By Inge Scheve, Madshus
Madshus racer Jerry Ahrlin (SWE), who skis with the Aukland brother’s private team initiative Team Xtrapersonell, is putting everything into his double-pole technique leading up to the Olympic season.
It might sound like nitpicking, but in a sport where margins are created on split seconds, details such as body angles, sloppy technique and bad habits can make huge differences over marathon distances. The FIS marathon cup veteran and Vasaloppet champion is convinced the importance of double-poling will only increase in the future, according to Norwegian XC web site www.langrenn.com.
“It won’t be long until the top racers will double-pole entire races. The risk is losing some time on the steepest uphills, but the gains in speed on downhills and flatter segments will make up for it,” Ahrlin predicts.
Ahrlin eis a fan of skipping the kick wax given the right conditions, and he thinks more racers will join him during the Vancouver Olympics in February. He knows a lot of skiers target double-poling leading up to this season, himself included. However, the 31-year-old emphasizes that pure strength is not the only factor in double-pole technique.
“It’s not always the strongest skier who wins. You have to be able to transfer that power into propulsion on snow, and factors such as how you double-pole on downhill, uphill and flat terrain without burning too much fuel are just as important,” Ahrlin explains.
For more information about Jerry Ahrlin, visit his home page: www.jerryahrlin.se.