Speed Team Heads to Andorra
SOLDEU, Andorra (Feb. 26, 2016) – The ladies speed team was able to catch some sunshine and a little taste of the ocean in Barcelona, Spain en route to Soldeu-El Tarter, Andorra this weekend. For the Americans, it’s a long season away from home and the sunshine may have been just what the doctor ordered to recharge the ladies for the remainder of the season.
Andorra is a tiny country located between France and Spain in the Pyrenees mountains, where Soldeu-El Tarter will play host to a super G and alpine combined on Saturday and Sunday. Previously, Andorra has hosted World Cup giant slalom and slalom events, but this speed weekend will be a first for the tiny nation. Luckily, in Andorra’s case, size doesn’t matter. Their fans are crazy about ski racing and they’re stoked World Cup action is returning to their soil.
Laurenne Ross (pictured here in La Thuile) is gunning for a podium spot this weekend. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Alain Grosclaude)
The “Speed Queen” Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) has won 27 World Cup super G races, which is a record for men and women. She holds a slim 23-point lead in the Audi FIS Ski World Cup overall over Switzerland’s Lara Gut going into the weekend. Vonn has a 79-point lead in super G over Gut, with three events remaining this season. Gut holds a 20-point lead in the combined after one event, with the globe on the line Sunday.
Laurenne Ross (Bend, OR) has had her most consistent season yet, with three straight top-five finishes in downhill and two straight top-10 finishes in super G. This is a speed unicorn you’re going to want to follow for the remainder of the season. She’s happy with her consistency and she’s starting to trust herself more, but knows she can ski faster. Her eye is on the podium.
Mikaela Shiffrin (pictured here in Crans-Montana, Switzerland) plans on racing the super G and alpine combined in Andorra. (Getty Images/Agence Zoom-Vianney Thibaut)
Of course Soldeu-El Tarter is all abuzz about a dark horse on the speed side, the ever-impressive Mikaela Shiffrin (Eagle-Vail, CO), who snagged a World Cup victory in her comeback slalom race at Crans-Montana just a couple of weeks ago. Shiffrin’s foray into speed disciplines occurred earlier this year, when she turned heads with a top-15 finish in her first career super G in Lake Louise. This weekend will mark her alpine combined debut, which – as a mega-hot slalom skier with big speed potential – will make Shiffrin a legitimate threat in the combined. Watch out, World Cup.
Soldeu (SG, AC) Starters
Stacey Cook – SG, AC
Abby Ghent – SG
Anna Marno – SG
Alice McKennis – SG, AC
Laurenne Ross – SG, AC
Mikaela Shiffrin – SG, AC
Lindsey Vonn – SG, AC
Jacqueline Wiles – SG, AC
Broadcast and Live Streaming (times EST)
Saturday, Feb. 27
4:30 a.m. - Women's super G, Soldeu - LIVE - NBC Sports Live Extra
2:30 p.m. - Women's super G, Soldeu - Universal HD
Sunday, Feb. 28
4:30 a.m. - Women's alpine combined downhill, Soldeu - LIVE - NBC Sports Live Extra
7:30 a.m. - Women's alpine combined slalom, Soldeu - LIVE - NBC Sports Live Extra
2:30 p.m. - Women's alpine combined, Soldeu - Universal HD
