Rachel Atherton

Personal information
Full name	Rachel Laura Atherton
Nickname	Waynehead
Born	(1987-12-06) December 6, 1987 (age 24)  England  United Kingdom
Height	170 cm
Weight	65 kg
Team information
Current team	GT
Discipline	BMX & MTB
Role	Rider
Rider type	DH
Professional team(s)
2011-	GT
Major wins
GBR DH National Champion (2 Wins) EUR DH European Champion (2 Wins) UCI DH World Champion (1 Wins) UCI DH Junior World Champion (1 Wins) UCI DH World Cup (8 Wins) UCI DH World Cup Overall (1 Wins)
Medal record Competitor for  United Kingdom Mountain Bike Junior World Championships Gold 2005 Livigno Downhill Silver 2004 Les Gets Downhill World Championships Gold 2008 Val Di Sol Downhill Silver 2007 Fort William Downhill Silver 2011 Champery Downhill Bronze 2006 Rotorua Downhill
Infobox last updated on 4 September 2011

Rachel Laura Atherton (born 6 December 1987, near Salisbury) is a professional racing cyclist specialising in downhill mountain bike racing, and is a multiple national champion. She began riding BMX at the age of 8 and mountain biking at the age of 11.^[1] She was both Sunday Times' Sportswoman of the Year^[2] and BBC Midlands Junior Sportswoman of the Year^[3] in 2005, and then BBC Midlands Sportswoman of the Year in 2008.^[4]

Since 2007 Rachel Atherton has been part of the Animal Commençal race team along with brothers Dan Atherton and Gee Atherton.

In June 2008 Rachel Atherton became the first British woman to win the Elite UCI Downhill World Championship, defeating second placed Sabrina Jonnier by 11.99 seconds in the final.^[5]

Rachel Atherton was involved in an accident^[6] with a pickup truck whilst on a time trial training ride with brothers Dan and Gee in Santa Cruz, California, on January 18, 2009. She sustained a dislocated shoulder which, after later needing a nerve graft,^[7] ruled her out of the 2009 racing season, including the September World Championships in Canberra.^[8]

Palmarès[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• athertonracing.co.uk
• animalcommencal.com
• Interview: Rachel Atherton, Douglas Cook, Descent World, 2004
• An interview with the Athertons, Steve Thomas, Cycling News, 6 September 2007
• Silverfish Atherton Racing Profiles
• Rachel Atherton's bio

This article improperly uses one or more religious texts as primary sources without referring to secondary sources that critically analyze them. Please help improve this article by adding references to reliable secondary sources, with multiple points of view.

Saint Rachel
Rachel and Jacob by William Dyce
Holy Matriarch
Born	Paddan-aram
Died	Canaan
Honored in	Judaism Islam Christianity
Major shrine	Rachel's Tomb
Feast	Roman Catholicism: 1 November[1] Orthodox Church: Sunday before Christmas

Rachel (Hebrew: רחל, Modern Raḥel Tiberian Rāḫēl, Rāḥēl ISO 259-3 Raḥel ; meaning "ewe"^[2]) as described in the Bible, is a prophet and the favorite wife of Jacob, one of the three Biblical Patriarchs, and mother of Joseph and Benjamin. She was the daughter of Laban and the younger sister of Leah, Jacob's first wife. Jacob was her first cousin, and she was the youngest niece of Rebecca.

Marriage to Jacob[link]

Rachel is first mentioned in the Bible in Genesis 29 when Jacob happens upon her as she is watering her lamb. He had traveled a great distance to find his mother's brother, Laban. Rebekah had sent him there to be safe from his furious twin brother, Esau.

During Jacob's stay, he fell in love with Rachel and agreed to work seven years for Laban in return for her hand in marriage. On the night of the wedding, the bride was veiled and Jacob did not notice that Leah, Rachel's older sister, had been substituted for Rachel. Whereas "Rachel was lovely in form and beautiful," "Leah had tender eyes"^[3]. Later Jacob confronted Laban, who excused his own deception by insisting that the older sister should marry first. He assured Jacob that after his wedding week was finished, he could take Rachel as a wife as well, and work another seven years as payment for her.

