Celebrating a Legend

2014-06-06

Images by: Craig Kolesky

South African downhill legend Greg Minnaar has raced his 100th UCI World Cup - a phenomenal achievement from probably the discipline’s most consistent performer.

Minnaar has three World Championship titles and won the downhill World Cup points series another three times. He has 16 victories and 61 podiums in the World Cup series from his 99 starts.

He took on his 100th event at Fort William in Scotland on Sunday, June 8, finishing seventh.

Minnaar has also completed the Absa Cape Epic twice - in 2004 and 2007.

Epic founder Kevin Vermaak congratulated the cycling icon on his achievement: “I can remember the day in 2003 when (cycling journalist) Sean Badenhorst SMSed us to say that Greg had become the first South African to win a cycling world championship.

“It was therefore a great honour when Greg then rode the first Cape Epic in 2004 as the reigning world champion.

“His support over the years has meant a lot to us. Besides taking part on the Epic itself a couple of times, he has also attended several of our route launch galas and joined us at the Grand Finale finish line.

“The Absa Cape Epic congratulates Greg on an outstanding achievement. He has been a great ambassador for South Africa and has flown the flag with distinction around the world,” said Vermaak.

Minnaar said this week he enjoyed the Fort William venue and course: “The only venue that could be more special racing my 100th World Cup would be Pietermaritzburg.”

Minnaar said his most memorable win was the first one achieved at his hometown: “That’s a hard one to answer, but I would have to go with my first World Cup win at home in Pietermaritzburg in 2009. There is no better feeling than winning at home.”

Asked about the changes to the sport over the years, Minnaar said: “Technology has progressed a lot! It has become more professional over the years and we have been pushing the boundaries of technology. It’s kinda cool to see the directions technology was going, then making a drastic turn and going a completely different direction.”

Minnaar started competing at an elite level 14-years-ago as a 17-year-old.

Minnaar has won the UCI Downhill World Championship three times - in 2003, 2012 and 2013. He has finished second three times (2004, 2006 and 2009) and taken the bronze three times (2001, 2005 and 2010).

He was also crowned Downhill World Cup series champion three times (2001, 2005 and 2008) for winning the most Mountain Bike World Cup points over a season.

In the 2008 World Cup, Minnaar podiumed at every one of the seven events in the series, taking the win at Fort William, Mont-Sainte-Anne (Canada) and Canberra (Ausralia). This gave him a comfortable lead going into the finals at Schladming, Austria, where he placed fifth and clenched his overall lead to take the well-deserved overall title.