BEAVER CREEK, Colo. (Dec. 3) - World Cup leader Bode Miller (Franconia, NH) overpowered a downhill run for his fourth victory in five races this season Friday and was joined by Daron Rahlves (Sugar Bowl, CA) in an historic 1-2 finish at the VISA Birds of Prey World Cups. Bryon Friedman (Park City, UT) added to the unprecedented moment, finishing seventh.

NBC will televise DH race coverage Sunday at 1 p.m. EST.

Best in the World! - (L-R) Friedman, Rahlves, Miller (credit: J. Selkowitz)

"It was a damn good run - it's never perfect, but my effort was perfect," Miller said after nailing the technical, testing 2.7K course for his 16th World Cup victory. "I was doing things with instinct and reaction ... a phenomenal feeling." Standing on a podium with a teammate, made it special. "I won't forget this race. I'm very proud of my race ... a great day on a lot of different levels."

With Lindsey Kildow (Vail, CO) winning the women's downhill at Canada's Lake Louise, it marked the first time since March 11, 1995 that two Americans have won World Cup downhills on the same day. In '95, Picabo Street was victorious in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, and Kyle Rasmussen won in Kvitfjell, Norway; Street's first victory that season came at Lake Louise when she went 1-2 with Hilary Lindh in a DH.

Miller - who won the first three World Cup races of the 2005 season and was second Thursday in super G as the VISA race got underway - was timed in 1:39.76 with Rahlves runnerup at 1:39.92. Friedman, running fifth, came down in 1:40.75 and held the top spot until bumped by Miller; seventh bests his previous top showing, when he finished 10th last season in Chamonix, France.

Flag-waving, euphoric trio
When he reached the finish and saw the timing board with himself and Miller in the top two spots, Rahlves skied over to the fencing and took a big U.S. flag to wave as Miller and Friedman mobbed him, while the crowd went wild.

Left: Rahlves, a Beaver Creek regular - Right: Miller five for five (credit: Jack Affleck/Vail Resorts)

"I was flying. I was rolling," Miller said. His triumph gives him 480 points with Walchhofer second at 195. However, Miller said it was almost meaningless because there are still 35 races remaining. "It's far too early to think about the overall (title)," he reminded media members.

He also said the pressures of the week - promotional appearances, media interviews, among others - have created a large burden and were throwing him off his routine. Thursday, he said, he didn't get to ride a stationary bike.

"The last couple of days have been really full. There's been no rest all day. [Thursday} I didn't even have a chance to get on the [stationary] bike and spin, the way I usually do," he said, "to recover from the race, and I was a little bit concerned with that today because it was a kind of a tough hill for me [Thursday]. I got a little bit tired and I had chance to spin that out. My normal routine was interrupted because I had so many things to do.

"Obviously, when that starts to happen you need to readjust priorities because racing and things that make your racing go well can't be pushed aside to do media things and stuff like that. That was a little frustrating. But to come out today and deserve another press conference [for the top three racers] is what I'm doing."

Bode: "I was doing things..."
He was a bit surprised by his skiing. "I was doing things as I was going down that were on instinct and on reaction. When you ski that way and it works, it's really a phenomenal feeling. Down the pitch, it's a little but surreal - the gates are going by and you're doing things just right, without really having to think about it at all. It's an awesome feeling. And the jumps at the bottom - I was having the time of my life," Miller said.

Miller time: Bode scorches Birds of Prey for win No. 4 (credit: J. Selkowitz)

Rahlves, 17th a day earlier in the super G, had mixed emotions - happy to be on the podium with his teammate, bummed he came so close to winning...but didn't collect his ninth World Cup victory. 

"[Thursday] was really frustrating for me," Rahlves said. "I tried to channel that frustration into today. I know have the ability to be a great skier and sometimes I have a great day and other days I have a great day, sometimes back to back...

"My effort today was outstanding. I was really happy with that. I was really focused," he said, noting a good night's sleep set him up for the race. "Sixteen-hundredths out, it was tight, but I gave my best effort but Bode was faster today, but it's definitely a huge accomplishment for us, for our team, and doing it here in the U.S. is incredible."

"This course is so fun; there are some big turns - but you've got to put it down the fall line, and when you put it down the fall line, when you've taken that extra risk and when you're holding on for dear life, that's a wild ride...and when I make little mistakes or bobbles like that, that mans I'm going fast."

Rahlves: "1-2 punch..."
When he saw the timing board, "to see Miller and me made it more of a 1-2 punch, like such a great feeling - like a cold knockout, the 1-2 punch on the world today," Rahlves said.

Friedman said Miller told him to ski more aggressively - "We all know Bryon can be one of the best," he explained - and he tried to do that, nailing the bottom half of the course and surprising many observers. "I was looking for top 10," Friedman said. "I'm totally psyched with my run, being up there with these guys. It's great. I wanted to start a little faster but I have no complaints."

Rahlves, Miller embrace on a historic day for the U.S. Ski Team (credit: J. Selkowitz)

Head Coach Phil McNichol said, "The boys did a great job on the videos last night with Bryon. He looked at tapes from last year and he analyzed different sections, and they showed how he could do well here...and then he went out and did it."

"I saw some good executing out there," said John McBride, men's DH/SG head coach who was disappointed more Americans didn't ski better in the super G. "I'm smiling; we're all smiling. I didn't hear any of the times until after Daron got down, but we all got together up on the course and did a little celebration. We still had some guys coming down but we were excited, of course, and we saluted Bode and 'D' and Bryon for a job well-done. This is a good - good, not great - start for the season and will give us a great boost of energy as we go to Europe."

"Smiles all around," McNichol said. "Bode and  'D' were great, for sure, but 'Free dog' did a great job, too. You always want to have more in there, but [Thursday] we had one in the top 15, today we've got three in the top 10. That works. We've been dying for a 1-2 for so long; we got two on the podium in St. Moritz [Miller first and Erik Schlopy as bronze medalist in the giant slalom at the 2003 World Championships]...and now we've got this.

"The theme coming in here was to step up from Lake Louise [where Miller and Rahlves were first and fifth, respectively, in a DH/SG combo last weekend]...and they're getting there. Bode's still in a different galaxy, of course, but they're doing it. I thought 'D' had it won but he caught an edge [midrace] and that was it."

The men run giant slalom Saturday and the VISA races conclude Sunday with a slalom before the men's tour returns to Europe for the rest of the winter.

For an interactive tour of the Birds of Prey course with Daron Rahlves commenting on each turn and twist, go to: http://birdsofprey.usskiteam.com/

MEN'S ALPINE WORLD CUP
VISA Birds of Prey
Beaver Creek, CO - Dec. 3, 2004
Men's Downhill
1. Bode Miller, Franconia, N.H., 1:39.76
2. Daron Rahlves, Sugar Bowl, Calif., 1:39.92
3. Michael Walchhofer, Austria, 1:40.15
4. Bruno Kernen, Switzerland, 1:40.50
5. Didier Cuche, Switzerland, 1:40.59
 -
7. Bryon Friedman, Park City, Utah, 1:40.75
38T. Scott Macartney, Redmond, Wash., 1:42.49
51. Jake Fiala, Frisco, Colo., 1:43.23
52. J.J. Johnson, Park City, Utah, 1:43.32
54. Jeff Harrison, Steilacoom, Wash., 1:44.13

For complete results:
http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/1228.html?event_id=14928&cal_suchsector=AL

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