Exclusive: Dave Ryding relishing return to 'Wimbledon of ski racing' for Kitzbuhel weekend after 2022 win

Published 19/01/2023 at 13:14 GMT

Ahead of one of the best weekends of the Alpine skiing calendar, the Kitzbuhel race weekend, Great Britain’s slalom superstar Dave Ryding chats to Eurosport to reminisce about his incredible performance in last year’s event, when he finally ended GB's (and his) long wait for a World Cup victory. Ryding also chats about the upcoming World Championships and why things haven’t been going his way.

‘Sensational!’ - Ryding makes history in Kitzbuhel with World Cup win

British skiing superstar Dave Ryding is relishing a return to Kitzbuhel, the scene of his first World Cup win and a place he considers the "Wimbledon of ski racing".

January 22, 2022 is a date that will be forever cemented in the minds of British ski racing fans - the day that Ryding ended all those years of waiting for a British World Cup victory.

This weekend he returns to the site of his historic triumph, with the Kitzbuhel weekend seeing two downhill races on Friday and Saturday before Ryding and the rest of the technicians take to the snow for the slalom on Sunday.

Kitzbühel

'Never stop believing' - Ryding savouring Kitzbuhel podium

22/01/2023 at 17:11

Reflecting on his victory 12 months ago in an exclusive interview with Eurosport, Ryding says: “It was something that I never dreamt of as a child because nobody had ever done it.

“So yeah, you never know what's possible. But then obviously, when I podiumed in 2017, and then was just consistently in and around the top 10 with some more podiums, I did start believing that I could do it.

"I believed I could become Britain's first-ever World Cup winner and that kind of resonated with me that that's something I wanted to achieve.

“I'm not gonna lie. I was beginning to think my time had passed because I was 35. It was relief. Not just for me, but for everyone who's been behind me in that - my coach, service man, my sponsors, my family, everyone.

‘I never stopped believing’ – Ryding after history-making ski in Kitzbuhel

“To say that I've done it and will always be remembered as the first winner, that's something that means I'll stay there in history forever, which obviously makes me very proud.”

When asked what it meant to win at Kitzbuhel, arguably the legendary location within ski racing, Ryding was gracious in saying he wouldn’t have minded where the win came, but did admit there was something special about the Austrian venue.

“I mean, I wouldn't have minded where the win would be. But obviously with it being Kitzbuhel, the most iconic place in the calendar, you get the crowds, the trophies, it's the best one to win for sure," he says.

"And the prize money as well is obviously reflected in that. So yeah, if I was to pick one, I probably would choose Kitz.

“When I got a bit older and you've watched the downhill, you know how hard the slalom is, the crowds, the history, everything...

"The more experience you have there, the more runs you have there, the more you get what that place is about and yeah, it really is the Wimbledon of ski racing.

“It's the pinnacle, definitely of the World Cup.”

A year ago in Kitzbuhel, Ryding skied out sixth last in the second run after an impressive first run. The second run was so quick that many watching immediately began dreaming big. But not Ryding.

“I was just more happy that I knew that I was gonna be no worse than sixth, because I had the green light and when you see the green light, it's always a time to release some emotion.

“So yeah, I knew I would be no worse than sixth. But then obviously I knew it was tough out there so I knew people would make mistakes and then it was just me or the young Italian Alex Vinatzer left.

“If there's anyone you want to go out last it’s a young guy who's never won before I thought. That's when it switched to ‘I'd rather be at the bottom with the time’ even though I was nearly nine tenths behind after the first round. I was still thinking 'I'd rather be down here than where he is'.”

And so it proved to be the case with Vinatzer stumbling and Ryding emerging victorious.

'I still believe I can do it' – Ryding staying positive despite Val d’Isere disappointment

Yet this season has been a trickier go for Ryding. In five slalom races this season his best result is 12th.

Ryding says it’s “a few little things, but those little things can obviously grow into bigger things".

He added: "I never really want to have excuses but things have happened every race, like the first race my service man did his knee. So I had someone else do my skis for the second one and then I was in ninth after the person ended up making a mistake.

“Then next race, he's not there. I'm tooling my own ski, so it's different again. Then we go to Garmisch and it's salt, like the soft snow, which is just not for me.”

As he said, Ryding is not one to make excuses, but it’s hard not to feel that every hand he has been dealt this season has been with a deck that is stacked against him.

But there is a chance for redemption. Next month the World Championships will take place in Courchevel and Meribel. Ryding knows there’s an opportunity there, but he’s still focused on what is before him.

Dave Ryding's England confession - 'I only watched 10 minutes!'

“Yes, it's on my mind, but I've got four more slaloms before that so I have to focus on the World Cup before I switch my attention to the World Champs," he says.

“Every race now is like do or die. So yeah, I'm 36, who knows how many more I've got left? So every race I want to do the best I can do now. Not sort of thinking like one month to two months or a year ahead. It's just live in the now and do the best you can each week.”

Which of course brings us onto the question of what happens after Ryding retires - and when that might be.

Ryding admits he is “still clueless” on what happens after skiing but did reiterate that he won’t be back for another Olympics.

“I'm not going to be doing this for five more years that's for sure. I would say one or two more years is the absolute max because I want to do it and compete, I don't want to do it and not be competing. It’s just not fun if you're not competing while you're out here.

"So yeah, I don't know. Who knows? I'll see. I'll see how I'm ranked after the season. I'll see what my body's like.”

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