The Tour de France is the pinnacle of cycling for most armchair enthusiasts. And it has long been so. Mountain-biking, meanwhile, is seen by some as a good way to spend the weekend — flying down the local jeep track or grinding your way through a particularly muddy farm road. But the sport has seen phenomenal growth over the last few years and in Burry Stander, South Africa boasts one of the world's best at its disposal.

Twenty-year-old Stander has been competing professionally since 2006, but he shot to prominence this year only, after becoming the first South African rider to finish on the podium of a World Cup race — taking silver in Andorra.

And while the road-racing tends to get more coverage locally than MTB, it is obvious that the off-road discipline is enjoying rising numbers — both in participation and spectatorship.

"Right now there are over a 100 professional trade teams on the World Cup circuit alone," reveals Stander in an exclusive interview with sports.iafrica.com.

"And with an average attendance of 20 000 spectators at each event, I would say that's pretty big!"

Big indeed, much like the World Cup itself, which is made up of a series of events that take place across the globe. Some might find the constant travel draining, and while Stander admits it can be exactly that, he is not one to complain.

"For me it's not too bad travelling to Europe," he says.

"But when I cross different time zones it wears me out for sure. That's probably the biggest advantage the European riders have, seeing as most of the races are in Europe."

Loving the fun stuff

Road-racing is known for its singular outlook. The mentality of the competitors towards other cyclists is seldom congenial and the 'roadies' are not known for their warm nature. Mountain-biking, however, enjoys a far more amicable reputation; so much so that you can almost imagine the competitors sitting around a braai after a day's racing.

"I wouldn't say we spend a hell of a lot of time together... but we hang out at the race track pits and often train together," says Stander.

"I'd say its way more social than the road though and the riders carry way more respect for one another."

We have our theories as to why this is, but Stander offers a more reasonable one than our own cynical version.

"That's a hard question to answer," he admits. "I'd say it's mainly because of the fun factor. On the mountain bike you get to see and ride over the best places on earth and it's hard to be angry when you're having fun right?

"There is also very little tactics involved in MTB, so it's hard to work someone over just because your team is stronger. If someone wins a MTB race, nine times out of ten he was the strongest rider so you respect him for it."

Stage racing not great for pros

Pietermaritzburg will play host to a World Cup event next year, becoming the first South African city to do so, but how does the sport in SA compare to rest of the world? Stage races like the Absa Cape Epic have enjoyed phenomenal success, but beyond that it does not garner too much attention.

"In South Africa the sport is more focused towards mass participation events, and while this is really good for the sponsors and industry, it can sometimes do damage to the standard of the pro racers," admits Stander.

"This means that the biggest form of competitive MTB — XCO or Olympic standard cross-country — is left in the dark as there is more money to be made riding the 'so-called' marathons. I have nothing against marathons, but for the pros a marathon should be at least four hours long and cover some single-track — as it does in Europe."

Focused on Beijing

But what of the Olympics? Beijing will be Stander's first time at the Games and he readily admits that the Olympics are the pinnacle for him as an athlete. And he reveals that the differences between the cross country event at the Olympics is very different to races like the Epic.

"I always say that you could be world champ in your sport and the general public doesn't really realise how big it is. But being an Olympian is something everyone can relate to and yeah I am really excited for sure!" he tells us.

"The differences (between the Olympics and the Epic) are vast. Cross country consists of riding five-eight laps of a preset and practiced course of between four and 10-kilometres. The race distance is based on time, as the winner should take two hours to complete the race. The courses are primarily single-track and very technical, while the climbs are shorter and consist of way steeper grades."

During our interview, Stander also reveals that the course he will be riding at the Games has been prepared to ensure a close, exciting race. It is not as difficult as the World Cup courses he has competed on in the past and is super fast. And after his silver in Andorra, we are backing the GT star to push for a medal in Beijing!

But the man himself refuses to get too carried away with thatresult. "All the Swiss riders, Julien Absalon from France, Jose Hermida from Spain and Liam Kileen from England (are medal contenders)," states Stander.

"I think it's important not to get too carried away in all the speculation. I'd say that before my recent results I only thought I have what it takes to compete against the best in the world. Now I have the confirmation and that excites me going into a big race like Beijing."

So what is more important, we ask: a World Cup win or an Olympic medal?

"An Olympic medal by a long shot," confirms the affable Stander.