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MTN-Qhubeka targeting first Tour de France jersey with Cavendish and Kudus
Gepost door lodjan
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lodjan
28 oktober 2015 21:32
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MTN-Qhubeka targeting first Tour de France jersey with Cavendish and Kudus
African team awaiting news on WorldTour status
After making a dream Tour de France debut earlier this year, MTN-Qhubeka (to be known as Dimension Data next season) are eyeing up even bigger goals for 2016. The African team claimed their first Grand Tour stage in July but, with the addition of riders such as Mark Cavendish, they are looking to add to that tally and even take home their first overall classification and a jersey to boot.
“All the possibilities are there and we’ll try to win more stages because we don’t have a GC rider. At the moment, I think that we’ll have the same strategy as we did this year, to race aggressively and to be visible and to go for a jersey,” team MTN-Qhubeka boss Doug Ryder told Cyclingnews in Paris ahead of the presentation of the 2016 Tour de France route.
“To have a rider stand on the Champs Elysees at the end in front of the whole world with our brand, after hard three weeks of racing and lots of commitment and sacrifice, I don’t think there would be a dry eye across the whole African continent and to the team that would be significant. Our progression would be so unbelievable, that would be amazing. It’s an objective for sure.”
With Cavendish on-board, a shot at the Tour’s green jersey would be a real possibility in 2016. “Wouldn’t that be nice with Dimension Data and the green. It would be fantastic, it would be unbelievable,” Ryder said, he’s not just relying on the Manxman to deliver the goods. “Potentially with Merhawi (Kudus) we could go for the young rider’s jersey, that’s a possibility.
The bigger picture
MTN-Qhubeka has been on a swift upwards trajectory since gaining their Pro Continental licence in 2013. This year saw some big changes in the set up with the signing of a number of experienced non-African riders coming in, such as Edvald Boasson Hagen, while Cavendish has joined the team for 2016. The decision was met with some criticism as some believed they have turned their focus away from the original goal of furthering African cycling.
Ryder denies this and says that the impact of having Cavendish win a Tour jersey is just as important as getting someone such as Kudus onto the podium, while their dream remains the same as it’s always been. “For me they’re both as equally as important as each other because it’s all about the visibility and the potential and the commitment that every rider has made,” said Ryder. “For us it would be exactly the same because the team moves forward and that generates massive exposure and more revenue and interest in African cycling. You don’t want to have happen as what happened to Colombia Coldeportes (who were forced to disband due to lack of funding).
“It’s our dream that an African rider will stand on the podium, either wearing a jersey or because they’re a Grand Tour podium rider, we believe that will happen in the next three to five years.”
WorldTour and track ambitions
After such a big season in 2015, the team are not restricting their major ambitions to the Tour de France. Ryder told Cyclingnews at the Tour de France in July that the team hoped to gain promotion into the WorldTour. Late confirmation of sponsors meant that they missed the initial deadline to apply for a licence but the door is still open. With only 17 teams submitting applications, there is still one spot remaining and, if the UCI find their documents satisfactory, they could be the ones to take it.
The team may find out if they are successful as early and next week and Ryder believes they are more than ready to make the jump. “Last year there was a perception that a Pro Continental team couldn’t ride two Grand Tours and be successful and we rode two Grand Tours and were successful. In the Tour de France we had a great race and at the Tour of Spain we won a stage and then went 10th. It’s pretty good,” he said.
If they were to join the WorldTour then they would have the freedom to boost their roster to 30 riders but Ryder believes that the investment would be spent elsewhere. “We’d invest more into a feeder team. We’d rather, instead of putting another rider into the WorldTour we’d put many more riders into a feeder team and step them up a level so that the gap doesn’t go out further.”
The Olympic Games and the track are another consideration that the team will have to make when it comes to Cavendish. The Manxman has made no secret of his desire to take home an Olympic medal and, with the road race route as it is, he knows that the track is his best shot. Cavendish’s outgoing team manager Patrick Lefevere was never too keen on the idea but Ryder says that he’ll give the 30-year-old his full support.
