Time out for Bode Miller

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Skier Bode Miller has always marched to a different drummer. Now, that drummer is telling him to end his World Cup season.

Miller, twice the overall World Cup champion and eighth in this season’s standings, announced Tuesday that he will take the rest of the season off. That consists of two more weekends, at Kvitfjell, Norway, and Are, Sweden.

Miller has talked about retiring before the Vancouver Games but hasn’t committed either way. He hasn’t won a major race since the 2005 World Championships, when he won the super-giant slalom and downhill. He was a favorite to take home a good amount of hardware from Turin, but spent most of his time partying. His best finish was fifth in the downhill.

‘Due to a number of factors, it makes sense to call it a season,’ he said in a statement released by U.S. Skiing. ‘I came into the season excited, with my mental and physical intensity where I wanted it to be. I had speed and raced hard all season but it didn’t translate into the results we were hoping for.

‘I have been racing World Cup for a while and need a break. At this time I find more happiness doing other things than being on tour.’

Miller, the 2005 and 2008 World Cup overall champion, has 31 World Cup victories, the most of any American skier. He won Olympic silver at Salt Lake City in giant slalom and combined.

‘I thank everyone for their support, arc on,’ he said, cryptic as ever.

-- Helene Elliott