Ratboy to Man, the Story So Far – Josh Bryceland

May 21, 2018

There’s something special about Josh Bryceland. Ever since he arrived on the mountain bike scene he has brought something unique to the party. His laid-back attitude, incredible style, huge grin and unmistakable looks have proved infectious, and as a result, he’s earned a place in the heart of many of us.

In the off-season of 2016, Josh announced that he would be leaving the downhill world cup behind, much to the shock and dismay of his fans. However, Josh wasn’t going away, in fact, anything but! 2017 saw a more enlightened Josh making forays into the Enduro World Series, Crankworx, and Fest Series, as well as being involved in multiple filming projects, and creating more fresh content with the 50to01crew. All this meant we got to see more of that infectious grin than ever before.

But how did we get here? Where did it all start? What really drove the decision to leave downhill, what’s next, and what does Josh think about the state of mountain biking today? These questions have been on my mind for some time, so when I got the opportunity to visit Josh on his houseboat, moored in a quiet marina on the outskirts of Manchester, I jumped at the chance.

Josh popped on the kettle and we sat down with a cup of tea (with hemp milk, of course) for a good old-fashioned chinwag. In a wide-ranging conversation and the most in-depth interview with Josh so far, we cover his childhood, riding with Peaty, sports psychology, winning the world cup overall title, why he decided to quit downhill and plenty more. So grab a drink, sit back, relax and listen to the story of Ratboy’s journey so far.

You can subscribe to the podcast by visiting downtimepodcast.com/subscribe to make sure you get all our new episodes delivered straight to your device, or if you’re using iTunes, just click below…

You can follow Josh on Instagram @ratboy_bryce

Check out what the 50to01 crew are up to at www.50to01.com

Get hold of the book that Josh mentions in the episode – Let My People Go Surfing, by Yvon Chouinard

You can check out our back catalogue of amazing episodes at downtimepodcast.com/episodes

And help us keep this podcast free by getting yourself a t-shirt from downtimepodcast.com/shop

Photo – Sven Martin