First black captain for pro SA cycling team
JOHANNESBURG: South African cycling’s year of firsts and breakthroughs shows little sign of abating.
This week, the first black captain of a South African team was announced, MTN Qhubeka were on the verge of winning their first stage race as a Pro Continental team, and the country’s top female cyclist signed a contract with a top European team.
Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio will ride for the Norweigan Hitec Products UCK following four seasons with Lotto Belisol/Momentum Toyota.
Moolman described 2013 as a “breakthrough year” for her, having got her first World Cup podium at the Fleche Wallone, the first African to be on the podium of the World Cup.
Moolman-Pasio was also eighth overall in the Giro Rosa stage race, and won the Holland Hills Classic.
“I am very excited for new opportunities with the Hitec Products team,” she said.
“It is a big step in my cycling career to move to a purely international team, but I must admit it is nice that the team still has somewhat of a South African influence, with Steven Sergeant as one of the team directors,” added Moolman-Pasio, whose last big event will be the world championships in Italy this year.
She believes the hilly course suits her style of riding, and is confident of pulling off a result.
Last night, Luthando Kaka was named as the captain of Team Bonitas, the first black South African to captain a professional cycling team.
“When I joined the team almost four years ago, I was the second-youngest rider,” said Kaka.
“Now I’m one of the oldest and most experienced.
“At 27 years of age, that shows just how committed Team Bonitas is to young talent.
“I look forward to transferring my knowledge to my young teammates, and I am committed to leading this team to even greater success.”
Kaka, like Songezo Jim of MTN Qhubeka, is a product of the Velokhaya Life Cycling Academy in Khayelitsha. He has raced abroad with Danish professional team Glued & Marstrand Horsens in 2008 and 2009.
“In Luthando, we have a role model both on the bike and off it,” said Malcolm Lange, the team owner.
“He is an athlete that transcends his sport due to the tough path he’s taken to live his dream of being a pro cyclist. He’s an achiever and an inspiration not only to black cyclists, but all young cyclists.”
MTN Qhubeka are on the verge of winning the Volta a Portugal with their Spanish rider Sergio Pardilla, a result team principal Doug Ryder believes is “significant in two ways”.
“We’ve taken a rider who’s been on World Tour teams before, but this result is the first yellow jersey and first race he’s won since 2010.
“In the past, he was a rider who always had to work for someone else in the big races.
“And like we’ve seen with Gerald Ciolek, by making him a leader and giving him the support of a team on the road and supporting them with our high-performance staff, we’ve seen Sergio is back to winning and performing better than he has before, because he was able to take that responsibility.”