After Leah had given birth to four sons, Rachel remained unable to conceive. She became jealous of Leah and gave Jacob her maidservant, Bilhah, to be a surrogate mother for her. Bilhah gave birth to two sons that Rachel named and raised (Dan and Naphtali). Leah responds by offering her handmaid Zilpah to Jacob, and names and raises the two sons (Gad and Asher) that Zilpah bears. According to some commentaries, Bilhah and Zilpah, are actually half-sisters of Leah and Rachel.^[4]

After Leah conceived again, Rachel was finally blessed with a son, Joseph, who would become Jacob's favorite child.

Death and burial[link]

Fresco by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo of Rachel sitting on the idols.

After Joseph's birth, Jacob decided to return to the land of Canaan with his family. Fearing that Laban would deter him, he fled with his two wives, Leah and Rachel, and twelve children without informing his father-in-law. Laban chased him and accused him of stealing his idols. Indeed, Rachel had taken her father's idols, hidden them inside her camel's seat cushion, and sat upon them. Not knowing that the idols were in his wife's possession, Jacob pronounced a curse on whoever had them: "With whoever you will find your gods, he will not live" (Genesis 31:32). Laban proceeded to search the tents of Jacob and his wives, but when he came to Rachel's tent, she told her father, "Let not my lord be angered that I cannot rise up before you, for the way of women is upon me" (Genesis 31:35). Laban left her alone, but the curse Jacob had pronounced came true shortly thereafter.

Near Ephrath, Rachel went into a difficult labor with her second son, Benjamin. The midwife tells her in the middle of the birth that her child is a boy.^[5] Before she died, Rachel named her son Ben Oni ("son of my mourning"), but Jacob called him Ben Yamin (Benjamin). Rashi explains that Ben Yamin either means "son of the right" (i.e., "south"), since Benjamin was the only one of Jacob's sons born in Canaan, which is to the south of Paddan Aram; or it could mean "son of my days," as Benjamin was born in Jacob's old age.

Rachel's Tomb, near Bethlehem, 1891

Rachel was buried by Jacob on the road to Efrat, just outside Bethlehem.^[6] Today a site claimed to be Rachel's Tomb, located between Bethlehem and the Israeli settlement of Gilo, is visited by tens of thousands of visitors each year.^[7]

Rachel and Jacob by James Tissot.

Rachel's children[link]

Rachel's son, Joseph, is destined to be the leader of Israel's tribes between exile and nationhood. This role is exemplified in the Biblical story of Joseph, who prepared the way in Egypt for his family's exile there,^[8] and in the future figure of Mashiach ben Yosef (Messiah, son of Joseph), who will fight the apocalyptic Wars of Gog and Magog, preparing the way for the kingship of Mashiach ben David (Messiah, son of David) and the messianic age.^[9][10] She also had a second son named Benjamin; she died during labor with him.

Additional references in the Bible[link]

• In Jeremiah 31:15, the prophet speaks of 'Rachel weeping for her children' (KJV). This is interpreted in Judaism as Rachel crying for an end to her descendants' sufferings and exiles following the destruction by the Babylonians of the First Temple in ancient Jerusalem. According to the Midrash, Rachel spoke before God: "If I, a mere mortal, was prepared not to humiliate my sister and was willing to take a rival into my home, how could You, the eternal, compassionate God, be jealous of idols, which have no true existence, that were brought into Your home (the Temple in Jerusalem)? Will You cause my children to be exiled on this account?" God accepted her plea and promised that, eventually, the exile would end and the Jews would return to their land.^[11]

• In the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew (part of the New Testament), this reference from Jeremiah is interpreted as a prediction of the Massacre of the Innocents by Herod the Great in his attempt to kill the young Jesus. The Jeremaic prophecy is the inspiration behind the medieval dramatic cycle Ordo Rachelis, concerned with the infancy of Jesus.

