Winter sports stars turn to cycling for endurance training

Many winter sports athletes are relying heavily on cycling to prepare for the coming winter, especially to build endurance, ORF reported. Ski racers Raphael Haaser, Ricarda Haaser and Dominik Raschner, along with biathletes Anna Gandler and Anna Andexer, said at a discussion in Hippach that cycling was mainly about balance and enjoyment, while also providing effective endurance training.

“It plays a major role in my training,” said Raphael Haaser, the giant slalom world champion. The athletes use both road bikes and mountain bikes.

Gandler and Andexer closely monitored their heart rates during their preseason training. Gandler said cycling had little in common with cross-country skiing in terms of muscle use, but allowed her to complete long endurance sessions.

Raschner, a slalom racer from Mils near Imst, spends many hours on his mountain bike in summer, particularly in the cooler forest. He also uses it for intensive intervals. Haaser said cycling helped him switch off and clear his mind.

The Alpine racers will begin snow training in the coming days.

Haaser prepares for another comeback

Ricarda Haaser is also using cycling on her way back from two serious injuries. She tore her cruciate ligament at the 2025 World Championships in Saalbach and fractured the head of her tibia in Andorra at the end of February this year.

“I am doing very well health-wise again. The injury is almost completely healed, so I am fully able to cope with the demands,” Haaser said. She added that the past few months had often been mentally demanding.

After her World Championship injury, her former ski equipment supplier ended its cooperation with all Austrian Ski Association women’s athletes for financial reasons. Haaser had to find a new equipment partner during her recovery, leaving too little time to fine-tune the new equipment before her comeback last year.

“That ultimately became my downfall because I simply was not competitive,” she said. Another injury followed at the end of February. This year, she hopes that having more time before the season starts will lead to a better comeback preparation.

Raschner drops giant slalom

When snow training resumes in the coming weeks, Raschner will focus exclusively on slalom. He will no longer compete in giant slalom next season, saying his starting number had become too poor and that he wanted to prepare optimally for slalom races.

Raschner said he wanted to challenge more consistently for top places in slalom next winter. He has adjusted his conditioning training and taken a new approach mentally.

Haaser sets no goals for new season

Raphael Haaser will begin snow training next Monday in Chile. He said the priority would be to build skiing technique and accumulate time on the slopes.

With no major events scheduled in the coming season, Haaser said he had set no specific goals. The season is due to begin on October 25 in Sölden.