When you finished your last race in Trondheim, you said that you didn’t feel in ideal shape, you were very thirsty… It probably signaled the arrival of an illness.
I didn’t know it at the time, but it is likely that it was already in the body. I was terribly tired after the race, which I attributed in part to accumulated fatigue and the long race, but by the evening I was already sick and it flared up at night.
So on the second day it was not really possible to race in the top ten, wasn’t it a matter of caution towards the Tour de Ski?
Certainly not, I already had a high fever at night and was really sick.
How long did the disease stick with you?
More than a week. It started in Trondheim on Sunday night and now on Monday I got out of bed and started moving. Which is still quite fast for the course, I treated myself fairly, but right away in Trondheim we suspected that it would be a miracle if I could make it to the Tour at all.
However, it is clear from your words that you do not believe in another miracle in the form of top form…
I would like to, but the reality is that if I started moving on Monday and it’s already racing on Saturday, the body can start working, but to get into the process and be able to perform some big physical performances, I would need at least another week and a half . But we decided to try the start in Toblach, first a sprint and then we’ll see day by day.
In a year without the Olympics or World Championships, the Tour de Ski is the highlight of the season, in addition, a key portion of the points for the entire World Cup is distributed. It is certainly mentally demanding to go to the start knowing that you will not confirm your increasing performance.
It’s disappointing. I’m starting to try to save at least a few points for the World Cup, but it’s clear that I’ll take a big point loss…
Photo: Tomáš Kříž
Michal Novák (right) in the Finnish Ruka.
It is true that the Tour de Ski will be challenging even for prepared competitors. This year, two 20-kilometer races, now also stages in Davos high above the sea…
That’s right, there used to be longer stages in the Tour, but here the top 20 are stacked close to each other, the competition will be huge, as for many people it is the peak of the season. She would definitely make the Tour even more demanding, there used to be nine stages, but there are an awful lot of races in the season, and as you can see, when you’re sick for a week, you can get your hopes up…
You did well in both sprints at the last Tour, do you believe that the lack of training might not show up so much in the one on Saturday in Toblach?
I kind of hope so. But I’ll be surprised, I’ve never gone to the top of the season without training a few days after getting out of bed. There is definitely a better chance in the sprint than in the distance, but I have to say that I felt terrible on my skis today.
Do you at least have somewhere to ride in your home Ore Mountains, or did the frost hit there too?
It’s terrible to know even here, but it was still possible on Boží Dar, especially on the German side in the ski arena.
