Avon, CO – Franconia, N.H.’s Bode Miller paved the way for the U.S. on Tuesday, finishing eighth in the opening Audi Birds of Prey downhill training run. Switzerland’s Didier Cuche clocked in at 1:47.80, nearly a half a second ahead of the field, for the fastest time.nMiller, who has won the Birds of Prey downhill twice, finished in 1:48.91. Steven Nyman, of Heber, Utah, landed a respectable 16th and felt strong and confident for this weekend’s upcoming races.

“It’s awesome to be up here. The hill is prepped the best I’ve ever seen it and the snow is great,” said Nyman. “It was like a clean canvas you can just paint your way down.”

In his Audi Birds of Prey debut, Travis Ganong, of Olympic Valley, Calif., was 24th. Ganong, who has only forerun the infamous Audi Birds of Prey race series, says his focus is having fun and charging.

“This is really my first full year on the World Cup, so I’m just building volume and confidence on this next level and having fun,” said Ganong. “It’s really smooth and you can do whatever you want. There’s no holding back, the conditions are perfect.”

OFFICIAL RESULTS
Audi FIS World Cup
Beaver Creek, CO
November 30, 2010

Downhill Training
1. Didier Cuche, Switzerland, 1:47.80
2. Adrien Theaux, France, 1:48.37
3. Michael Walchhofer, Austria, 1:48.46
4. Klaus Kroell, Austria, 1:48.57
5. Hans Grugger, Austria, 1:48.69