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“I feel good here,” said Franz, “I’ve loved the waves since I was a kid, I can handle them well.” The 31-year-old underscored the thesis that the Saslong can be called his “living room”. especially in Thursday’s second downhill practice where he finished third as the best Austrian behind Norwegians Aleksander Aamodt Kilde and Kjetil Jansrud.
The love affair with the slopes and their centerpiece, the Ciaslat, has so far culminated with a full podium on the descent: victory in 2016, second place in 2018 and third place in 2017, as well as a second place in Super-G three years ago. Franz started the season cautiously with 14th (Super-G) and 12th (Relegation) in Val d’Isere. After a poor preseason, “the conviction” was not entirely accurate in France. “But I saw it in training: the basic speed is there.”
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Val Gardena should relax you
In Val Gardena, the Super-G on Friday and the downhill race on Saturday (11.45am, ORF1 live and on live stream) shouldn’t be just about speed. “Where to go and find out: If you’re not doing a lot of nonsense, you’ll be there, that makes it so much easier. I think I need that now, so I can get back to the results I’ve been to, ”said Franz, who has high hopes for his favorite track.
Franz sees the conditions for this. “I did my homework in the summer.” The body plays again, which made it possible to do a lot of training. “Last year it was a fight with the cross and then the fight line itself for the rest of the season because the results weren’t there.” Now he hopes that after the Val Gardena weekend the “necessary relaxation” is there. One disappointment is that his fan club cannot be there this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. As a precautionary measure, the races in Val Gardena also take place without spectators.
Walder and Kriechmayr in the circle of favorites
When it comes to being laid back, Christian Walder is one step ahead of his Carinthian teammate. With second place in the Super-G, Walder took the podium for the first time in the World Cup. The 29-year-old sees the reason for the break in the new team alongside the physical and technical progress. “The change of material was definitely good for me. I get along incredibly well with Salomon. “
Kriechmayr has also changed equipment, which had given him one of his two Super-G victories of the season at Val Gardena last year. “Of course last year was a very good day for me,” the Upper Austrian commented succinctly. His focus, however, is on the present: “New Year, New Day, and again trying to keep up with the front.”
The state of the tracks is likely to change. Clear nights are announced, runners reported “high humidity” in the subsoil. “So it can become a very fast track, then everything looks different,” Kriechmayr said Thursday. “Driving there requires very sensitive driving. The Walchhofer Michi (three victories in Val Gardena, note) has always done very well, Max exactly the same. “
Norwegian route Saslong
Kriechmayr probably also thought of Norwegian athletes. In the recent past, the Val Gardena was not only a favorite route of his companion, but especially that of the Norwegians. In Super G, the Scandinavians have triumphed in six of the last eight races. Aksel Lund Svindal scored four times, Jansrud won twice (2014, 2016).
With the outright World Cup winner Kilde, the 2018 relegation winner and Adrian Smiseth Sejersted, who was second in the first Super-G, behind Swiss ball winner Mauro Caviezel, there are other contenders for the podium. “I am sure I will do a lot, but the list of favorites for Super-G and Downhill is very long,” emphasized Kilde, adding: “We Norwegians are ready anyway.”
However, the Americans surrounding Jared Goldberg and Bryce Bennett should not be ignored. “We Norwegians, but also our American colleagues, love this route. It is beautiful, technically demanding and has several great jumps, ”said the winner of the great crystal ball from the previous season.
