Bormio: Strobl edges Walchhofer in DH training

By Published On: December 27th, 2006Comments Off on Bormio: Strobl edges Walchhofer in DH training

BORMIO, Italy — Fritz Strobl continued his mastery of the Stelvio course in downhill training Wednesday, setting the pace in a World Cup warmup run on the classic track for the ninth time in his career.  


BORMIO, Italy — Fritz Strobl continued his mastery of the Stelvio course in downhill training Wednesday, setting the pace in a World Cup warmup run on the classic track for the ninth time in his career.   
    The Austrian went down the 3-kilometer (1.8-mile) course in 1 minute, 53.08 seconds. Michael Walchhofer of Austria was second, 0.16 seconds behind.
    Didier Cuche, the Swiss skier who leads the downhill standings, was third, 0.17 back.
    Two downhill races are scheduled for Thursday and Friday. The first race was moved from Val d'Isere due to a lack of snow at the French resort in early December, when the race was scheduled.
    Wednesday's session was the only training held before the races and the combined start was used due to thin snowcover at the usual start.
    The Austrian men's team hasn't won in 13 races, and these downhills could provide a good opportunity to end the streak. Austrians have won nine of the 14 World Cup downhills held on the Stelvio and have swept the podium on six occasions.
    ''This has always been a downhill for Austrians, but all of the last seasons have also been for Austrians, so let's wait and see,'' said Strobl, who has only won once here — in 2001 — despite his consistently strong showing in training.
    Hermann Maier, who won here in 1997 and 1998, was fourth in training.
    "There's other guys who could win, though," said Bode Miller, who won both the downhill and super G on this course at last year's World Championships. Miller finished fifth Wednesday after making a few errors — but he had the fastest split time.
    "[Cuche] for sure, he's really fast. You've got to count Aksel [Lund Svindal] as a threat. He's a strong kid and he's big."   
    Cuche leads the downhill standings, while Svindal, who was 30th in training but finished seventh in the downhill here at the 2005 World Championships, holds a 31-point lead over Miller atop the overall standings.
    "I'm going to try to ski well and see what happens," Svindal said.
    The Stelvio course is one of the most punishing on the World Cup circuit. Marco Buechel, who finished fifth in the downhill here last season, put it on par with the circuit's longest course — Wengen — for fatigue.
    "The problem is the visibility is bad and it's bumpy, so that makes you tired. When you don't see the bumps and it's just throwing you around, that makes you very tired," Buechel said. "You've got to work all the time, turn after turn it's bumpy."
    It's also the only course on the circuit where you can see the finish line from the start gate.
    "It's for real, there's no question about that," Miller said. "It's pretty sketchy."
    Miller's U.S. teammate, Steven Nyman, fell toward the end of his run but appeared uninjured. Nyman won the last downhill in Val Gardena for his first career victory and is second in the downhill standings.
    "It's more of a learning experience here," Nyman said. "I know I can consistently be in the top 10 and if I'm not, I'm disappointed. I don't place certain expectations though. I know I can win if I understand what I need to do. I have the physique and I have the ability to do it, it's just a matter of understanding."
    Nyman is starting to make a habit of crashing in training. He also fell in the first session in Val Gardena and Italy's retired downhiller, Kristian Ghedina, has criticized him for taking too many risks. 

Share This Article

About the Author: Pete Rugh