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Heartbeat takes you inside the world of the unique Olympic sport of biathlon - a sport that combines the heart-pumping aerobics of cross country skiing combined with the precision element of marksmanship. The US Biathlon podcast brings you close to the athletes to dissect one of the most popularity of Olympic Winter Games sports.
S4 Ep4 - Fede Fontana
Tom Kelly: [00:00:00] The season is just a short time away. Things will be kicking off here shortly with the IBU World Cup and the IBU Cup competitions. We're going to talk today about Fluorocarbons and where that rule stands in the sport right now. And with us, Federica Fontana. Welcome back to Heartbeat. I think last time we saw you we were over in Antholz in the wax room.
Fede Fontana: [00:00:21] Exactly. Hi, Tom. Good to see you. You're right, last time we were in our waxing cabin in Antholz, and, [00:00:30] yeah, we shared a good talk there. And I'm happy to be here today and take part in this new episode of Heartbeat.
Tom Kelly: [00:00:39] Cool. We're going to talk about Fluorocarbons in a minute, but the World Cup season is right around the corner. Any thoughts going into the season? How's the preparation been?
Fede Fontana: [00:00:48] The preparation has been good during the summer. If you remember, as I told you, how we worked during the off season. So from spring time, summer and fall [00:01:00] we have been really active with my team of the ski service. We have been on snow on a regular basis at least one time per month, and the ski selection went pretty well and all the other projects made really big step forward. Of course, this season, as most of the people that are listening knows we were we are going through a radical change in the waxing world because starting [00:01:30] from this season, we are going to go to a complete fluoro ban. This means that all the waxes containing fluorocarbon, and in particular PFOA, are not allowed anymore in any level of competition. So a lot of the work this summer was also based on testing. Some of the new waxes flew free, of course, but [00:02:00] also a big part of the work was with the cleaning and taking care of the equipment that we used in the past that we want to keep using. This means decontaminating all the equipment that we have and replace the equipment. That, of course, is better to, to replace, to not run in any risk. So it was a very intense and busy summer for the ski technicians.
Tom Kelly: [00:02:29] That's crazy [00:02:30] because I hadn't thought about that. But you really have it on all of your equipment. So you've got to do something with that. So I never thought about all of that work that went into it. It's not just changing the wax, it's changing all the gear.
Fede Fontana: [00:02:44] Yeah, exactly. It's not just about changing the waxes. If was just, this would be no problem. Or at least it would be a problem from the financial side. But we are going to face it anyway because we need to restock from zero all [00:03:00] the waxes supply that we have. But like you said, there are ski bags, wax boxes and all this stuff that needs to be cleaned really well because the contamination risk is pretty high. This means that we went through every ski bags. The ski clips will be replaced. But we tried, of course, especially to stay environmentally [00:03:30] friendly, for example, to clean as much. Stuff that we can, for example, the ski bags. As you can understand, would be bad to throw away a lot of ski bags that are still working pretty well. So we found the way to clean them and decontaminate these ski bags. Same for the boxes. But of course [00:04:00] there are a lot of tools that needs to be replaced and we need to buy them new because for example, the brushes or some roto fleece or these stuff that everyday use working tools is for me a risk to say, okay, we try to clean them, but then we can incur in problem when preparing the skis with those tools. So there are things that is possible to clean them, but other is better to replace. [00:04:30]
Tom Kelly: [00:04:30] Let's go back to kind of the beginning and and talk about how fluoros initially got in wax. What did they do? You have spent your entire career in the ski preparation business. How did this begin and what impact have fluoros had on ski preparation?
Fede Fontana: [00:04:49] Yeah, the fluoro waxes has been since the early 80s, or particularly in between the 80s and the 90s. The [00:05:00] the fastest waxes on the market. I don't remember if we talked about it during the episode we recorded in Antholz, but, you know, I told you probably the story of one of these waxing pioneers from my hometown, Frassinoro, Paolo Manfredini, that unfortunately passed away years ago from cancer. He was one of the first [00:05:30] and probably the first one recalling newspaper articles and so on that brought the fluro and the Cera F, in this case, to the ski world. So Paolo was in the, let's say, in between the 80 and the 90s, the Italian Federation was looking for this magic to apply under the skis to have a faster [00:06:00] ski. And Paolo got in touch with a big chemical industry in Italy and with the engineer that was working in this company, they brought this product to him and they wanted to test. But somehow the Federation didn't really want to get into it. So a few years later or a season, I don't really remember the dates [00:06:30] or whatever, but a big company from Norway went to Paolo and they asked him about this powder that he discovered with this company.
Fede Fontana: [00:06:44] And from there they got in touch with this engineer with this company. And this was the beginning of the fluoro era. So I think one of the first time that it was used under the skis was at the Olympic in Calgary in 1988. [00:07:00] And this was, like I said, the beginning of the fluoro era. Since then there have been developments, new products and all these kinds of things, as you can understand. And yeah, fluoro was always the magic under the skis. So, of course, it's not just about waxes. There are many things that brings us to be fast, but let's [00:07:30] say except for certain condition where you don't need so much flour, for example, for very cold conditions, the fluor was always the one that you wanted under the ski and made the ski faster, basically.
