Bryceland wins Leogang World Cup downhill

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Josh Bryceland celebrated his first career World Cup win in Leogang on Sunday. Only two seconds separated the top five men at the end of the 3.1km course.

The track in Leogang best fit the young Brit Josh "Ratboy" Bryceland. He celebrated his first ever UCI World Cup victory with a flawless run in front of 11,000 spectators. His comment says it all: "I actually always do the same - ride down the hill as fast as I can. Sometimes it works good, sometimes not. Last weekend in Fort William was similar, besides the fact that I got 26th. This is a week to celebrate."

Before Bryceland put down his winning run, several favorites hit trouble on the track. Gee Atherton didn't have a great day and crossed the line in 12th place. Last year's World Cup overall winner Steve Smith left Saalfelden Leogang after several time-consuming mistakes, resulting in an 11th place finish.

Despite falling out of the top 10, Aaron Gwin was the unspoken hero of the day. Looking fast up top, he caught a flat tire and road out the course with a textbook-like run. His determination was rewarded by the roars of the amazed spectators.

Reigning World Champion Greg Minnaar spent a long time in the hot seat and was only pushed down by Bryceland. Another victim of the Speedster was French rider Loic Bruni. After qualifying first on Saturday, the former junior World Champion in Leogang had high hopes for the top spot. It all looked set for a French win after the first split. Sadly, Bruni had to burry all his ambitions in the last root section, when he went down. Completing the podium behind Bryceland and Minnaar was Fort William world cup winner Troy Brosnan, who also took over the lead in the overall World Cup.

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