Brignone Quickest in First Coaching as Vonn Foreruns
Brignone Units the Tempo
Racing for the primary time on Beaver Creek’s Birds of Prey downhill course, the world’s quickest ladies know they need to enlist each tactical talent within the playbook.
“I do know the course precisely from watching the lads’s races,” Italy’s Federica Brignone mentioned Wednesday after clocking the quickest downhill coaching run at 1 minute, 34.13 seconds. “It’s the identical as the lads’s. Theirs is a bit harder as a result of they’ve a number of bumps. They minimize all of the bumps for us, however that’s factor, particularly for the primary time we race right here.”
Ladies Sort out Birds of Prey
The ladies’s downhill course begins 4 gates beneath the lads’s, halfway by way of the gliding prime part named The Flyway. Then racers hit the extraordinarily steep Brink and Talon sections earlier than sweeping by way of Pete’s Enviornment, over a collection of huge jumps, and into the turny Russi’s Trip part. Lastly, they navigate The Abyss and return to the sunlit Pink Tail soar.
“I really like the steep, love the turns,” Brignone mentioned. “The primary half is thrilling. From there to the top of the steep, you have to be actually clean as a result of the snow is absolutely aggressive. It’s a must to be forward of the bumps and all the time on the road so that you don’t must push an excessive amount of.”
The final time the ladies raced at Beaver Creek was the 2015 World Championships. They competed on a separate course adjoining to Birds of Prey referred to as The Raptor, the place additionally they competed in 2013.
“Once I did World Champs, I used to be not a velocity skier, so at the moment I used to be actually excited,” Brignone mentioned. “This slope is simply wonderful. It has all the time been my dream to do Birds of Prey.”
The ladies’s tour final raced on Birds of Prey in 2011, operating a relocated super-G from Val d’Isere. The ladies began beneath The Brink on the males’s SG climate begin. Lindsey Vonn received that race. She was again on the course on Wednesday for the primary time since however as a forerunner.
Vonn Returns to the Begin Gate
“It was actually enjoyable,” Vonn mentioned after crossing the end line. “It felt so regular to be sitting within the begin gate. I skied some turns nicely, and I used to be a bit conservative, nevertheless it felt actually good. I had such time inspecting with my teammates and getting again into the rhythm. All the pieces felt because it ought to. I want to be racing right here, however beggars can’t be choosers. I’m simply getting again into the swing of issues. It’s a pure development.”
Vonn will forerun the remaining coaching runs and races at Beaver Creek. Though she certified to return to the World Cup, the up to date FIS checklist received’t be out till subsequent week, that means she can not race at Beaver Creek. She mentioned she isn’t but certain whether or not she’s going to compete in St. Moritz subsequent weekend.
“I’m going to observe some video and see how tomorrow goes, however I’m heading in the right direction,” she mentioned. “I’m on my plan. It’s going nicely, positively higher than anticipated. If you concentrate on it, I’ve solely skied a number of days. I skied about 9 days of downhill and 10 days of super-G within the final six years. I’d say, all issues thought-about, that I’m at a fairly accelerated development. It’s greater than I anticipated. All the pieces right here is greater than I anticipated, and I respect each second I’ve.”
Intestine-Behrami and the Swiss Perspective
Switzerland’s Lara Intestine-Behrami is one in every of few different World Cup racers at Beaver Creek with earlier expertise on the Birds of Prey course from 2011. She was the second quickest in Wednesday’s coaching, 0.39 seconds behind Brignone.
“It’s a pleasant slope,” Intestine-Behrami mentioned. “At the moment for the primary coaching, it was nonetheless on the simple aspect. When the snow continues to be groomed, it’s not too quick.”
Downhillers with a Plan
The Swiss star described the Birds of Prey course as “technical.”
“It’s a must to ski nicely technically, however the final half is fairly flat,” she mentioned. “It’s a must to be an entire skier to win the race.”
Austria’s reigning World Cup downhill champion Cornelia Huetter approached the coaching run nervously, having watched the lads soar about 80 yards by way of the air off the jumps.
Whereas she didn’t but have her race technique mapped out after the primary coaching run (during which she completed eleventh), she had a stable thought of the lay of the land.
“It’s a really flat begin, so you need to push lots. Then it’s going actually steep and turny. You go virtually into the web and have a number of strain on the skin ski. You go to the second gate; there’s a roll in it, so you need to transfer your physique ahead. Then the subsequent 5 gates, they’re actually turny. With the steepness, it’s important to discover the true timing. From the Pumphouse, it’s actually quick. No solar was in it for my run, so it’s actually bumpy. It’s a must to go aerodynamic. Earlier than the Golden Eagle, it’s turning lots. The jumps are wonderful. I used to be scared earlier than, as a result of I didn’t know the way excessive or far it’s. The final half is very nice since you are within the solar.”
Upcoming Races at Beaver Creek
Beaver Creek will host two extra downhill coaching runs on Thursday and Friday earlier than Saturday’s downhill race, marking the beginning of the World Cup velocity occasion season. The opening super-G is scheduled for Sunday.
