Mountain BIKE STAR JOINS
INTERNATIONAL TEAM
Local mountain bike star, Unathi Nxumalo, has joined the UCI-registered mountain bike team, Pump for Peace Racing.
He joins XCO riders, Faranak Partoazar, from Iran, and Tumelo Makae, from Lesotho, both multiple national champions and pioneers of the sport in their respective countries.
Nxumalo, 20, placed fifth at the 2022 African Continental MTB Championships in Windhoek, Namibia, and has numerous top 10 South African Elite XCO finishes.
He is a versatile cyclist who excels in mountain biking, road and gravel.
Nxumalo, who is studying for an agricultural diploma through AgriColleges International, is part of the cycling development programme run by Absolute Motion and his coach, Johann Wykerd.
Speaking ahead of the team’s first training camp in Stellenbosch, he said: “I’m excited to join the Pump for Peace Team.
“Working with the team and all the sponsors will help me achieve all my goals. I would like to become South African Champion, race World Champs and also the Olympics.”
Pump for Peace team manager, Ariane Lüthi, added: “Unathi is exactly the rider we are looking for. He is highly motivated and skilled and has enough experience to race XCO at a World Cup level.
“He was very lucky to have had such great guidance from his coach, Johann, already. We are hoping to see him develop further when getting more exposure to international racing through our team.”
Pump for Peace is a professional mountain bike team which draws its riders from marginalised countries and communities with the aim of forging pathways to high-performance cycling on the global stage.
The team’s goal is to help its riders become leaders and through them inspire their communities to dream big while embracing the healthy lifestyle cycling promotes.
This year, Pump for Peace will focus on the UCI XCO World Cup Series races, Continental Championships and select stage races, including the 2023 Cape Epic.
Absolute Motion was thrilled with the news, saying: “We can't wait to watch Unathi grow through this chapter and look forward to what the year ahead holds for him!”