Klæbo gets dietary help from cycling teams – believes cross-country skiing has a lot to learn

– I have always been looking for the small details that can make you a little better, says Johannes Høsflot Klæbo to news. Last week, Klæbo guested on the “Hans & Holund” podcast, where Team Aker Dæhlie coach Hans Christian Stadheim and former cross-country skier Hans Christer Holund talk about training. There, the cross-country skier talks about, among other things, that he struggled with his body not taking in nutrition, and that he therefore had to cut out gluten-containing products. – It has affected me in the sense that I have managed to stay much healthier, says Klæbo, who emphasizes that he would have eaten gluten if he could. It would have made everyday life easier, he emphasizes. – Top sport is brutal But top sport is not easy. It is the pursuit of perfectionism, Klæbo points out. – It is what it is, top sport is brutal. I can only speak for myself, but you are always looking for those little extra seconds, he says. That is why the cross-country set has received help from its main sponsor Uno-X, which is also the owner of the professional cycling team Uno-X Pro Cycling Team. In this way, the people of Trønder have access to many of the same benefits as the cyclists. Johannes Høsflot Klæbo during the World Cup in Östersund. Photo: NTB Among other things, the team’s nutritionist. – They have lots and lots of good resources, both on one and the other front. On nutrition too, which I have spent some time on. Just to map a bit where you are on the trail, Klæbo tells news and continues: – I think bicycles are far ahead in terms of how they optimize when they are out and about. Perhaps especially in the most important cycling races. Klæbo has previously spoken about the collaboration with Moran to Adresseavisen. – You say they are far ahead, how much does Norwegian cross-country skiing have to learn from cycling, do you think? – I think we have a lot to learn there. They (cycling) have taken a responsibility there and are very focused on it, says Klæbo and continues: – It’s not so random in cycling, I can say that. There it is probably more planned and a little more careful. – Tries to eat as correctly as possible Ski shooter Vetle Sjåstad Christiansen has previously opened up about diet optimization, in search of the small margins. Klæbo does the same, but adapted to his body and training. – You work with diet optimization in the sense that you try to eat as correctly as possible, but then again the whole key is to get enough. You have to eat right and you have to eat enough. Johannes Høsflot Klæbo has been out of the national team since May and has Uno-X as the main sponsor. He has negotiated a representation agreement with the Norwegian Ski Association so that he can go to the World Cup this winter. Photo: NTB Optimizing nutrition is something that all top athletes do, Klæbo believes. Because it’s about optimizing where you can. But it can be difficult to balance on a “knife edge”. – It is very important to see the whole and the totality of things and there I think we have to continue the work that is being done and I also think you have to be able to talk about it. – Can you get better at talking more loudly about it? – Yes absolutely. Openness is important in many topics and settings. You should not ignore the fact that we have something to go on, without a doubt. – Worst at the start of the season Ingvild Flugstad Østberg is among those who struggle with the balance between diet and exercise. As a result, she has been refused entry several times as she has not met the requirements for a so-called health certificate. Also this season, she has been given the red light to participate in the World Cup and it is unknown when she will return to the starting line. Teammate Lotta Udnes Weng admits that it is sometimes difficult to get enough nutrition. Especially during hard training and competition periods. – When your appetite is bad, you don’t feel like eating, but then you know you have to, so it’s more that you have to force yourself to eat. That feeling is not very good, says Udnes Weng and continues: – It is worst at the start of the season, then it gets better later in the season when you get used to it. It is individual because there are some who have no problems with it at all, there are also others like me who have a small problem with it, she says. Agree with Klæbo Like Klæbo, Udnes Weng has been inspired by cycling. She has used a nutritionist at the Olympiatoppen, who is a former cyclist. Like Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, Lotta Udnes Weng is inspired by the cycling community when it comes to nutrition. Photo: Geir Olsen / NTB – He gave many examples of how cycling works and I have taken a lot of that with me, says Udnes Weng and adds that she still has a lot to learn: – I won’t hide that. In any case, I have become much more careful about it myself in the last two or three years. – What is the most important thing he taught you? – It was really just about getting more food during sessions and on tough competition days. – Do you agree that Norwegian cross-country skiing should focus more on nutrition? – Yes, I think it is individual and I don’t think we are fully trained there, no. I do not believe. – How big a part of the job as a cross-country runner is having the right focus on nutrition? – Extremely important. You have to compete in two to three races every weekend throughout the winter, and if you have a nutritional deficit, it is easier to get sick, injured and you recover more slowly. It simply doesn’t work if you don’t get enough. 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