The influence of race tactics for performance in the heats of an international sprint cross-country skiing competition

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of race tactics for performance in the heats of an international sprint cross-country (XC) skiing competition in the classical style. Thirty elite male XC skiers (age: 24±3 years, sprint International Ski Federation [FIS] points: 61±27) performed a sprint time-trial (STT) followed by one to three ‘knock-out’ heats on a 1.7 km racecourse. An integrated GNSS/IMU system was used to determine position, sub-technique distribution and kinematics. Positioning was analysed using the television broadcast of the race. STT rank correlated positively with the final rank [(rs (28) = .72, P = .001)]. The top-two finishers in each heat were on average ~3.8% slower in the heats compared to the STT (237.1±3.9 vs. 228.3±4.0 seconds, P = .001). On average, the skiers performed ~10 overtakings per 100 meters from the start to the last uphill segment but only ~3 overtakings per 100 meters in the last two segments in each heat. 93.8% of the top-two finishing skiers positioned themselves at top 2 before approaching the final uphill, in which the top-two finishers and the skiers ranked 3–4 were generally faster than those ranked 5–6 in the heats (both, P = .01). Here, top-four skiers employed 5.3% longer cycle lengths and 3.4% higher cycle rates in the diagonal sub-technique than skiers ranked 5–6 (all, P = .01). The present study demonstrates the importance of race tactics for performance in the heats of sprint XC skiing, in which the main performance-determining factors in the present racecourse were a front position when approaching the final uphill segment combined with the ability to ski fast in that segment. In general, this illustrates how accurate racecourse analyses may help skiers to optimize their race-individual race-strategies in the heats of sprint XC skiing competitions.

Comprehensive analysis of performance, physiological, and perceptual responses during an entire sprint cross-country skiing competition

“…Specifically, participants exhibited higher speeds in the first uphill section (S1), but lower speeds in S2–4, and particularly S3 (uphill), during TT compared to the heats. This finding aligns with a recent study by Haugnes et al ( 2022 ) who investigated a “real-world” classical sprint competition among elite XC skiers, highlighting considerable differences in the speed profiles (i.e., pacing strategies) adopted in the individual TT compared to the subsequent heats. These differences can be attributed to lower speeds and greater emphasis on positioning in the initial part of the heats, followed by higher speeds to outpace competitors in the latter part.…”

“…Participants demonstrated higher speeds in SF compared to TT, QF, and F, while F was slower than TT. These patterns align with previous research, which has indicated that heats are performed at either higher (Andersson et al 2019 ), lower (Haugnes et al 2022 ; Stöggl et al 2007 ), or the same speeds (Mikkola et al 2010 ; Vesterinen et al 2009 ) as compared to TT, depending on various factors such as tactics and the composition of study groups. Skiing in a pack during heats offers advantages such as reduced air drag and snow friction (Seeberg et al 2022a , b ), as well as potential time gains due to skiers' varying strengths on different sections of the course.…”

“…While the TT often requires high individual effort from start to finish to qualify, the heats are more influenced by tactics and positioning. Therefore, the speeds at which the heats are performed in sprint XC skiing can be either higher (Andersson et al 2019 ), lower (Haugnes et al 2022 ; Stöggl et al 2007 ), or the same (Mikkola et al 2010 ; Vesterinen et al 2009 ) compared to the individual TT, resulting in notable differences in speed profiles and pacing strategies (Haugnes et al 2022 ). In this context, a “fast-start” or “all-out” pacing strategy appears to be most optimal for improving TT performance (Haugnes et al 2019 ; Losnegard et al 2023 ).…”

The influence of tactical positioning on performance in sprint cross-country skiing

“…Moreover, it was shown that the strength of the correlations between intermediate rankings at given checkpoints and the final rank ranged between 0.51-0.84, with increased strength towards the finish line. In contrast, Haugnes et al [14] reported that the best performers in a male classical sprint competition awaited to position themselves at the front of the heat until approaching the final uphill, after which a clear reduction in the number of overtaking events were seen. However, whether these findings differ between the classical and skating style, racecourses, and sexes has not yet been investigated.…”

“…The four races within each sprint competition are separated by ~15 to 60-minute breaks, where the ability to recover rapidly is important for performance in the subsequent heats [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. Moderate to large correlations between STT rank and final rank of a sprint competition have been reported [8,14], and Spencer et al [8] found a stronger correlation for men than for women, particularly evident in the skating style.…”