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Greg Minnaar Top 5 in World Cup overall - Both DH and 4X 14.6.2003 Another stellar performance by Greg Minnaar in the men's World Cup Downhill today put him on the podium for the second week in a row. Finishing 5th with a time of 3m 19.36secs, the Haro Lees Dungaree rider ensured that he stayed in the top 5 before heading to Mont-Sainte-Anne in Canada, where he's finished on the podium for the last two years.
"My goal this week was to have a steady race and get myself on the podium. There was a real chance of coming off hard here if you made a mistake at speed. In my final run there was a TV cameraman with a tripod right on the course! I had to change my line and go through a rock section.....I hope he stayed there for the rest of the race so it was the same for everyone else!".
Yesterday in the 4X, the rain hit the grassy slopes of Alpe d'Huez and tire choice became critical after the first round. Unfortunately Greg didn't have the tires he need and ran wide in round 2 and was eliminated. The 4X was surrounded in controversy with some riders leaving the venue to go home, earlier in the week, when they saw that the course designed by ex-rider Frank Roman was better suited to Downhill bikes than 4X bikes, and was almost devoid of any jumps. This was a feeling shared by all the riders, including Greg, and just prior to the start of the race, all 88 qualified riders staged a sit down protest to voice their objection to the poor course design. After half an hour the race got underway, but not before dozens of photographers got a shot of Greg's UCI World Cup Leader Jersey which had written on the back in the team sponsor's section "IS THIS 4X?"
Fortunately for the spectators who came to see the racing, heavy rain slowed down the course and caused some slipping and sliding, and therefore some passing.
Despite being knocked out in Round 2, Greg is still in 3rd position overall. Here are the overall positions in both competitions.....
World Cup Downhill Men - Overall
1st. Nathan Rennie (AUS) - 386 pts
2nd. Cedric Gracia (FRA) - 355 pts
3rd. Mickael Pascal (FRA) - 336 pts
4th. Chris Kovarik (AUS) - 297 pts
5th. Greg Minnaar (RSA) - 258 pts
World Cup 4X Men - Overall
1st. Eric Carter (USA) - 90 points
2nd. Michal Prokop (CZE) - 65 pts
3rd. Greg Minnaar (RSA) - 50 pts
4th. Scott Beaumont (GBR) - 36 pts
5th. Cedric Gracia (FRA) - 30 pts
Greg leaves Europe tomorrow for the USA to contest Round 2 of the NORBA Series in Snow Shoe, West Virginia next weekend.
Further information:
www.gregminnaar.com
Martin Whiteley
Director
23 Degrees Sports Management
captain23@23degrees-sports.com
www.23degrees-sports.com
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