Associated Press
LONDON -- U.S. Olympic gold medalist skier Bode Miller has teamed with Swedish X Games champion freeskier Jon Olsson to drive the Gumball 3000 Rally, a Tour de France-style auto race stretching from London to Istanbul beginning on Thursday.
"I have no idea what to expect, but I know it's going to be a cool experience," said Miller, who last summer competed in a qualifier for the US Open tennis championship. "I've always loved that kind of model for auto racing -- it's unique."
Created in 1999, the race will feature more than 100 cars that will set off from London on a 3,000-mile trip across 10 countries in seven days.
"It's definitely going to be fun driving, but it's also going to be cool to check out all the other cars," said Miller, who drives an Audi RS6 between FIS Alpine World Cup tour events.
The race will follow a route that incorporates Paris, Barcelona, Spain, Monte Carlo (attending the Monaco F1 race), Milan and Venice in Italy before crossing the finish line in Istanbul on June 1st.
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press