Day 5 Finals - World Champs - South Africa
 |
 Stevie Smith started the day ripping hard, a prime candidate to rob the title from Minnaar, sadly those hopes were to slip away in the inaugural turn... |
 |
| Mick practicing up first thing, preparing to unleash the beast for finals. |
 |
| Can't beat early morning practice in the golden hour... Marcelo full throttle. |
 |
| Relaxation station chez Mondraker. |
 |
| Rach starting to turn the pedals before they spin to oblivion on track. |
 |
| The 2011 mud chute hero, relaxing before the race. |
<Deleted photo>
 |
| Fist pumps before go time in the Bulls tent. It was going to be a great day for Wyn, a top 20 kind of day. |
 |
| Manon, bright eyed and optimistic on the shuttle up, but it wasn't to be. She crashed hard through the tape and into a photographer 100 yards down. |
 |
| Morganne parts the sea of red dust, but couldn't find the miracle form she would need to bring down Atherton and keep the title. |
 |
| Kinter for murica in hot pursuit of 4th. |
 |
| Hannah in the hut about to storm to the bronze. |
 |
| Lauren Rosser throwing out the most style than any chick and most of the dudes. |
 |
| Ragot definitely looked the most solid out of the start hut and was on the gas from turn one. Here she is dropping in on her silver medal. |
 |
| Rachel Atherton had no problems today riding her way to another title. |
 |
| Green light for Rachel as she continues to completely dominate the circuit. |
 |
| What's that, haven't you heard? That news of a certain avian variety... Well the word is also that Rachel is world champ and all smiles. |
 |
| Ladies and their medals of honor. |
 |
| Rach tearing up on taking her long awaited 3rd champs win since Val Di Sole 2008 and as a junior at Livigno 2005. |
<Deleted photo>
 |
| Gangsta-ish technicolour bling. |
<Deleted photo>
 |
| Go and brush your shoulders off, get that dirt off your shoulder. I don't know what rims Jay-Z runs, but without a clean run from Mitch there's nothing to help conclude the everlasting debate. A sad day for Ropelato, but rest assured he steamed down the remaining track with a vengeance after his fall. |
 |
| A great local rider turnout meant extra intensive cheers every few minutes. The SAs love a fellow countryman. |
 |
| A solid run from the all time legend saw him just 9 seconds back in 15th. |
 |
| Run of his days, Johannes Fischbach of Ghost bikes and team Austria, flew into 9th as the ultimate wildcard success. |
 |
| This just hasn't been Gwin's year. A race run crash kept last years World Cup champ from the title. |
 |
| Gwin looks over his shoulder to make sure he isn't in the way. Aaron has just about every title except for World Champion. Last year he also suffered from a mechanical at Worlds in Austria. Maybe third time will be a charm? |
 |
| Nick Beer finally finding excellent form and riding like a man possessed to sixth place. |
 |
| Last choice for team GB, forever next to Graves in the hot seat and coming out top of the northern hemisphere. Hats off to big man Brit, Matt Simmonds. |
 | I put everything on the line. I knew I was strong from the testing I had to do to get here, but to be last pick for the team and come fifth...I'm made up! Made up for Greg as well the atmosphere's been electric all week- Matt Simmonds, Team CRC |
 |
| Blinky, best known for his shredding of the steeps, charging to the line for fifth place. |
 |
| Le world class Blenky bug-eye. |
| I wanted to come across the line just f*king hanging, but I wasn't hanging so I was a bit pissed off I didn't put everything in I could have, but at least I didn't end up as dead as Mick! Haha he was nose diving stuff.... I could have crashed so easy like Sam when he clipped his pedal. But I'm happy it's a great result and I just want to keep it going now for the next two world cups.- Sam Blenkinsop, Lappierre Gravity Republic |
<Deleted photo>
 |
| What next... Graves winning Olympic BMX on a downhill bike? The course has taken some criticism on account of his bike choice, but mainly it reflects sky-high, diverse, bike riding skill. |
 |
| Sik Mik eyes of terror. Looking up into the board as he sprints into the finish line. Reader board goes green and almost 4 seconds up. Terror turns into joy as Mik takes the hot seat just in front of Jared Graves. |
| Bit of a bummer to be 2nd and so close, but at the same time it's World Champs and it's Greg's home town. I did my best and that's all I could have hoped for- Mick Hannah, Hutchinson UR |
 |
| Feeling. The. Burn. Hannah tries to oxygenate while escaping from his goggles. Clearly he didn't save a single crank. |
 |
| The locals in wait, their hero is less than a second back at the final split. |
 |
| Just when you thought the track couldn't be taken any faster, Greg dominated the top section coming out on top for split 1 |
<Deleted photo>
 |
| Minnaar fully focused with the great Nelson Mandela watching over him. |
 |
| The crowd screamed as the numbers went red by a fraction at the final split and the tension red-lined. The suspense was deadly as he burst into the arena. |
 |
| Power thrust over the line and the board goes green. Minnaar taking over the hot seat from Mick Hannah's unbelievable run. |
 |
| Disbelief as the dust settles. |
<Deleted photo>
 |
| With such a brutal rag-doll he was lucky to be rolling down the finish on two wheels. |
 |
| Hill feeling pretty worse for wear on his exit from the arena. His crash in the timed run yesterday was definitely trumped this afternoon. |
<Deleted photo>
 |
| Atherton was hungry for another World Championship title no doubt, but here in South Africa it just wasn't meant to be. |
 |
| A long shadow and face to match for Atherton, last rider down. He couldn't do it either and the deal was done for GM. |
 |
| This day was for one man only. Greg proved himself the ultimate racer once again, under the most pressure it is possible to feel at a bike race. |
 |
| Ecstatic pandemonium ensues. |
 |
| The three time world champion from South Africa. |
<Deleted photo>
 |
| Pietermaritzburg hall of world class heroes. |
 |
| Tears of joy from Greg Minnaar winning World Championships in his African homeland. |
 |
| A bouquet of flowers more in demand than the last bunch at the gas station on mother's day. |
 |
| Your 2013 World Champs husband and wife, Rachel Atherton and Greg Minnaar! |
 |
| 'Do I look like Greg now?' Steve Peat, official celebrations hairdresser, can't look Minnaar's superfan in the eye for an answer. |
Author Info:
Member since Jul 19, 2007
Must Read This Week
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
you'd think some of these racers could afford invisiline?
guys n gals were f'n pinning it!
I hope he wins on the Hafjell and Leogang!
Ropelato is one of my favourite riders and there is no denying his talent, but there was a whole bunch of guys who have worn Rainbow Jerseys who crashed, flatted, or just didn't go fast enough. The reality is that Mitch could have done very well, but I would have been amazed had he medalled. Or he could have crashed or flatted somewhere else on the course, who knows?
The rider means more than the bike, and there was no way Mitch was going to, for example, out-pedal Graves.
I have had many 26" bikes, some 29ers and I just got my first 27.5. No matter which bike I am on, when I go as fast as I can, there is no bike that is more than a couple of percent faster than another on the same course.
In my opinion
When Smith crashed out he lept up and looked a lot less disapointed than he did outraged, straight away throwing up his hand like some primadona premiership footballer that had just been tapped on the ankle and cheated out of his win.
Mitch Ropelato crashes exactly the same, gets back on his bike and shreds it to the bottom. If I was a bike manufacturer, I know which I'd rather have riding a custom bike for me.
he would of never made up the time of a crash
I smell a conspiracy...