The United States men will have to regain that status as they kick off a new winter of competition without their most successful pilot ever after the unexpected death of the legendary Steve Holcomb in May.

The World Cup season kicked off this morning as the planet’s top bobsled and skeleton athletes made their annual pilgrimage to Lake Placid, and even though Holcomb is no longer around to lead the U.S. athletes onto the track, there’s plenty of confidence when it comes to the American men’s hopes for success.

The World Cup schedule today and Friday at Mount Van Hoevenberg features men’s and women’s bobsled and skeleton racing.

U.S. driver bobsled Nick Cunningham believes that with three seasoned drivers and some great push athletes behind them, the American men are poised for a strong showing, especially since they are starting the year on home ice.

Elana Meyers Taylor is seen in November 2017 following the Americans’ training session at the Olympic Sports Complex in Lake Placid. (Enterprise photo — Lou Reuter)

“We’re still very, very confident with who we have on the team, and I think the brakemen have definitely shown that every one is ready to step up,” Cunningham said Wednesday afternoon after the U.S. men and women completed their training runs earlier in the day. “It’s shown through team trials and coming into World Cup one.

“It’s carrying on that legacy of being a medal threat every time we touch the starting block, and I think that’s the pilots’ mentality going into the season. On any track we need to be that medal favorite, and what better way to start on our home track and build that momentum.”

Cunningham enters the season as the driver of USA 2, and hopes to climb up into the top spot by the time the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang take place in South Korea in February. Codie Bascue and Justin Olsen are the other two American drivers gearing up for the World Cup and Olympic season.

“My goal now is to just prove myself throughout the season and earn USA 1,” said Cunningham, who has the most driving experience among the three U.S. men’s drivers. “That’s my goal: going into the Olympics in USA 1. My guys are ready, and they’re ready to prove themselves. We like the fact that people overlook us and we want to prove them wrong. It gives us a way to show people who we are and what we can do, and show them our passion for winning.”

The one big drawback for the U.S. men is the fact that the four-man bobsled competition slated for Friday was canceled due to varying ice conditions during a week that started out with temperatures in the 50s and were expected to drop significantly as the weekend closes in.

James Reed, left, and Evan Weinstock, check out the runners on a U.S. sled Wednesday afternoon in preparation for today’s season-opening World Cup event at Mount Van Hoevenberg. (Enterprise photo — Lou Reuter)

“If we had a four-man race here, we’d be showing the world the kind of depth that we really do have,” Cunningham said. “The fact that we’ve been training at one temperature and we would go and race at a drastically different temperature — that was the icing on the cake of why were are not going to race. We were all pumped for four-man here, and to start the momentum by hopefully sweeping both two- and four-man. But now hopefully we’ll sweep two-man here in and then sweep them both in (the next World Cup race) in Park City.”

Racing in Lake Placid kicked off today with women’s skeleton and bobsled and men’s two-man bobsled. Action slated for Friday includes men’s skeleton and men’s two-man bobsled.