Burry Willie Stander (16 September 1987 – 3 January 2013) was a South African mountain biker, the UCI

Mountain Bike World Cup The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup is a multi-round mountain bike racing series that is sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale. The first World Cup series – which was composed of cross-country events – was held in 1989. The Downhill Wo ...

under-23 men's cross-country 2009 world champion. In the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

, held in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, Stander finished 15th in the cross-country mountain bike race. In the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

, held in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, Stander finished 5th in the cross-country mountain bike race. Stander paired up with Christoph Sauser in 2009 for the Absa Cape Epic. Although the team only managed 6th place that year, they then came back in 2010 to claim 2nd place. Finally in 2011 Stander and Sauser finished in 1st place, making Stander the first South African rider to win the Absa Cape Epic. In 2012 the team were victorious once again, winning the Prologue and four of the seven stages of the marathon stage race. Stander died on 3 January 2013 after being hit by a taxibus while finishing a training ride and returning to his Concept Cyclery Shop in South Africa. The KwaZulu-Natal minibus taxi driver who struck Stander down was convicted of culpable homicide on 17 April 2015 at the Port Shepstone Magistrates Court, and was sentenced to three years in prison.

Career highlights

2006 to 2007

* 3 time U/19 SA XC and Marathon champion * 10th Commonwealth Games 2006 * 17th U/23 World Championships 2006 * South African Pro XC champion 2006/2007 * 6th U/23 world championships 2007 * African XC MTB champion 2007 * sponsor GT Bicycles / Omnico SA

2008

* Mazda Drifter Barberton SA marathon series opener 1st * 14th Giro del Capo Road Tour and second u/26 rider * Absa Cape Epic stage win and leader for three stages (did not finish due to injury while leading) * South Africa Cross Country champion * 3rd U/23 SA Road Championships * World Cup round 1 Houffalize Belgium 58th * World Cup round 2 Offenburg Germany 7th * World Cup round 3 Madrid, Spain 13th * World Cup round 4 Vallnord, Andorra 2nd * World Cup round 5 Fort William Scotland 5th * World Cup round 6 Mont St Anne, Canada 3rd * World Cup round 7 Bromont Canada 24th * World Cup round 8 Canberra Australia 6th * World Cup round 9 Schladming Austria 10th * World Cup overall standings 5th * World Cup u/23 champion * U/23 World Championships 2nd * Jeep Hill2Hill Marathon champion * Summer Olympic Games in Beijing 15th * Sponsor GT Bicycles / Omnico SA * 2009 sponsors: Specialized Bikes, Mr Price, Oakley, Fever publications-weekly mountainbike column, Fast Fuel Nutrition, Crank Brothers Pedals, Garmin, Songo.info-charity involved in building BMX tracks for disadvantaged communities. In 2010, Stander rode across the line in third place at the Mountain Bike World Championships in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec, Canada. He won the Absa Cape Epic back to back with team partner Christoph Sauser in 2011 and 2012.Sauserwind
In the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London he finished 5th.

Personal life

Stander hailed from

Port Shepstone Port Shepstone is a large town situated on the mouth of the Mzimkhulu River, the largest river on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast of South Africa. It is located halfway between Hibberdene and Margate and is positioned 120 km south of Durban. ...

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

where he attended an Afrikaans Primary and High School (Suid-Natal). He married fellow cyclist Cherise Taylor in May 2012 on the beach of Port Shepstone.

References

External links

* * * *
On the road with Burry Stander
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stander, Burry 1987 births 2013 deaths People from Port Shepstone White South African people South African male cyclists Cross-country mountain bikers Olympic cyclists of South Africa Cyclists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Cycling road incident deaths Road incident deaths in South Africa South African mountain bikers