Pacing, Exercise Intensity, and Technique by Performance Level in Long-Distance Cross-Country Skiing

ConclusionElite and amateur skiers ski at comparable mean race exercise intensity, but they have clear differences in skiing speed. The difference in the pacing profiles between elite and amateur skiers (more even vs. distinct positive pacing) demonstrate the greater capacity of the former with respect to physiological capacity and highlights that amateurs seem to start too fast according to their capacities. The exclusive application of the double poling technique is no longer a phenomenon of elite skiers but is widely used among the top 1,000 ranked skiers.
Source: Frontiers in Physiology - Category: Physiology Source Type: research