Viktor Mäenpää from Team Mäenpää has just finished his high-altitude training camp in Livigno, and he is now ready to raise the bar in Season XII. His ultimate goal is to win a Pro Tour stage in the future, but for the upcoming winter he aims to take a step closer to the podium.

Viktor is now the number one candidate to become the best Finnish male athlete in Visma Ski Classics since Ari Luusua decided to step aside this summer. Viktor has shown potential in the past, of which his 15^th place at Jizerska 50 in 2019 and his bold breakaway attempt at Vasaloppet in 2020 were strong proofs. Last winter did not go as planned for him as he finished 39^th in the Champion competition and his best result was La Diagonela’s 28^th place. However, he proved to be a solid skier as his 54^th place at Vasaloppet was his lowest position in the Pro Tour.

Viktor is now looking forward to the upcoming season, and he believes that this winter will be much better for him. Pro XC Skiing reached out to this 27-year-old skier who just returned from his high-altitude training camp in Livigno, Italy. The Finn was in high spirits and talked about his training, goals and idols who have inspired him.

How was your training camp in Livigno?

“Very good. The conditions were fantastic.”

Can you give us some examples of your workouts there?

“The focus was on long distance training and threshold workouts. I also wanted to prepare my body for the high-altitude races in January. To give an example, a 6×5 min threshold session is perhaps the most common exercise we do at high altitude.”

How about your dryland training in general? Did it go as planned?

“The training has gone according to the plan that I set up in May. This year, I have focused on high-altitude training. Hopefully, it gives me a great boost.”

Last season wasn’t exactly what you hoped for. How would you analyze it?

“It was ok, but of course I wanted a bit more. In the mid-season, I trained very well, but I didn’t get it out in the races for some reason. Hopefully, the training that I’ve done for this season will show in the winter. Time will tell!” 

What are your goals for Season XII?

“I think and hope I have taken a step forward and gotten better. I want to be an offensive skier and see how far that can take me.”

What are your strengths and weaknesses as a skier?

“My greatest strength is that I am fearless. To compete with the best in the circuit I really have to get better at everything.”

What did your breakaway attempt at Vasaloppet give you?

“It gave me a recipe to fight against the cream of the crop. It showed me what it takes to be up there. I can go head-to-head with the best skiers when everything works. But hopefully, I can show that I can do much more than that.”

What is the status of your team as we speak?

“We want everyone in the team to have the opportunity to perform at his or her maximum, and I think we have created a good atmosphere that supports that. I have gotten very good support from the team for everything I do. The conditions at my training camps have been as good as for the national team.”

How did you become a professional skier?

“I wanted to try Vasaloppet in 2015 and finished as the 280th fastest skier in Mora. After that, my seriousness for skiing only increased.”

What is your ultimate goal in skiing?

“I want to give skiing a real chance to see how good I can become. If I see that I can’t get any better, I’ll quit. I have a lot of other things I want to do outside of skiing. But now, I focus on becoming the best skier I can be and try to optimize everything I do.”

Who were your idols when growing up?

“The one person I look up to is Simon Sinek*, certainly unknown to many. I have many sports idols who have changed over the years. Petter Northug made a big impression on me when I was little, but now the Ironmen Kristian Blummenfelt and Sam Long are the two people I think highly of. Sam has a bit of the same background as I do and started late in elite sports.”

*Simon Sinek is a British-American author and inspirational speaker.

Finally, what is your biggest dream in life?

“My big dream is to stand on the podium in Visma Ski Classics one day. And after that, I have some grand plans outside of the sport.”