This article was written when Visma was co-sponsor of Team Jumbo-Visma. Today, Visma is first title sponsor of Team Visma | Lease a Bike.
While many cycling teams visit the sunny south during this period, the Jumbo-Visma Development Team chooses to prepare on cross-country skis. As a shared initiative between the Jumbo-Visma Development team and Visma, the riders spent 10 days in the Norwegian mountains for some alternative endurance training.
Curious to see how they handled the cross-country ski training? Here is a short summary:
“In the context of talent development, we believe it is important to provide riders with a broad training course, in which a variety of training stimuli is central.”
Head of Development, Robbert de Groot, explains that cross-country skiing contribute to the riders’ endurance training:
“On the bike, the riders already have enough variety. Think of cross training, mountain bike training, road training and time trial training. Just like cycling, cross-country skiing is a tough endurance sport. During cross-country skiing, the riders will find themselves on difficult terrain over a long distance. This involves more muscles than just the leg muscles. With this we hope to give an extra impulse to the shape of the riders”.
Also read: Team Jumbo-Visma cycling team’s year in pictures.
So, what happens when you put a pair of skis on Team Jumbo-Visma’s up and coming cycling talents?
Just before Christmas, the Development Team visited the Norwegian skiing mecca, Sjusjøen, for a 10 days training camp. We met with the team on their first day out skiing – on a very windy and cold winter day. It was impressive to see how fast these young guys were handling both the Norwegian winter and the ski technique.
It is also great to see how our two sponsorships, Team Jumbo-Visma and Visma Ski Classics, fit so well together.
Want to read more about our sponsorships? Visit our Sponsorships category page.