Burry Stander


Burry Willie Stander was a South African mountain biker, the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup under-23 men's cross-country 2009 world champion.
In the 2008 Summer Olympics, held in Beijing, Stander finished 15th in the cross-country mountain bike race. In the 2012 Summer Olympics, held in London, Stander finished 5th in the cross-country mountain bike race.
Stander paired up with Christoph Sauser in 2009 for the Absa Cape Epic. Although the team only managed 6th place that year, they then came back in 2010 to claim 2nd place. Finally in 2011 Stander and Sauser finished in 1st place, making Stander the first South African rider to win the Absa Cape Epic. In 2012 the team were victorious once again, winning the Prologue and four of the seven stages of the marathon stage race.
Stander died after getting hit by a taxibus while on a training ride moments before returning to his Concept Cyclery Shop in South Africa, on 3 January 2013 at the age of 25.
A KwaZulu-Natal minibus taxi driver who struck down Stander, was convicted of culpable homicide on Friday April 17, 2015 at the Port Shepstone Magistrates Court and was sentenced to three years in prison.

Career highlights

2006 to 2007

In 2010, Stander rode across the line in third place at the Mountain Bike World Championships in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec, Canada.
He won the Absa Cape Epic back to back with team partner Christoph Sauser in 2011 and 2012.

Personal

Stander hailed from Port Shepstone in KwaZulu-Natal where he attended an Afrikaans Primary and High School. He married fellow cyclist Cherise Taylor in May 2012 on the beach of Port Shepstone.