Because it was here, in Italy, why not? Therefore, I hopped on a flight to Torino, rented a car and drove into the Italian Alps. This luge track, the only one in Italy, was constructed for the 2006 Torino Winter Olympics.
Free entrance! Free parking! And the star of the show? Armin Zoeggler, 5 time Olympic Medalist (2 Gold, 1 Silver, 2 Bronze) and 5 time World Champion and an Italian!
The track is built on a mountain just outside of the town of Cesana Torinese, right on the French/Italian border. The mountains in the background of this picture are probably on the French side.
I arrived and at 10AM and was in time for the 2nd and final heat of the Women's competition. I spent some time here at this straightaway, but soon decided that standing along a banked curve was much more interesting.
The lugers gain so much speed that I could never really get the timing right, so I have lots of pictures like this, where the luger has already gone by.
So, I went with video instead!
During the women's final, I did manage to get this photo up near the middle of the course. I'm minding my own business when all of a sudden, standing next to me is.....
Armin "Il Cannibale" Zoeggler!! He pulls up within a few feet of me and is climbing around the railing, checking the ice. He was in the groove, so I didn't bother him, but I did snap this photo.
There were only 13 women in the competition, which was dominated by the German team as they placed 4 of their lugers in the top 6.
After a lunch break, we returned in the afternoon for the men's competition.
It was getting dark and the clouds were rolling in. If you find the spot where the road curves to the right and disappears, right at that corner was where I spent the men's competition because I could see each luger in four different curves.
Armin had a large and loud fan club. There were lots of cow bells ringing
Here is a clip of two time world champion and 21 year old German Felix Loch. He placed 1st after the first heat.
In the second heat, the two 25 lugers from the first heat go down in reverse order. At this point, when I took the picture, the leaderboard had a bunch of North Americans. It wouldn't last.
Loch came down last, but finished second behind Zoeggler. When the results went up, the place went wild. Myself included. It was Zoeggler's sixth world title. The scoreboard doesn't show it, but the 6th, 7th and 8th place finishers were a German and two Austrians. The sport is dominated by countries that are located in the central Alps.
Zoeggler during the interview. In 13 competitions at the Cesana track, Zoeggler is undefeated!
The mens podium! Zoeggler on top, where we usually find him.
