Italian Pro Team athlete Michaela Patscheider reflects on a season of progress with Team Slavia Pojišťovna Robinson Trentino and shares how she is building toward Season XVIII.

Season XVII brought some of Patscheider’s strongest results to date. The 26-year-old from Italy finished 13th at the Bad Gastein Criterium in December, her best Pro Tour result of the season, and followed it with a Challengers win at La Saireda Roseg in January. Further consistent top-20 finishes at Engadin La Diagonela (17th), Bedřichov Sprint (17th), Jizerská50 (18th), Orsa Grönklitt ITT (19th), and Marcialonga Bodø (19th) confirmed she is a solid name in the competitive Pro Tour women’s field.

“I am quite happy with the last season, it started really well in Bad Gastein,” she says to ProXCskiing.com and adds:

“I was not far from a top 10.”

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A difficult Marcialonga and a missed Vasaloppet were the low points, but the bigger picture was positive.

“I take away that we as athletes can be so lucky to travel so much, to see new amazing places, and to know new fantastic people.”

Roller skis, pasta, and Passo Rolle

When the racing stops, Patscheider is quick to embrace the off-season. Her summer begins in May, with a base of cycling and running, before roller skiing gradually takes over from the end of the month. A team training camp at Passo Rolle is a fixture on the calendar.

“I love summer training so much, because you can train without pressure and enjoy everything,” she says.

A typical training day starts early, with a three-hour roller ski session out by 8:30 in the morning, followed by a short run and stretching in the evening. Recovery and food are taken seriously, too. Italian pasta with tuna, tomatoes, and mozzarella is the post-session lunch of choice.

Her advice for recreational skiers mirrors her own approach: start slow, stay varied, and make it enjoyable.

“The most important thing is to have a lot of fun and to do the training with passion,” she says.

Long, easy sessions in May and June to build a base, mixed with cycling, swimming, or climbing, set the foundation for harder interval work later in the summer.

As for Season XVIII, the goal is clear.

“I hope to reach a top 10 position. It’s my goal, and I will train hard for it.”

Read More –  Michaela Patscheider: Chasing dreams in Ski Classics

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