A sensation is in the offing at the Downhill World Cup in Leogang. The American Aaron Gwin starts the race in last place as the fastest qualifier. But the mishap happens at the start. "The chain broke on the first turn of the pedals. Something that has never happened to me before. Fortunately, I didn't have to pedal much in the middle section. I made myself small there and attacked as hard as I could in the technical sections. It's unbelievable that I was able to take the win like that," says the astonished Gwin and adds: "Last year I had a puncture here shortly after the start. Today I thought; no, not today. I can ride fast even without a chain."

Fourth at the first intermediate time, Gwin rides the lower technical section like there's no tomorrow. He crosses the finish line 45 hundredths faster than the young Australian Conor Fearon. Gwin makes history again with this run and extends his overall lead in the process.

The preceding runs are no less exciting, however. Podium contender Loic Bruni (FRA), who crashed in the qualifying run, has to start early and sets a mark that a number of well-known riders are fighting to break. But Bruni's time is gradually undercut again and again until Troy Brosnan completes his run almost three seconds faster. After that, his time was only narrowly beaten again by Rémi Thirion.From a Swiss perspective, the men's World Cup race is not a highlight. After a decent qualification and 23rd place on Saturday, Nick Beer failed to improve and finished in 44th place. Noel Niederberger also had no luck. "It went well until the last stone field. There I made a big mistake that cost me a lot of time. I think I would have finished in the top 30 without the mistake. Now it's only 49th place," Niederberger analyzes. "Despite the mishap, I'm slowly getting into my stride. That's why I'm convinced I can deliver a good race in Lenzerheide."

www.uci.ch