Miller sews up Cup title Vonn closing in on women’s crown

BORMIO, Italy – Bode Miller clinched his second overall World Cup title, then promptly retreated behind the tinted windows of his personal bus.

Lindsey Vonn was all smiles after moving so close to securing the women’s crown that her only competitor still in the running conceded defeat.

Miller and Vonn are on the verge of the first American sweep of the overall titles since Phil Mahre and Tamara McKinney did it 25 years ago.

For Miller, who split from the U.S. team this season to train on his own, there were no smiles, no champagne, and few words – until he showed up later at an appearance for one of his sponsors.

“This isn’t the type of World Cup finals I wanted to end the season with,” Miller said. “In my mind, today wasn’t my idea of a great Super-G race.”

Miller finished a disappointing 12th in the final Super-G of the season. He clinched the overall title when his closest rival, Didier Cuche, announced after the race that he would not compete in the season’s final slalom.

Miller was livid after Wednesday’s downhill was canceled due to warm weather, handing the downhill title to Cuche with a five-point lead over Miller.

“The racers, we just mostly want to race and see who’s the fastest,” Miller said. “It’s tough when it comes down to the last races and the last races are like this. We want the finals to be the climax to the season so we can all be done and move on. This year it seems like it’s not living up to anyone’s expectations.

“It was looking to be a great final in downhill with Cuche and I, and it takes away from that excitement.”

Vonn finished second Thursday in the season’s final Super-G behind Fabienne Suter of Switzerland, her best result in the discipline all season. She holds a 197-point lead over Maria Riesch of Germany with two races remaining and 200 points at stake.

“She already congratulated me,” Vonn said of Riesch, her best friend on the circuit. “She needs to win both events and she knows it’s next to impossible. But not completely impossible.”

Suter won the women’s Super-G and Riesch captured the Super-G title by finishing sixth.

Vonn had already secured the downhill title before Wednesday’s final race was canceled and she was pleased with her Super-G race.

Miller’s personal coach John McBride rejoiced at what Miller, who also won the overall in 2005, had accomplished in his first season on his own.

“It’s exciting to break new ground and do something different,” McBride said. “This is the first time I’ve seen a World Cup professional team run outside the national governing bodies and I think that’s exciting.”

Miller decided to go solo after clashing with the U.S. squad over team rules.

He hired McBride away from the U.S. team to be his head coach and brought in former U.S. coaches Forest Carey and Mike Kenney. Miller labeled his breakaway squad “Team America.”

“I was really happy with the way everyone worked, the energy, and intensity the staff brought,” Miller said. “It was really impressive. They did the work of more people than we had.”

Miller also used a the high-tech gym in his bus to make sure he was in his best shape in years.

“The most impressive thing to me was how he skied Bormio and Wengen and was not tired at the finish,” Cuche said of Miller’s wins this season in the two longest downhills on tour. “In the past, he was not fresh in the last part. That’s why he could still push and win the race.”

U.S. coach Phil McNichol had mixed emotions at seeing his former pupil win the title outside the team umbrella.

“I want Bode to succeed and I want U.S. skiers to do well, but I also believe in the program,” McNichol said. “I’ve given my heart and soul to this program and we’ve done well by Bode. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to do what he’s doing now with us.”

McNichol tried for years to hammer it into Miller’s head that all the skier had to do to win combined races was finish the slalom run, yet Miller rarely did.

This season, Miller routinely completed combined races and won that discipline title with 410 points. Last season, Miller earned 20 points in combined.

Miller also quit drinking before this season.

“It’s ironic. All those things I wanted to see Bode do and achieve as a member of the U.S. Ski Team he’s been willing to do on his own this season,” McNichol said. “I have to be big enough to say maybe he should have left the ski team earlier if he was going to do what he’s doing now and achieve his potential.

“He was capable of winning the overall every year.”