• Mordechai, the hero of the Book of Esther, and Queen Esther herself, were descendants of Rachel through her son Benjamin. The Book of Esther details Mordechai's lineage as "Mordechai the son of Yair, the son of Shimi, the son of Kish, a man of the right (ish yemini)" (Esther 2:5). The designation of ish yemini refers to his membership in the Tribe of Benjamin (ben yamin, son of the right). The rabbis comment that Esther's ability to remain silent in the palace of Ahasuerus, resisting the king's pressure to reveal her ancestry, was inherited from her ancestor Rachel, who remained silent even when Laban brought out Leah to marry Jacob.

Islamic view of Rachel[link]

Rachel is revered in Islam, and while not specifically referred to in the Quran, she is known by references to her in the collection of stories known as Qisas Al-Anbiya (Tales of the Prophets or Lives of the Prophets).^[12] The story of how Jacob fell in love with Rachel is told in the Qisas Al-Anbiya, and her beauty is described. Her role as mother to Joseph and Benjamin is the central theme of these narratives on her life.^[13]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jacob and Rachel

Look up Rachel or רחל in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References[link]

Danny MacAskill

Personal information
Full name	Danny MacAskill
Born	(1985-12-23) 23 December 1985 (age 26) Scotland
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Team information
Discipline	Trials
Role	Rider
Rider type	Street Trials

Danny MacAskill, (born 23 December 1985) also known as 'Danny MegaSkill', is a Scottish trials cyclist, from Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye. He works professionally as a street trials pro rider for Inspired Bicycles Ltd.^[1] He released 'April 2009', a five-and-a-half-minute street trials video, filmed by his flatmate Dave Sowerby, on YouTube on the 19th April 2009. The video quickly gained popular acclaim and widespread media attention. The video features stunts performed by MacAskill set to 'The Funeral' by Band of Horses.^[2]

As of April 2009, MacAskill, who was brought up in Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye,^[3] had been practising for more than 12 years. He gave up his job as a mechanic so he could ride full time.^[2] He now lives in Edinburgh.^[4] In June 2009, MacAskill appeared in the music video for Doves' single "Winter Hill".^[5] MacAskill also appeared in a TV-commercial for the new Volkswagen Golf Estate.^[6]

On 16 November 2010 MacAskill released a new video "Way Back Home" produced by Red Bull Media House. The video showcases locations around Scotland including Edinburgh Castle, North Berwick, wartime bunkers on the island of Inchgarvie beneath the Forth Bridge and a hydro-electric power station in the Scottish Highlands.^[7] In May 2011 Leica Cameras released a "Go Play" promo video featuring him doing tricks in the city of Cape Town. In August 9 of 2011 Cut Media released a video named "Industrial Revolutions". The video, set to 'The Wolves' by Ben Howard, features MacAskill doing tricks in an abandoned Scottish iron works. It was created for Channel 4's documentary Concrete Circus.^[8]

On 19 October 2011 MacAskill along with Inspired Bicycles released his signature trials frame, the Inspired Skye, to the public making him a full fledged professional rider.^[9]

In 2012 Danny MacAskill was nominated for the 2012 Adventurer of the Year Award. Danny MacAskill was nominated for changing the way a street trials rider can redefine how we view urban landscapes—and become a global icon in the process. The award is organised by the National Geographic.

Macaskill is currently managed by the German agency Rasoulution.^[10][11]

References[link]

External links[link]

• dannymacaskill.co.uk

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Greg Minnaar

Personal information
Full name	Greg Minnaar
Nickname	GM
Born	(1981-11-13) November 13, 1981 (age 30)  South Africa
Height	190 cm
Weight	87 kg
Team information
Current team	Santa Cruz Syndicate
Discipline	MTB
Role	Rider
Rider type	DH & 4X
Professional team(s)
1999 2000 2001–2002 2003 2004–2007 2008–	Local bike shop Animal Orange Global Racing Haro Lee Dungarees Team G Cross Honda Santa Cruz Syndicate
Major wins
NORBA Champion (2 Wins) UCI DH World Champion (1 Wins) UCI DH World Cup Overall (3 Wins)
Medal record Competitor for  South Africa Mountain Bike World Championships Gold 2003 Lugano Downhill Silver 2004 Les Gets Downhill Silver 2006 Rotorua Downhill Bronze 2001 Vail Downhill Bronze 2005 Livigno Downhill Bronze 2010 Mont-Sainte-Anne Downhill
Infobox last updated on 07 Sept 2009

