Anders Oakland, 49, is refusing to step down from coaching.
Inspired by Nils van der Poel, he is now entering his toughest training period ever.
– People say I’m crazy … and I agree, says the Norwegian Ski Profile.
Anders Auckland reaped his greatest success on the track in the early 2000s when he won three World Cup medals and an Olympic gold medal in the relay.
He’ll turn 50 this fall – and he’s not yet retired.
The Norwegian is planning a final season on the long-distance tour and now intends to enter his toughest training period ever.
Where does the inspiration come from?
Swedish Olympic champion Nils van der Poel.
double the amount
Oakland read Van der Poel’s much-described training statement in which the figure skating star revealed he’s been cycling six to seven hours a day for several months.
Now Auckland will do something similar.
I train five hours a day, five days a week. He told NRK that there will be a lot of group training this summer, and then I’ll switch and do hard training in the fall.
– I will double the number of hours of training compared to what I have been in the past four or five years. Then I continued my hard training and less.
The lady is worried
Oakland himself sees no problems with his hard training, but the family – especially his wife Gina Corneliussen – worries for his heart.
What he’s doing is extreme, but he feels his body is at its best so I can only trust him, she says.
– A lot of people would probably say that’s crazy… and I’m inclined to agree. But it’s fun, says Oakland himself.
