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Double Win For Greg At Sea OtterA stunning debut into 2008 international racing for his new team, Greg wins both the Downhill and Dual Slalom at the Sea Otter Classic. In the Dual Slalom he came up against his new team mate (and long time friend) Steve Peat in the final, and made it two from two in the final. In the downhill, Greg said he didn't feel fast at all and was really surprised to take the win, on a windy and quite flat course. DH Results: 1. Greg - 2m 11.21secs 2. Chris Kovarik - 2m 12.05secs 3. Justin Leov - 2m 12.10secs 4. Steve Peat - 2m 13.09secs 5. Nathan Rennie - 2m 13.48secs Full results here: http://www.seaotterclassic.com/raceresults/index.cfm/2008.htm | |
| Posted on 2008-04-20 by |  |
Minnaar Makes Triumphant Return
Greg Minnaar (Santa Cruz Syndicate), South Africa's most successful mountain bike racer ever, made a triumphant return to competition at the weekend after a long injury layoff to capture the National Downhill Title at the 2008 Mazda MTN South African Mountain Bike Championships.
A slightly stiff shouldered Minnaar lacked some of his usual fluidity, but was certainly not lacking any speed or class as he completed two virtually identical runs down the tricky 2.9km plunge through the forest at Cascades on the western slopes of his hometown, Pietermaritzburg.
The national championships event today was his first real taste of competition after having been back on the bike for only three weeks. The 26-year-old Minnaar underwent major surgery to repair his shoulder last October.
On his first run in wet conditions, Minnaar clocked a fast 4min 38.76secs to give him a substantial cushion over his rivals going into the second run. Only defending national champion, Andrew Neethling (Mongoose Red) was able to join Minnaar in breaking five minutes in the first round with a time of 4min 51.34secs.
Wind and sunshine ensured the course dried out substantially for the second round and Neethling's second run of 4min 41.03secs was almost 10 seconds quicker than his first, bringing him a lot closer to Minnaar's time and confirming his world-class pedigree. But Minnaar, was a model of consistency, clocking a fractionally quicker 4m 38.09secs to secure his first South African title since 2002 when he lasted contested it.
"To be honest, it was quite a relief to win today," smiled Minnaar. "I'm always expected to win in South Africa and when I'm home, I'm not super focused on racing so went into the race a bit under prepared. But it all worked out okay and my shoulder never bothered me at all, although I was a bit stiff from practising in the mud on Saturday."
Neethling's younger brother, Jonty, was significantly quicker on his second run, clocking 4m 51.51secs which was good enough to give him the bronze medal in one of the highest quality downhill fields ever assembled at a South African national championships.
Final Results:
1 Greg Minnaar (Santa Cruz Syndicate) 4m 38.09s
2 Andrew Neethling (Mongoose Red) 4m 41.03s
3 Jonty Neethling (Morewood Fox Oakley) 4m 51.51s
4 Johann Potgieter (Cannondale) 4m 55.83s
5 Wesley Augustyn (Mongoose) 5m 00.65s
6 Chris Nixon (Cannondale) 5m 03.62s
7 Travis Browning (Morewood) 5m 03.65s
8 Greg Saharin (Giant) 5m 09.12s
Text: Squire Industries
Minnaar To Race South African Nationals
Former downhill world champion Greg Minnaar (Santa Cruz Syndicate) will add some depth to the start list at the 2008 Mazda MTN South African Mountain Bike Championships, which will take place in his home town of Pietermaritzburg this Sunday.
Minnaar's first foray back into top-flight racing, following a 5 month injury-induced layoff to repair a damaged shoulder, is appropriately in his hometown, on the very same slopes that helped nurture his skills that took him to overall victory in the World Cup in 2001 and 2005 and the World Championships title in 2003.
A multiple winner of the South African championships, Minnaar has opted out of competing in the national showpiece for the past few years, but still usually appears at the event to support the competitors and do a couple of demo runs for his fans.
But this year Minnaar will officially enter the event as a test to see how his shoulder has mended following major surgery in November 2007.
"The shoulder isn't 100 percent yet, but the operation was a success as I've been riding for three weeks now and it's holding up well," said Minnaar. "I raced in the KwaZulu-Natal provincial championship two weeks ago on this same course. I'm struggling to lift the bike still, but I'm using my body weight more to compensate. I think I need to race a bit to help strengthen the muscles."
Minnaar, who is one of the top downhill racers in the world, will start as the clear favourite on Sunday, but the 26-year-old says he's far from peak form and that victory isn't a given.
"The Neethling brothers, Jonty and Andrew, will find this course suits them for sure. Others like Johan Potgieter and Gary Barnard are also likely to put in a good performance. It's going to be really interesting," said Minnaar.
Other top finishers in the 2008 Mazda MTN SA Cup Series that are sure to challenge for podium places are Greg Saharin, Wesley Augustyn and Travis Browning.
"Travis is one to watch too," said Minnaar. "He's only in his first year of racing Elite but he's quick and he'll be comfortable on his home course too."
