BODE MILLER STREAK TO END AT 136 AFTER SCHLADMING RACE

By Published On: January 24th, 2006Comments Off on BODE MILLER STREAK TO END AT 136 AFTER SCHLADMING RACE

BODE MILLER STREAK TO END AT 136 AFTER SCHLADMING RACE{mosimage}SCHLADMING, Austria – Bode Miller’s amazing run of consecutive World Cup starts will come to an end on Saturday. Skiracing.com confirmed that Miller will be on vacation during the next World Cup races at Garmisch, Germany. The Schladming night slalom, his 136th race, will mark the end.
 
The possibility of Miller’s vacation has been creating a buzz on the World Cup all week. On Sunday he indicated that he may skip the weekend’s races at Garmisch.
 
‘Bode is going somewhere warm next week, and he is very happy about that’ wrote Miller’s motorhome driver Jake Sereno in a blog entry last week (the entry was quickly erased soon thereafter).
 
Miller raced his 133rd, 134th and 135th races last week at the Hahnenkamm races in Kitzbuehel.
 
The last time Miller missed a race was March 6, 2002 the downhill at the 2004 Finals at Altenmarkt. The statistics from that day suggest that Miller’s absence at the start line wasn’t by his own design; he was not ranked in the top 25 in that discipline, so he wasn’t allowed to compete (although Adam Cole of Park City was, on account of having won the downhill at World Junior Championships a month or so before).
 
‘I finished the season with 100 percent start-order attendance anyway’ said Miller after winning the overall World Cup last season.
 
Miller has never gushed with pride about being the only guy to start in every race. ‘It’s one of those baseball statistics that doesn’t really mean anything’ he said after winning the overall World Cup title last season. ‘If you want to be consistent in that area you have to do a lot of things right. … It’s not an indicator of how good you are, but in a sense it does make a statement.’
 
Miller’s teammates think it’s impressive. ‘He’s in damn good shape to be able to handle a schedule like that’ said Daron Rahlves. ‘But you need a bit of luck on your side too.’
 
Rahlves said competing in every single race would spread him too thin. ‘I think it would be tough’ said Rahlves. ‘I wouldn’t be focused enough to put it all together for every race. It’s like a long season. When you’re racing five events, that’s a lot of skiing to be doing.’
 
Miller’s name will remain on the board until Wednesday night, when coaches are expected to take it off before the first Garmisch training run Thursday. But he will be at an undisclosed location.
 
Since March 6, 2002, Austria (men and women) have had 99 wins and the Kostelic family has won 18 races. A raft of successful racers have retired, including Stephan Eberharter, Picabo Street, Thomas Sykora, Michael von Gruenigen and Pernilla Wiberg.
 
In those 136 starts, Miller has picked up 16 of his 20 career wins, and landed on the podium 35 times.
 
‘I hope maybe someday I’ll be doing that’ said Ligety. ‘It’s definitely a big accomplishment, and a testament to his endurance.’
 
Guenther Mader, the great Austrian all-rounder who once won races in all four disciplines during a single season, said Miller’s ironman streak was remarkable.
 
‘He was even the forerunner at the Westendorf slalom one day before the super G in Kitzbuehel’ Mader said, referring to a FIS race that World Cup slalom skiers often attend. ‘That, in my mind, is a little too much. I wouldn’t do that. But that’s Bode. He’s not thinking about it. He’s just racing.’

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About the Author: Pete Rugh