With an extra £80,000 in his bank and a load off his mind, Dave Ryding is heading for the Winter Olympics at considerable speed after making history in Kitzbuhel, Austria at the weekend.
Ryding is a charming and unlikely story about a British skier who learned how to ski from his father, a market trader. Ryding became the first Brit to ever win an Alpine World Cup gold medal on Saturday.
Ryding was the winner of the most important slalom race and the oldest World Cup champion at age 35. He also won his largest payday.
With an extra £80,000 in his bank and a load off his mind, Dave Ryding is heading for the Winter Olympics at considerable speed after making history in Kitzbuhel
‘I’m fortunate now since I’ve been in the top 15 to make a living,’ said Ryding. ‘I’m no footballer. Footballers make more per week than me in one year. But I’m not complaining. Kitzbuhel is the place to be if you want to win prize money.
‘I am a tight a*** so I don’t know what I’ll spend it on. Maybe I don’t need to work a year longer in my life.’
Ryding is gaining momentum heading into the fourth Olympics. They will be held in Beijing, China, on February 4. He was ninth in Pyeonghang four years ago, but after winning in Kitzbühel he will be seen as an outside shot at a medal in one of the showpiece disciplines of the Games.
Ryding won the Alpine World Cup gold medal on Saturday, becoming the first Brit ever to do so.
This resulted in the most significant payday that the 35-yearold has ever received.
‘Obviously I’ve shown how good I am this year,’ said Ryding, who had three previous podium finishes since joining the circuit in 2009.
‘You win a World Cup three weeks before the Olympics it’s natural for everyone to talk. While the expectations and pressure are increasing, it won’t define me by an Olympics.
“I am proud to have had an incredible career in Alpine skiing. It’s lifted my burden to win it.
‘No question I’ll be expecting myself to ski well but whatever happens I can go home knowing I’ve got a World Cup victory.’