Kyle Records Best DH World Cup Result Of His Career

22 year old Kyle Strait recorded a career best 11th place at the 2nd round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in La Bresse, France, at the weekend, after deciding in October last year to focus more on downhill racing in 2009. His previous best was 12th in Fort William in 2005. Missing round 1 in South Africa, Kyle was keen to represent his new team, Specialized Team America, at the 2nd round of the series, and at the start of his international racing campaign. While the event experienced intermittent rain throughout the afternoon, the top riders conceded this was not a major factor, and many congratulated Strait on his great ride of 2m 12.33secs. Kyle said: "In qualifying I just rode a steady race, aiming to get in the top 80 but I knew I didn't need to chase points, so it was a steady run. When I saw I was mid field, it gave me confidence for a possible top 20, which was my goal for the final. The track was awesome and the crowd made you feel like it was a World Championship. I really stepped it up in the final, and even though I felt the rain beginning to come down I knew the whole course wouldn't be instantly soaked, so I concentrated on putting all the sections together; the last 300m I was close to being out of control, I had a lot of fun!" Kyle now moves into the top 40 in the overall despite not attending round 1, and now heads to Andorra for Round 3 this weekend. Kyle would like to thank his team, and all his personal sponsors that have stuck with him for his new look 2009 season, and believed in him, namely Hayes Brakes, Sun Ringle Wheels, FUNN, SixSixOne, Oakley, Deity Components, SDG Components, e*thirteen, Crank Brothers, Fox Shox and Chris King. www.23degrees-sports.com