When she is not training or competing, Regine Cavagnoud prefers to ride her motorcycle on the spectacular roads of the Aravis mountains near Tignes.

A veteran on the French team, Cavagnoud had to wait until her 10th World Cup season to celebrate her very first success on the tour. At Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, she became the first skier on her team to win a downhill since Caroline Attia at Sansicario in 1982. That very same weekend she followed up her performance with a 3rd in super G, 1st in the second super G, and 4th in the giant slalom, the last event of that long weekend and her best finish yet in that event.

Cavagnoud traveled to Vail, Colorado, in '99 with the solid ambition of becoming the first French woman to clinch a gold medal in a speed event at a FIS World Championship. Unfortunately, she injured her knee in downhill training. But the 29-year-old champion, originally from La Clusaz, north of Annecy, will try to launch a comeback in St. Anton in February.

A promising junior, she was 20 during the 1991 World Championships at Saalbach when she finished 22nd in downhill, 12th in super G and 10th in combined. Afterwards, her progression was slow. In 1993, she finished 1st on the demanding course at Veysonnaz, Switzerland, 2nd in downhill and 3rd in super G, but she couldn't do better than 11th in downhill at Morioka at the World Championships. Plagued by injuries and health problems, she was not able to train as hard as her trainers wanted — and she didn't dare to attack on the race courses.

Cavagnoud only achieved average results at the next medal events in 1994, 1996 and 1997. She put more pressure on herself in 1997 when she felt her spot on the national team was at risk. She gained first seed in the speed events thanks to some top-10 finishes, including a 5th at Val d'Isère in December 1997, her best result since Veysonnaz. Her increased confidence showed in her newfound aggressiveness on the course.

Cavagnoud finished 7th in downhill at the Nagano Olympics and has worked with psychologists to improve her mental preparation using the Sophrology technique. This has helped her become more relaxed and positive. Last year's 5th place in the overall standings proves she'll be one to watch this season.

Regine learned to ski very young. Her father, a carpenter in the summers, worked winters at the ski lifts at La Clusaz. Instead of going to the day care center, her parents let her use a little lift nearby and her parents had a hard time getting her off the slopes.