Greg Minnaar

[betaboy]

11 minutes ago, Headshot said:

He came 45th in the semi-final so didn't make the cut. It was a brilliant race. Bruni in a class of his own. 

The Brun Machine is an animal… someone needs to test him.

[love2fly]

4 hours ago, Headshot said:

He came 45th in the semi-final so didn't make the cut. It was a brilliant race. Bruni in a class of his own. 

Bruni very class act.

[The Ouzo]

Always knew of Greg and some of his accolades, but never really anything more than headlines etc.

Yesterday I watched a youtube doccie on him, very interesting career, seems like a cool character.  How many athletes can boast about being at the top of their sport for so many years? Taking knocks to the body like that at his age is also something. Respect.

 

 

 

 

And why has nobody ever mentioned how stunning his wife is.

[betaboy]

29 minutes ago, The Ouzo said:

Always knew of Greg and some of his accolades, but never really anything more than headlines etc.

Yesterday I watched a youtube doccie on him, very interesting career, seems like a cool character.  How many athletes can boast about being at the top of their sport for so many years? Taking knocks to the body like that at his age is also something. Respect.

 

 

 

 

And why has nobody ever mentioned how stunning his wife is.

..it’s the Euro Cycling one?

[BuffsVintageBikes]

Loved the documentary but just found it extremely sad that he left the Santa syndicate on a sour note. After so many incredible years with them I expected a lot more from them but you just got the feeling that they had decided to put all their good resources and efforts into the new youngsters in the team and Greg became a side hustle. Kinda the same thing that's happening with Cavendish on the road.

[The Ouzo]

24 minutes ago, betaboy said:

..it’s the Euro Cycling one?

It’s this one

 

 

[betaboy]

14 minutes ago, The Ouzo said:

It’s this one

 

 

Yeah loved it! We forget the length this boys been racing! Hats off to the most successful cyclist from this neck of the woods. I do hope the work his doing with Norco will translate to been part of the team once his done rushing down mountains.✅👍🏻

[betaboy]

25 minutes ago, BuffsVintageBikes said:

Loved the documentary but just found it extremely sad that he left the Santa syndicate on a sour note. After so many incredible years with them I expected a lot more from them but you just got the feeling that they had decided to put all their good resources and efforts into the new youngsters in the team and Greg became a side hustle. Kinda the same thing that's happening with Cavendish on the road.

I think all the amazing years made up for it. Santa got comfortable with how they run the shop and Greg just plain out grew them, going. Back to 2021, he should left then, but this is a big family and not many riders have such loyalty. Greg has depth not many have. So much respect for this dude. This is when we can say: local is lekker! 🇿🇦 

[Headshot]

35 minutes ago, BuffsVintageBikes said:

Loved the documentary but just found it extremely sad that he left the Santa syndicate on a sour note. After so many incredible years with them I expected a lot more from them but you just got the feeling that they had decided to put all their good resources and efforts into the new youngsters in the team and Greg became a side hustle. Kinda the same thing that's happening with Cavendish on the road.

And poor Jackson is now sidelined with a knee injury for the whole season it seems. 

[Headshot]

Greg got 25th in the finals on Saturday. Working his way back up with a separated shoulder. The youngsters in the team are both injured - broken femur and broken hand. Its all on Greg now.

[lechatnoir]

For those with access to Discovery+, there is a doccie on Greg Minnaar there

[DJR]

I also thoroughly enjoyed the documentary. I always had huge respect for Greg and found it sad how he left The Syndicate, but hope that his new Norco gig will translate into something that will allow him to mentor youngsters and build a formidable team in the long term. He really is too valuable (i.t.o. knowlege, expertise and experience) to be wasting his time in retirement running a little local bike shop.

[Sally E Kirk]

32 minutes ago, DJR said:

I also thoroughly enjoyed the documentary. I always had huge respect for Greg and found it sad how he left The Syndicate, but hope that his new Norco gig will translate into something that will allow him to mentor youngsters and build a formidable team in the long term. He really is too valuable (i.t.o. knowlege, expertise and experience) to be wasting his time in retirement running a little local bike shop.

It would be great if he could start a DH youth development programme in SA and use his experience to coach up and coming riders.  Would like to see GMC continue as well.

[Robbie Stewart]

My take on this is that Santa Cruz got taken over by new management, and this meant the original relationship built up over decades was essentially over. See it as a corporate takeover, and the star of the old show is no longer the star in the eyes of the new executives. They want to rebrand themselves and gather together a very talented, younger new crew who appeals to the new generation. From a pure economics perspective I can't fault that. From a more human perspective, that leaves a sour taste in the mouth, and if I were Jackson and co. I'd quietly be wondering when the day will come that they also get dropped. In the fight between loyalty versus dollars, the dollar is always going to win, regardless of who ends up bleeding at the end of the fight.

I wish Greg all the best in the sunset of his stellar career as a DH racer and for being such a fantastic ambassador for the sport and for SA as a nation despite not many pleb saffas knowing who he is.

Edited August 2 by Robbie Stewart

[Bub Marley]

Till what age do downhill racers normally compete? Greg is 42 years old so perhaps that came into their thinking. It does leave a sour taste but perhaps they offered him a different role but he was insistent he still wanted to compete?

[DieselnDust]

Athletes careers don’t have a defined expiry date. There are people In all manner of sports that either start early and leave early, start early leave late , start late leave early start late leave late and then there’s Dikec Yusuf….

for downhillers it could be anytime as long as they still have at least one ball left and it’s a big one.