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Minnaar Stars In World Premiere

28.2.2009

Pietermaritzburg's coolest son, Greg Minnaar, is better known around the world than he is in his home country. He's a top sportsman, but doesn't even remotely resemble the rugby, cricket, or soccer player hero his country holds so dear. Nope, the 27-year-old graduate of the unheralded Carter High School is a global champion in downhill mountain biking, a niche discipline of competitive bicycle racing that's been compared to Formula 1 motor racing in terms of its exclusivity and cult-like following.

Like Formula 1 drivers, downhill mountain bikers possess an enviable mix of skill, nerve, calmness and courage, which has to be seen to be believed. They redefine the term 'adventurous' and take bicycle riding to new limits – and they've got the scar collections and surgery histories to prove it.

Unlike Formula 1 drivers though, downhill mountain bikers are considered cool among Generation Y. Kids born after the mid 1980s relate well to downhillers' extreme on-the-bike bravado as well as their off-the-bike liking for hip-hop, house or metal music. And of course there's widespread appreciation of the downhillers' high levels of commitment to a fashion set that covets cool trainers, statement-making t-shirts, pricey baggy shorts and trucker caps, topped off with the obligatory edgy brand eyewear. To this generation, downhillers even look cool when they crash!

It's a world away from that of the average resident of Pietermaritzburg, a small city that's nicknamed Sleepy Hollow or 'Maritzburg. The capital city of the KwaZulu-Natal province ticks along in its unhurried way through a confluence of cultures and accents that range from traditional Zulu tongue clicks to Indian slang to Colonial Queen's English.

It's a city steeped in historical significance and traditions, including life-altering incidents in the lives of Mahatma Ghandi and Nelson Mandela. But it's also home to Minnaar, which is why it's significant and appropriate that the world premiere of "The Tipping Point", the latest movie by acclaimed American filmmaker, Clay Porter, will be screened on Thursday, April 9 at the Cascades Nu Metro Cinema in Pietermaritzburg.

The premiere will coincide with the opening round of the 2009 Nissan UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, presented by Shimano, the largest and most prestigious international mountain bike cycling event ever held on the African continent. Expected to attend the premier are obviously Minnaar and his 'co-stars' who will begin a new racing season a few hundred metres from the cinema the following day.

"The Tipping Point" is part documentary, part summary of the 2008 downhill mountain bike World Cup Series and part window to the world of Minnaar and his rivals as they travel across the world to scenic high ground and do battle on rugged bikes with hydraulic disc brakes and 20cm of front and rear suspension down impossibly steep, rocky mountainsides; taking risks, breaking bones, gracing podiums, looking cool and chasing dreams.

Porter's previous films, all themed around mountain biking, include F1RST, Between The Tape, Synopsis and Hypnosis. Tickets for "The Tipping Point" premiere cost 50 Rand each (about $5 US) and are available at the door.