| Cross country skiers
and cyclists have much in common
By Mark Parman On my bookshelf sits a slim volume titled Italian Bicycle Racing Techniques by Ed Pavelka and Giovanni Battaglin, winner of the 1981 Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta, the grueling Tour of Spain. I can't even recall how I came to have this little book. It's now about 20 years old.
On the very first page it uncompromisingly states its position about bicycle training. "Very simply, the training that a competitive cyclist should do is based on riding a bicycle. Once the season is over, there is  another thing the cyclist should do … and that
is to ride a bicycle. When the cyclist doesn't know what else to do, he should do a third thing … ride a bicycle." A few pages later the book says, "Always, always, always ride the bicycle, even in winter." Well, maybe I'm no longer much of a competitive cyclist – although I did do a few races last year – because
when I don't "know what else to do," I no longer "ride a bicycle," particularly in winter. The only riding I now do in winter is commuting, and then only when the roads are clear of ice and snow. No doubt the writers of Italian Bicycle Racing Techniques had sunny Florida or balmy Sicily winters in mind when they wrote their book. It's February, and to be honest, I'm thinking more about riding two skis
than two wheels. Actually, though, using cross country skiing for training isn't too unusual for cyclists in our latitudes, regardless of the Italian methods. When a foot or two of snow covers the ground and the roads look like the Zamboni machine just passed by, skiing isn't a bad option for cyclists. I'd argue that it isn't a bad option even when the roads are clear.
When I first started cycling and took out my first USCF Category 4
license, I had the zeal for the bicycle, of course, of an Islamic militant. I believed in "always, always, always ride the bicycle." In those days, when it was snowy or below zero, I could ride a wind trainer or the rollers for hours. On sub–zero January days, we'd do three–hour indoor rides. I look back on those days and shudder.
Nowadays, I have to force myself to ride the indoor trainer for half an hour – that is, if I can find it. No thanks; today I'd rather ski, and I'm
probably a better cyclist because of it. For the past decade or so, contrary to this Italian philosophy, cyclists in cold climates have incorporated cross country skiing into their training. Greg Lemond, more than anyone, advocated cross country skiing.
In his Complete Book of Cycling, he writes about skiing, particularly skate skiing, and its benefits. "Cross country skiing is the ideal complement to cycling … and the new skating technique in cross
country skiing is a motion that's similar to cycling. You're really working your legs much more than with the traditional kick and slide, and you're doing your cardiovascular system more good than if you were out riding a bike on a road on a very cold day."
Lemond realized a few things that were overlooked by the old school Italian methods: not everyone lives in a warm climate, and variety, or cross training as it's come to be known, is effective. Also, the former
three–time Tour de France champion was often at odds with the European cycling establishment, and I have a hunch he just plain liked to ski.
In the last decade since Lemond's day, many cyclists have also been exceptional skiers. Carl Swenson, a professional mountain biker and member of the Fischer Factory Ski Team, won the American Birkebeiner in 1998. The next year he finished second, three and a half minutes down on last year's World Cup Champion, Johann Muhlegg.
Pierre Harvey was on both the Canadian summer and winter Olympic teams, as a road cyclist and a cross country skier. Paola Pezzo, former world mountain bike champion and Gary Fisher team member, was at one–time on the Italian national cross country ski team.
A peek at the Birkie results in the Birch Scroll reveals a surprising number of cyclists in the top 200, many who now are more competitive on skis than wheels. Clearly there's a connection between the two
seemingly different sports.
Cross country skiing and cycling both require large aerobic capacity. Lance Armstrong, if he learned proper ski technique, would no doubt make a fine skier with the lungs he owns, but I don't expect to see the Texan anytime soon at the American Birkebeiner. One also has to love the snow and cold to love skiing.
Skate skiing, as Lemond writes, does involve a motion similar to cycling, just as speed skating has a similar motion, and there have been a
surprising number of speed skater/cyclists, most notably the Heidens and 1984 Olympic road race champion Connie Carpenter. Cyclists have powerful thighs, and skate skiing can utilize these muscles. Not surprisingly, most of my cycling friends only skate ski. Traditional or classic skiing suits runners more than cyclists, and once again not surprisingly, my friends who run tend to classic ski.
Cross country skiing, at least racing anyway, involves a great deal of
suffering, both mental and physical. Fortunately, the pain is short lived, and our memories are short as well, so we ski again and again. Cyclists, for the most part, endure a lot of pain. Look at the faces of the Tour riders suffering up an alpine climb to see what I mean.
Cyclists know how to push their bodies. A 20 or 30 kilometer ski is a challenge, a possibility to a cyclist used to riding anywhere from 20 to 100 miles, whereas to someone who spends the summer on the couch,
this same ski might seem like an impossible distance.
In late December, I skied part of Tom Schuler's Double Birkie, a 90 kilometer ski he organizes from the Fish Hatchery to Telemark Lodge and back. Lots of cyclists show up for this ski, both those who raced with and against Schuler. Everybody skied between 50 and 90 kilometers, most on their second day on snow.
Cross country skiing also offers another opportunity to compete, and
most of my cycling friends thrive on competition. Instead of spending the winter watching "Seinfeld" reruns, cross country ski racing provides an outlet for the competitive juices. It's a chance to mix it up in the coldest months of the year.
In the end, though, I cross county ski because I simply like being outside, gliding along snow–covered trails in quiet woods. Being out there is the same reason I ride today. I like to ride – but not "always,
always, always." Especially when the snow is good.
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