Spain’s Carlos Barbero has been called up as a replacement for Fabio Aru in the Team Qhubeka ASSOS (www.TeamQhubeka.com) line-up to tackle the 108th Tour de France.
Barbero (30) will join three other riders on our roster who will make their first appearances at the race: Nicholas Dlamini, Sean Bennett and Victor Campenaerts. His selection will further compliment the team’s ambitions to race aggressively, a style which saw him net two top-10 stage finishes at the recent completed Criterium du Dauphine.
Barbero has twice raced the Vuelta a Espana, and has 12 career victories as a professional on his palmares.
Revised Team Qhubeka ASSOS line-up [squad numbers]:
- Simon Clarke – Australia [09]
- Michael Gogl – Austria [07]
- Victor Campenaerts – Belgium [55]
- Max Walscheid – Germany [13]
- Sean Bennett – USA [31]
- Nic Dlamini – South Africa [17]
- Sergio Henao – Colombia [10]
- Carlos Barbero – Spain [91]
Carlos Barbero
I am very excited to start my first-ever Tour de France. It was not on my initial plan for the season but in cycling, as in life, there can be changes and you have to be prepared for when those happy.
I am incredibly happy and will look to continue the way in which the team have raced this year as we look to be as successful as possible. Ubuntu – I am because we are.
Fabio Aru
I know what it takes to compete at the Tour and I felt that, with the physical problems that I had over the weekend, my body is just not where it needs to be for me to be at my very best for the Grande Depart.
After discussing the situation with the team I decided that it in was our best interests to withdraw from the selection.
I want to wish the team, who have given me such great support all the very best, and I’ll be cheering along with the fans as we compete in the true spirit of Ubuntu.
Our team races to continue to raise the awareness of how bicycles can change lives and I know that during the Tour de France this message will continue to make a huge difference in the world.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Team Qhubeka ASSOS.
Media Contact:
Jean Smyth (Head of Communications)
Email: jean@ryder.co.za
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About Team Qhubeka ASSOS:
Team Qhubeka ASSOS is a purpose-led, high-performance team, fighting to win on the world's biggest stage, to inspire hope and create opportunity. Founded in 2007, Team Qhubeka ASSOS (formerly NTT Pro Cycling) became the first-ever African cycling team to gain a UCI WorldTour license, in 2016.
We achieved our first major win in 2013 when Gerald Ciolek won Milan-San Remo, one of the five Monuments of cycling. We have competed in six Tour de France’s and notched up 7 stage wins, with Mark Cavendish wearing the coveted Yellow Jersey at the 2016 Tour de France.
We are a multicultural, diverse team with bases in South Africa, the Netherlands and Italy. There are 19 nationalities represented across our World Tour and continental feeder team rosters. Our focus on developing African cycling has resulted in more than 55 riders from the African continent be given the opportunity to race on the world stage, since the team's inception.
We race to help people to move forward with bicycles through our relationship with Qhubeka Charity. Through our work with Qhubeka, we have contributed to the distribution of over 30 000 bicycles in communities in South Africa.
About Qhubeka:
Qhubeka is a charity that moves people forward with bicycles. People earn bicycles through our programmes, improving their access to schools, clinics and jobs.
A bicycle is a tool that helps people to travel faster and further, and to carry more. In the face of extreme and persistent poverty, bicycles can change lives by helping to address socioeconomic challenges at the most basic level – helping people to get where they need to go.
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