Cross-country skiing: Jules Chappaz and Richard Jouve get their weekend in Italy off to a good start
TheFrench cross-country skiing team got the weekend off to a good start on Friday in the classic team sprint of the cross-country skiing world cup in Cogne (Italy). In the Val d’Aosta, Jules Chappaz and Richard Jouve took a solid second place after a hard-fought final.
In contact with the winners Even Northug and Erik Valnes until the final straight, the two Frenchmen
Richard Jouve: “It’s a shame we’re a little short, but it’s not that far off”.
“I was feeling pretty good this week. We were able to reconnoitre the course quite early on, so we were able to work on it. Today, I felt a little less fit than yesterday when we did the race watch. But it still felt pretty good for a qualifier. It was a good start to the day. In the final stages, the feeling was better.
“On this track, you start and go straight downhill. Then there’s a long flat uphill section with a footbridge where you do everything in push. After that, there are two compulsory classic zones, because otherwise you could only do it in push. The finish is very long with a fairly fast long straight.
“It puts a smile on everyone’s face”.Richard Jouve at Nordic Magazine
“I prefer finishes that aren’t high speed but have rising false flats. I’m better able to express my strength. Here, I tried to apply myself technically. We’d worked on that with the coach at the start of the week in speed to make straight lines. I applied what we’d been working on and that meant I didn’t finish too far behind. It’s a shame I’m a bit short but it’s not that far off.
“Inevitably, there’s a bit of frustration, because when first place isn’t far away, you always want to go one better. I was a bit disappointed not to have been able to bring home the win for the team. But I’m still very happy to be back on the podium, especially for the team’s overall result. It gives the whole team a bit of a boost, whether it’s the staff, the technicians or the athletes. It shows that the work is done and that we’re still in good shape. It puts a smile on everyone’s face.
“It gives you some reference points, but it’s completely different from the sprint team. We’re not going to get ahead of ourselves. You still have to be dead hungry at the start of each lap, as the coach says. We’ll see how things go at the Worlds because it’s a completely different track. On the other hand, it gives us some good reference points. But we mustn’t think that it will necessarily be like that in Trondheim.
“The piste meant that it was better to ski in front because we avoided the accordions a little, and then you’re always safer skiing in front than behind in a pack.
Jules Chappaz: “I was very stressed before qualifying”.
“I felt good overall this week. I think the fact that I didn’t take part in the Tour de Ski gave me time to get ready again and put a bit more focus on the sprint and the sprint team as well. I had a lacklustre start to the season and that wasn’t what I wanted.
“Over the last few seasons, I’ve worked a lot with Richard on the team sprint and I’ve often fallen off when we were competing for good places. So I’m happy with my five-week break. Even if last week, in the Engadine, we struggled with the conditions where there was a lot of wind. With Renaud [Jay], we had the impression that we were on a bump when in fact we were on a downhill flat. It was a bit nauseating because I think we were in good shape and we just couldn’t show it.
“I was very stressed before qualifying. I think the team effort put a bit of extra pressure on me. I was pretty stressed with my legs empty and shaking. I really felt the pace of the prologue. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy myself and I didn’t enjoy myself at all [Laughs]!
“For the final phase, I knew it was a new race. I had to be fairly calm, especially as I’d been pretty washed out after qualifying. I knew I had to conserve my energy. On the first lap, I started off a bit slowly, maybe even too slowly. I was really surprised by the pace at the start. Fortunately, we had some great stints and that got us back into the match. On the third lap, I gave it my all and didn’t look back once.
“It was great to get on the podium. We’re taking it because it’s our first top 3 of the year for both of us. We really need to make the most of it and gain a bit of confidence from it. We’ve done our job and today we finally showed it. I think that’s really important for the whole staff too. Group performances have a different flavour. They did a fantastic job today. The conditions changed a lot with the sun beating down hard after qualifying. It’s a reward for the whole team.
“I’m going to enjoy this podium”.Jules Chappaz at Nordic Magazine
“It’s not the same race at all and the conditions won’t be the same. Today, I’m going to enjoy the podium, but I don’t think that bodes well for tomorrow. We’re going to have to get back into the fight and stick to qualifying. It’s a really hard effort. We can’t rely on what we’ve learnt from the sprint team and start from scratch when we wake up. After that, I’m happy because I’m in good shape. I’m looking forward to tomorrow, but I’m approaching it as a new day.
“It’s great to have my parents and sister here. I haven’t seen my sister for a while, because she left for the World University Games while I was in Les Rousses. I was happy to see her. My parents love cross-country skiing and they went skiing just after the race, so it was great! Seeing Team Farté is also really great. In Davos, I was in tears in front of them. And here today, I’m all smiles. It’s really cool to share this with them. They’ve already set the stage alight on Friday and it’s going to go from strength to strength over the weekend!
Read also
- Video of Jules Chappaz and Richard Jouve taking second place in the classic sprint team race in Cogne
- Cogne: Jules Chappaz and Richard Jouve on the podium in the classic sprint team
