Greg Minnaar (born 13 November 1981) is a South African World Champion mountain bike racer competing in

downhill cycling Downhill mountain biking (DH) is a style of mountain biking practiced on steep, rough terrain that often features Glossary of cycling#gap jump, jumps, Glossary of cycling#drop, drops, Glossary of cycling#rock garden, rock gardens and other obst ...

. He has won 4 World Championships, 3 World Cup Overall’s and has the most world cup wins ever, with 23 career victories. Know as the GOAT, Greg currently competes in the UCI Downhill MTB World Cup. He rides for the Santa Cruz Syndicate team.

Career

Greg first began getting 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. In 2000, he was picked up as a junior by British international team Animal Orange, which used Orange frames (222 for downhill and Ms. Isle for dual slalom) and RockShox suspension. That year Greg podiumed at a World Cup points series race for the first time. The following two years Greg rode for the Global Racing team, aboard similar bikes as 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 downhill and their own short travel Werx trail bike frames for Four Cross, with Manitou suspension. It was aboard this team that, at the age of 21, Greg became World Champion of downhill. In 2004, Greg was offered a spot on ''Team G Cross Honda'', which used one-off internally geared frames made by Honda, with a Showa suspension. He accepted and stayed for four years, winning his second World Cup points series overall victory in 2005. The 2007 season ended on a bittersweet note with a dislocated and fractured shoulder early in his winning World Championship final run, although Greg got back on the bike to salvage a painful 4th-place finish. In addition, Greg was forced to switch teams yet again when Honda pulled out of the sport, and he chose the Santa Cruz Syndicate team, alongside riders Steve Peat,

Nathan Rennie Nathan Rennie (born 31 May 1981) is an Australian professional downhill mountain bike racer. He started riding at the age of 5. He was junior downhill world champion in 1999 and won the bronze medal in the elite category at the 2006 world champ ...

, and

Josh Bryceland Joshua Antonio Torres Bryceland, known as Josh Bryceland, and commonly referred to by his nickname, Ratboy, born 23 March 1990, in Manchester is a professional downhill mountain biker, who lives in Higher Poynton, Cheshire, England. He entere ...

for the 2008 season. Minnaar was appointed as a member of the inaugural UCI Athletes' Commission in 2011.

Championships

UCI Downhill World Champions

Minnaar has won the UCI Downhill World Championship four times - in 2003, 2012, 2013, and 2021. He has finished second four times (2004, 2006, 2009, and 2015) and taken the bronze three times (2001, 2005 and 2010).

Downhill World Cup

Minnaar has been crowned Downhill World Cup champion three times (2001, 2005 and 2008) for winning the

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 ...

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. 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 Mont-Sainte-Anne is a ski resort in eastern Canada, located in the town of Beaupré, Quebec, about northeast of Quebec City. The mountain is part of the Laurentian mountain chain and has a summit elevation of above sea level with a vertical dr ...

and

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

. 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 title. In the 2009 World Cup series, Minnaar took first place at

Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg (; Zulu: umGungundlovu) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its Zulu name umGungundlovu ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, Fort William Scotland and

Bromont Bromont is a city in southern Quebec, Canada, at the base of Mont Brome; it is in the Brome-Missisquoi Regional County Municipality. The Bromont area and its resort, Ski Bromont, is well known as a tourist destination for its downhill skiing, m ...

Canada. He also came 6th at

La Bresse La Bresse () is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France. The area is known for its ski resorts and outdoor activities. La Bresse is located about 45 km west of Colmar and 55 km north west of Mulhouse in ...

in France, 3rd at Vallnord in

Andorra , image_flag = Flag of Andorra.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Andorra.svg , symbol_type = Coat of arms , national_motto = la, Virtus Unita Fortior, label=none (Latin)"United virtue is stro ...

Maribor Maribor ( , , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is also the seat of the City Municipality of Maribor, th ...

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

and in Schladming Austria. Greg also came 22nd in

leaving him with a 2nd place overall. In the World Championships at

Australia he lost the 1st place to his teammate Steve Peat by 0.05seconds In the 2015 World Cup series, Minnaar took first place at Lenzerheide, Switzerland, earning him his 18th career win and setting the record for most world cup wins in the history of downhill racing. Until this victory, Minnaar had shared the record for most overall world cup race wins with Santa Cruz Syndicate teammate Steve Peat, after a victory earlier in the 2015 season

NORBA (USA Cycling)

Minnaar was twice (2003, 2004) crowned champion of the NORBA (now USA Cycling) points series.

Results

;1998 :1st DH, South African National Mountain Biking Championships ;1999 :1st DH, All African National Mountain Biking Championships ;2000 :5th DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup,

Vail Vail is a home rule municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population of the town was 4,835 in 2020. Home to Vail Ski Resort, the largest ski mountain in Colorado, the town is known for its hotels, dining, and for the numero ...

, United States ;2001 :1st DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Kaprun, Austria :1st DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Series Overall :3rd DH, UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships,

, United States ;2002 :3rd 4X, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Telluride, United States ;2003 :1st DH, UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships,

Lugano Lugano (, , ; lmo, label=Ticinese dialect, Ticinese, Lugan ) is a city and municipality in Switzerland, part of the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino. It is the largest city of both Ticino and the Italian-speaking southern Switzerland. Luga ...

, Switzerland :1st NORBA, Series Overall ;2004 :2nd DH, UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships, Les Gets, France :1st NORBA, Series Overall ;2005 :1st DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Series Overall :3rd DH, UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships, Livigno, Italy ;2006 :2nd DH, UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships,

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encompass ...

, New Zealand :3rd DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Series Overall ;2007 :4th DH, UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships, Fort William, Scotland ::''^{rode half the race with a broken scapular and dislocated shoulder}'' ;2008 :1st DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Series Overall ::''^{podium every single round}'' ;2009 :1st DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup,

; Fort William, Scotland;

, Canada :2nd DH, UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships,

, Australia ;2010 :2nd DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Series Overall :3rd DH, UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships,

, Canada ;2011 :2nd DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup,

:1st DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Fort William, Scotland :1st DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup,

, France ;2012 :1st DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup,

:1st DH, UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships,

Leogang Leogang is a municipality in the district of Zell am See (Pinzgau region), in the state of Salzburg in Austria. It is a famous winter sports and summer mountain hiking resort. Population Sights :Mining and Gothic Museum :tourist mine Schwarzle ...

, Austria ;2013 :1st DH, UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships,

:3rd DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Series Overall ;2016 :4th DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Series Overall :1st DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Fort William,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

:3rd DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Lenzerheide,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

:2nd DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Vallnord,

;2017 :3rd DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Series Overall :1st DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Fort William, Scotland :3rd DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup,

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

:2nd DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Vallnord,

:1st DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Lenzerheide, Switzerland ;2019 :2nd DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup,

:2nd DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Lenzerheide,

;2021 :1st DH,

UCI Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships The UCI Mountain Bike World Championships are the world championship events for mountain bike racing in the disciplines of cross country, downhill, and four-cross. They are organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the governing b ...

, Val di Sole, Italy

References

External links

*
''Team Santa Cruz Syndicate'' Official site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Minnaar, Greg 1981 births Living people Afrikaner people Sportspeople from Pietermaritzburg South African male cyclists Downhill mountain bikers Four-cross mountain bikers UCI Mountain Bike World Champions (men) Freeride mountain bikers South African mountain bikers