What a weekend it has been for South African cyclists as DH legend Greg Minnaar, Tour de France contender Louis Meintjes and rising star Nic Dlamini shine in Europe... by Mike Finch

Minnaar on the podium… again!

A week after recording his 20th World Cup victory in Scotland, 36-year-old Greg Minnaar was again on the podium during the third leg of the UCI Downhill World Cup in Austria this weekend, just over two seconds behind winner Aaron Gwin. Despite being the oldest rider in the top 10, Minnaar now leads the World Cup standings after three rounds. Minnaar is both a three-time world and world cup champion.

Meintjes On The Move at Dauphine

Just three weeks before the Tour de France, Louis Meintjes (UAE Team Emirates)  finished a brilliant third on the final, dramatic stage of the Criterium du Dauphine won by Dane Jakob Fuglsang. The Pretoria-born Meintjes finished just 27 seconds behind Fuglsang in the one of his best European performances to date. The performance helped elevate him into eighth place overall in the final General Classification.

“Maybe I could attack a bit earlier but you never know. Sometimes you try earlier and after you pay for it as happened in the first mountain stage in this Dauphiné, during the Mont du Chat, where I attacked and I suffered in the final part,”  Meintjes said on the team’s website. “With the Tour de France coming up these performances make me more confident, and it means that the preparation we are doing with the team is working and we are on the right path.”

Rising star Dlamini King of the Hills

After three stages of the U23 Giro d’Italia 22-year-old Capetonian Nic Dlamini (Dimension Data Continental Team) was leading the King of the Mountains jersey after taking maximum points on two of the KOM primes during Sunday’s third stage. The race finishes on Thursday.

READ MORE ON: Cycling South Africa Dimension Data for Qhubeka Louis Meintjes Nic Dlamini