Bode Miller and Daron Rahlves have quite a good thing going.

Two weeks ago, Miller won the GS at Alta Badia. Last week, it was Rahlves turn to stand atop the podium in the Bormio downhill.

Today, Miller stormed through the second run of a giant slalom with the fastest time to claim his second World Cup win of the season and take the World Cup points lead for the first time by an American man since Phil Mahre in 1983. Erik Schlopy, laying down the second-fastest final run for his best result in two seasons, tied for fourth, just two-hundredths of a second away from second place.

"We nearly had 'The Big One' – 1-2 for the guys," said a jubilant SL/GS Head Coach Martin Andersen. "It's good snow: hard and icy – icy but not slick, probably the best conditions of the winter.

"Bode skied so well again and Erik was down twice on his second run and still had the second-fastest time," Andersen said. The temperature was in the low 30s.

Miller was third after the first run, trailing Austrian Beni Raich. His near-flawless second run gave him the victory with a total time of 2:04.05. Austrian Christian Mayer was second in 2:04.98 with Finn Sami Uotila third (2:04.99).

Schlopy and Raich tied for fourth in 2:05.00. No other U.S. man qualified for a second run.

The victory, the sixth of his career for the Carrabassett Valley Academy product and his second straight in GS following his performance in Alta Badia Dec. 22, enabled him to take both the men's overall and GS points leads.

Miller has 578 points while defending World Cup champ Stephan Eberharter of Austria, returning from a knee injury in mid-December, finished 24th in the GS and now has 555. Didier Defago of Italy is 3rd with 414, Norway's Kjetil Andre Aamodt is 4th with 383, and Didier Cuche of Switzerland rounds out the top five with 353.

In GS, Miller has 325 points as he pulled by Swiss icon Michael Von Gruenigen, second with 302. Von Gruenigen, in his final season, finished 11th in today's race.

The men run slalom Sunday in Kranjska Gora.

— Courtesy US Ski Team with additional material from MountainZone.com staff