The father of champion mountain biker Burry Stander has appealed for calm after the tragic death of his son while on a training ride this week.
Charles Stander said last night that cyclists who were planning to participate in memorial rides around the country in Stander’s memory should not be too emotional. “This is the last thing that Burry would have wanted,” he said in a statement.
He added that Burry would be remembered by his family as being more than just a cycling champion.
“He was a champion on and off his bike. For him his family always came first. He never hesitated to help when, and wherever, he could.”
Stander described his son’s death as the worst moment of his life. “No parent should ever have to see his child lying on a tarred road after an accident… Words cannot even begin to describe how one feels when it happens. It was terrible.”
Stander’s funeral arrangements will be finalised next week. – Sapa