european college of sport science

PP-TT08 Training and Testing 8
At present, there are no studies that have analyzed sprint XC skiing in the field combined with the use of video cameras that are synchronized
with a DGNSS. The aims of the present study were: 1) to make a descriptive analysis of skiing kinematics, frequency and duration at
specific gears during a sprint qualification race in freestyle XC skiing, 2) to evaluate the influence of short sprint (Vmax) abilities versus
overall performance in a sprint race.
Methods: Nine Swedish male elite XC skiers (four of them top world class skiers), specialized in the sprint or the distance events, volunteered
as subjects in the study (mean ± SD: age 25.9 ± 3.5 yr, height 180.7 ± 5.4 cm, weight 74.5 ± 6.2 kg, VO2max 5.5 ± 0.6 l/min and
73.3 ± 5.8 ml/kg/min). The study started with a measurement of the subject’s aerobic capacity in the laboratory, followed by specific
sprint tests on snow. These were: 1) two 20-m Vmax tests performed in the G3-technique, 2) two 20-m Vmax tests performed in the
double poling (DP) technique and finally 3) an individual race over 1425 m.
Results: The mean frequencies at specific gears were: G2 1.02 ± 0.05; G3 0.66 ± 0.04; G4 0.72 ± 0.07; G5 1.07 ± 0.08 Hz. The mean
distributions (%) of total race time at specific gears were: G2 16.9 ± 9.3; G3 36.2 ± 7.7; G4 3.2 ± 2.9; G5 18.3 ± 3.2; “G6” (curve technique)
13.1 ± 1.1; “G7” (downhill standing) 9.9 ± 2.2%. There was a significant correlation between DP-Vmax and race time (r = -0.71, P =