Wengen: Swiss control training run

First the Swiss, and then the Austrians as the men completed a downhill training run Jan. 11 at Wengen, Switzerland ahead of annual Lauberhorn competitions scheduled to start Jan. 12. A men’s World Cup downhill training session was canceled Wednesday to preserve the Lauberhorn course, which has been damaged by rain and warm weather.

FIRST THE SWISS AND THEN THE AUSTRIANS as the men completed a downhill training run Jan. 11 at Wengen, Switzerland ahead of annual Lauberhorn competitions scheduled to start Jan. 12.
    Didier Cuche led the opening run, followed Ambrosi Hoffman, Liechtenstein's Marco Buechel, who trains with the Swiss was third and from the 56th starting position, Michael Bonetti added fourth for the homestanding Swiss.
    Austrians swept the next three slots with Michael Walchhofer, Klaus Kroell and Johan Grugger taking the five through seven positions respectively. Tour leader Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway was eighth.
    Top North American on the day was Bode Miller in 17th.
    The first day of training had to be scrapped when heavy rains and the accompanying warm temperatures ravaged the longest World Cup DH course during the week preceeding the event. Overnight cold permitted the training run to take place, but the course is rough and still soft in some spots.
    "I hope it holds up," Cuche told reporters. "There will be a lot of traffic on it this weekend."
    The course is scheduled to host a super-combined Friday and the Lauberhorn downhill Saturday. Ninty-five racers started Thursday's training run.
    Many competitors chose to run less aggressively than they might have under better conditions. "It was rattling the whole way down and there was no where to take a break," said U.S. skier Scott Macartney. "It was really tiring."
    The course has long had a reputation for being tiring in the best of conditions and it's classic status allows it features – like the stone railroad bridge skiers pass beneath – which could never be allowed on a new course.