Cuche fastest as men train on Lauberhorn downhill course

WENGEN, Switzerland (AP) _ Didier Cuche posted the fastest time in a men's World Cup training session Thursday after cold temperatures overnight finally permitted racers to ski the fragile downhill

Thursday, January 11th 2007, 8:52 am

By: News On 6

WENGEN, Switzerland (AP) _ Didier Cuche posted the fastest time in a men's World Cup training session Thursday after cold temperatures overnight finally permitted racers to ski the fragile downhill course.

Rain and warm temperatures earlier in the week damaged the famous Lauberhorn downhill piste, the longest on the World Cup circuit at 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles).

``It was good to finally get a run in,'' said the 32-year-old Cuche, who is looking for his first downhill victory on his illustrious home hill. ``Luckily it got cold last night and froze. It was hard in most places so I felt confident I wasn't in danger of crashing out. But it was really bumpy all the way down, which made is physically painful.''

Cuche finished in 2 minutes, 32.66 seconds, followed by teammate Ambrosi Hoffman in 2:32.73. Marco Buechel of Liechtenstein was third, .20 off the pace.

Cuche's best result on the Lauberhorn is an eighth-place finish in 2000. He has finished among the top five in every downhill this season, including a pair of second-place finishes at Beaver Creek, Colorado, and Bormio, Italy.

Michael Bonetti of Switzerland was fourth, .78 back, while Michael Walchhofer of Austria, who won the previous two downhills this season _ held back-to-back at Bormio _ was fifth, .80 behind.

``It doesn't mean I'll win here,'' Walchhofer said. ``The last time I won a double downhill at Garmisch in 2005, I crashed in the next downhill at Kvitfjell.''

For safety reasons, skiers must have at least one training run in order to race a downhill. Wednesday's training was canceled because course conditions were too soft and dangerous.

The traditional Lauberhorn downhill is slated for Saturday with a slalom on Sunday. A super-combi _ a race which adds the time from a downhill leg to a single slalom run _ is planned for Friday, but more warm weather and rain which could endanger the race.

Most skiers did not hit top speeds but used the session to get familiar with the course and the conditions.

The last Swiss to win the Lauberhorn downhill was Olympic bronze medalist Bruno Kernen in January 2003. Kernen was 22nd, 2.35 back, on Thursday.

A lack of snow in Kitzbuehel, Austria, are endangering the races at that classic World Cup stop, too. Confirmation of those races _ a downhill, super-G, slalom and traditional combined event scheduled for Jan. 26-28 _ is expected next week.

Next week's races in Chamonix, another mainstay on the tour, were moved to Val d'Isere, which has more snow.