Didier Cuche races down the course in Wednesday's training session at Lake Louise. (Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press)

Didier Cuche of Switzerland posted the fastest time Wednesday in the first training run for this weekend's World Cup men's downhill season opener at Lake Louise, Alta.

Two more practice sessions are on tap ahead of Saturday's race (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 1:30 p.m. ET).

Lake Louise will also host the first super-G of the season on Sunday (Bold, CBCSports.ca, 1 p.m. ET).

Cuche, who won the giant slalom opener last month in Austria, clocked in at one minute, 49.98 seconds on the 3.089-kilometre course.

Reigning World Cup downhill champion Michael Walchhofer finished second in 1:50.60, and France's Pierre-Emmanuel Dalcin was third in 1:51.08.

Robbie Dixon of North Vancouver, B.C., was fourth, 1.11 seconds behind Cuche.

Calgary's John Kucera finished 14th, while Montreal's Erik Guay and Calgary's Jan Hudec were 43rd and 44th, respectively.

Manuel Osborne-Paradis (46th), Louis-Pierre Helie (49th) and Tyler Nella (53rd) rounded out the Canadians in the field.