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Show D-5 8Wed/Thurs/Fri, February 14-16, 2018 THE FINISH Building a beast: The secrets to Taylor Fletcher’s cross-country prowess JOEL REICHENBERGER STEAMBOAT PILOT & TODAY If he can jump anywhere close to the pack to start the competition, he’s almost always been able to use that tremendous cross-country skiing motor to power his way into contention. He’s averaged top-10 cross-country ski times in each of the last three full seasons and 20 times finished the race with a top-five time. How does he do it? There are several key factors. The jumping actually may help when it comes to putting up a cross-country ski time. Fletcher started many of those races from a position around No. 40, so there was always a rabbit to catch in the way there would not have been were he starting at the front of the pack. But it’s not all circumstance, and in fact, there’s plenty is good ol’ hard work mixed with some advantageous genetics. Two physical factors proved especially important for Fletcher. His VO2 max measurement, calculating the amount of oxygen his blood can carry during full-on athletic activity, tests unusually high. PARK RECORD FILE PHOTO BY TANZI PROPST with solid ski jumps to nab a medal in Nordic com- T N ordic combined by nature and name is a two-part sport — one half ski jumping and one half cross-country skiing. Athletes tailor their workouts and build their bodies to be able to handle what’s a somewhat unnatural combination. Ski jumpers need to be as light as possible to float on the breeze. Cross-country skiers need strong muscles to go the distance. That’s a balance that’s haunted Nordic combined skier Taylor Fletcher, who grew up in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, but now lives and trains in the Park City area. His lack of results on the jumping hill have hamstrung his career and nearly cost him the chance to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics, which will make him a three-time Olympian. While he jumps at a minor-league level, his cross-country skiing is almost unrivaled on the World Cup circuit. That combines with very strong results in his lactic threshold curve, which measures how quickly lactic acid builds up in his muscles. Together, they give a picture of an athlete who can ski powerfully with well-supplied muscles that are slow to see acid buildup. “A good athlete has a curve that shows a very long and gradual buildup in lactic acid, and that’s what Taylor’s really good at,” said Bryan Fletcher, Taylor’s older brother and a two-time Winter Olympian also in Nordic combined. COURTESY OF U.S. SKI & SNOWBOARD Taylor Fletcher competes during an Olympic trials competition at the Utah Olympic Park in December. tin is often shoulder to shoulder with Fletcher in terms of the World Cup’s top skiing times, and he’s seven inches shorter, 5-foot-5. Still, that size does help Fletcher cover a little more ground with every step, and the physiology allows him to do so more efficiently than most. This helps keep him from tiring and helps him maintain ideal technique later in races that makes for fast times. KagenMD “In sports like bike racing, they talk often about a person’s 10-second power wattage they can put out, their one-minute wattage, five-minute and 30-minute,” Bryan Fletcher said. “With Taylor, he’ll be average or slightly below average in the elite athlete for the 10-second mark or 1-minute mark, but when you start putting him in the 5-minute and 20-minute categories, he’ll be well above average, and that’s what makes him fast in the cross country.” MEDICAL CONCIERGE Michael Kagen, MD Internal Medicine Dr. Michael Kagen, MD is a boardcertified Internal Medicine physician offering concierge medical care. “Taylor’s curve is amazing,” Bryan Fletcher said. “When you combine that with the ability to be able to do work on the high end, which is where the VO2 max comes in, he’s able to move a ton of oxygen very efficiently through his body, so, when you get to those really high levels where most people would start dropping off, he’s able to maintain his performance there a little longer.” Are you ready for concierge care? Taylor Fletcher’s tall, skinny build helps, as well. He’s 6-feet tall, taller than average on the circuit. Not every great World Cup skier is tall. Italy’s Allesandro Pit- Call Dr. Kagen at (435) 633 - 6263 to begin the conversation. 4580 Silver Springs Dr. Park City UT 84098 An Admittedly Different Education #competitorsforlife Dr. Kagen volunteers as team physician for the US Speedskating team! KagenMD.com ǀ (435) 633 - 6263 |
