Greg Minnaar

Greg Minnaar (born November 13, 1981 in Pietermaritzburg) is a South African former World Champion mountain bike racer competing in downhill cycling. Greg first started to get noticed as a world class downhill racer at the age of 17, in 1999, racing select World Cups (including one in his home country of South Africa, in Stellenbosch) on a local shop team, aboard a Kona Stab Dee-Lux bike with a Marzocchi Monster T. fork. The following year, still a junior, he was picked up by British international team Animal Orange, which used Orange frames (222 for downhill and Ms. Isle for dual slalom) and Rockshox suspension. That year (2000) Greg podiumed at a World Cup points series race for the first time. The following two years Greg rode for the mighty Global Racing team, aboard similar bikes to the previous years', and on this team, at the age of 19, he won the overall World Cup points series in the Elite downhill. In 2003 Greg switched to the Haro Lee Dungarees team, which used Intense designed and built DHR frames for the dowhill and their own short travel Werx trailbike frames for Four Cross, with Manitou suspension. It was aboard this team that, at the age of 21, Greg became World Champion of downhill. Following this, Greg was offered a spot on the infamous "Team G Cross Honda", which used one-off internally geared framesmade by Honda, and Showa suspension. He accepted, and stayed on that team for four years, which included his second World Cup points series overall victory in 2005. After the sudden pulling out of the sport by Honda after the 2007 season, which ended on a bittersweet note with a dislocated and fractured shoulder early in his winning World Championship final run (Greg got back on the bike to salvage a painful 4th place finish), Greg was forced to switch teams yet again. He recently chose the Santa Cruz Syndicate team, alongsides the likes of Steve Peat and Nathan Rennie, for the 2008 season. He competes in the NORBA and Mountain Bike World Cup points series races, in the Elite Downhill and Four Cross events.

Championships

Downhill World Cup

He was twice crowned Downhill World Cup champion (2001, 2005) for winning the Mountain Bike World Cup points series. He was also crowned "Downhill World Champion" in 2003 for winning the season ending event. He has also done well in the Four Cross event, with one win in the 2003 World Cup points series, in Fort William, Scotland, and a fourth place finish at the 2005 World Championships.

NORBA

Minnaar has twice (2003, 2004) been crowned the champion of the NORBA points series.

ee also

*Steve Peat, Minnaar's team mate on the Syndicate Team.

External links

* [http://www.gregminnaar.com/ Official site]
* [http://www.santacruzmtb.com/riders/ "Team Santa Cruz Syndicate" Official site]