Greg Minnaar (born November 13, 1981 in Pietermaritzburg) is a South African World Champion mountain bike racer competing in downhill cycling. Greg first started to get noticed as a world class downhill racer at the age of 17, in 1999, racing select World Cups (including one in his home country of South Africa, in Stellenbosch) on a local shop team, aboard a Kona Stab Dee-Lux bike with a Marzocchi Monster T. fork. The following year, still a junior, he was picked up by British international team Animal Orange, which used Orange frames (222 for downhill and Ms. Isle for dual slalom) and RockShox suspension. That year (2000) Greg podiumed at a World Cup points series race for the first time. The following two years Greg rode for the mighty Global Racing team, aboard similar bikes to the previous years', and on this team, at the age of 19, he won the overall World Cup points series in the Elite downhill. In 2003 Greg switched to the Haro Lee Dungarees team, which used Intense designed and built DHR frames for the dowhill and their own short travel Werx trailbike frames for Four Cross, with Manitou suspension. It was aboard this team that, at the age of 21, Greg became World Champion of downhill. Following this, Greg was offered a spot on the infamous Team G Cross Honda, which used one-off internally geared framesmade by Honda, and Showa suspension. He accepted, and stayed on that team for four years, which included his second World Cup points series overall victory in 2005. After the sudden pulling out of the sport by Honda after the 2007 season, which ended on a bittersweet note with a dislocated and fractured shoulder early in his winning World Championship final run (Greg got back on the bike to salvage a painful 4th place finish), Greg was forced to switch teams yet again. He recently chose the Santa Cruz Syndicate team, alongside riders Steve Peat, Nathan Rennie, and Josh Bryceland for the 2008 season. He competes in the NORBA and Mountain Bike World Cup points series races, in the Elite Downhill and Four Cross events.

Championships[link]

Downhill World Cup[link]

Minnaar has been crowned Downhill World Cup champion three times (2001, 2005, and the recently concluded 2008 series) for winning the Mountain Bike World Cup points series. He was also crowned Downhill World Champion in 2003 for winning the season ending event. He has also done well in the Four Cross event, with one win in the 2003 World Cup points series, in Fort William, Scotland, and a fourth place finish at the 2005 World Championships.

In the 2008 World Cup, Minnaar podiumed at every one of the seven events in the series, taking the win at Fort William, Mont-Sainte-Anne and Canberra. This gave him a comfortable lead going into the finals at Schladming, Austria, where he placed fifth and clenched his overall lead to take the well-deserved title.

In 2009 World Cup series, Minnaar took first place at Pietermaritzburg South Africa, Fort William Scotland and Bromont Canada. He also came 6th at La Bresse in France, 3rd at Vallnord in Andorra, Maribor in Slovenia and in Schladming Austria. Greg also came 22nd in Mont-Sainte-Anne leaving him with a 2nd place overall. In the World Championships at Canberra Australia he lost 1st place to his team mate Steve Peat by 0.05seconds

NORBA[link]

Minnaar has twice (2003, 2004) been crowned the champion of the NORBA points series.

Palmarès[link]

2009

1st DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa; Fort William, Scotland; Bromont, Canada

2010

2nd DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Series Overall

3rd DH, UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships, Mont-Sainte-Anne, Canada

2011

2nd DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

1st DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Fort William, Scotland

1st DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, La Bresse, France

^[1]

2012

1st DH, UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa ^[2]

See also[link]

• Steve Peat, Minnaar's team mate on the Syndicate Team.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• Team Santa Cruz Syndicate Official site