This weekend, the Swedish cross-country skier Edvin Anger will start at the roller ski race Kopparskidan in Falun, Sweden. In this article, he talks about his thoughts on last season’s successful debut in the World Cup and the winter season starting in just over a month.

Last season, Edvin Anger debuted in the World Cup and now has an entirely different experience for what is about to happen:

“There is a big difference now compared to the same time last year. Then, I had no experience at all from the World Cup. During last season, I got a lot of routines that I will benefit from. It is about keeping track of the opposition and how fast it goes. This means that I am more confident now, even though I know that I must be at my best to be in the fight at the top,” says Anger, who made it to five sprint finals in the World Cup.

But each time, he finished between fourth and sixth place, meaning he has not yet managed to get his first individual podium:

“I think one of the reasons for this is routine. If I had more routine, I would have been on the podium. But there are also other parts, perhaps mainly the endurance part. It is about being fresher when it is time for the final. To have used less energy and more energy in the final. To achieve this, the endurance part and increasing capacity have been the parts that I have worked on for the coming season,” says Anger to Langd.se.

What changes in training are you making for the upcoming season?

“It is largely the same as last year. But I have made some adjustments when it comes to the strength part. I do a little more max strength. I spend less time in the gym, but what I do is with good focus and heavy weights. Then I have worked with a lot of time in the threshold zone, and these are parts of increasing the capacity and becoming an all-round skier.”

Which technical aspects of skiing do you want to develop?

“Double poling is one part, and I can develop in second gear. If I take steps there, I can go uphill with less energy and go faster on the parts where I should be really good. Then, in the fall, we will work more on the technique and man-to-man situations. And I also want to step forward when it comes to skiing uphill.”

Which parts do you see as your strengths in terms of technique?

“I’d say it’s skiing on the ‘flat’ and easy uphill on the third gear,” says Edvin Anger, who this weekend is one of the skiers who will race Kopparskidan at Lugnet.

Are you interested in traditional cross-country skiing? Click HERE and read more.