Picture: Pustertaler Ski Marathon

Courses

Novice cross-country ski racer programme

AUTUMN XC SKI RACER PROGRAMME, SEPT '09 TO JAN '10

Drawing on our experience of developing rollerskiers into successful ski racers, this autumn we are looking for endurance athletes with a desire to become cross-country ski racers.

This is the first initiative of its type in the UK, aiming to bring athletes from a competitive sporting background into an exciting new sport. Individuals of any size or shape can make successful ski racers: rowing, running, cycling and canoeing all contain skills which transfer well to XC skiing.

Cross-country skiing is great fun, and the fitness you will gain from this ultimate strength-endurance sport can be brought back to your own sport and life. This programme will require more of a commitment than any we have run before, but as with most things in life, the more you put in, the more you will get out.

 
         
 

 

     
 

THE PROGRAMME

  • Most of the training will take place on rollerskis in London, which replicate the feeling of skiing on snow. In September, there will be an initial 4 weeks of rollerski technique in Hyde Park on Saturday mornings and Wednesday evenings. Athletes can attend one or both of these session;
  • In October, skiers with then join in with regular club training sessions in Hyde Park or Richmond Park. In addition, there will be endurance training in the from of intervals on Monday evenings, these will be running or ski running (running uphill with poles) until athletes are ready to do race pace raining on rollerskis, improvements will be monitored for the beneifit of the athlete.

 

 

 

 

Sept Wed evenings / Sat mornings Learn to rollerski, Hyde Park
  Mon evenings Endurance training - ski running
Oct-Dec Sat mornings Rollerski training Hyde Pk / Richmond Pk
  Mon evenings Endurance training - ski running
  Wed evenings Rollerski training - Hyde Pk / Richmond Pk
  Sunday 25th October Wessex Rollerski Races
January Week on snow 2-8 January, Obertilliach, AUT
  Pustertaler Ski Marathon 28k/42k 9-10 January, Dobiacco, ITA
  British XC Ski Champs (optional)

23-26 Jan, Ruhpolding, GER

 

 
 

 

 

 

     
 

SIGNUP FOR INITIAL PHASE -

LEARN TO ROLLERSKI

This phase will be technique focused, and will assume zero prior knowledge. Key elements will be building up balance, technique and skiing concepts to relate rollerskiing to skiing on snow.

 
  • Begins Wednesday 9th September 18:05, Hyde Park for 4 weeks;
  • Or session Saturday 12th September 11:30, Hyde Park for 4 weeks;
  • 2 hours, SK technique on rollerskis, some dryland training;
  • Map to Hyde Park meeting point here;
  • You can come to instrction session on Wednesday or Saturday, and practice at the other session;
  • Cost = £120 for 4 weeks course, initial phase, all equipment provided.
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Shoe size (UK)

 

 
 

 

 

 

     
   

IMPROVE YOUR SPORTING PERFORMANCE: WHY XC SKIING?

  • Cross-country skiing is a physically intense strength-endurance activity that requires huge amounts of cardiovascular fitness;
  • Power is required from all four limbs and from the core muscles, and elite skiers have recorded the highest VO2max scores in tests;
  • Elsewhere in the world, cross-country skiing is widely used as cross training for elite athletes from other endurance sports such as triathlon, cycling and rowing. The GB rowing and canoeing teams have regular on-snow training camps.
 
 

 

 

 

     
 

SIGNUP FOR PHASE 2 -

ROLLERSKI CLUB TRAINING, SKI RUNNING

This phase will consolidate technique on rollerskis, and getting in the miles on rollerskis will build up strength and endurance.

Interval sessions will be done initially running and running with poles; as rollerski technique improves we will do intervals on rollerski, to replicate race condiditons.

 
  • October to mid-December;
  • Weekly training at Hyde Park and Richmond Park on Saturday mornings;
  • plus Richmond Park Wednesday evening training on rollerskis;
  • Monday evening ski ganging or interval training on rollerskis;
  • Sunday 26th October, novice race at the Wessex Races: individual race and team relay;
  • Cost - £150 for the 3 months, you will need your own rollerskis to take part in Richmond Park rollerski sessions, long term rollerski hire available.

 
 

 

 

 

     
 

SIGN UP FOR PHASE 3 -

TRANSITION TO SNOW, INTRODUCTION TO RACING

 
  • the team will move to Obertilliach, Austria, from 2nd-11th January;
  • there will be training on snow, using some of the best tracks in Europe for World Cup cross-country skiers and biathletes;
  • focus will be on making the transition from good technique on rollerskis to good technique on snow;
  • there will be races on 10th and 11th January, a 28k Skating marathon and 42k Classic marathon, the Pustertaler races in Dobiacco;
  • for more information on this plan, see here.

Following this week, there will be a chance to take part in the British Championships, 23rd to 27th January at Ruhpolding, Germany.

 

 

 

Picture: Olaf Tufte, Olympic Champion sculler and top 100 finisher in the Swedish Vasaloppet

 
 

 

 

 

     
 
 

COACHES

The programme will be run by Rob Dorward, the newest member of our coaching team. A former lightweight rower, Rob graduated from Imperial College this summer and is focused on the performance aspect of skiing. Putting work on hold to focus on biathlon, this winter he will have his first full season on snow.

He's only been skiing for the past 18 months, but in that time has become one of the country's leading rollerski racers, winning the prestigous London 1-hour rollerski race in July. In April he was selected for the GB Biathlon Development Squad, through the British Biathlon Union's 'Talent Identification' scheme, and his aim is to make the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi. He is one of the most analytical of our coaches and will be monitoring athletes' progress.

He will be assisted and guided by other members of the coaching team, including Alan Eason who will be leading the programme on snow.

Picture: Rob, left, with London XC Ski Club teammates, Guerman Mikhailov & Yevgeniy Gorbenko at the Wessex Sprint Races, 2008

 
 

 

If you have any questions, please contact Rob, robdorward@hotmail.com or Iain, iain@rollerski.co.uk.

We will have a meeting at the Victoria Pub, W2 2NH nr Lancaster Gate on 5th September at 2pm to present more information and to answer questions.

You can also call Iain on 020 8348 2540 or 07968 286129.