Hamburg - Felix Gottwald comes out of retirement for the enjoyment factor while the United States team has its full focus on the Vancouver Olympics in the Nordic combined skiing season. The US team has decided to skip the World Cup opener on Saturday and Sunday in Kuusamo, Finland, and will join the other nations the following weekend in Trondheim, Norway.
Two-time 2009 world champion Todd Lodwick will even delay his World Cup debut until mid-December, less than two months ahead of the February 12-29, 2010, Games in Canada.
"It's a long season. I don't want to burn the guys out too early - especially in an Olympic year ... We are building for the Olympics, and our goal is to bring home medals," said US coach Dave Jarett.
Lodwick agreed: "The first part of the season can be really long. The World Cup is important, but the real goal this season is the Olympics, and we can't lose sight of that."
Lodwick came out of retirement last year to win two world titles. Team-mate Bill Demong added gold and bronze in what was the best ever US showing in the sport twinning ski-jumping and cross-country skiing.
No one will underestimate the US team this season while there will be plenty of curiosity as to how the 33-year-old Gottwald will fare as he returns to the scene two years after his original retirement.
"I simply want to enjoy this second career. I don't want to define myself through metres and points and seconds," he insisted.
Gottwald insists that he is making a fresh start, but the winner of 20 World Cup races can not escape the fact that he goes to Vancouver as a two-time gold medallist from 2006.
Also returning, after just one year, is Finland's ex-World Cup champion Hannu Manninen. The Finnish team also boasts World Cup holder Anssi Koivuranta.
Norway's Petter Tande and Jan Schmid, Frenchman Jason Lamy Chappuis and Germany led by veteran Ronny Ackermann can also not be counted out in the season which runs until March 14, 2010, in Oslo.
