Alex, we understand you were just in Truckee, California training with the team. Tell us how that went and when was your last time on snow?
Alex Harvey: It was good; we were just doing dry land training. The last time I was on snow was in August in New Zealand at a camp at the Snow Farm.
How has your training been going and how are you feeling overall – are you where you want to be at this time?
AH: It’s going well…I’ve been injury-free and sickness-free so far [during the off-season]. And my shape is good. I am heading to Europe on November 10 in advance of the first World Cup race of the year in Finland (the first stage of the 2013-14 FIS Cross-Country World Cup to be held in Kuusamo, Finland, Nov. 29-Dec. 1).
You’ve been training at the Pierre-Harvey National Training Centre in Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges, QC, a centre named after your dad, Pierre. A 4.9km roller ski course was just completed there – how were you involved and how has it been going there?
AH: I’ve been quite involved; they asked me what kind of design I wanted for the course and I told them to build the hardest possible. The new course has steep uphills and was built for both offset and striding. It was constructed on a limited budget and had to involve a lot of volunteers. The asphalt guys gave us a very good deal; many people made donations or were giving their time for free. Canmore [Nordic Centre in Alberta] by comparison has hills that are not so big. Mont Ste Anne is big and steep enough for long, big uphills. [read SkiTrax’s earlier report on the roller ski track here.]
You received the Auclair Team Spirit Award – congrats – so how is the spirit on the Canadian team these days with such a big season ahead?
AH: It’s pretty good as I said we’re just back from California. Dasha (Daria Gaiazova), Peri (Perianne Jones), Devon (Devon Kershaw), Ivan (Ivan Babikov), Lenny (Len Valjas) and I were together with our coaches Eric (de Nys, NST coach) and Justin (Wadsworth, head coach). It was a fun camp!
Many of our team members are home now with their families, and me, too. This is the final prep before the season starts. I don’t want to try anything different with my training. When you have a good recipe, you stick to it. I just plan to follow my normal training schedule and program, and do nothing special.
It’s an Olympic year and you’ve been on the podium in both sprint and distance races – what are your goals this season i.e. World Cup, Tour de Ski, Olympics… ?
AH: My goal is the same as usual; I just need good day whether it’s a 50km distance or a sprint. I’m not focusing on one particular event or distance. Instead I am trying to be an all-rounder.
Have you been able to preview the courses at Sochi – we understand they’re quite tough?
AH: Yes, I skied Sochi last season at the World Cup there. The classic course is really nice and flowing. It’s the old-school style. The men’s sprint course – which is quite different from the women’s – is long and hard. Many top skiers didn’t even qualify last season. And the skiathlon there has one huge climb.
Which is your first official race and your schedule until then – are you racing in Canmore at Frozen Thunder on Oct. 24…or going straight to Finland?
AH: I’m not going to Frozen Thunder because that would involve a lot of travel. I also hear that it’s pretty good but warm there right now. I saw videos of people skiing in t-shirts.
All the best with the coming season…
AH: Thanks