Five races in five days is a lot even for Peter Muller
“This is completely foolish!”
Even the iron-strong Peter Mueller does not understand the racing program that a multi-level player like Marco Odermatt at Val Gardena and Alta Badia can be expected to possess.
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Last winter, Marco Odermatt got one of his rare “rapids” in Gröden – 24th in Super-G.
It’s one of the rare setbacks in Marco Odermatt’s World Cup career. On December 17, 2021, Nidwaldner lost a second and a half to Alexander Aamodt Kilde in the Super-G race at the “Saslong” circuit in Val Gardena. This puts him in 24th place in the final standings. This is yet another reason why the Olympic giant slalom champion returned to Val Gardena after twelve months feeling sick. Immediately after his big victory in Val d’Isère, the 25-year-old began to have doubts about continuing his phenomenal streak of success (eleven podium places): “It would be very difficult for me to be in the top 3 in Val Gardena to drive. I really I don’t like Saslong very much.”
Val Gardena Müller specialist on Odermatts-Saslong opportunities
One person who loved this particular route in the Dolomites more than anything else was the legendary Peter Mueller (65). Between 1978 and 1988, the man from Zurich celebrated with three victories and six more podium finishes.
“Pitsch” Odermatts Gröden Abschiffer doesn’t attribute last year to the road’s terrain: “Marco won a similar Super-G flat race last winter in Wengen. That’s why I’m more likely to believe something wasn’t right when it came to the coordination of the materials.” In other words: Müller sees no reason why Odermatt should not be really fast on the slope of the 1970 World Cup. “If Marko drives as hard as he did last time in the sprints in America and the equipment is right, he will almost certainly be on the podium in Super-G.”
Unlike last year, Odermatt will also be at the start of the slope on the “Saslong”. Because the canceled race at Beaver Creek will also be incorporated into the World Cup South Tyrol Classic, there are five events, including giant slalom, on the program over the next five days. Odermatt calls this racing plan “stupid”. Peter Müller adds one more thing: “If you schedule five races in five days in Val Gardena and Alta Badia, it’s absolutely absurd! Mainly because no other asset demands so many athletes as Saslong. “.
56th in coaching
The 1987 downhill world champion was therefore scheduled to schedule a slalom in Madonna di Campiglo on Sunday after the sprints in Val Gardena. “So Odermatt and Kilda had at least one rest day before the two giants in Alta Badia.”
Odermatt may take a voluntary break on Saturday. After the only training run, which was dominated by athletes with higher starting numbers because of better visibility, Bucher tells Blake: “I’ll definitely start on Thursday with the short cut. After that I will decide if it makes sense for me to participate in the original proportions on Saturday.”
In the practice session, Odermatt lost 3.04 seconds to the best time set by Frenchman Niels Allegri (car #53). Marco was 36 hundredths faster than Olympic downhill champion Beat Feuz.
Attention ski lovers! Now quiz and type races
The 2022/2023 ski season is approaching, and with it the Blake Ski Cup: answer questions every day, write ski races and crown yourself as a ski champion. Lots of great prizes are waiting for you.
To participate in the “Blake Ski Cup”, You must register here.
Have fun and good luck!
The 2022/2023 ski season is approaching, and with it the Blake Ski Cup: answer questions every day, write ski races and crown yourself as a ski champion. Lots of great prizes are waiting for you.
To participate in the “Blake Ski Cup”, You must register here.
Have fun and good luck!
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