By Steve Elliot
A Loppet is a long-distance cross country ski race of any distance from about 15 k to 90k. There are hundreds every season, including -The World Loppet- series. These are a group of 14 races (as at 2006) in 14 countries. Completion of 10, including a non-European race, qualifies you to be a World Loppet Master.
The site www.worldloppet.com has a page for each race with links to the race website, and to the International Association of World Loppet Races, which attempts to give practical information.
Their website concentrates on the Worldloppet races.
The Euroloppet series includes some Worldloppet races, and races from other countries. See www.euroloppet.com
Many countries have their own race series, eg Russia, Germany, USA
These are much the same as for any other sport, a sense of achievement, to give a focus to training and to encourage you to train, to stretch yourself, fun, adrenaline buzz, sense of comradeship.
All the Worldloppet races have websites, of varying quality, which offer on-line entry. If you are worried about Credit Card security, you could download the form and post it.
There are no entry qualifications for Loppets, hence the North American term 'Citizen Races'.
Worldloppet races attract anywhere from about 1,500 to 15,000.
Generally they run short races alongside the full length ones. Some are Classic, some Skate.
The combination of the web, budget airlines, and comprehensive public transport make European races very accessible.
The golden rule is 'book early', especially for single rooms. You need to book in the autumn, earlier for the very big races.
Hotels don't seem to hike their prices for race periods, with the exceptional exception of the Vasa.
Book via Tourist Offices or direct to hotels. Try to avoid agencies, which may charge a fee, or enable the hotel to claim that a deposit is actually a reservation fee.
Before the race, ideally on a preceding day, you need to collect your Start Number pack which will usually contain :
Also in the Start number hall you may find some or all of : clothing and kit retailers; Toko wax advisory service which gives very helpful Wax of the day tips; ski wax service; souvenirs.
There are 3 options :
Some B&Bs may have a garage you can use.
You obviously need your own iron and equipment, and clamps or vices are useful. Sainsburys Home Base have mini-vices which are ideal.
If your hotel has poor facilities, then it's a case of using ingenuity and bargaining skills. Ask them for a table, or two beer crates
If you can, view the course, particularly the start, finish, and major hills.
You will doubtless agonise about what to wear, try to tread a line between being not too cold but not too hot. The traditional advice is
Bear in mind that most races start at say 08:00 to 09:00, and that the temperature and weather may change during the course of your 2 to 10 hour race. When you get tired you will get colder.
Most people wear race suits, maybe with thermals underneath, but there is absolutely no need for novices to invest in these. Normal training kit will be fine.
Some people wear bum-bags but nobody carries rucksacs, except drink-systems, with the exception of the Birkebeiner where carriage of a rucksack is one of the race requirements.
The start can vary from being very convenient to your accommodation, to a two hour bus ride away.
You should find :
There are 3 types of start :
It can be difficult working your way through a field, so if you have aspirations for a fast time, then you need to start at the front of your wave, which usually involves arriving early to bag a place by putting your skis in the tracks. You also then need to have a strategy for keeping warm until the start time.
Starts can be chaotic and rough places with people falling, stepping on your skis or poles, and pushing past you. Some defensive measures are to use very short double poling strokes; to cling tightly to your poles; to skate with legs only; to be alert enough to react to problems, but relaxed enough to absorb knocks.
At roughly 10k intervals there will be Feeds, with services that are free within your entry fee :
Road crossings are not always marshalled. The snow across them may have a different and difficult consistency, so in a skate race it may be better to double pole across
At a finish you will normally find :