Retiring Didier Cuche Fastest in Hahnenkamm Training

Didier Cuche, who announced he will retire at the end of the season, posted the fastest time in training for the Hahnenkamm race in Kitzbühel tomorrow with a time of 1 minute, 58.10 seconds.

The 37 year old Swiss racer has won 4 of the past 5 World Cup Downhill titles.

"I'm in top form and I can still aspire to win races. It's in this condition that I wish to retire from the World Cup," he said.

The 72nd Hahnenkamm race weekend opens today (Friday 20 Jan) with super-G, followed by the famous downhill on Saturday, seen by many as THE race to win, or at least do will in, in the annual ski world cup calendar; including our own dear Graham Bell who rates his twelfth place in the race above his five Olympic appearances.

The race meeting, which is the biggest sports event of any kind in Austria each year, concludes with the slalom on Sunday, as well as the special Kitzbühel combined.

The latest edition of the Hahnenkamm Races also sees a new record in prize money awarded with the purse totalling € 564,000. € 175,000 is shared among the top 30 racers in both downhill and slalom events whilst € 130,000 will be awarded for the super-G and € 84,000 will be divided up amongst the top three in the classic combined.

The winning athlete in both downhill and slalom will receive € 70,000. Super-G and combined winners can look forward to a winner's cheque of € 50,000 each.

For the first time, the Hahnenkamm Races can be seen completely worldwide as for those countries where there is no television coverage, a live broadcast will be available on the internet (in over 200 countries!) for, the FIS says, "a small fee."

Commentary will be in English and the races can also be viewed with a time delay. This means that the races can be followed for the first time in countries such as Thailand, Cuba, Brazil or New Zealand. To view users must simply register on hahnenkamm.com/live-view.html. Direct TV coverage will be broadcast in Austria, Germany, Norway, Sweden, USA, Switzerland, Italy, Finland and Japan.

In addition a newly available App for IPhones and Android mobile phones enables ski fans to keep close tabs on the Hahnenkamm Races with a mobile version of the website for other operating systems such as Windows Phone and Blackberry available on m.hahnenkamm.com.

I'll be sorry to see Cuche retire. Hes one racer I make a point of watching.
I think it may be something to do with the size of the guy that makes him so fast.
But its his finish that I love. Lets not forget hes the current Kitz champ:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5YJg_UxCK4



Reminds me just what a ridiculously fast course that is.

Love watching Cuche, his power is amazing, and the dismount....well, nobody can come close!!

Cuche is certainly a wonderful skier and a wonderful character. He will be missed in the sport

Bad news is that the Super G scheduled for today has been cancelled because of heavy rain overnight

They are still not sure whether the Downhill will be able to go ahead tomorrow . Shame if it doesn't - its my favourite Downhill of them all.

If it does go ahead, coverage is on Eurosport at 10.30 (I think this is British time!)

No!!!!! Love the Kitzbuhel race - come on, get snow dancing!!!

HEAVY RAIN Only two weeks till I am supposed to be out there.

Just looked the webcam for the lower area, and it looks to me like it is snowing heavily now.

Hope the downhill is still on tomorrow, I'm looking forward to learning the course for the beginning of Feb

Far Queue wrote:Just looked the webcam for the lower area, and it looks to me like it is snowing heavily now.

Hope the downhill is still on tomorrow, I'm looking forward to learning the course for the beginning of Feb

The good news, FQ is that you won'tbe short of snow! It is dumping down here.

The plan is to switch the downhill to Sunday, when he snow is expected to have eased.