http://www.sport24.co.za/OtherSport/Cycling/South-Africa/didata-renew-4-african-rider-contracts-20160830
South African Cycling
DiData renew 4 African rider contracts
2016-08-30 12:40
Cape Town - South Africans Reinardt Janse van Rensburg and Nic
Dougall, as well as Eritreans Natnael Berhane and Merhawi Kudus have
inked deals with Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka that will see them
representing Africa’s team beyond 2016.
After coming back to the team last year, Janse van Rensburg has
confirmed his talent by winning the overall of the Tour de Langkawi,
Asia’s most iconic stage race, in March 2016.
The 27-year-old was also a key member of our Tour de France squads in
2015 and 2016, where he has been a vital support rider for our African
team. Besides that he has shown his strength at the classics.
Fellow South African Nic Dougall also underlined his talent in the
first part of the season is. At just 23 years of age, he has shown his
potential at the cobbled races where he was playing an important role.
"I’m really happy to be riding for an African team. It means a lot to
me as we do not only help to raise the bar for African cycling but
also help to put people on bikes through Qhubeka. I’m very much
looking forward to further develop as a classics rider as these are
the races that I really enjoy," says Dougall, who’s currently racing
his first Grand Tour at La Vuelta.
Another rider who is racing in Spain at the moment is 22-year old
Merhawi Kudus. The young Eritrean has already shown glimpses of his
talent during the first week of La Vuelta.
It is the fourth Grand Tour of his young career, that has seen
finishing all three of them in the last three years.
"I would like to win a stage at a Grand Tour in the future. I feel
that these are the races that suit me well and it’s great to be able
to develop myself as rider in an African team. This team is rewriting
the history for African cycling and it’s great to a part of it," so
Kudus.
Natnael Berhane is another Eritrean who can take things to a whole new
level for African cycling in the next seasons.
The former Eritrean champion was the first African to win a stage race
in Europe in 2013, the Presidential Tour of Turkey, and has since
steadily progressed in his development.
He was a key support rider during this years mountain stages of the
Tour de France, after riding actively in a couple of stage races prior
to the Grand Boucle, where he was the designated team leader.
Received on Sat Sep 03 2016 - 15:49:17 EDT