Like the cross-country route, which will be hosted on Saturday, the downhill course has been designed to international standards in the hope of securing a round of the UCI World Cup in the near future.
"The downhill track is just over 2.9km in length," explained MTB SA's Mike Bradley. "Greg Minnaar's average speed at the provincial champs was 41kph. It's got a quick start, a longish pedalling section in the middle. There are rock drops, road jumps, wall rides, ski jumps and a frighteningly fast finish!"
Minnaar agreed with Bradley's description: "I'll say it's a fast finish! It's steep and narrow and you get up to around 75-80kph. Not for the feint hearted and great for spectators!"
New Helmet for GM
Check out Greg's new helmet for 2008 here:
http://www.23degrees-sports.com/news.php?id=603
Interview and Video of Greg on Litter Mag
Check out this cool bit of video and interview now on Litter Mag:
http://www.littermag.com/2008/news/newsarticle.php?newsID=1066
Greg Minnaar Signs With Santa Cruz Syndicate
In arguably the most anticipated signing for the 2008 Mountain Bike race season, 26 year old former World Champion and 2 time World Cup Champion Greg Minnaar (RSA) has today announced he has signed with the Santa Cruz Syndicate for the next 2 years.
After four years of racing for Team G Cross Honda, Minnaar has decided to race the Santa Cruz V10 next year, alongside fellow World Cup race legends Steve Peat and Nathan Rennie. Honda announced the end of its G Cross program last month.
Much speculation has been brewing over the past 5 weeks as to where Greg would race next, but for the South African, the decision was logical: -
"The most important factor for me in choosing a team I race for is the level of support, and the ability to race at my best. It's clear that the Syndicate is driven by people who love to race. To have a race winning bike beneath me as well as team mates that will continue to push me, makes me very excited about the upcoming season. We are going to be a pretty tough team to beat!"
Many of Greg's co-sponsors have been awaiting the announcement of his next team ride and will be confirmed in the coming weeks. However, Greg wanted to pay special tribute to his former major sponsor, Honda: -
"Racing for Team G Cross Honda for the past 4 years was an amazing experience. I had more wins and World Cup podiums on that bike than any other, and the support and friendliness of the whole team made for a very sad day when the announcement came down that it was ending. In this game though, you hope that there is always a new and exciting chapter around the corner, and I'm sure that the Syndicate is going to be an awesome experience for me."
Owner of Santa Cruz Bicycles and founder of the Syndicate, Rob Roskopp says about Greg: -
"The Syndicate, and our approach to it, engenders massive passion for racing and we have built the Syndicate chemistry with a cultivation of athletes that embody a similar appreciation of the family we have built. We believe that Greg will fit into the "family" wonderfully, even though he will be leaving an equally wonderful family behind.
Clearly...Greg has immense passion for his craft, which is evident in his demeanour and race results throughout the many years he has been racing. We strive to support each athlete as an individual under the umbrella of the Syndicate, in order that they may express their individuality in a manner that they feel most happy and have their personal integrity expressed through their sport. We are delighted to have Greg on the Syndicate."
Martin Whiteley of 23 Degrees Sports Management welcomes the news: -
"Our primary focus with our clients is to find them a home that really suits their character and allows them further growth in their racing. Greg has expressed to us several times that he would like to eventually race for the Syndicate so when this opportunity arose, it seemed logical. This team will become an amazing force on the circuit, with Greg, Peaty, Nathan and Josh. It's all very reminiscent of the Sunn Team days where they had several riders who could climb aboard the top box any given weekend. We wish Greg well in his new team."
Greg's first event appearance for the Syndicate will be the Sea Otter Classic, next April.
Successful Shoulder Operation
After a season plagued by constant shoulder dislocations and complicated further by a broken scapula at the World Championships in Scotland, Greg went under the knife last Saturday to rectify his problematic left shoulder.
Dr Mark Ferguson from the South African Sports Clinic declared after the operation that he is very confident with the results. What was supposed to be a routine 1hr 30min operation to repair cartilage damage and carry out the re-attachment of tendons in the front of the shoulder, turned out to be an operation of more than two and half hours.
The damage caused by Greg's crash at Fort William had rendered the rear cartilage of the shoulder so badly damaged that it too had to be repaired and a tendon was re-attached using four screws.
Following the operation a rather subdued Greg commented: "Although right now there is a lot of pain and discomfort, my main focus is to get home and start a full and speedy recovery."
The recovery period is estimated to be between 8 to 10 weeks. Greg is now home in Pietermaritzburg.
Honda calls it a day
Following an announcement by Honda at the end of the final JCF race series in Japan at the weekend, it can be confirmed that Team G Cross Honda will not be continuing.
23 Degrees Sports Management, the company hired by the Honda Racing Corporation to manage the international mountain bike race activities for the company, confirms today that the program will have no future beyond 2007.
According to the statement released by Honda Racing Corporation:
"First of all, we want to express our gratitude to Team Director Martin Whiteley, riders Greg Minnaar, Matti Lehikoinen, Brendan Fairclough, and Cyrille Kurtz, and the talented technical staff of 23 Degrees for their complete understanding and cooperation to the challenge; realising a completely new and world class race category for Honda.
