South African mountain biking hero, Greg Minnaar, completed a quick three-stop tour in his home country recently – a postponed celebration of his winning the 2021 UCI Downhill Men’s World Championship title, which also doubled as a charity fundraiser and a glimpse into when the 41-year-old will retire. We asked him a few questions.
By Sean Badenhorst
It never ceases to amaze us how approachable Greg Minnaar is. He’s got the ability to make everyone that he speaks to feel at ease, and he shows a genuine interest in what people tell him. We were able to have an in-person catch-up chat with Greg at the final stop his Good Vibes Tour, which was organised by Rush Sports, the bicycle wholesaler of which he is a director, and which distributes Santa Cruz bikes and Maxxis tyres in South Africa.
The Good Vibes Tour was originally planned for when he returned home after winning his fourth career world championship title in September 2021, but the South African government’s Covid-19 restrictions were in place, making it impossible. Hence the postponement.
The most successful male downhill racer of all time is currently recovering from a neck injury suffered at the final round of the 2022 UCI World Cup Series in Val di Sole, Italy . The Good Vibes tour was held in Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg and Johannesburg from Tuesday 22-Thursday 24 November.
Guests were invited and included staff and customers from retailers of Santa Cruz and Maxxis. Minnaar mingled with the guests, always engaged with conversations and answering plenty of questions. He also patiently posed for photos with anyone that asked. At each venue an auction was held on a Greg Minnaar Syndicate racing jersey from 2022. More like a practice jersey though as Minnaar contested every race run this year in his rainbow-striped World Champion tunic.
On his recovery
I’m doing good. Still quite stiff and sore when I go for physiotherapy, but definitely on the mend and I’m doing some training again to build fitness and strength. Fortunately, the first World Cup race is quite late next year (June) which gives me more time for a full recovery before the pressure is on.
On why there aren’t any young South Africans shining consistently at the World Cup races
Instagram has ruined things. The young riders like to do cool looking things for Instagram, but it’s slowing them down in races.
For example, cutting corners. It looks cool to cut a corner on Instagram, but it’s slower than riding the full corner line. When you ride like that all the time and you’re in a race run and maybe go a bit off your line, you revert to that style, and it can cost you time. Speed and style don’t always mix.
Also, they’re not fit and strong all year round. I never really stop training. In my off season I do relax a bit and have some fun, but I don’t let my focus shift on being a physically sharp as I possibly can be.
On the next technological development in Downhill bikes
I reckon it will be in suspension refinement. We have been through frame material, with many brands trying carbon but not all succeeding. A few are going back to aluminium. We also went through wheel size. I love 29-inch wheels front and rear, but I’m quite tall. A lot of the shorter riders have opted for the mullet to reduce the risk of tyre buzz.
So, I reckon suspension will become really refined to allow for pedalling efficiency when needed and also soaking up the terrain and big features.
On his favourite Downhill race course
Although I have had my most success at Fort William, it’s not my favourite course. It’s never really changed over the years, but I seem to be able ride it consistently better than my rivals. I really enjoy the gnarly courses like Mont St Anne and Val di Sole, which have multiple lines and can change every year.
On Jackson Goldstone
He’s an incredible talent. He grew up riding a big travel bike and that makes a difference. Even a guy like Loic (Bruni) started out on a hardtail. These youngsters that built their riding base on big-travel bikes seem to be on a different level.
But he’s going into first year of Elite and that can be a big adjustment. Look at Finn Iles, he was Junior world champion and a super talent and took five years in Elite to win a World Cup. While they still race the same course as the Elites, the Juniors race their final in the morning, but the course changes during the day and it’s different racing it late in the afternoon, especially when weather changes also happen more then.
On when he will retire
As long as I’m competitive and enjoying myself, I’ll keep racing. Going into the final round of the 2022 World Cup there were six of us with a shot at finishing third. Obviously, I crashed and didn’t contest that, but it shows that I’m still able to mix it up at the top end for a full season. So, I’ll take it year by year and see how it goes. But I’ll definitely be racing in 2023.
GALLERY
