Analysis of the dynamics of the competitive velocity of the elite cross-country skiers in individual races at the world cup stages

Purpose - analysis of cross-country pacing strategy during individual World Cup races and determination of the most effective tactical options in different conditions. Research methods and organization. The authors carried out analysis of the competitive velocity of 30 elite cross-country skiers in five individual races at the World Cup 2017-2018. Data collected with Polar V800 sport testers were used for assessment of length and terrain of the competition sections. The documents containing contest analytics were studied, statistical processing of the research findings was made. Results. It was revealed that the most popular strategy is «the rapid start, the smooth passage of the second and subsequent laps» and «the smooth passage of the laps of distance». The cross-country pacing strategy is affected by the altitude above sea level and the complexity of the terrain. The average velocity varies at three laps depending on the competition terrain from 0.29% to 2.42% for leaders, the average difference of passage of certain sectors varies from 4.87% (starting acceleration) to 1.48 (finish line).

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