Gabriel Strid, a Pro Team athlete and Pro Team Director for Team GS8, follows a unique training regimen. 

“I train for three days in a row and then usually rest every fourth day,” Strid explains to ProXCskiing.com’s sister site Langd.se.

Currently, Gabriel—known as “Gabbe”—is at home in Sunne, having just finished three intense training days in Orsa Grönklitt.

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Strid recently completed 264 kilometers in three days on Orsa Grönklitt’s artificial snow track, causing quite a stir, with sites like Langrenn.com reporting on it. He doesn’t see the distance as a significant feat.

“Most people understand how much training goes into skiing. It’s not like training one hour three times a week—it’s more like doing a Vasaloppet [long-distance ski race] every day. It’s really nothing special,” says Strid.

But how many laps was that?

“The course isn’t short. Orsa has a fair amount of snow. One lap is around 4.5–5km, and they’ve done a great job with it.”

Aiming for Bad Gastein

Gabriel Strid is a long-distance skier and was previously part of Team Exsitec. This season, he’s ventured out on his own, creating Team GS8, with a primary focus on Ski Classics. His first major milestone is the premiere in Bad Gastein, preceded by the Swedish premiere in Bruksvallarna.

“I plan to start in Bruks (Bruksvallarna), mainly as a good prep for the season. It’s never gone particularly well for me in Bruks. Early on, it was frustrating not to perform well there, but I learned that no matter how the premiere goes, the season usually turns out fine.”

Sounds like an important lesson.

“You shouldn’t put too much weight on the result. It’s more of a warm-up for the racing season.”

Do you feel you need to ease into the season?

“Yes, usually things improve as the season goes on. But now I’ve started doing more intense intervals earlier, so I’m a bit more prepared for the season’s start,” says Strid.

Team GS8 is newly formed, with Strid as the only one with a Ski Classics background. “Gabbe” has a clear plan, though:

“Our goal for the first year is to be in the top 25 and secure a license for next year.”

And your own goals as a skier?

“My previous best finishes are 16th at La Diagonela and 14th at Val Venosta, so I’m hoping to achieve a top 10 result,” Strid concludes.