 Burry
Stander is one of South Africa's brightest mountain bike
racing prospects. He rides on the GT factory team in the
world cup and world champ events. In his first year
Burry already had some great results competing with the
best riders in the world. In South Africa he races on
the Mr Price-GT team and has almost cleaned up the cross
country events had a few wins in marathon events.
MtbOnline tracked him down
and he was only to happy to answer a few questions.
Burry is not big on CAPS as you will notice on his blog,
so we have left it that way here.
MTBO: Where are you now? And where is your
home base?
Burry: "im
currently living on a farm just outside of port
shepstone on the kzn south coast with my parents. this
is still mostly my base as we're on the road all the
time i'm in europe and the us."
MTBO: Tell us more about your bikes, do you
have any special setups or components that you like to
use. What are your bike weights?
Burry: "i'm
riding a carbon zaskar prototype and the new full carbon
marathon full suspension at the moment. the parts are
all standard. as for setup i ride riser bars, brakes
moto style and a long stem. the marathon weighs in at
10.2kg's and the hardtail at 9.170kg's. this is now with
a trigger shifter setup."
MTBO: You have had a few wins on a full
suspension. What is your view on hardtail vs full
suspension? How and when do you decide which bike to
use?
Burry: "this
can be a very difficult choice sometimes. if i am in
doubt ill stick to the hardtail. things i look for in a
track are the climbs and flats. on the descents i stand
up and absorb the bumps with my legs so the full suss is
less affective. if the pedaling sections are rough
though a full suss can maintain momentum a whole lot
better. so if those parts of the track require
suspension ill race the fully. i usually try and pick a
bike asap and stick with it unless it gets really muddy
in which case a the hardtail becomes the better choice
again."
MTBO: What is your resting and max heart rate
Burry: "resting
40,max 198"
MTBO: How do you train, do you have a coach,
follow a program? How do you manage racing week in and
week out, what do you do training wise say 3 days after
a hard race.
Burry: "ive
always trained myself under the guidance of my dad. i
follow my own program that i've put together and adapted
over the years as i gained experience and knowledge from
other top riders. training on the circuit when you are
racing every week can be hard. todd (Todd Wells) and i
try and do long easy miles the few days after an event
and then train the course followed by some easy spinning
on the road on the days leading up to the next race. its
really important to adapt adequately in between races
and the easy miles help with this."
MTBO: You have dominated cross country races
in sa, and like to lead from the front. This strategy
has not always worked in the marathon events, but you
recently proved the skeptics wrong with a win at the
Mazda sa marathon at Eston. Do you think you can
dominate both disciplines?
Burry: "i think
if my form is good and i keep on progressing as i have
been i will be able to succeed in both disciplines. i
think the problem i have with our marathons is the
terrain rather than the distance. most of these events
are run over courses which promote negative racing at
the start. if we had more singletrack and harder
climbing throughout the races it might encourage more
guys to go out there and kill it from the gun."
MTBO: Who are the coolest people you have met
since being full time pro and who would you still like
to meet
Burry: "i think
meeting ned overend was pretty special. the guy is such
an inspiration when it comes to being dedicated to the
sport."
MTBO: How does your contract with GT work,
how long is it, what do you do for them, do you have
development input?
Burry: "my gt
contract started in 2006 and runs until the end of 2008.
their main objectives for me are the world cups, world
champs and olympics. they also regard my racing in sa of
high importance as its a key market for them and have
thus allowed me to race locally for mr price-gt. as far
as development goes we just test new stuff and help them
iron out the small details."
MTBO: Tell us who your sponsors are and why
you like their products
Burry: "gt
bikes, some of the most unique and fresh carbon bikes
around
mr price, these guys
have thrown a huge amount of support behind me.
sky blue media (fever
publications) i write a column for them and they are
doing a great job of promoting myself and mountain
biking in my home town.
oakley ,the best
eyewear around.
sram, rock shox,avid,
truvativ, strong reliable and precise groupsets.
kenda tires, light and
reliable. the karma sws is the ultimate all round xc
tyre fit for almost any track.
kore handle bars and
stems, strong light and big into rider input.
sdg saddles and posts,
best part is the looks and light weight.
ogio bags, the
ultimate luggage for worldwide traveling.
pearl izumi clothing
and shoes, some of the most comfortable, good looking
clothing out there. the shoes rock.
fly gloves, really
funky designs and really good lightweight xc gloves.
fast fuel, this stuff
is responsible for all my success out there, without
nutrition i wouldn't be able to do half the training i
do and fast fuel has a good product for every phase of
competition."
MTBO: Are you involved in any development
cycling drives or initiatives
Burry: "at the
moment i write a column to promote cycling in my area as
well as donating kit and old parts to kids in a local
mtb club. occasionally i make the time to go and ride
with the youngsters and keep them motivated."
Check out Burry's Blog
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