December 16, 2006 (Ramsau, Austria) – World Cup leader Christoph Bieler of Austria won his second consecutive nordic combined event Saturday as he led both rounds of jumping. Bill Demong (Vermontville, NY) was 22nd and Johnny Spillane (Steamboat Springs, CO) finished 24th.

In a mass start event that began with a 10K race, Demong was third and Spillane 11th but they struggled with the jumping while Bieler – 17th in the 10K – excelled with jumps of 96 and 97.5 meters. He finished with 265.0 points to top Finn Anssi Koivuranta (263.7).

“The boys are so close,” Head Coach Lasse Ottesen said, “but not having enough training jumps is a problem. They got a couple of days of good training in Steamboat before coming here, which was a help, but we still need more time jumping on snow.

“They’re positive and they’re being patient because they can tell how close they are to turning this thing around…and because they know they can count on their cross country,” he said. “The mass start always favors the better jumpers, so tomorrow when it’s jumping and then cross country in a ‘hurricane sprint,’ they know they should do better.”

In a hurricane start, the athletes start the 7.5K according to a formula which equates points behind the jumping leader to distances behind the top jumper at the start of the race. Under the traditional Gundersen method of handicap start, the skiers are docked time – not distance – according to how far behind the jump leader they place.

After Sunday’s event in this village which hosted the 1999 nordic World Championships, the U.S. squad heads home for the holidays and some additional jump training, then returns to Europe for the annual German Grand Prix, which begins Dec. 30 in Oberhof, Germany.

Warsteiner Nordic Combined World Cup

Ramsau, AUT – Dec. 16, 2006

Mass start (10K/K98 jumping)
1. Christoph Bieler, Austria, (17/1) 265.0 points
2. Anssi Koivuranta, Finland, (18/2) 263.7
3. Maxime Laheurte, France, (15/4) 253.0
4. Ronny Ackermann, Germany, (4/5) 251.5
5. Bjoern Kircheisen, Germany, (13/6T) 248.2
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22. Bill Demong, Vermontville, NY, (3/24) 228.5
24. Johnny Spillane, Steamboat Springs, CO, (7/26) 224.5

For complete results click here.