Chamonix, France – U.S. ski racer Bode Miller came within a mere .01 seconds of victory in the first of two Audi FIS Alpine World Cup downhills in Chamonix on Friday as Klaus Kroell snagged the first Austrian speed win of the season. Swiss skier Didier Cuche finished third to snap a two-race win streak, but retained the World Cup downhill points lead. Erik Guay finished just off the podium in fourth as the Canadians put two men in the top 10.

“‘It’s tough,” said a clearly disappointed Miller. “There’s so many places where a hundredth can come or go. I didn’t really have a great reach for the finish line, which I always try to do well. That’s the worst place to lose it, right out of the start or right at the finish line.”

The race was a make-up from the wind canceled downhill in Val Gardena, Italy. Friday’s second place was the fourth World Cup podium result this season for Miller, of Franconia, N.H.

“Because everyone’s so close together with the ability, and the courses seem to be easier – they’re slower – there’s less things that separate the field. A lot of these races are unbelievable close,” said Miller. “That’s a challenge in itself to really make sure that you stay focused and pay attention to the things that matter.

“It didn’t really feel exactly like my skis were running that well. I knew I got away with a lot of stuff at the top so I knew I’d be fast up there, but once I was on that bottom flat I kind of felt like I was losing.”

“Bode [Miller] skied amazing on the top. It was just awesome skiing. It will be interesting to see everyone else try that line tomorrow,” added Sasha Rearick, the U.S. Ski Team men’s Head Coach. “He also executed through the middle, which is definitely not his forte – the gliding and micro terrain – but he did a good job. He came out and charged.”

Course volunteers worked feverishly to prepare the track after wet snow fell throughout last weekend and into the beginning of this week, cancelling the first downhill training run.

“It was really wet, kind of weird snow and when you hit that stuff, the skis go all over the place. It’s kind of hard to tell what they’re doing,” Miller said.

Guay, of Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, was just four-hundredths of a second back of third and eight-hundreds behind Kroell, while Jan Hudec, of Calgary, Alberta, was hot on his heels in sixth place. Ben Thomsen, of Invermere, British Columbia, landed a career-best 11^th-place finish that was achieved despite starting at the back of the pack with bib number 50.

For a short while, Guay and Hudec were 1-2, standing side by side in the leader’s box.

“I watched Jan’s run at the top and I thought for sure he would be the winner. So when I came down in first I was like, ‘Wow. I’m pretty sure I just won this,’ ” said Guay, who secured his 16^th career World Cup podium last weekend with a second-place finish in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. “It was pretty cool when we were sitting there 1-2 but unfortunately, it seemed like the conditions changed quite a lot and people were putting down some extremely fast times.

“Things are progressing nicely,” added Guay, who is now ranked sixth in the World Cup downhill standings. “I’m getting consistency from training through to race day. I think I just need to find that extra gear.”

“It was a great team day for us,” said Johno McBride, head speed coach of the Canadian men’s alpine team. “It would have been nice to have been a few hundredths faster but the boys took care of business today. Hopefully we can keep this train rolling.”

It was a good day for the U.S. Ski Team men, too, for in addition to Miller, Erik Fisher of Middleton, Idaho and Squaw Valley, Calif.’s Travis Ganong stormed into the top 15. Fisher’s 13th place finish was his best result since 11th in the Kitzbuehel downhill on Jan. 24, 2009.

“[Erik] Fisher has had a great approach the last couple of weeks. He was out slalom training yesterday and has been skiing GS every morning. He executed some things really well today and it’s good to see that momentum,” said Rearick. “Step-by-step Travis [Ganong] is getting more comfortable and looking for his tuck more. He tucked a lot more today than he has in the past and it’s starting to pay off.”

In addition, Marco Sullivan (Squaw Valley, Calif.) was 27th and Wiley Maple (Aspen, Colo.) 38th.

A second downhill is scheduled for Saturday in Chamonix.

“I saw all the guys skiing with confidence and that’s put them in a position to be competitive,” added Rearick. “It’s great to have another downhill tomorrow for us to continue to build.”

OFFICIAL RESULTS
Audi FIS Alpine World Cup
Chamonix, France – Feb. 3, 2012
Men’s Downhill