Cross-country skiing: the start of the World Cup for the French skiers
It’s the big day! This Friday, theFrench cross-country skiing team returns to the World Cup. In Ruka, Finland, the French cross-country skiers will have their first opportunity to test themselves against the best in the world.
Having already been in Scandinavia for more than ten days, Les Bleus were already able to test themselves against the best Norwegians last weekend at the traditional FIS races in Beitostølen (Norway). “I’m pretty satisfied with these races, Thibaut Chêne, coach of the men’s group, told Nordic Magazine. If we take each of the three events, it wasn’t too bad in the sprint, where we did what we had to do by completing laps. After that, we lacked precision and detail, but we also simply didn’t have enough watts. I think that’s what we needed to get going.”
It was a first taste of what’s to come, which allowed the French staff to continue fine-tuning the final details of the athletes’ preparation. “There was a very good individual classic with good intentions and we got our bearings on this format and the way we should race. In the individual skate, the main thing we learnt was that we need to keep working on the falling snow, added the Haut-Alpin. We really lack efficiency in this type of snow but, once again, it was a good way to get our bearings. We found what we were looking for without trying to do anything exceptional.”
“There’s freshness and commitment”Thibaut Chêne at Nordic Magazine
Having arrived on the hill in Kuusamo (Finland) a few days ago, the athletes are now looking forward to getting down to business. “I’ve got a very good feeling about them. They’re fresh and committed. There’s also a lot of desire, and we’re inevitably questioning ourselves, confides Thibaut Chêne. So there can also be impatience and excitement, which hide a desire to do well and to test ourselves to find out where we stand. So we’re on the right track and there’s nothing to worry about.”
He too is impatient to see his protégés defend their chances against the best skiers in the world, but the French coach is not yet ready to draw any conclusions from the Finnish competitions: “As a coach, I’m clearly looking forward to the World Cup. I think the preparation has been long, but I don’t want to draw any conclusions. I want us to be at our best straight away and to be good at what we do. We have to go out and perform and be obsessed with that. We may have to wait until Davos to think about the results. It’s time for action,” he says with a smile.
“We’re in a really nice Scandinavian atmosphere at the start of the season”Thibaut Chêne at Nordic Magazine
There will be no shortage of action in the cold of Ruka , as it is on a piste that is “just as difficult as ever, with some tricky climbs” that Les Bleus will be keen to shine in the Scandinavian darkness. “It’s cold and we’re on snow with a hard base. Let’s say we’re on a fairly classic Ruka, admits Thibaut Chêne. We’ve had good weather but now it’s misty and there’ll be a bit of snow and darkness at times. But the slopes are very beautiful and it’s a huge challenge. We’re in a Scandinavian atmosphere and the start of the season is really nice and exceptional.”
And while he also concedes that there are “no precise objectives” for this first weekend, the 38-year-old former cross-country skier is aiming for an “overall goal” across all the events: “We want to try to perform well in all the opportunities that present themselves in all the formats and for all the athletes,” he says.
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