MTN-QHUBEKA MEN MAKING THE MOST OF EUROPEAN PROGRAMME

Team MTN-Qhubeka is currently running a dual-programme, with some riders remaining in Africa and others competing abroad.

For the MTN-Qhubeka athletes in Europe, there has been much to learn in terms of racing, as well as the chance to embrace new experiences off the bike.

Following the Tour du Maroc, the men’s team moved to Belgium. Coming from hot, windy Morocco, Belgium seemed even cooler and wetter.

Reinardt Janse van Rensburg notes that it was action from the word go, with the team competing in their first race, the GP Pino Cerami, just two days after arriving. As a UCI 1.1 race of 200km, the race attracted the likes of Team Astana, Astana, Quickstep, Lotto, Cofidis and Vaconsoleil as well as 11 other Pro-continental teams and 10 Conti teams.

Janse van Rensburg and Eritrean teammate Merom Russom were the two finishers from the MTN-Qhubeka group. Janse van Rensburg noted that although it was not a spectacular result, he was happy with his performance, especially after 10 days in Morocco and much travelling.

The next race, the Rund Om Koln, was wet and cold. “It was around four degrees Celsius and rained non-stop, which isn’t something any of us are used to,” said Janse van Rensburg. “We got our rain gear on and set off for a 200km trek around Cologne.”

Unfortunately, with 40km remaining, Janse van Rensburg and Bradley Potgieter hooked bars and Janse van Rensburg took a tumble. He got back on the bike and managed to finish in the bunch with no injuries other than a cut on his chin and cheek and a few scrapes.

The third race for the men was Zellig-Galmaarden, a UCI Category 1.2 race of 174km. Regrettably, Arran Brown fell ill and was unable to race, but the rest of the MTN-Qhubeka men lined up on the start to tackle another cold day of ridings. Thankfully, the weather was dry and the 28 teams could focus on the tough circuit without a further obstacle.

“The circuit was tough with 16 climbs, some of them on cobbles and some steep,” explains Sports Director Jens Zemke. “The race started fast and the first breakaway was gone after 15km. Bradley Potgieter was able to bridge over. They had a max gap of 30 seconds, but were caught back after 10km.”

Potgieter dropped out at 70km and Songezo Jim shortly afterwards. Martin Wesemann managed to hang in until somewhere between 130 and 140km before dropping out.

“A break of 13 riders was formed after half of the race on the Muur of Geraardsbergen,” says Zemke. “Another 10 riders joined them awhile later and then Janse van Rensburg also joined this group, which was 40 riders strong. The bunch comprised another 100 riders with Meron Russom and Dennis van Niekerk a minute or two min behind. At the end, the group in front split in several parts and four guys reached the finish with a gap. Janse van Rensburg was around 20th at the end, sprinting for a result.”

Janse van Rensburg was the team’s best finisher, coming in at 24^th position overall.

Despite the tough racing conditions and the fact that most of the team has been sick, the MTN-Qhubeka men are making the most of the opportunities presented to them both on and off the bike.

Dennis van Niekerk says that they enjoyed a day off in Gent, exploring the city and spending time together as a team.

“We rode our bikes to the train station in Ninove and bought a train ticket to Gent,” he says. “It was one of the few nice days we had so far here in Belgium – still cold, but at least the sun came out for a few hours. We had some lunch and coffee and just did some sightseeing around the city. Just before we decided to head back, a storm came over the city so we went and did some shopping in the stores. We had a look at all the stuff Belgium had to offer. There were these funny sweets they sold on the streets called 'belgiese neues'. Apparently they have been around forever and are handmade in the city.”

After their day out, the men headed back to the team house, just managing to catch the last few kilometres of the Brabandse Pijl race being screened on TV, as Thomas Voekler rode away.

According to Zemke, the team cooks together and trains together as well as racing together. “It’s good for their team spirit to suffer together,” he smiles. “The setup here could not be better, with their first class Trek bikes, SRAM groupset and Zipp wheels. The team looks cool and you can’t see a difference between MTN-Qhubeka and the bigger teams from Europe.

“The racing is tough and the men are still waiting for a top ten spot. They are at the start-line of a great future and they will develop during the next few months. It’s nice to see a team growing and I am confident that we will have some respectable results in our hands after the next races. It is quite a lot to do, but we have talented, young guys in the team which will make a big difference in getting to the next level.”

Team MTN-Qhubeka’s next races abroad are the Arno Wallaard Memorial on 21 April, the Ronde van noord Holland on 22 April and the Tour of Bretagne from 25 April until 1 May.

Brown, Potgieter, Van Niekerk, Russom, Janse van Rensburg and Tesfay Habtemariem will tackle this weekend’s races.

The Tour of Bretagne team will comprise Songezo Jim, Brown, Potgieter, Van Niekerk, Russom and Janse van Rensburg.