A season full of question marks: “Don’t know what will happen next”

The past winter was one with ups and downs for Zelger. The 3-year-old finished in the points a total of three times. There are also two top 25 places in the team sprint and a 6th place in the relay in Lahti (beginning of March), when he narrowly missed the podium with Francesco De Fabiani & Co. “Overall it was a good season, even though I had a dip in the middle. At the end of the winter I got back into good shape, but then Corona brought the season to an early end,” said Zelger in a telephone conversation SportNews . The new training group gives Zelger confidence In the summer, a new training team called “Milano-Cortina 2026” was founded within the Italian national team. There are numerous talents here who are set to cause a sensation at the Olympic Games on their own doorstep. The two South Tyroleans Zelger and Michael Hellweger also belong to this team, which is coached by Fulvio Scola and usually trains separately from the A team (De Fabiani, Federico Pellegrino, Giandomenico Salvadori and Maicol Rastelli).

Stefan Zelger (left) and Michael Hellweger are in a newly formed training group. © on

“Neo coach Fulvio Scola has set new stimuli” Stefan Zelger Even if this initially sounds like a step down, the preparation for the new season still went very well: “The training under neo-coach Fulvio Scola (he used to be active in the World Cup himself Note d. Red. ) is different. He has set new stimuli and attaches great importance to endurance. This makes me feel even fitter. Nobody in the group picks up. This makes me feel very comfortable.”

“We have to qualify internally for the World Cup races” Stefan Zelger Hellweger and Zelger train within the Olympic squad in a seven-person group that is working towards the World Cup. “We have to qualify internally for the World Cup races,” said Zelger. Since all Continental Cup races (prelude to the World Cup) that were on the racing calendar in November were canceled due to Corona, the national trainers could also rely on the results of the test races. These are coming up for the Azzurri in Davos soon. Zelger & Co. are currently completing a training camp there. Corona demands flexibility “It’s not just these results that count, the coaches often decide based on their feelings,” explained Zelger.

“You will hardly be able to plan a week in advance” Stefan Zelger Because of the Corona situation, it is currently difficult to plan ahead: “We don’t know what will happen next. As things stand, the World Cup opener will take place in Ruka (end of November). But there are still many unknowns. So the second stop in Lillehammer (beginning of December) is by no means certain. We have to be extremely flexible this year, also when it comes to the design of the training. You’ll hardly be able to plan a week ahead.”

Basically, the all-rounder wants to fight his way back into the World Cup squad: “This year it is extremely difficult to predict how the season will go. So much can happen. Corona tests are carried out before every World Cup race. This would also allow you to be nominated for a World Cup race or move up to the squad. Once you're back in, you're in (laughs). Then you usually get several chances to prove yourself.”

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A season full of question marks: “Don’t know what will happen next”

Corona has disrupted all of our lives. Winter sports enthusiasts also have no planning security before the new season. Stefan Zelger from Bolzano described the situation in the cross-country skiing circus to SportNews.

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