RATBOY’S NEW HABIT

When word got out that one of the UK’s most influential riders, Josh Bryceland, had left long-term sponsors Santa Cruz, rumours were rife about where he’d end up. Well, in the first of this year’s big sponsorship changes, it turns out that ‘the Rat’ has been snapped up by US legends Cannondale and will be riding their Habit trail bike.

Josh has come a long way since he first appeared in MBUK back in 2000, when he took part in a skills masterclass with Steve Peat in She eld’s Wharncli e Woods. Since then, ‘Ratboy’ has followed his mentor Peaty to World Cup-winning success, first on Royal Orange and then the Santa Cruz Syndicate, before changing focus to riding and filming with the 50to01 crew. We grabbed a few words with the man himself about his change of scenery.

“Cannondale are supermotivated right now to make great bikes and to give us the freedom to show how good their bikes are in the 50to01 style,” says Josh. “They’re aiming to ‘green up’ their programme, which was something I thought about and made me feel comfortable making the switch. The Habit is such a fun bike, and helping Cannondale develop new bikes is something I’m excited about. They have some rad projects in the pipeline.”

We look forward to seeing more of Josh’s infectious style this season, when he’s hinted that he may hit up the Megavalanche Alpe d’Huez, a Crankworx round or two and some iXS downhill races, as he continues to showcase the fun side to mountain biking – which, after all, is why we all love it.