XC skiers handling travel: big barrier?

I think there are several big milestones for an athlete to surpass.

You can have talent, etc., but unless you can handle traevl with
getting sick you're toast.

Which brings up "getting sick." You can't get sick easily and have a
good (ski) sports career.

Whattaya think, to top XC skiers just gut it out and deal with the
sniffles, etc., or do the good ones just tend to not get colds.

When I get a winter cold I get KNOCKED OUT for a couple days then I
suck for a few more.

I've heard top enduro athletes remark that XC kinda sucks because it's
such a short season compared to bike racing. A ski racer might do 20
real races a season. (Sound close?) A top bike racer can EASILY do
100+! Up to, what, 150 without too much strain.

I've moderately pretty fit in my life. But I found that travel wasn't
easy. I once did some road bike racing out of a car, traveling, then
racing the next day, etc. -- and it was tough. Tougher than racing.

Worldclass enduro athletes are in the plane a LOT and eating weird
things at weird times and sleeping weird and in cars a LOT...then they
uncork top performances.

Winning in that Travel Load department is a big factor, in my view.

As is beating The Sickness Game.

I note that this has nothing to do with talent , speed, potential,
etc. Well, it's in ADDITION to those things...

--JP