Park opened to honour Stander

Burry Stander.

Burry Stander.

Published Jan 5, 2014

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Johannesburg - Thirty five mountain bicycles have been donated in honour of Olympian Burry Stander during the opening of a park name after him on Saturday, Sports and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) said.

The bicycles were handed to the Burry Stander Foundation during the official opening of the bike park, SRSA said.

The handover took place after a memorial service held by the Stander family and the foundation.

“Other activities (at the park's) opening day, included a 30km Out Ride (ride through the route that Burry used to train at), a 5km ride, and a walk in the Burry Stander Bike Park, SRSA said.

Stander was killed on January 3 last year in Shelley Beach on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast in a collision with the taxi allegedly driven by Njabulo Nyawose.

Stander, 25, was fifth in the men's cross country race at the 2012 London Olympics.

Four years earlier, at the Beijing Games, he finished 15th in the cross country event at the age of 20.

The following season he rose to prominence on the global stage when he won the Under-23 title in the Mountain Bike World Cup series.

In 2011, Stander became the first South African to win the Cape Epic stage race in the Western Cape, with Swiss partner Christoph Sauser, and the pair defended their title in 2012.

About 200 cyclists took part in a ride on Friday that began and ended at the spot where he was killed, the Saturday Star reported.

Candles were lit after the ride.

His brother Duane was quoted as saying: “Others have also lost loved ones on the road. We miss him.” - Sapa

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