March Madness
With rage in his stomach, Didier Cuche overcomes emotions
to win at Norway BY HANK MCKEE PHOTOS BY GEPA
The road to the World Cup took an unusual twist at
Kvitfjell, Norway.
Didier Cuche has 26 World Cup results at Kvitfjell,
Norway, and 20 of those are top- 10 finishes. Eight are
podiums and three are victories. None of those victo-
ries proved as crucial as the final one, in super G, this
season.
Cuche — indeed, everyone — arrived in Kvitfjell tired
and beat-up. It’s a tough site to reach, and by March the
wear and tear of a five-month set of World Cup races
(and, this year, the World Championships in Garmisch)
have taken their toll. Cuche’s thumb was in a cast af-
ter a training crash at Garmisch. He was, arguably, the
hottest downhiller, having won the last two Cup down-
hills, at Kitzbuehel and Chamonix — the former victory
on a nasty course that buckled the knees of many a
seasoned racer. He held a lead in the downhill stand-
ings by 65 points over December’s hottest downhiller,
Michael Walchhofer. The battle of the titans of downhill
was culminating, and Norway stood to be the deciding
factor.
But it was not the thumb injury that kept Cuche from
winning either of the two downhills at Kvitfjell (the origi-
nally scheduled event and a make-up race from De-
cember at Beaver Creek). For a brief spell, he let his
emotions get the better of him.
Weather looked, again, like it might play a role. Fog, as
thick as yellow custard, cancelled the first of two slated
training runs, and then Cuche took the second under
bright, sunny skies.
Didier Cuche said he skied “with
rage in my stomach” in the super G.
SkiRacing.com APRIL 7, 2011 | 17
