Didata will not shop for points to stay on world tour — Ryder
NOBILITY and high-performance sport do not often go together but Team Dimension Data-Qhubeka team principal Douglas Ryder says the team is not willing to sell its soul to remain in the International Cycling Union (UCI) World Tour, writes Sibusiso Mjikeliso.
The team’s place in the 2017 circuit is under threat because the 18 teams that make up the tour are now all vying for 17 positions and Africa’s team is ranked 18th in the world at the moment.
UCI ranks the tour teams according to points accumulated during their in-competition performances, as well as individual rider points under the banner “sporting criterion” in its rule book.
To try save the team’s place, Ryder could “shop for points” by buying riders who are not necessarily part of their plans to fulfil the sporting criterion quota and fight off teams Bahrain-Merida and Bora-Hansgrohe for the 17th spot.
But Ryder said they would not disturb their team ethos and Qhubeka charity drive to chase rankings points.
The culture the 28-man team had cultivated was critical, Ryder said, to their five stage wins in the 2016 Tour de France and Steve Cummings’ whimsical stage win on Mandela Day in 2015.
“Irrespective of whether we are a world tour team and not in the first division, we will still get invited to the biggest races because we have incredible riders like Mark Cavendish, Cummings and Daniel Teklehaimanot,” said Ryder.
“Of course, being an African team on the world tour is important to our partners and it means we don’t have to rely on wildcard entries and guesswork, whether we are in or not. Our partners want guarantees, as does everybody.
“From our sustainability point of view it is important to stay up there and we are striving to do that. But do I want to change the strategy and the focus of our team just to be in the first division? No.
“If we are going to get docked points because of that, then it’s not cool. I’ve been offered riders for ridiculous amounts of money that could buy us the points to stay in the world tour but we’ve declined. It’s not about them, it’s about what we believe in.
“We are an emerging team that’s doing something that’s never been done before. Cycling needs good stories and we are healthy financially and we have a great cause. We’ve shown that Africa deserves to have a team in cycling’s first division.”
Team Didata-Qhubeka were described as the most impressive team of the Tour de France, after overall winners Team Sky. They have a chance to go for broke at Monday’s L’Eneco Tour in Bolsward, Netherlands, where Cavendish is competing, and Il Lombardia starting in Italy on October 1.
Despite the threat of dropping to the UCI Pro Continental Tour in 2017, Ryder remained proud of the contribution his team continued to make to the growth of cycling in SA and on the continent. He was also proud of the contribution Cavendish had made since joining Dimension Data. Cavendish won his first Tour de France yellow jersey in 2016 and his first Olympic medal, silver, in Rio.
“Mark, a guy that resurrected his career with us, wore his first yellow jersey with us and in his third Olympics won his first medal. It showed what team culture and belief in people can do,” he said.
“He was in teams that didn’t believe it was possible and didn’t give him the opportunity to do different disciplines in cycling. Believing in the person and letting them shine is what we are good at.”