Team to be named Team Dimension Data riding for Qhubeka
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Dimension Data CEO Brett Dawson with MTN-Qhubeka team principal Doug Ryder(Image credit: Dimension Data)
Daniel Teklehaimanot won the polka dot jersey during stage 6, becoming the first African to do so.
Dimension Data will be named sponsor for the Qhubeka team in 2016(Image credit: Gruber Images)
The Dimension Data truck(Image credit: Gruber Images)
Recently crowned Eritrean champion Daniel Teklehaimanot with the microphone(Image credit: Gruber Images)
Team Dimension Data riding for Quebeka will be the new name of the MTN-Qhubeka team in 2016. Dimenson Data was confirmed as a sponsor of the team back in July but has since stepped forward as a primary sponsor after telecoms company MTN decided to end their partnership with the team. Dimension Data are also the technology partner for the Tour de France, running a beta live tracking site during this year's race.
“We are incredibly excited to have Dimension Data become our new title partner. It enables us to continue to support the development of African cycling and the Qhubeka Charity at the highest levels in World cycling,” said team principle Doug Ryder. “Cycling is such a high tech sport and we have leveraged technology and data through our high performance team to build the bridge from racing in Africa to competing successfully against the best in the world on the global race calendar.
“Partnering with Dimension Data supports us more in this area, and will also help us be more connected with our growing fan base around the world. This is the next step in our journey and we look forward to accelerating our collective ambitions through this partnership.”
The change in name also highlights the desire within the team to move away from the idea of Qhubeka as a sponsor and reflect it as being a recipient of help from the team. The team works to provide funds for the Qhubeka charity that looks to mobilise and help Africans by giving them bikes.
"Dimension Data is proud to become the new title partner of this amazing African team. We’re a global technology organisation, and because the team leverages technology – both on and off the bike – our joint goal is to take the team and African cycling to new heights. In addition, we want to help develop African riders into professional cyclists who will compete in some of the greatest cycling events on the African continent and across the world," said Dimension Data’s Group CEO Brett Dawson.
The team, which is Africa's only Pro Continental was established in 2007 and stepped up to Pro Continental level in 2013. Since then, they have gone from strength to strength and made history with their first Tour de France appearance this season. Stephen Cummings earned them their first Grand Tour win on stage 14 and young Italian sprinter Kristian Sbaragli backed that up with a stage of the Vuelta a Espana.
How the rider line-up will look for next season is still unknown but it is understood that there are several signings in the pipeline. Mark Cavendish has been heavily linked with a move to the team and they have expressed their interest in the Manxman but he has yet to put pen to paper. Bernhard Eisel and Mark Renshaw could potentially move with him. Disappointingly for the team, they have lost one of their future stars Louis Meintjes to Lampre-Merida. Australian Matt Goss is also expected to leave the team at the end of the year.
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More announcements are expected to be made in the coming weeks.
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Born in Ireland to a cycling family and later moved to the Isle of Man, so there was no surprise when I got into the sport. Studied sports journalism at university before going on to do a Masters in sports broadcast. After university I spent three months interning at Eurosport, where I covered the Tour de France. In 2012 I started at Procycling Magazine, before becoming the deputy editor of Procycling Week. I then joined Cyclingnews, in December 2013.
