Minnaar victorious in Leogang

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The first half of the 2010 season for the Mountain Bike World Cup concluded on Sunday at the new venue of Leogang, Austria, with the third round for downhill. Riders had to deal with cold temperatures, rain and mud, which had chewed the course up significantly, and left big holes and ruts full of water. The final 20 men to race saw the rain return for their runs. Greg Minnaar (Santa Cruz Syndicate) extended his lead in the series after taking his second win of the season.

Minnaar qualified second fastest among the men, two-tenths of a second behind Sam Blenkinsop (Pierre International), with Aaron Gwin (Yeti Fox Shox) in third and round two winner Gee Atherton (Commencal) in fifth.

In the final, no one could come close to the top qualifying time, showing how much the track had deteriorated overnight. World Champion Steve Peat (Santa Cruz Syndicate) set the first time under 4:12, but was bumped from the hot seat by Cameron Cole (Maxxis-Rocky Mountain), the young New Zealand rider who has become a consistent top-10finisher.

Gee Atherton, the fifth from last starter, then took the leading time down by a staggering 5.38 seconds, which stood up until Minnaar came in three quarters of a second faster at 4:05.65. Blenkinsop couldn't manage to repeat his stellar qualifying performance, and slotted into fourth, behind Gwin.

Minnaar, with two wins and a third place, extended his World Cup lead over Atherton to 73 points, while Gwin moved into third, 250 points behind Minnaar.

"It was crazy out there," said Minnaar. "I was just all over the place, dabbing and trying to stay on the bike. It really was tough."

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