Race cancellations are more commonplace than ever in this year's Ski World Cup. The second downhill training session in Val Gardena/Gröden was also canceled due to the weather. But what does a "free" day for a speed racer look like? We had a quick chat with local hero Florian Schieder from Castelrotto/Kastelruth.

Florian Schieder was one of the high-flyers in the Italian team last season, securing second place on the legendary "Streif" in Kitzbühel, two more top-ten results in Aspen and Soldeu, and tenth place in the Downhill World Cup. The 28-year-old raced to the top in the 2022/23 World Cup winter. This year, however, the South Tyrolean - like all the other speed aces - was severely slowed down by the weather.

Although Schieder would much rather be out on the slopes, he has almost gotten used to the canceled training sessions and races. "Cancellations don't always happen the same way. In Zermatt-Cervinia and Beaver Creek, we were informed about the events at 6 am here in Val Gardena/Gröden, it was a little different. After breakfast, we set off for the run-in and only received the information from our head coach there," said the South Tyrolean.

Immediately afterward, the Italian speed team returned to the team hotel, where each racer could organize their own time. While some preferred to lay low, Schieder went straight to the gym. "I do that so that I have the afternoon off," explained the 28-year-old, who had one last physio session to prepare for the downhill on Thursday.

Before the day ended, the last official act on the agenda was a meeting before Schieder went back to his room. "Days like this don't have any particular highlights," concludes the man from Castelrotto/Kastelruth - knowing full well that he will be back on the race course on Thursday and can finally fight for World Cup points again.