Lake Placid (RWH) Olympic Champions, World Champions and top of the World Cup rankings: Natalie Geisenberger and Felix Loch (both GER) currently hold all of the race bib titles the International Luge Federation (FlL) has on offer. After the season opening in Innsbruck-Igls and the successful debut of the FIL Sprint World Cup, the two Sochi 2014 gold medallists, who also won the 2013 World Championships in Whistler (CAN), now head the overall rankings in the Viessmann World Cup with the highest possible score of 200 points each. The doubles team of Toni Eggert and Sascha Benecken (GER) are also top of the field with 200 points after their twofold victory in the Viessmann World Cup and FIL Sprint World Cup in Innsbruck-Igls. Lake Placid, which hosted the 1932 and 1980 Olympics, will see the second round in what could be considered an imaginary tour of three Olympic tracks, the first round of which was held in Innsbruck-Igls, host to the 1964 and 1976 Olympics. A week after Lake Placid, the final Olympic track race will take place in Calgary, Canada, home to the 1988 Olympics. In Lake Placid, not only will the three individual disciplines be fought out on the challenging ice chute on Mount Van Hoevenberg in the US state of New York. The athletes will also line up for the season debut of the Viessmann Team Relay World cup presented by BMW, FIL’s most recent Olympic discipline. The last time the team relay was run on American soil, on 9 February 2013, Germany won ahead of host USA and Italy. Defending women’s singles titleholder Natalie Geisenberger already has a lead of 45 points on teammate Tatjana Hüfner (155) after the opening weekend. Dajana Eitberger, also of Germany, is third with 145 points. Eggert-Benecken’s lead on the competition in the doubles is just as clear: Peter Penz and Georg Fischler of Austria have 155 points, and Germany’s Olympic and World Champions Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt have 130 points. In the men’s singles, Felix Loch is only 30 points ahead of his closest rival, Dominik Fischnaller (170). Two years ago, Fischnaller came second behind Armin Zöggeler and ahead of David Mair in Italy’s remarkable podium sweep.