“The team and our coach Marthe Kristoffersen have a great merit in this. Then I have trained hard and rested hard,” says Sofie Elebro with a laugh.

Sofie Elebro occasionally appeared in the Ski Classics for five seasons before she made the step in 2019 to have long-distance skiing as her main focus.

Since then, she has been a solid skier, racking up top-ten finishes. But last winter, on December 16, at La Venosta, she finally got to step on the podium for the first time.

“It was a big relief, and I really felt that ‘this is where I should be.’ But I’ll be honest and say that I had some doubts about whether I had what it took to reach the podium because it was the same even when I went for the traditional distances. I have often finished fifth. Now I got to see that it is possible,” says Sofie Elebro to Langd.se.

Also Read – Team Eksjöhus: The best Pro Team wants to get even better

What changes have you made to your training?

“I would say that a lot of it is due to the team,” she says humbly and adds:

“Marthe (Kristoffersen, coach of Team Eksjöhus) has seen what I have needed to work on. A lot has been done to develop the technique. The other girls on the team are technically very driven. I’ve been working a lot on double poling uphill. For me, it’s been a lot about setting the technique, not stressing, and skiing efficiently. In addition, I have worked a lot on the strength of the hip and lower torso. And in terms of training, I have trained hard, but also ‘rested hard,’” says Elebro and laughs.

How do you rest hard?

“After hard training periods, such as a (training) camp, I have previously taken a rest day. Now, if I’ve felt tired, I’ve taken an extra rest day. Similarly, if the recovery has not been as I wanted, I have made sure to take an extra rest day. In the past, I thought a lot about training weekly; now, I can train a lot for ten days and then take one or two rest days. That’s something that I think I responded well to.”

Last season, she placed in the top ten in all but one Ski Classics race, seven times in the top six, and finished fourth at Tjejvasan.

The consistently high level meant she was the best Swede in the Ski Classics overall after a close battle with Karolina Hedenström into the final weekends.

What are your goals for the coming season?

“I put a lot of emphasis on the overall. It’s a sign that you’ve had a consistently high level. But if I highlight some races, Vasaloppet is one that I never really got right. I have been seventh at best. But say that a realistic goal there for the winter is to be in the top 5, and then, of course, I want to win. And then La Diagonela is a race that has always suited me.”

Training-wise, are you working the same way as last season?

“Pretty much the same. But my weakness has been to manage to keep up at the start. It’s always very fast from the start, so I have to develop my maximum speed. As it has been now, I have had to push a little too hard from the start to keep up with the group. Then, I often go well towards the end of the races, especially long ones. But if I can go ‘efficiently’ at the beginning so that I am in the first group instead of the second group as has been the case this past winter, then I need to work on my explosiveness,” says Elebro.

Also Read: Team Eksjöhus for Season XVI