UCI code DDD Discipline Road cycling General manager Brian Smith | Registered South Africa Website Team home page Founded 1997 | |
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Status UCI Continental (2007–2012)
UCI Professional Continental (2013–2015)
UCI WorldTeam (2016– ) Team manager(s) Douglas Ryder
Rolf Aldag
Roger Hammond Bicycles Trek Bicycle Corporation (2007–2014), Cervélo (2015–) Profiles | ||
Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka ([ǃʰuˈɓɛːɠa]) (UCI team code: DDD) is a World Tour cycling team based in South Africa. Until 2016 it was known as MTN–Qhubeka. The team's name reflects that whilst it is sponsored by Dimension Data Holdings it is organised by the Qhubeka Foundation, the World Bicycle Relief’s charity programme in South Africa.
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Foundation
The team was founded in 2007, becoming a Continental Team in 2008. The team remained as a UCI Continental Team until the end of the 2012 season, with the team registering its interest for a Professional Continental licence for 2013. In November 2012, the team were registered as a Professional Continental team – Africa's first – by the Union Cycliste Internationale, for the 2013 season.
The team achieved their first major win in 2013 when Gerald Ciolek won Milan-San Remo, one of the 5 Monuments of cycling. The team received their first Grand Tour wildcard for the 2014 Vuelta a España.
In July 2014, the team announced that for the 2015 season they would be using Cervélo bikes with Brian Smith being appointed interim general manager. In August 2014, the team confirmed the signing of Edvald Boasson Hagen on a 2-year contract. In September 2014 the team announced they had signed Tyler Farrar and Matthew Goss for the 2015 season.
1st African Team in Tour de France
On January 14 the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) announced the 22 teams that would participate in the 2015 Tour de France, with MTN-Qhubeka making history as the first African registered team to take part. Steve Cummings brought the team their first stage win of the Tour, stage 14 on Mandela Day. The team's second Grand Tour stage victory came the following month at the 2015 Vuelta a España, where Kristian Sbaragli won a reduced bunch sprint on stage 10.
Daniel Teklehaimanot made history in the 2015 Tour de France when he spent four days in the race’s polka-dot jersey, becoming not only the first Eritrean but the first African to wear that jersey. The success brought him to the attention of the wider cycling world and now the 27-year-old has set his sights on another first for 2016. Teklehaimanot is now looking for his debut Grand Tour victory.
Dimension Data as new sponsor
In July 2015, MTN announced they would end their sponsorship of the team. Two months later, Dimension Data was announced as the team's new primary sponsor. The new team name would be "Team Dimension Data for Quebeka"; the change in name was intended to demonstrate that the team supported the Qhubeka charity rather than receiving sponsorship for them. The change came at the same time as rumours were circulating that Mark Cavendish and his lead-out man Mark Renshaw were about to sign with the team for the 2016 season. Days later the team announced Deloitte had agreed to become a major sponsor of the team; the very next day the signing of Cavendish and Renshaw – along with their former teammate Bernhard Eisel – was confirmed. In November 2015 the team announced that Rolf Aldag had been appointed as the team's Performance Manager with immediate effect, following Cavendish and Renshaw from Etixx–Quick-Step. Later that month Roger Hammond announced that he would join the team as a sports director for 2016, combining the role with his current position as manager of the Madison Genesis squad, and it was confirmed that the team had been granted a UCI World Tour licence for the 2016 season, becoming the first African team to enter cycling's top division.