Greg Minnaar (I always remember the spelling of his name by saying it like a pirate) is without a doubt one of the best downhill riders of all time. As far as male downhill riders go, his career has been long and successful. Showing very little sign of slowing down, he’s still throwing down with the best of them.
Five Ten have just released a new video celebrating all the years Greg has been riding with them. He joined Five Ten back in 2009. Here’s what has happened over the last few years, narrated by Rob Warner.
Don’t know who Greg Minnaar is? You will after this.
Here’s what Five Ten have to say about the GOAT:
Greg Minnaar has competed at 144 UCI World Cup races; he has raced at 68 World Cup venues across the globe with over 80% of those finishes being inside the 20 fastest riders on the planet. He has won more World Cup races than any other man in the history of the sport. For over a decade Greg Minnaar has partnered with Five Ten and been instrumental in developing the Hellcat range of shoes, making them the most winning shoes of all time.
Minnaar’s unappareled career saw him first break into the coveted top 10 at Big Bear in 1999. He has gone on to have 109 top 10 finishes, 81 podiums and 22 World Cup wins. He won his first race in Kaprun 2001 at the age of just 18 and took his 22nd World Cup win in Lousa, Portugal, an incredible 20 years later.
Greg’s Career
His career has spanned more than just World Cup success, Greg has competed at 24 UCI World Championships. He has 3 Bronze Medals, 4 Silver Medals and has been crowned World Champion 3 times. Over the course of Greg’s career, he has beaten every other World Cup winning rider that has dared to challenge him.
His success is not just limited to downhill. In 2003, Greg took a 4x World Cup win and later went on take 7th at Red Bull Rampage, the most iconic freeride event of a generation. Greg’s career is decorated with more success than we are ever likely to see again. There will never be another Greg Minnaar and that’s why they call him the Greatest Of All Time.
Greg Minnaar first joined Five Ten in 2009 and since then his commitment to the sport and dedication to helping us develop the best shoes possible is testament to his character. His attention to detail on the track directly translates into his approach off the track with the products he puts his name to. Greg developed the Hellcat range from the ground up and piloted it to more podiums than any other rider. His career will never be repeated again, from all at Five Ten, thank you.
Luke Hontz, Senior Product Manager at Five Ten
Partnering with Greg has benefited Five Ten in so many ways, but beyond being a great representative and beyond developing amazing shoes with us, he’s such a good person off the bike I consider us lucky to work with him. I don’t think we can ever truly capture the depth of his career or the extent of his influence on the sport, but we’re definitely going to keep trying.
Cj Selig, adidas Five Ten Athlete Manager
Related Content:
Video: Greg Minnaar’s Unfinished Business
Review: Brand New Santa Cruz Nomad V5
Making Up The Numbers Podcast | Greg Minnaar, Jordi Cortes and Rob Przykucki
