Greg Minnaars Guide to Becoming a GOAT at CrankChaos 2019

Returning in 2019 is none other than the one and only GOAT himself, South African downhill legend, Greg Minnaar. Becoming the “Greatest of all Time”, doesn’t happen overnight. But those who do, practice, mark events like CrankChaos in their calendars and shred their names into the history books.

What else can one do to pave their way to becoming the GOAT? We chatted to Greg Minnaar to find out…

CrankChaos is mountain biking festival extraordinaire that takes place at the majestic Afriski Mountain Resort, situated in the heart of the Drakensberg-Maluti Mountains in Lesotho, from the 31 October – 3 November 2019. CrankChaos, one of the unique biking events on the continent, has fast become a staple on the Southern African mountain bike calendar, and a real test of any gravity and enduro junkies skills against their MTB idols.

How do you feel about being called “Greatest of all Time”?

I am quite stoked about being called the GOAT, it’s pretty cool and I basically just run with it.

What would you say has been the secret to becoming the “Greatest of all Time”?

I would say my secret to becoming the GOAT is probably learning to change with the times. I mean we’ve had so much change from different course variations to course styles to bike setups. So you can never be settled on or look back and try and figure things out. You always need to look forward and adapt to change.

How do events like CrankChaos train the next gravity generation and future GOATs?

I think events like CrankChaos are really awesome. It’s a great way to enjoy the sport we love as well as get some quality racing in. So anytime there is an event like this that can lift ones profile and get riders to enjoy the sport. It will definitely help the next generation.

What kind of attitude does a rider need to have to become a GOAT?

A positive attitude. You’ve definitely got to have a positive attitude.

What kind of training does rider need to do to become a GOAT?

In the offseason which is during December, January and February I probably run about 25km to 30km a week, and I ride around 6 hours a week. I actually, don’t get to do that much downhill. The downhill only starts around February, but it’s not that much. It’s more physical training as well as going to the gym. I’m in the gym four times a week, so I think a lot of people enjoy the fun side of downhill, which is just enjoying the bike and riding. But to take it to the next level and take it up as a profession. There is a lot of dedication to training. And it’s not always fun on your bike but rather hard work in the gym, working on injuries to being out and training on road bikes. So it’s not always all fun and games, and I think that’s what makes racing so much fun. When you are in a race, it’s three days of riding an amazing track and doing the thing you love most – downhill.

What was your biggest mistake you made as a young rider, and what did you learn from it?

I made a lot of mistakes as a young rider, mainly around patience. It does take time to get to where I am, and you need to relax and be patient because it will work out, but you have to remain positive about it, or else it might never work out. I also think I made a lot of mistakes panicking about my abilities to ride in the wet and whenever we had a wet race I would freak out, tense up and panic, I didn’t have the speed, so I wasn’t a very confident rider, and panicking makes it a lot worse. So I think just relaxing and try to focus on your ability and not watching the speed of everyone else should be the ticket.

Any final words of wisdom for the baby GOATs out there?                                                 

Not sure if I have any words of wisdom, but think I might have nailed it in the questions above.

Make sure you get your hands on your CrankChaos package, and you too can pit yourself against the Greatest of All Time. Entries are open. Head to www.crankchaos.com to book your package or follow us on the CrankChaos or Afriski Mountain Resort Facebook pages for news, competitions and more. 

Information:

• CrankChaos takes between the 31 October – 3 November 2019
• For more event and accommodation information, got to https://www.crankchaos.com
• Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CrankChaosMTB/
• Follow Afriski on https://www.facebook.com/resort.afriski/
• For more information contact Peter Peyper at peterp@afriski.net