Cross-country skiing : hampered by neck pain, Jules Chappaz rivals the best Norwegians
Competing against five Norwegians in the classic sprint final of the Norwegian opening cross-country ski races in Beitostølen (Norway) on Friday, Jules Chappaz put in a fine performance in the first snow competition of the season. Sixth at the end of a hard-fought race, the French cross-country skier didn’t disappoint. Especially as he defended his chances despite a neck injury.
For Nordic Magazine, the Haut-Savoyard looks back on this first battle of the winter before the World Cup kicks off on Friday on the slopes of Ruka (Finland).
- How did you feel about this “return” to skiing?
Yesterday, and since we arrived on Monday, I’m still feeling a bit excited. But I know that, for us, it’s just another weekend of preparation rather than the real opening of the season. That’ll be the case next week and I’ve really taken to these races, just telling myself that we need to try and do as many laps as possible to work towards Ruka.

- What was your frame of mind going into the competition?
Yesterday, I fell on my head while reconnoitring the track. Since then I’ve had a very sore neck with a sort of torticollis and my muscles are very tight. So I said to myself that I’d let myself go in the warm-up to see if I could take the start, but the watchword with Thibaut [Chêne, his trainer, editor’s note] was caution. The goal is Ruka, not Beitostølen. In the warm-up, I was still a bit sore but I wanted to run and do some laps. And I preferred to do it today rather than wait until tomorrow or the day after. I think it was important to have a sprint day. I told myself that I’d do the qualifying and then we’d see.
- You got through qualifying without a hitch, so how did you feel after the first heat of the day?
Once we’d got through the prologue, things were going pretty well. However, I think we lacked a bit of aggression in the corners and on the entry to the track. These are the settings we need to work on. Then I tried to build my day around that.
“Before the final, I was aching all over and I was soaked [Laughs]!Jules Chappaz at Nordic Magazine
- How would you sum up your performance at the finals?
In the finals, I had a great quarter because I wasn’t in a very good position, but I still managed to come out on top with an enormous straight. That could have put me straight through to the semi-finals because it came down to the kick-off.
In the semi-final, I tried to run better by being in a better position. I had a bit of trouble in the key moments, particularly on the restart of the first climb. Each time, I lost places before the descent. I had to make the effort again afterwards and I was lucky enough to finish fourth by staying in contact. In the other group, two cross-country skiers fell and that allowed me to go into the final as a lucky loser.
Before the final, I was aching all over and I was rinsed out [Laughs]! But I know it was the same for everyone and I tried to impose my skiing while managing to tackle that famous restart at the front. Except that my rivals accelerated far too quickly in the first bump and I couldn’t keep up.

- Are you satisfied with your place in the final despite your neck injury?
I finished sixth but I didn’t come here to put in a performance. I was here to prepare for next weekend and I think I’ve done that. I’ve got my bearings and I hope to be in slightly better shape in a week’s time.
“I probably won’t be racing the individual classic because of my neck”.Jules Chappaz at Nordic Magazine
- What does the rest of the programme look like for you?
I probably won’t be racing the individual classic because of my neck. I need to rest and now’s not the time to overdo it. In the individual skate, my ambition will also be to test my new equipment, as I haven’t done many intense runs with my brand’s new system. I can’t wait to see how it goes and to try and do a full race.
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