GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany—Lindsey Vonn appears set to follow Bode Miller and travel the ski circuit in a personal motor home.
The three-time defending overall World Cup winner already has a motor home at the world championships. It’s provided by her sponsor and includes a private chef for every meal.
“I really like it,” she told The Associated Press on Friday. “I have my own little space and it’s actually nice for my concussion, because I have a dark room where I can just hang out in. It’s nice to be able to cook your own meals and just kind of be away from everyone.”
Vonn sustained a mild concussion in training last week in Austria. She pulled out of the slalom leg of the super-combined Friday at worlds.
She also lodged apart from the U.S. Ski Team at the Vancouver Olympics
“We’re going to look at it more after these championships and see if we use it for all of next year,” Vonn said.
Miller started using his own RV years ago. The U.S. federation reacted by requiring that he sleep in the team hotel the night before races, a rule that eventually contributed to his leaving the team for two seasons.
The team now allows its top racers to stay in personal motor homes, as long as they show up for team meetings at the hotel each evening.
Vonn’s teammate Julia Mancuso is traveling the circuit in a small van this season. She and retired racer Daron Rahlves previously used full-sized buses.
Vonn she’ll have privacy and still be involved with the team.
“I go to the meetings and stuff, I’m not completely away from them,” Vonn said. “But it’s nice to have your own time as well. I’m not around buffets where there’s germs, and I think you have a better chance of being healthy when you’re secluded. And plus, I have my husband there, so he keeps me company.”
Still in the development phase, Vonn has not discussed her plan with the U.S. team.
“We haven’t really talked to them about it yet,” said Vonn’s husband and chief adviser, Thomas Vonn. “But we’ve proven to be responsible, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“We’re around the team all the time. We’re certainly not trying to isolate from the team, it’s more just dotting every i and crossing every t and controlling your food, controlling your exposure with tons of people waiting in the lobby for you and things like that,” he said. “It’s just more private. You don’t have to pack and unpack every time. It would make life a lot easier.”
He added the motor home offers more space, like a mini-condo.
“She could be spinning and getting therapy while being in your home driving to the next race, instead of being in a cramped car,” he said. “There’s so many advantages to it that we had to look at it.”
A former U.S. ski teammate, Thomas Vonn talked with Miller about the advantages of a motor home during tennis matches this summer.
“We’ve definitely been picking his brain on a number of things,” said Thomas Vonn, adding that he’s planning to visit Miller’s bus in Germany in the next few days. “It’s something we’ve wanted to do for a couple years, but logistically it’s a very hard thing to do.”
