Cross-country mountain biking: competitor in the men's under 23 division at the 2009 UCI Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships held at Mount Stromlo, near Canberra, Australia. Stander wins the under 23 men's XC title.
Burry Willie Stander[1] (16 September 1987 – 3 January 2013) was a South African mountain biker, the UCIMountain Bike World Cup under-23 men's cross-country 2009 world champion.
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 on 3 January 2013 after being hit by a taxibus while finishing a training ride and returning to his Concept Cyclery Shop in South Africa. The KwaZulu-Natal minibus taxi driver who struck Stander down was convicted of culpable homicide on 17 April 2015 at the Port Shepstone Magistrates Court, and was sentenced to three years in prison.[2]
Career highlights
2006 to 2007
3 time U/19 SA XC and Marathon champion
10th Commonwealth Games 2006
17th U/23 World Championships 2006
South African Pro XC champion 2006/2007
6th U/23 world championships 2007
African XC MTB champion 2007
sponsor GT Bicycles / Omnico SA
2008
Mazda Drifter Barberton SA marathon series opener 1st
14th Giro del Capo Road Tour and second u/26 rider
Absa Cape Epic stage win and leader for three stages (did not finish due to injury while leading)
South Africa Cross Country champion
3rd U/23 SA Road Championships
World Cup round 1 Houffalize Belgium 58th
World Cup round 2 Offenburg Germany 7th
World Cup round 3 Madrid, Spain 13th
World Cup round 4 Vallnord, Andorra 2nd
World Cup round 5 Fort William Scotland 5th
World Cup round 6 Mont St Anne, Canada 3rd
World Cup round 7 Bromont Canada 24th
World Cup round 8 Canberra Australia 6th
World Cup round 9 Schladming Austria 10th
World Cup overall standings 5th
World Cup u/23 champion
U/23 World Championships 2nd
Jeep Hill2Hill Marathon champion
Summer Olympic Games in Beijing 15th
Sponsor GT Bicycles / Omnico SA
2009 sponsors: Specialized Bikes, Mr Price, Oakley, Fever publications-weekly mountainbike column, Fast Fuel Nutrition, Crank Brothers Pedals, Garmin, Songo.info-charity involved in building BMX tracks for disadvantaged communities.
In 2010, Stander rode across the line in third place at the Mountain Bike World Championships in Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec, Canada.
In the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London he finished 5th.
Personal life
Stander hailed from Port Shepstone in KwaZulu-Natal where he attended an Afrikaans Primary and High School (Suid-Natal). He married fellow cyclist Cherise Taylor in May 2012 on the beach of Port Shepstone.
