Downhill mountain biking World Champion and South African cycling sensation Greg Minnaar announced his return to competitive racing on the weekend.
World Champ and South African downhill legend Greg Minnaar stands on the podium after the 2013 UCI MTB World Cup despite having crashed out in Austria and severely injuring his knee. Photo: www.
santacruzbicycles
.com
The announcement was made after a lengthy lay off due to injury, however the Pietermaritzburg resident is quick to downplay his chance ahead of the 2014 UCI MTB World Cup Pietermaritzburg which takes place at Cascades MTB Park from April 11 to 13.
Having finished second in his hometown’s downhill major in 2011, the Santa Cruz Syndicate ace then soared to a memorable victory in the 2012 World Cup event in Pietermaritzburg before achieving a career highlight of winning the men’s downhill World Championship title in his own backyard last year, the third of his lengthy career.
The euphoria of his World Champs triumph still fresh in the air, disaster then struck in training at the final leg of the UCI MTB World Cup in Austria as Minnaar went crashing out of the competition, severely injuring his knee in the process.
“Just two weeks after World Champs I came off my bike in Leogang and tore my (anterior cruciate ligament) in my left knee and I had a lateral tear in my (medial) meniscus,” explained Minnaar.
“I had an operation in mid-October where they used grafts from my hamstring to repair my ACL and since then I’ve been in rehab where I’ve been working pretty hard with my physiotherapists and biokineticists.
“It’s been a long recovery and I’m not quite 100% just yet but I’m feeling good,” he added.
The first leg of the SA MTB Cup Series, held at Cascades MTB Park over the weekend, was a good opportunity for Minnaar to take to the trails of his hometown once more having returned to his downhill bike for the first time two weeks ago while in the US.
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