Bormio: McNichol has mixed emotions for Miller

Bode Miller clinched his second overall World Cup title, then promptly retreated behind the dark tinted glass windows of his personal bus.  
    For Miller, there were no smiles, no champagne — and no words offered to explain his emotions.
    Miller finished a disappointing 12th in the final super-G of the season on the same course where he won a gold medal at the 2005 World Championships. But he clinched the overall title when Didier Cuche _ the only skier still with a mathematical chance of moving ahead of him in the standings — announced after the race that he would not compete in the season's final slalom, thus handing the title to Miller.
    ''He's just upset. He wanted to win it in an epic battle on the race course,'' said Miller's friend Jake Serino, who shares a motor home with Miller during the season.

BORMIO, Italy — Bode Miller clinched his second overall World Cup title, then promptly retreated behind the dark tinted glass windows of his personal bus.   
    Lindsey Vonn was all smiles after moving so close to clinching the women's crown that her only rival still mathematically 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.
    Vonn finished second Thursday in the season's final super-G behind Fabienne Suter of Switzerland, her best result in the discipline all season.
    For Miller, there were no smiles, no champagne — and no words offered to explain his emotions.
    Miller finished a disappointing 12th in the final super-G of the season on the same course where he won a gold medal at the 2005 World Championships. But he clinched the overall title when Didier Cuche _ the only skier still with a mathematical chance of moving ahead of him in the standings — announced after the race that he would not compete in the season's final slalom, thus handing the title to Miller.
    ''He's just upset. He wanted to win it in an epic battle on the race course,'' said Miller's friend Jake Serino, who shares a motor home with Miller during the season.
    Miller's personal coach John McBride set the course for the men's super G.
    ''Today was disappointing for sure,'' McBride said. ''I thought I went out there and set a course that was a skier's course and I thought he was going to be the man to take care of it.''
    Still, McBride rejoiced at what Miller had accomplished in his first season since breaking away from the U.S. Ski Team to race and train 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.''  

McNichol has mixed emotions over Miller's title
Miller can ski his remaining two races with the knowledge that his gamble to start his own team paid off.
    After clashing with the U.S. squad over team rules the past few seasons, Miller decided to go solo.
    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.''
    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, whose habit of partying during major events created headlines in previous years, 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.''
    McKinney suggested recently that Miller might appreciate this title more than the one he won in 2005.
    ''It doesn't really work that way,'' Miller said in an interview earlier this week. ''I'm proud of myself if I accomplish something I think is an extreme challenge. Winning the overall isn't harder or easier when I'm on my own. It has to do with winning the races. The hard part was putting the team together and managing the team.''
    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.''