Bode Miller elected not to compete in Friday’s World Cup race at Wengen, Switzerland, casting further doubt on his comeback from November back surgery in time to compete in the world alpine championships at Beaver Creek the first week February.
“My back isn’t ready to race World Cup yet,” said Miller, who participated in downhill training runs Wednesday and Thursday and skied the course Friday as a forerunner. “I was taking sections in this course really easy, and I’m still pushing the limits, right to the limit of what my back can do. I’m eight weeks out of back surgery. Normally at eight weeks, people are allowed to lift a gallon of milk and start moving around.”
Miller said he still hoped to race next week in the world’s most prestigious downhill at Kitzbuehel, Austria, but the intimidating and technically difficult Streif track figures to be severe test for his back. Miller underwent a procedure Nov. 17 to ease pain associated with a herniated disc.
“Kitzbuehel has always been a huge goal, and it is this year, still,” Miller told media in the finish area Friday after forerunning. “We’re kind of taking it day by day. If I’m ready to race, I’ll absolutely do it. My skiing is coming along, but the fitness and the back are still question marks.”
At Kitzbuehel, as in Wengen, Miller will have official downhill training runs to see how his back holds up before making a decision about whether to race.
“I have to face reality,” Miller said. “If I’m not ready to race, I’m not going to throw myself down there, trying to just hope. I have to be prepared to race and win and hopefully do it healthy. It’s going to be a last-minute decision there, too.
“It’s the classic hill of our tour. I look forward to going there every year, but I’d like to be going there 100 percent sure that I was going to race and confident that I could win. That’s not the case this year. We’ll go in there and hope for the best.”
John Meyer: 303-954-1616, jmeyer@denverpost.com or t
