Northug's secret sprint gears?
 

After Peter Northug blew out the WC circuit this year with so many
wins reached in the last 400 m by is now trademark strong finishes, I
am wondering if anybody knew about his secret gears he claimed to
have.
In watching carefully his "jump-skate", I found his technique is in
reality the double-push skate sprint technique that has been borrowed
from inline skating (for a discussion on the technique adapted to
cross-country skiing, see: http://forums.fasterskier.com/topic/...ush-technique).
A technique he seems to master quite sucessfully in skating.
But what about his other secret gear(s)?
Does such a technique may be easier to practice with rollerskis? I
would like to hear about any experience on that subject also.

Thanks,
An apprentice rollerskier

Could you please offer an example of clear footage of this special jump skate by Northug please?
Technique can always be improved. His playful double poling sprints, coming from way behind in classic distance races, must be the extra gear thing.

Top cyclists have been known to ride the finale of a long (200+) race solo at over 60kph, level streets, no wind, if a win is to be bad. The wattage required to do this, cannot be generated in an ergotrainer situation. Just as if the cyclists are able to give more than maximum. The Champs Elisees finishes of the Tour de France are an example. NOT a fast course, with its combles and high differences. But riders manage to do CRAZY solo lap times there. The can't ride that fast on a time trial bike, with fresh legs, when a world time trial win is at stake.

Sprinting to 60kph is pretty crazy even for a good elite cyclist, let alone doing laps at that pace.

A magical recipe of lactic acid and endiphines?

Northug's secret sprint gears?
 

Here is some footage I got by searching "Northug finish" on youtube
that shows his speed burst:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWvAZRw1E9E&NR=1
His high tempo rhythm also makes him apart.

Northug's secret sprint gears?
 

Ro wrote:
Here is some footage I got by searching "Northug finish" on youtube
that shows his speed burst:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWvAZRw1E9E&NR=1
His high tempo rhythm also makes him apart.


Northug's sprint capability has almost nothing to do with technique and
a lot to do with a very carefully nurtured ability to tolerate extreme
anaerobic effort after sking close to the limit for a long time.

This is something almost no skiers (or athletes in general!) can do, the
closest is probably a couple of the guys who seem to always win the
final sprints on the flat TdF stages, no matter how high the average
speed has been up to that point.

Terje

--
- Terje.Mathisen at tmsw.no
"almost all programming can be viewed as an exercise in caching"

Northug's secret sprint gears?
 

On Mon, 3 May 2010 16:25:13 -0700 (PDT)
Ro wrote:

Here is some footage I got by searching "Northug finish" on youtube
that shows his speed burst:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWvAZRw1E9E&NR=1
His high tempo rhythm also makes him apart.

The sequences shows a single jump skate, lots of V2 (U.S. term), fast
marathon skate around the bend, then some more V2 with an occasional
jump skate tossed in. From a technical point of view, some of it is
just a natural way to make a quick maneuver, keep balance or make a
speed pickup. It's something one may even occasionally do without even
thinking about it until afterward.

There was a contributer here some time back, one who was much better at
tossing out ideas about ski technique than actually skiing himself, who
coined the term "double push." May it rest in peace.

Gene

Northug's secret sprint gears?
 

On Wed, 5 May 2010 09:27:18 -0600
wrote:

On Mon, 3 May 2010 16:25:13 -0700 (PDT)
Ro wrote:

Here is some footage I got by searching "Northug finish" on youtube
that shows his speed burst:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWvAZRw1E9E&NR=1
His high tempo rhythm also makes him apart.

The sequences shows a single jump skate, lots of V2 (U.S. term), fast
marathon skate around the bend, then some more V2 with an occasional
jump skate tossed in. From a technical point of view, some of it is
just a natural way to make a quick maneuver, keep balance or make a
speed pickup. It's something one may even occasionally do without
even thinking about it until afterward.

There was a contributer here some time back, one who was much better
at tossing out ideas about ski technique than actually skiing
himself, who coined the term "double push." May it rest in peace.

Actually, I should have said "hop skate" rather than "single jump
skate" for Northug's initial move. It's the same foot-pole synchrony,
just using the same foot twice. That's why I think the term "double
push" is misleading. It is a natural (unconscious) speed and maneuver
move - Northug primarily uses it to intiate a pass around - but can be
practiced for better use.

Gene

the secret revealed ...
 

"Ro" wrote in message
...
After Peter Northug blew out the WC circuit this year with so many
wins reached in the last 400 m by is now trademark strong finishes, I
am wondering if anybody knew about his secret gears he claimed to
have.


I know the secret --- GENETICS.

the secret revealed ...
 

"outsideinmi" skrev i melding
...

"Ro" wrote in message
...
After Peter Northug blew out the WC circuit this year with so many
wins reached in the last 400 m by is now trademark strong finishes, I
am wondering if anybody knew about his secret gears he claimed to
have.


I know the secret --- GENETICS.


I know another secret; training. As far as I know, Petter Northug has benn
training fast finishes for years.

--
Terje Henriksen
Kirkenes

the secret revealed ...
 

Terje Henriksen wrote:
"outsideinmi" skrev i melding
...

"Ro" wrote in message
...
After Peter Northug blew out the WC circuit this year with so many
wins reached in the last 400 m by is now trademark strong finishes, I
am wondering if anybody knew about his secret gears he claimed to
have.


I know the secret --- GENETICS.


I know another secret; training. As far as I know, Petter Northug has
benn training fast finishes for years.


More than once I've heard genetic gifts attributed to people
that I knew were working insanely hard. My conclusion is
that sometimes the gift is between the ears and allows them
to train in ways that others cannot.

Bob Schwartz

the secret revealed ...
 

On Sun, 09 May 2010 08:49:40 -0500
Bob Schwartz wrote:

I know another secret; training. As far as I know, Petter Northug
has benn training fast finishes for years.


More than once I've heard genetic gifts attributed to people
that I knew were working insanely hard. My conclusion is
that sometimes the gift is between the ears and allows them
to train in ways that others cannot.

So American, the power of positive thinking. Hard work, or lots of
practice, won't turn just anyone into a Horowitz. Genetics allow the
possibility that practice will pay off, as well as allowing more
easily for the hard work itself. As a general statement, hard work can
generate some momentary success, other things being equal, but is not
much of a basis for a career.

Gene