Tom Kelly: [00:07:45] So was it really a component of speed?
Fede Fontana: [00:07:48] Yeah, I would say that it made the difference. If this is your question, it really made a difference. And, you know, all [00:08:00] the companies focused their production on this, on this kind of chemical components. We know about the risk and for the health of the people that work with the fluoro. Paolo Manfredini is a good example. So he died of lung cancer. And so I think that probably can be recalled to the use of these things where the protection that they used to have was not so big. You know, now [00:08:30] we can use huge masks with very strong filters, but probably at that when we go. Two years ago it was not really and they didn't know that was probably really dangerous. But also the fluoro, as we know, is also dangerous for nature because it is a chemical component that stays in nature. So if this is a big topic and it would take probably hours [00:09:00] to go through, but we can try to make it easy. We can bring it almost close to the microplastic that are left in nature and the water of our ocean. Yeah.
Tom Kelly: [00:09:13] To go back to the product itself. What was the chemical reaction of sorts or what was happening on the basis of the skis, that with this chemical allowed the skis to go faster? Was it a binding [00:09:30] effect with the other waxes, or was it just a less friction?
Fede Fontana: [00:09:34] It is a combination, of course. You know, if you talk about friction, it's not just about the wax. It's a combination in between the point of contact that you have from the base of the ski and the snow and, you know, to make a wax faster, there are different variable. So for example, the hardness of the of the wax, the components, the chemicals that are [00:10:00] in the wax. So it's not just a wax that makes the ski fast of course, because you can you need many combination of like I said, from the from the ski quality, from the right wax for the right condition. So it's a mix of these things. But of course, you know, like the flour itself is a hydrophobic. So as you understand, for very wet conditions or where the [00:10:30] level of humidity in the snow is pretty high,the high is the hydrophobic effect, the better it is. So is this is a little bit how it works.
Tom Kelly: [00:10:42] Yeah. It having spent that time with you in the wax room and I've always loved going into Waxworms. There's so much magic that goes on in there. And I know in your mind you've got all these chemical concepts and so forth that are far beyond what we could understand. You can't use fluorosis here, [00:11:00] so it's better for the environment. It's better for the health of the technicians. So how will you compensate that is there is there are there different techniques that you can use in the ski preparation? Our team's going to be looking for new solutions. Where do you see this going this year?
Fede Fontana: [00:11:16] Yeah. With the flour ban taking place officially this was from IBU, the official press release. And the decision came, I think, a couple [00:11:30] of weeks after the World Cup final in Oslo. And this showed again that the IBU is really on top of things. And they want to, you know, keep the national federation and the members, you know, informed and part of the of the process. This meant for us, for example, for example, for the planning and the strategies, a big thing. So when I was [00:12:00] planning already during the winter, because we knew that this ban was coming, I decided to for our team and for with our ski technician to switch the focus on also other sectors of the ski preparation. As I told you in Antholz last year, there is the grinding system, the hand structure system. So these are things that, in my opinion, [00:12:30] are even more important right now. Why? The reason why these sectors are very important right now is that we are waiting for new waxes and of course, for the new magic products to come, but probably it's going to take a few years before before the substitute of the flu, or if there is a substitute for the flu or in terms of performance to [00:13:00] find.
Fede Fontana: [00:13:02] So we need to push harder in these sectors where the waxing, the wax is not involved. So this will make a difference. But of course you need to keep it up also on the wax side because you want to find products more and more products. But as you as you understand, a lot of the companies come now with out with the new [00:13:30] products and we decided not to push too hard and taking or testing all what the markets offer, but try to target step by step, because we are first of all, we we don't have a huge service team. We have very good and professional ski technicians, but we don't have, for example, 20 technicians [00:14:00] that can work outside of the outside the competition. So this was a little bit it was a little bit the goal. Try to target and keep the focus on all the areas of the ski preparation at the same level, but differentiating a little bit like a periodization, like in the training, for example. So I made a plan, a long term plan for all the projects we are running, focus [00:14:30] to from now to till the Olympic 2026.
Tom Kelly: [00:14:35] Do you have relationships with the different wax providers, and are there any that you like to use for particular reasons, or are you trying to just look at what everyone has in their line?
Fede Fontana: [00:14:47] Yeah, we have a first of all, let's say you need to have most of the the brands, because maybe you have one brand that works just one time per year, but at that time [00:15:00] per year you need it. So of course we want to have from the companies that we rely the most their product, but we also have a few cooperations so we can access to good waxes with those companies where we cooperate the most and share feedbacks. So this can give us an advantage.
Tom Kelly: [00:15:28] So as we look ahead to the season, it's [00:15:30] like with any rule. Rules are only good if everyone abides by the rules. So I know that enforcement has to be a big part of this. What does IBU have planned for enforcement? To check the skis, to check the equipment, to make sure that floras are not appearing out there?
