Downhill mountain bike racing legend, Greg Minnaar, announced that he joined Norco Bicycles after 16 years with the Santa Cruz Syndicate. Minnaar has more Mountain Bike World Cup Downhill victories than any other Elite male racer. While 2023 was supposed to be his farewell season after two-and-a-half decades of racing, a flat tire at World Championships in Fort William left Greg with a poor result and a hunger to end his competitive career on a high note. When Santa Cruz decided to let Greg go, he found a new home at Norco. In this interview we talk with Greg about that change, the possible challenges of working with a new bike and team, as well as his expectations for the 2024 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup DH race season.
Video Contents
0:00 - Intro / Is He on FOX or RockShox?
3:31 - Any Other Sponsor Changes?
4:21 - Why Didn't He Retire in 2023?
7:55 - Did He Try to Stay with Santa Cruz Syndicate?
10:50 - Norco's Race Engineering Program
13:09 - How Will He Adapt to the Norco Prototype DH Bike?
16:17 - From VPP to High-Pivot to DH Bike
20:20 - Does Suspension Platform Really Matter?
22:30 - The Source - Norco Junior Development Team
25:29 - What If He Doesn't Get Results or Gets an Injury?
30:44 - 2024 Race Goals
32:48 - Insight into 2024 World Cup DH Format
36:06 - Would He Wear the Fox One-piece Suit like Christian Craig?
36:58 - What Will He Miss Most about The Syndicate?
Thanks to Maxxis Tires, FOX and Jenson USA for supporting Vital MTB's The Inside Line podcast.
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