Hugo Lapalus at Nordic Magazine
- You haven’t spared yourself a great deal of effort…
Frankly, I never spared myself. I was always trying to get to the front. After that, I paid for it a bit on the fifth lap when I got into the big bump. On the sixth, I was still in the skis of [William] Poromaa who was aiming for the podium. I made a catastrophic restart and took five or six metres.
- Did the public play a part in this excitement?
The public increases everything tenfold. Sometimes it pushes you when it’s a bit hard, but it also excites you when you’re doing well. In the first few laps, I felt really good and with the crowd, I was a bit excited and I really wanted to put even more into it. I should have kept a bit in. I wanted to enjoy it.

- Did you find the winner William Poromaa dangerous?
In fact, I didn’t think he was dangerous at all until the last lap. After that, when I saw the three of them go and we were 10 metres behind them and he was leading over the big climb, I thought he was really in good form. He should have been a bit more discreet at the start of the race to be able to attack in the final laps. He also had a lot of desire. He’s been waiting for it for a while. It’s good that it’s also happening on the podiums.
- Running at home must have a special flavour…
As usual, it was incredible. It’s such a pleasure to run at home. What’s more, the weather was good. There’s not too much sun here at the Tuffes stadium, but it was warm all the same, so it was great. The public and the volunteers are incredible.

- What is your overall assessment of your weekend?
I’m very happy to come back with twelfth place on the skateboard. It was still quite difficult. But I’m feeling much better today. Fifth is really good. I’m not going to complain at all. A week ago, I was ill and in bed. It’s good for the future and for the last three World Cups before the Worlds. In the classics, I’m out in front, so it’s good to be going for a medal in Trondheim.
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