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Cape Town - Greg Minnaar solidified his status as one of MTB's greats over the weekend when he stormed to his 18th World Cup title with a win in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.
That triumph saw him move one ahead of England's Steve Peat on the list of all-time World Cup wins.
But, perhaps more importantly, it closed the gap at the top of the standings between Minnaar (3rd) and Aaron Gwin (1st) to 116 points.
That may seem like a big gap, but with three World Cup legs still remaining in the season and with up to 250 points awarded to a rider over a weekend, it can be closed very quickly.
Minnaar's win in Switzerland means that he was won two of the four World Cup runs this season, and his position in the standings was severely hampered by the opening round in Lourdes, France where he rode with a badly injured hand.
But things have looked up since, and Minnaar is currently the talk of the MTB world as he towers above the rest as the most successful World Cup rider ever.
But it hasn't quite sunk in yet.
"The 18th win is great, but it hasn't really sunk in yet because I feel like I can win more," Minnaar told Sport24.
"I feel like I'm having a good season and it's not done yet, so it doesn't really mean a hell of a lot to me right now."
The next leg of the World Cup is in Canada on the weekend of August 1 and 2, and Minnaar is looking to get his third win of the year and further close the gap on Gwin.
"Canada is a big track, a tough track and it's demanding," he said.
"I've only ever won there once but I've had good results there. I feel like in the condition I'm in I can pull off some results (over the remainder of the season)."
Minnaar added that the reaction from the MTB world to his record-breaking season had been one of surprise.
"A lot of guys wrote it off that I would be able to beat Steve Peat's record after I was injured last season and I think a lot of the guys, including myself maybe, were surprised," he said.
"I always felt like I had it in me."
Minnaar is currently in South Africa where he will be taking part in this weekend's Oakley X-Over Challenge in Jeffrey's Bay.
"It's great to be home. Just nice to see everyone and have a mini-break in the middle of the season," he said.
MTB World Cup standings:
1. Aaron Gwin (USA) - 749
2. Loic Bruni (FRA) - 645
3. Greg Minnaar (RSA) - 633
