Burry more than just a MTBer

Heard this on BBC radio this morning a very sad state of affairs – and like all RTA the driver will probably walk

“No parent should ever have to see his child lying on a tarred road after an accident, knowing that there is absolutely nothing he can do to save his life.’

 

Charles Stander said: “It is definitely the worst moment of my life. Words cannot even begin to describe how one feels when it happens. It was terrible.”

His son, Burry, one of the world’s foremost mountain bikers, was killed in an accident, while training on Thursday, January 3. He was out on a training ride in Shelly Beach, on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, when he was hit by a taxi. Apparently the driver did not see Stander when he made a turn. Stander died on the scene.

Colonel Jay Naicker, a spokesperson for the Police, confirmed that a docket for culpable homicide was opened. According to Charles Stander, he and his family will not remember his son only for his successes as a mountain biker. “For us Burry will always be more than just a mountain-bike champion. In fact, he was a champion on and off his bike. For him his family always came first. He never hesitated to help when, and where ever, he could.”

When asked what he considered to be the highlights of his son’s cycling career, Charles Stander said that it was almost impossible to make a selection. “Where does one start? There were some special moments. Burry really made us all very proud.”

Charles Stander asked the cyclists who are planning to participate in Memorial Rides in memory of his son, not to let their emotions get the best of them. “This is the last thing that Burry would have wanted.”

The funeral arrangements will only be finalized by next week.

Zoon Cronje, ZCMC, said that a Burry Stander Foundation will be established to fund and drive the process to change legislation concerning cycling safety as well as assist various projects to promote safe cycling.

“Our initial plan with the Burry Stander Foundation is to raise funds to help to pay for any legal costs that may be incurred to drive the process. Later on we hope to not only assist various safe cycling initiatives but also to assist talented young riders to fulfil their dreams.” Stander was already associated with projects like Songo.info with his Epic partner Christoph Sauser.

The official memorial rides will be used to not only drive awareness but also hand over petitions to the MEC. Cronje added “We are fortunate to have the organisers of the Pick n Pay Cape Argus Cycle Tour helping us with the Cape Town leg, the organizers of the Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge assisting with the Gauteng leg and also support from Andrew Maclean via CycleLab and Fritz Pienaar via Advendurance. There will also be a ride on the South Coast where Burry is from”