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Greg Minnaar to retire from world cup racing after Mont-Sainte-Anne.
Greg Minnaar, the greatest male downhill mountain bike racer of all time, will contest his final UCI Downhill World Cup race at Mont Sainte Anne, Canada this weekend. It’s fitting that Minnaar’s final World Cup race will be in the home country of Norco Race Division, the team that he will mentor and manage in 2025 and beyond.
The South African, who turns 43 next month, has enjoyed an unusually long racing career, which began in 1997 when, at age 16, he was given special permission to contest an Elite World Cup race in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Twenty-seven years later, Minnaar will conclude his career as an international Downhill racer and focus on developing and leading a new generation of gravity-racing stars with Norco Race Division.
“Mont Sainte Anne is a venue I have been coming to since 1998. So, it made a lot of sense to finish my World Cup Downhill racing career here. Also, with Norco being a Canadian brand, it’s quite appropriate,” said Minnaar.
“I felt that last season wasn’t quite the right time to end my racing career. But now I’m very ready for it. In terms of my position in the team, the backing from Norco and everything moving forward, it just seems so smooth and transitional. There’s a lot of support from Norco that’s made this a whole lot easier,” he added.
The 2024 edition of the UCI Downhill World Cup at Mont Sainte Anne will be Minnaar’s 167th World Cup race! His 22 World Cup wins are the most by a male Downhill racer. He achieved his first of 86 World Cup podium finishes in Vail, Colorado in 2000, racing for the British Animal Orange team (this is a record in all mountain bike disciplines). In 2001, in the colours of Global Racing, he won his first World Cup race in Kaprun, Austria and also won the overall World Cup Series title that year.
Mont Sainte Anne is a venue I have been coming to since 1998. So, it made a lot of sense to finish my World Cup Downhill racing career here. Also, with Norco being a Canadian brand, it’s quite appropriate.
– Greg Minnaar
During his remarkable career, Minnaar has won the UCI World Cup Series overall title three times (2001, 2005 and 2008); and the UCI Downhill World Championships title four times (2003, 2012, 2013 and 2021). He has scored more World Cup points than anyone – 19 434 – and has a podium strike rate of 51.8% (86 podiums from 166 starts).
Minnaar is adamant that this isn’t full retirement announcement, or that it’s a highly emotional occasion.
“This is my final World Cup race. I will continue to race other events, maybe some US Opens, maybe some nationals in South Africa, maybe Megavalanche. There are events I feel I missed out on in my career because I have always been so focused on World Cup racing. It’s going to be really cool to go back and do some different events,” smiled Minnaar.
“I wouldn’t say I’m too emotional that this is my final race. And that’s a good thing. It feels like I’m ready for it. I will still be doing some races and other Downhill events and will continue to test and develop this bike. I’m not finished with racing; I’m just finished with World Cup racing and look forward to putting all my knowledge and experience into developing Norco Race Division into one of the best teams in the world. I actually couldn’t be happier or more content with my decision.”
When he arrived on the international scene, at a time when nicknames were almost mandatory, he was known as The Fresh Prince of Big Air. A play on the name of the popular TV series at the time, Fresh Prince of Belair and his jumping skill at the time, which was superior to most of his rivals.
But Minnaar understood early on that big air didn’t always equate to fast times and he developed a smooth, understated racing style that would see him challenge – and beat – all the big names in the sport over more than two decades, including Nico Vouilloz, Steve Peat, Sam Hill, Gee Atherton, Aaron Gwin, Loic Bruni and Amaury Pierron.
When quizzed about what he will miss most about World Cup racing, Minnaar quickly responded:
“Racing is amazing. That competitiveness that I have will still be expressed through the team. I’m probably going to miss laying everything down for that one run. I’m sure I will. But I’m probably also going to start to enjoy the World Cups. When you are racing, it’s a lot of fun when there’s success – on that day. But really, there’s a lot of stress during the week and training and getting prepared. I will start seeing them differently. I’ll have a few horses in the race, which will help keep my competitive nature satisfied, but I’m looking forward to having more fun at the races.” I wouldn’t say I’m too emotional that this is my final race. And that’s a good thing. It feels like I’m ready for it. I will still be doing some races and other Downhill events and will continue to test and develop this bike. I’m not finished with racing; I’m just finished with World Cup racing and look forward to putting all my knowledge and experience into developing Norco Race Division into one of the best teams in the world. I actually couldn’t be happier or more content with my decision.– Greg Minnaar
Minnaar has raced Downhill at Mont Sainte Anne on 22 occasions. He has raced every Downhill World Cup round at the iconic venue since 1998, with several podium finishes, including victory in 2008 and six runner-up finishes! He has also raced all three World Championships held at the popular venue (1998, 2010 and 2019).
In terms of regrets, Minnaar only really has one that’s significant.
“I was 19 when I won my first World Cup Series overall, here at Mont Sainte Anne. Straight after that I did an invitation race and dislocated my shoulder. All through my 20s, right to the World Championships in 2007 – so six or seven years later – I really messed up my shoulder.
“During that period my shoulder was dislocating all the time in races. I remember racing against Sam Hill here in the mid-2000s where I was pulling off track because my shoulder dislocated. I was trying to swing my arm to get my shoulder back in. Finally got it back in and swerved back on track to get going and finished second. I feel like my 20s I missed out on a lot of wins and a lot of races.
“When I think about it, I didn’t really have a great surgery to fix the shoulder back then. All the stories I had heard of people getting their shoulders fixed were horror stories of continual problems. It was only when my shoulder was absolutely wrecked and I eventually found a doctor that was able to fix it properly, that I got it fixed. So, I really feel that I missed making the most of my peak racing years in my 20s,” he said.
In late 2023, Norco Race Division, signed Minnaar to race for – and lead – the Canadian bicycle brand’s young, ambitious gravity racing team. The plan was for Minnaar to conclude his racing career in an environment that both celebrated his excellence and appreciated his experience. And that’s all gone to plan…
In 2024, Minnaar helped elevate Norco Race Division to a top-tier team, both in terms of bicycle design tweaks and technical support as well as race results. He goes into the final round of the 2024 UCI World Cup Series this week ranked 30th. His final season saw him finish third at the World Cup round in Les Gets, France, confirming that he is closing the curtain on his career while still able to contest for victory.