Douglas Ryder, Team Qhubeka ASSOS (TeamQhubeka.com) founder and principal, has spoken candidly of just how close he came to seeing his dream of having Africa's UCI WorldTour team competing at the highest level of the sport extinguished, as in late 2020 his prospects of finding a sponsor to secure its future looked over.
The first episode of the team’s podcast ‘Unclipped’ as Team Qhubeka ASSOS sees Ryder talk in-depth about the incredible fight to survive after staring down the barrel of extinction following the conclusion of the 2020 season.
“This team has a strong message and does some great things, so it was important for us to continue to exist and fight for what we believe in; the mobility of people and giving them hope, opportunity and of course to do significant things at the highest level of world cycling,” Ryder said.
The episode also sees Ryder reflect on the the team’s purpose-led outlook in its endeavour to harness the power of sport for good, dealing with critics and also addresses the question of the team’s existence beyond 2021.
This exciting content offering aims to further enhance the way in which supporters can engage with the team, offering unique insights and access in a way that hasn’t been widely available in the peloton before. So look out for further episodes to come during the course of the season.
Please subscribe, download the episode, share it widely, leave a review and to send us your feedback.
‘Unclipped with Team Qhubeka’ is available via all podcasting platforms including:
- Apple podcasts (https://apple.co/39GI88f)
- Spotify (https://spoti.fi/3w6H5I1)
- Omny (https://bit.ly/31t7XUv)
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Team Qhubeka ASSOS.
About the Image:
‘UnClipped’ was chosen as the series title for a number of reasons using the iconic toe clip as the perfect representation of what the series hopes to achieve.
The toe clip firstly reminds us about the rich history of the sport as well as being a visual metaphor related to being off the bike and having a conversation. It also reflects the intended unscripted candour of the content while also mirroring the innovation and technological advantages so important to our team.
Plus, ‘old school’ is simply cool.
Media Contact:
Jean Smyth (Head of Communications)
Email: jean@ryder.co.za
Mobile: +27 63 4701 1710 or +31 625 739 033
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 (https://Qhubeka.org) 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.
All images attached to the press release can be used with the respective image credit in combination to this release.
