Bormio, Italy –Franconia, N.H.’s Bode Miller attacked the washboard surface of the rugged Stelvio downhill in Bormio on Thursday to finish fifth, just behind Canada’s Erik Guay, and overtake the Audi FIS Alpine World Cup downhill lead by nine points over Austria’s Klaus Kroell.

Vancouver Olympic downhill gold medalist Didier Defago won the race with teammate Patrick Kueng in second for a historic Swiss 1-2 finish.

Miller won the Audi Birds of Prey downhill earlier this month in Beaver Creek, Colo., and was ninth in the season-opening downhill in Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada, earning enough World Cup downhill points to set the stage for Thursday’s launch into the downhill lead. Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal, who finished just behind miller in sixth on Thursday, maintains the World Cup overall lead.

“I take a lot of risks with my skiing and when I made that mistake on the traverse there was no where else to make up time. I basically had to ski uphill to make the next gate,” admitted Miller, who won the Bormio downhill in 2007 and captured the 2005 downhill World Championship at the Italian venue. “When it gets more dense and more water in the snow it responds even quicker and my main problem is that I always go in a little too quickly and too straight – I’m not subtle on the skis – so on these big turns if it gets even more aggressive that’s tough for me to adapt.”

Travis Ganong, of Squaw Valley, Calif., was the only other American to finish in the top 30 with 30th.

Guay, of Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, came agonizingly close to his 16^th career World Cup podium on the notoriously challenging Bormio downhill to claim Canada’s third fourth-place finish of the 2011-12 season.

“It’s frustrating to be fourth but all in all, I had a pretty solid run,” said the reigning world downhill champion. “It’s a really, really challenging downhill this year. I feel like I could have taken some chances in different areas.”

Men’s World Cup action returns tomorrow with a slalom in Zagreb, Croatia

OFFICIAL RESULTS
Audi FIS Alpine World Cup
Bormio, Italy – Dec. 29, 2011
Men’s Downhill