Fede Fontana: [00:15:45] Yeah, the EBU is working on the development of the flower ban and the devices to use to test since a few years. We all know that there was a postponement, and [00:16:00] the postponement was because the device was not ready yet. But what the EBU did was creating right away a working group with technician. So ski technician, we were involved in the development. And in all this process they create a core technician group and team USA, US biathlon was represented [00:16:30] there. So this is a big honor for us because I was in this working group. I'm still in this working group since the beginning. And just to to give you an idea, nations like Norway, France, Germany are in this in this working group. So Germany, Germany, Norway, France, Sweden and United States of America. So a leader, a leader working group and [00:17:00] US biathlon the small with the big. And the cooperation went really well. So we showed since the beginning that the willingness to, to go in the same direction. And EBU listened to us, you know, because they know that we are the one that works. And from our side we, we show that we are open to listen to the science, because we were talking with the engineers that developed this machine. So the [00:17:30] cooperation is really good from this side, just a quick thing about the device. The device is a is a is working on is a ftir r machine. So it works with the, um, with infrared and it can read the base.
Fede Fontana: [00:17:53] The IBU prepared a protocol for the season for the racing, not just for Walker, but for every [00:18:00] single level of competitions, the ski, every single pair of ski will be tested before the start. So every starter, a starter or a ski technician or a team member has to. We have to deliver the skis to this testing station close by the the starting area at least 30 minutes before the start. So if you start with the number 25, you need to bring [00:18:30] the skis for starter number 25 30 minutes before the start. From that moment, we are not allowed to touch the skis anymore. They will be taken care by the EBU, the ski will be tested and the athletes will get the skis in the start pit two minutes before the start and it will be the only one that can see the ski before before the start. So very short. Before the start, they put the skis under the feet and they go to the gate. So this will be the [00:19:00] procedure and after the race the skis will be tested again. This will be a test mostly to check the contamination you can have during the during the during the race skiing on on the snow outside. And there is the possibility that the ski when it goes to the start, get tested and get a red light. The red light means that the ski is not prepared with [00:19:30] flour free waxes, and this means no start for the athletes.
Tom Kelly: [00:19:35] So this creates a few challenges for you as a technician. I mean, number one, your timeline is different now, isn't it?
Fede Fontana: [00:19:41] Yeah, we need to we need to adapt for sure. Our work schedule for the day and to be really efficient, especially when we have changing weather condition, this is going to be the biggest challenge. And also to [00:20:00] adapt to the new way of working. But this is the way it goes. And we really want to, you know, go in the direction for a fluro free era, and we want to have all the athletes to the start. So we need to work hard and especially [00:20:30] paying attention. And because the contamination is a risk and can happen, you know, but we need to build up our confidence. But I feel really confident that with the work we did this summer, we are going to be ready for the beginning of the season. And I hope that everything will be smooth and go well, but it's going to be for sure a bumpy season.
Tom Kelly: [00:20:56] Yeah, it's interesting to get this explanation of it, and I know that this has [00:21:00] been going on for a while, and there's been dialogue with FIS relative to cross country. That rule also goes into place, I believe, this year for the International Ski Federation. Right?
Fede Fontana: [00:21:11] Yes. is also for FIS. So cross country and the FIS disciplines, they also have the ban. But honestly, I don't know how FIS dealt with it and I really don't have an answer. I cannot explain how they, [00:21:30] they will do so it's another family.
Tom Kelly: [00:21:32] That's okay. We'll just we'll just pay attention to our work. Thank you so much for this explanation. I'm going to close it out with our on target section in just a few fun questions for you. You live in a great mountain village in Frassinoro in Italy. What's a fun thing for you to do when you're back in the summertime and you're not preparing skis?
Fede Fontana: [00:21:49] Yeah, like like, you know, road biking is my biggest passion. So road biking is as soon as I have time, a jump of my road [00:22:00] bike and I go.
Tom Kelly: [00:22:01] And I had Lowell Bailey on the podcast a short time back, and I asked Lowell what was the toughest thing that he did athletically in the last year, and he just laughed a little bit. And he says, you need to ask fatty, so what did you do that was crazy this summer?
Fede Fontana: [00:22:17] Okay, I am going to talk with him. This is not fair. But anyway, this summer I fulfilled a big goal that I had. So, as you know, I live since [00:22:30] many years in. In Germany, in Bavaria, in Ruhpolding. Near Ruhpolding, and I had last year the idea to ride my bike non-stop from Siegsdorf, the place where I live in Germany, to Frassinoro, so 570km without stopping overnight in a hotel, just start and taking short breaks but to make it in one day. So the 12 of August -- I called [00:23:00] it the Tour de Fede. As a US Biathlon friend of ours named it and they took it because I loved it. So I was able to complete this Tour de Fade in the end, came out with 590km and just a few minutes under the 24 hour.
Tom Kelly: [00:23:20] That's amazing. And you won.
Fede Fontana: [00:23:22] It was just a personal challenge. But yeah, it's a personal victory. Let's let's call it like this. Good for you. It was amazing. [00:23:30]
Tom Kelly: [00:23:31] Fede, thank you for joining us on Heartbeat. Great to hear that story and wish you all the best of luck in the season. It's right ahead.
Fede Fontana: [00:23:37] Thank you Tom nice to talk to you again and keep following Team USA Biathlon.