Thomas Alsgaard to Drive Formula 1
by Klaus Eriksen
Translation by Brian Olsen
July 17, 2001
To avoid last seasons numerous problems, Thomas Alsgaard
will have six days of rather interesting training. On one
of these days he will drive a Formula 1 racecar in the French
town of Nice.
EXCITED: Thomas Alsgaard is well-known to be
fast on skis. Now he will have the opportunity to test
the all-time fastest car as well. Thursday he will set
himself in the driver's seat of a Formula 1 racecar.
(Photo: Helge Mikalsen, VG)
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After one season in which much was not accomplished for
the Norwegian ski star, he has reaffirmed his craving for
training this summer He has said "no thanks" to almost all
non skiing activities, except two: Formula 1 racecar driving
outside the French town of Nice this coming Thursday (July
19) and five days of rally racing later this summer.
In Support of Driving
That's it. The rest of the summer he will train, eat, train
once more, rest, eat again, and finally, sleep. A lot to be
accomplished in a day.
"Yes, I will be driving Formula 1," says Thomas in response
to a call from VG, a Norwegian daily newspaper.
"That's it. I will drive, and then enough with that. Done.
It won't have any influence on my training because I will
train two workouts the day before driving, and two workouts
the day I drive," says Alsgaard.
Alsgaard is happy and also relieved that the Swedish cross
country skier Mathias Fredriksson will also be accompanying
him on Thursday's drive. More on that, he will not say.
Alsgaard is sorry for often focusing on things other than
skiing and training.
"It gives me a bad image. Training every day is important,
but driving also has it's rewards for the season. There will
be a focus."
Self-Discipline
He is also a bit disappointed in himself after last year's
unlucky season. At World Championships in Lahti, the Norwegian
team in which he competed for, won the relay, but without
this accomplishment, the season was not very worthy of reciting.
This summer's progress is he, however, more than willing to
talk about.
"I have been very strict with my training this summer. I
have said no to ninety-nine percent of the distracting activities
that have been offered to me," he comments.
That is not the Thomas we knew last summer, where he could
be found fishing, hunting, traveling, and driving for fun.
The problems he had early last season could very well have
found their causes in his early season distractions.
In Beitost�len, for the World Cup Opening, Thomas finished
second in the 15 km classic race. At that time his body felt
tired, but he could not understand why. "But then, it was
already too late," Thomas says. Things were not going well,
though. Now, however, he feels like he is on the right track.
Goal: Olympic Gold
"It is not productive to keep thinking of the previous year.
I am much tougher with my priorities now," he says..
His training sessions vary in time from thirty minutes to
four to five hours. A cornucopia of activities is also found,
when reviewing his training. It varies from rollerskiing to
cycling, kayaking to strength work. In all of his actions,
however, one finds a weave of his ultimate goal for next February:
"I have the goal of winning an individual gold medal. I
think that I am on the right track to win one of the distances,
but at this point, I am not sure which one," Thomas finishes.
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