Daniel Albrecht had no room for error, as 12 racers finished within a second behind him.
(AGENCE ZOOM/Getty Images)
BEAVER CREEK, Colo. - Bode Miller is accustomed to having success at Beaver Creek, and after finishing fourth and sixth in his first two events this weekend, it figured to continue. But that good fortune came to an end yesterday in the giant slalom, when he failed to get any World Cup points for the first time in seven races this season.
In the first run on the Birds of Prey course, Miller skied into a steep transition called Golden Eagle, lost his edge, and fell off course. He scrambled back up to round the gate, but at the end of the run was more than 10 seconds behind leader Didier Cuche of Switzerland, missing the cut for the second run - a first for him this season.
This makes the third straight race since action began Thursday that Miller's ski edge broke out of the snow, sending him down for a hip check. In the first two races, super-combined and downhill, he managed to recover to finish fourth and sixth, respectively, scoring significant points.
But yesterday Miller had his luck run out. He has one more shot in the super-G today, a race that was postponed from Saturday.
After a second run in dazzling sunshine on a foot of new snow, the battle between Switzerland and Austria for Alpine supremacy played out once again.
Daniel Albrecht, a 24-year-old Swiss racer, just beat Austria's Mario Matt by .05 seconds, while Cuche, the 33-year-old Swiss veteran, placed third. Albrecht's winning two-run combined time was 2 minutes 24.30 seconds. Albrecht also won the super-combined race Thursday.
The best US finish belonged to Olympic gold medalist Ted Ligety, 23, who shared fourth place with Italy's Massimiliano Blardone. Their time was just .15 seconds off the winning pace.
"I can't believe how competitive this is," said Bill Marolt, president of the US Ski Association. "I remember when a second was a close time. But this is incredible skiing."
Yesterday, he noted, the first 13 skiers finished within the same second, translating to a few feet.
Ligety has placed third the last two years in this race, and just missed another podium.
"I'm kind of happy with the way I skied today. It wasn't too bad," said Ligety, who won the combined event at the 2006 Turin games. "I don't know, it was a really straight course, which doesn't really suit me. A lot of speed guys were doing well. That's just how it goes."
Both Ligety and Albrecht noticed that several of the faster skiers over the top half of the course had lead times until they hit the lower third, where a steep left-hand drop threw up some tight fallaway turns.
But it wasn't just the turns that were tough, but the light. Bright sunshine on the new snow, combined with shadows creeping onto the course in the afternoon, created tremendous light contrasts.
"It was really dark in there," said Albrecht. "I just had to trust myself and keep pushing."
Albrecht may remember this week as a career breakthrough. Previously, his only other podium was a downhill in Austria.
"This victory is a really great thing for the whole Swiss team," said Albrecht. "For me it gives me confidence. I was taking more risks today, and that's because I have more confidence."
Cuche, the veteran whom Albrecht grew up mentoring, made a slight correction with the younger skier sitting beside him. "Daniel is very fast not just because he takes risks. But he knows how and when to take the risks, and that is the most important part of ski racing."
Asked if his confidence would help him in today's finale, Albrecht, known for his shyness, grinned, and did indeed have a confident tone in his voice: "Maybe you should bet on me," he said.
Entering today's competition, Cuche leads the tour in World Cup points (235), while the injured Norwegian, Aksel Svindal - expected to miss the rest of the season to recover from surgery after a training crash - stands one point back. Ligety is fifth with 162 points, tops among US racers, with Miller sixth at 157.
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