12/21/24
December 29, 2005
American Rahlves Wins World Cup Downhill: Bormio, Italy: Daron Rahlves won a World cup Downhill Thursday and bumps fellow American Bode Miller in the overall standings.
posted by skydivedad to other at 12:50 PM - 2 comments
From 5th to 1st not to shabby. Well, it's one win, and he got 100 points for it -- the same number that any WC competitor gets for any win. It's just that the field was very tight, which allowed Rahlves to jump four places with one win. Not that it's unusual for the field to be tight this early in the season; last year was the exception, not the rule. Concerned by the injury to Miller's knee. Miller's "chronically injured knee" isn't. He blew it out in the '01 Worlds, got a great rebuild job by Steadman and Co. (some pretty revolutionary work there; if you've got an orthopedic injury and a lot of bucks, you can't do better than the Steadman-Hawkins Clinic in Vail), and has been able to ski hard on it ever since. He crashed in a training run and got a fat lip but that was really it. This will get decided next month then it's off to Torino. Don't be so sure. Last season, when Bode Miller jumped out to a big early lead, it went down to the last two races. This year, a tight finish is even more likely. I predict it'll be decided at the finals in March. Sounds like the conditions were challenging with all the falls. Apparently the conditions were fine, clear and sunny. It's just a very tough course. There were six DNFs, not all crashes and mostly from fairly far back in the pack. Two big wrecks, though, both good for a helicopter ride -- a forerunner and Hans Grugger of Austria, who had a yardsale early in the course, banged up his face somehow and injured his leg.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 04:35 PM on December 29, 2005
From 5th to 1st not to shabby. Concerned by the injury to Miller's knee. This will get decided next month then it's off to Torino. Sounds like the conditions were challenging with all the falls.