Calle Halfvarsson is one of the most experienced skiers in the international traditional cross-country skiing scene. The Swedish skier started his first World Cup in 2009 at the Slottssprinten in Stockholm (the year after he took gold in the sprint at his first race in the Junior World Championships).

In total, he started in 253 World Cup events. He has been on the podium 28 times and the fastest of all five times (three times individually).

But the past season was a disappointment for the 35-year-old:

“It was a mild season, mainly because I wasn’t on the podium once. So, you could sum it up as a season without any major successes and with many troubles with illnesses,” says Halfvarsson to Langd.se.

However, something encouraging looking ahead to the coming winter is that his two best results came at the pre-World Championships in Trondheim. He finished fifth in the skiathlon race and fourth in the classic 10km race. In the latter, the gap to a podium place was just 1.9 seconds:

“I enjoy the tracks in Trondheim. It’s a course with tough climbs almost immediately from the start, followed by a significant downhill. And I like it when there’s a tough start and then the opportunity for recovery on the downhill. It’s quite similar to the roller ski track in Falun. It becomes interval-based. And I do quite a lot of training on the roller ski track in Falun,” says Halfvarsson, who earlier this spring became a father for the second time.

“I enjoy it very much, although it is, of course, a lot of work. Especially for Isabell, she’s the one carrying the heavy load. Particularly when I’ve been away at camps,” says Halfvarsson.

“When it comes to my training, I adapt it to what works best at home. It doesn’t matter if I go out for my session at eight or ten o’clock.”

Do you need to make any further adjustments for the coming winter to have fewer sick days?

“I have a few small details that I will try to change. It partly involves thinking about recovery when there is a lot of competition. And then, when I feel that I am in good shape, it’s also important to be extra mindful. Because it’s when everything is going well and I’m in good form, the setbacks come. It happens when you think you’re invincible,” says Halfvarsson with a smile.

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