As a motorcycle manufacturer, we had achieved the approach of this challenge by applying our technology which has been cultivated by our motorcycle development, and getting some feedback to our motorcycle technology is one of the purposes of our entry into the downhill mountain bike racing activity. The original "RN01" technology for example, frame and suspension, was designed utilizing off road motorcycle technology, including a very special centrally mounted gearbox that is able to change shift at any time; these were improved repeatedly, and were completed as we expected and hoped it would when we started this project back in 2000. The correctness of direction, and our approach, has been validated by the fact that we have been the number one international team for the past 2 years, and proven by the race results including acquisition of the NORBA title (2004) and UCI World Cup title (2005).
Again, we wish to express our gratitude to all team members and persons related to this project, and want all members of the team to continue aiming at success in all the challenges that lay before them. We deeply appreciate the cooperation and warm guidance we received as a company from both the race scene and the bicycle industry, allowing us to learn a lot over these years, and of course, we greatly appreciate and respect the warm and sincere appreciation of our efforts by the fans of Team G Cross Honda, which was obvious at every race we attended."
Statement from 23 Degrees Sports Management CEO Martin Whiteley:
"Team G Cross Honda has been a very important part of the international race scene over the past 4 years, and the successes have been well documented. However, I think the greatest success of the project has been the way in which it has asked the participants (riders, fans, media, sponsors) to look at our sport in a different light, and to think outside the box when it comes to race technology and the approach to racing. As a company we are indeed indebted to the Honda Racing Corporation for having the confidence in our abilities to carry out their objectives, but we are also extremely appreciative of the co-sponsors that joined in with our efforts, namely Alpinestars, Maxxis, Showa, Formula, Mavic, Funn, SDG, SRAM, Motorex, Sapim, PowerBar, Chris King and ODI.
I also want to pay a particular tribute to the talented riders and staff who have formed part of the World Team since 2004, namely riders Greg Minnaar, Matti Lehikoinen, Brendan Fairclough and Cyrille Kurtz, as well as mechanics Mike Van Zyl, Mark Maurissen and Adam Bonney, Road Manager Paul Schlitz and Photographer Gary Perkin. Their contributions have been invaluable."
Matti Update
The doctors have confirmed that Matti will not need an operation to stabilise the fractured vertebrae. This is great news for Matti who has been dreading the idea of a major operation.
Due to the position of the breaks (no.4 has one fracture and no.5 has two fractures), it would have meant operating from the front, going in through the chest cavity, which is obviously a much more delicate and complicated operation. The doctors have confirmed there are no floating bones pieces, which is also good news. However, they have said that should the vertebrae shift in position, they will need to review the matter.
"Obviously I have to keep my back straight and not bend forward or do anything to risk the movement of the vertebrae. Yesterday I was vomiting from the painkillers and it was the most painful puke ever! I had to keep my back straight and it was pretty bad, but last night was my first full night of sleep, so things are getting better," said Matti this morning.
It is anticipated that Matti will be transfered from hospital in the coming days to a recovery and rehabilitation centre.
Matti has been overwhelmed by the number of messages and well wishes. This morning Matti received a call from former Downhill World Champion, Vanessa Quin, who called form New Zealand. This meant a lot to Matti as Vanessa has had more than her fair share of neck/spinal injuries and was able to give Matti some very reassuring words.
Matti is keeping a diary, and when he's able to, will keep everyone up to date through a blog on his new team's web site, at http://www.ms-racing.at/
Matti
The latest news is all good news as Matti ends his 2nd day in hospital. The doctors have confirmed that there is no risk of paralysis and that a decision on whether or not to operate, will be taken on Monday.
Today Matti had his catheter removed, was able to sit up for a small time and eat, and with the assistance of a special walking crutch/frame, was able to walk(!) a short distance to the bathroom.
Matti had a non-stop run of visitors today during visitor hours, starting with his parents, followed by dozens of friends. His mobile phone was handed back, and it had more than 100 SMS messages from the past 24 hours. All of this is helping Matti remain positive and determined to get back on his feet properly.
While talking to Matti today, more details came to light about the accident.
"I landed directly onto my head, but slightly to the right. The helmet is marked on the top at the right. Also I have a big skin abrasion on my right collarbone where the jawline of the helmet cut me, that's how far over my head was. The doctors feel that on impact my spine twisted one way, and then the next, like a zig zag, and they say it's a miracle it's not a lot worse. The three vertebrae have what they call a compressed fracture. They are in the area of the spine that are level with the chest. I'm still in pain but can breathe fairly comfortably, but I want to thank everyone who has contacted me with nice messages, it makes you realise how lucky you are to have so many friends and people that care, and that makes me want to get better as soon as possible."
The doctors are predicting that with or without the operation, Matti will remain hospitalised for another 2 or 3 weeks, then start 3 months of rehabilitation. It will be a further couple of months before he can expect to put any regular athletic demands on his back again.
We hope to have another update on Monday.
