The MTN-Qhubeka team kit will be quite distinctive.(Image credit: MTN-Qhubeka)
Trek is once again using a black-and-yellow color scheme on its Madone but this time it's for the new MTN-Qhubeka team.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Gerald Ciolek gives MTN-Qhubeka its first European win of the year(Image credit: Photopress.be)
The MTN-Qhubeka team line up for a team shot before rolling out for training(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
The MTN-Qhubeka team getting ready for the start at Langkawi(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
America is just like the movies. It's crazy how it's just like you see on TV. This is my first time here and when we first got to Elk Grove it was everything we've seen on tv for years. Garage bands blasting music, people coming out on their lawns to have bbq's (not braai's like we call it), they drink beer and cheer you on. The atmosphere is just unbelievable. They've all got perfectly manicured
homes. Utah is completely the opposite. It's just desolate, red rock, really beautiful area. It's like the Karoo in South Africa only much bigger and spectacular. It's just amazing and really beautiful, pretty much like a postcard.
I was really happy to get some TV time on stage 2 and get into the breakaway. After the first KOM, Michael Hepburn and I flew down the descent and got a gap. I won't call him a fatty but he's not a climber, just like me. The bunch knew we weren't a threat and they let us go, knowing they would catch us later. Eventually I went off on my own on the last climb and at the end of the day got given the jersey as the most aggressive rider. Did I look happy on the podium? Because I was.
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The first truly African professional continental team will compete in North America for the first time, and take part in the Tour of Utah from August 6-11, 2013, bringing an international flair to the UCI 2.1-ranked race. The team celebrated its first WorldTour victory in March with the Milan-San Remo win by Gerald Ciolek, and will be looking to make a big splash in America.
South Africans Jacques Janse van Renseburg, Louis Meintjes, Martin Wesemann and Songezo Jim will be joined by Meron Russom of Eritrea, Tsgabu Grmay of Ethiopia, Algerian Youcef Reguigui and Italian Kristian Sbaragli for the race, and will share their experiences with Cyclingnews.
