SOELDEN AUSTRIA OCT 26 Bode Miller USA competing in the mens giant slalom race at the Rettenbach Glacier Soelden Austria the opening race of the 2008 09 Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup It is the first of 38 races on the men's 2008-09 World Cup season. … It is the first of eight scheduled Giant Slaloms. … It is the 24th World Cup GS held at Soelden. … All of them are October "openers." Conditions were bright and sunny, but shadows did come into play as the men's race was held a hour later than the women's. It is the third career World Cup win for Daniel Albrecht, his first since winning two last season at Beaver Creek (cmb and GS). … It is just the second win at Soelden for a Swiss, the last coming from Steve Locher Oct. 27, 1996. … It is the 43rd career World Cup podium for 34 year old Didier Cuche, his eighth in GS. … Six of those eight have come before the end of December. … He has never been better than seventh at Solden previously. … The Swiss last went one-two Jan. 5, 2008 at Adelboden in GS with Marc Berthod first and Albrecht second. It is the 13th career World Cup podium for Ted Ligety, the seventh in GS. … He was second at Soelden last season behind Aksel Svindal. … He had been fourth after the first run and was faster than either Albrecht or Cuche through the top of the course. Bode Miller, fifth after the first run, struggled after the mid-point and dropped to 10th. He had not completed a race at Soelden worse than fifth previously. … Tim Jitloff collected his first World Cup points in 20th place. … Jean-Philippe Roy posted 29th for Canada. ... No other North Americans made it past the first run with four failing to finish (Canadians John Kucera, Francois Bourque and Robbie Dixon and U.S. skier Jake Zamansky) and five failing to qualify (Erik Guay, Julien Cousineau and Stefan Guay for Canada, Erik Schlopy and Jimmy Cochran for the U.S.). The Swiss grabbed the early lead in the men's Nations Cup
