Thomas Bing secured an impressive third place at the Roller Ski World Championships in Latvia, delivering on his main goal of the week and confirming the strong form he has felt in recent weeks. ProXCskiing.com spoke with Bing in an exclusive Interview after his first World Championships Medal.

The German distance specialist had reason to be satisfied after reaching the podium in what he described as his key race of the championships. After crossing the line in third, Bing made it clear that the result matched his expectations – even if he felt there might have been even more within reach.

Dental trouble disrupted recovery

A major talking point in Bing’s build-up to the event was an unexpected dental issue that affected both his preparation and recovery. He explained that he had needed crown work and also underwent a root canal treatment before Alliansloppet. During competition, the tooth caused significant throbbing, and he noticed the effect in his recovery data, with his nighttime heart rate sitting five to six beats higher than normal.

”That really shows what impact even a small tooth and an inflammation can have on recovery,” Bing said.

Oberhof tests confirmed his form

Despite that setback, signs of good form had already been evident in training. At home in Oberhof, Bing regularly uses a standard test loop to monitor his condition. The test takes him from the lowest point to the highest point of the course a few times, always with the same roller skis and under comparable conditions.

”I evaluate both my times and my subjective feeling on the climbs – whether I start losing time lap by lap or struggle to get over sections that would normally feel more manageable. An important sign is whether I can reach a high-intensity zone with relative ease. If that feeling is there, I know my shape is good and that was the case before I came here,“ he explains

Sweden offered valuable lessons

His World Cup races in Sweden during Trollhättan Action week had already hinted that a strong championship performance might be coming, where he finished 29th at the sprint race, 25th at long-distance race masstart and 43th at 15Km Individual start. Bing said to his races in Sweden:

”The sprint result was surprisingly good. Also in Saturday’s long-distance race, I was satisfied overall, although frustrated that I could not stay with the first group. I did not see that as a question of fitness, however. Instead, I felt tactical circumstances played a major role, with gaps opening ahead of me and nobody else was willing to close them. So I ended up doing the work myself and spending valuable energy,” he says.

Sunday was a different challenge again.

”Without the benefit of a group, the aerodynamic effect of drafting on roller skis became even more significant“ he adds.

With this experience from the individual start in Sweden, Bing admitted he was skeptical about the situation in Latvia and tried to avoid letting anyone simply sit behind him.  

”I just didn’t want that anyone behind me get the chance to have advantage of my wind shadow. So my plan was to start quiet fast and bridge across to Imanol Rojo and work together with him, but that option disappeared when Rojo dropped back and could no longer contribute“ he explained.

Even so, Bing felt the race remained fair:

”Because none of the top athletes at the front had the clear advantage of a stable group, which is not always the case in a format like this,“ he says.

Bronze secured, silver not far away

Looking back at his podium performance in Latvia, Bing acknowledged both satisfaction and a sense of missed opportunity. He described the winner’s performance as extremely strong, but believed second place might still have been possible. After around 1.5 kilometers, he overtook Rojo, and in his view, that was a moment when a bit of time slipped away. With his main objective already achieved, Bing can now approach the remaining races with less pressure.

Clear goals for the remaining races

”In the team sprint I will race together with Jurij Propp and our first goal is simple: get through safely and avoid crashes or injuries in what I expect to be a chaotic format,” he says.

For the 200-meter sprint, his view is clear:

”I hope to collect as many World Cup points as possible and present myself as well as I can, even if I do not see myself among the favorites and I believe that the middle of the field is the realistic maximum,” he says.

Sunday’s mass-start skating race is the event he now looks forward to most next, although he remains cautious in his expectations.

”It is difficult to judge exactly where I stand in skating, but I feel the race format suits me well. A city course, a mass start, and many corners requiring constant attention are all elements I usually enjoy. So my target there is a place in the top ten” says Bing.

For now, however, the main job is done. Bing came to Latvia with a clear focus on the 10K Classic race:

”With third place at the Roller Ski World Championships today, I already achieved what I set out to do. Everything else from here, is a bonus,” he explains.