December 23, 2008 – Lance Armstrong and his teammates taught the cycling world that good reconnaissance is key to winning the Tour de France. They also avoided the Giro and de-emphasized races leading up to the Tour to focus on winning the main prize. The same thing is happening in Nordic skiing as the Tour de Ski (TdS) grows to become skiing’s premier event. Top racers place less importance on early World Cup results and focus their conditioning on the Tour de Ski. The top teams, such as The Thin Red Line (Team Atomic), undergo reconnaissance missions of the courses beforehand to fully dial in the gear. We caught up with team director Roman Toferer just days before the beginning of the Tour.

Is the Thin Red Line ready? What have you done to prepare?
Roman Toferer: Of course The Thin Red Line is ready. We didn’t spent too much time at World Cup races – our focus was clearly to test on comparable tracks and conditions like we know there are at the Tour de Ski. So far great results have been seen from the new core materials we are testing to improve very easy climbing.

When will those new core materials be ready for widespread use?
RT: It will take time, I say no more than that. We are experimenting with several variations of materials right now. Our racers are very good testers. Many things must still be worked out.

I know that most of the courses for the TdS have not been opened yet. Do you hike and photograph the courses and then return to home base and make a replica?
RT: Yes, we can do that since we have a glacier nearby. No trees, it is easy to make an exact copy of a course.

Some of the events are in urban settings, what do you do to replicate that kind of snow?
RT: Altenmarkt is a small town, but we still have a couple of busy intersections. With shovels we take some dirty snow from those intersections and mix it with clean snow, then it’s like a track in a city. We test which grinds and what wax works best. That is why Atomic always wins the races in the cities.

The tour begins with the 3K skate prelim in Oberhof, Germany. Make a prediction for day one, include both men and women.
RT: Woman: first place РClaudia Nystad/Atomic; second place РAino Kaisa Saarinen/Rossignol; third place РMarit Bj̦rgen/Fischer. Men: first place РTord Asle Gjerdalen/Atomic; second place РPetter Nordhug/Fischer; third place РGiorgio Di Centa/Atomic.

What do you think for day two in Oberhof – the 10K classic for women and the 15K for men?
RT: Will be to early to say, the track there is extremely hard. Another point is waxing in Oberhof can be very difficult. That is where Franz Goering won the classic event in a mix of rain and snow with Atomic Multis.

After Oberhof, you have a sprint on Monday (Dec. 29) in Prague, Czech Republic. After racing do you drive like crazy to the airport in Munich and then fly to Prague? How are you race service guys getting to Prague?
RT: I don’t think anyone will fly. The distance is not that big a problem – just drive like mad. We’ve made changes to our vans and have been practicing very high speed driving in ice and snow.

Don’t total the van on your way there. Prague is a full-on, hell-bent-for-leather urban sprint. Let’s hear your predictions.
RT: Its nice to race in big cities but they have to use a more fair course than last year. I think that’s in progress.

I know what you mean, last year’s race looked like a Roller Derby. Hopefully the turns are a little wider this year.
RT: What’s a Roller Derby?

Never mind, you already seem to think Americans are a little weird. After Prague there’s a rest day but you have to drive 170km to Nove Mesto for 10K and 15K classic races. Who do you think will be strong at this point in the Tour?
RT: This will depend on recovery after the sprint race in Prague. It is important to put the athletes in comfortable cars with good drivers who can go fast. Hard to say – maybe Tord Asle Gjerdalen?

Day 2 at Nove Mesto is another sprint and then you have two days before the final races in Val di Fiemme, Italy. Do any of the teams have nice motorhomes for their athletes so they get to travel like rock stars?
RT: Not at all, only Sweden’s service staff is traveling with a kind of motorhome for their skis and staff. Others will stay overnight somewhere close to Munich. The Thin Red Line will go directly to Italy.

What do you tell an athlete at Val di Fiemme when he/she is obviously exhausted? What do you say to Claudia Kuenzel or Anders Aukland to get them fired up?
RT: At this stage it’s not good to think too much. The body is already tired so we will just tell them, “Don’t think just go and win!”

How tough is that climb in Val di Fiemme? Describe it.
RT: Some people got tired just looking at the hill. Me and my team have skied it many times now. Starting into a fast part down to the beginning of the climb, easy climbing for about 6-9 min. – then it really starts. Most critical is the middle part of the climb, this is where something can happen! Into the finish it’s not that hard but there’s almost no chance to do something – and you’re tired like hell. Its hard but it’s the same for everyone. The best will win!!

Final question. Who will be the overall winners, both men and women?
RT: I mean we’ve had lots of different winners up to now. The Tour has its own rules so we’ll just have to see how super the competition is out there. For men, Tord Asle Gjerdalen – for women…???