“We have to look at it, we have to look at the dates. I think the track is great for him, it’s a big objective for him so it becomes our objective because we support the riders. We’ll be super happy for him and we’ll give him 100 per cent focus and support,” Ryder told Cyclingnews. “It’s fine, because we have some other riders that can step up and step in.”
African team awaiting news on WorldTour status
After making a dream Tour de France debut earlier this year, MTN-Qhubeka (to be known as Dimension Data next season) are eyeing up even bigger goals for 2016. The African team claimed their first Grand Tour stage in July but, with the addition of riders such as Mark Cavendish, they are looking to add to that tally and even take home their first overall classification and a jersey to boot.
“All the possibilities are there and we’ll try to win more stages because we don’t have a GC rider. At the moment, I think that we’ll have the same strategy as we did this year, to race aggressively and to be visible and to go for a jersey,” team MTN-Qhubeka boss Doug Ryder told Cyclingnews in Paris ahead of the presentation of the 2016 Tour de France route.
“To have a rider stand on the Champs Elysees at the end in front of the whole world with our brand, after hard three weeks of racing and lots of commitment and sacrifice, I don’t think there would be a dry eye across the whole African continent and to the team that would be significant. Our progression would be so unbelievable, that would be amazing. It’s an objective for sure.”
With Cavendish on-board, a shot at the Tour’s green jersey would be a real possibility in 2016. “Wouldn’t that be nice with Dimension Data and the green. It would be fantastic, it would be unbelievable,” Ryder said, he’s not just relying on the Manxman to deliver the goods. “Potentially with Merhawi (Kudus) we could go for the young rider’s jersey, that’s a possibility.
The bigger picture
MTN-Qhubeka has been on a swift upwards trajectory since gaining their Pro Continental licence in 2013. This year saw some big changes in the set up with the signing of a number of experienced non-African riders coming in, such as Edvald Boasson Hagen, while Cavendish has joined the team for 2016. The decision was met with some criticism as some believed they have turned their focus away from the original goal of furthering African cycling.
Ryder denies this and says that the impact of having Cavendish win a Tour jersey is just as important as getting someone such as Kudus onto the podium, while their dream remains the same as it’s always been. “For me they’re both as equally as important as each other because it’s all about the visibility and the potential and the commitment that every rider has made,” said Ryder. “For us it would be exactly the same because the team moves forward and that generates massive exposure and more revenue and interest in African cycling. You don’t want to have happen as what happened to Colombia Coldeportes (who were forced to disband due to lack of funding).
“It’s our dream that an African rider will stand on the podium, either wearing a jersey or because they’re a Grand Tour podium rider, we believe that will happen in the next three to five years.”
WorldTour and track ambitions
After such a big season in 2015, the team are not restricting their major ambitions to the Tour de France. Ryder told Cyclingnews at the Tour de France in July that the team hoped to gain promotion into the WorldTour. Late confirmation of sponsors meant that they missed the initial deadline to apply for a licence but the door is still open. With only 17 teams submitting applications, there is still one spot remaining and, if the UCI find their documents satisfactory, they could be the ones to take it.
The team may find out if they are successful as early and next week and Ryder believes they are more than ready to make the jump. “Last year there was a perception that a Pro Continental team couldn’t ride two Grand Tours and be successful and we rode two Grand Tours and were successful. In the Tour de France we had a great race and at the Tour of Spain we won a stage and then went 10th. It’s pretty good,” he said.
If they were to join the WorldTour then they would have the freedom to boost their roster to 30 riders but Ryder believes that the investment would be spent elsewhere. “We’d invest more into a feeder team. We’d rather, instead of putting another rider into the WorldTour we’d put many more riders into a feeder team and step them up a level so that the gap doesn’t go out further.”
The Olympic Games and the track are another consideration that the team will have to make when it comes to Cavendish. The Manxman has made no secret of his desire to take home an Olympic medal and, with the road race route as it is, he knows that the track is his best shot. Cavendish’s outgoing team manager Patrick Lefevere was never too keen on the idea but Ryder says that he’ll give the 30-year-old his full support.
“We have to look at it, we have to look at the dates. I think the track is great for him, it’s a big objective for him so it becomes our objective because we support the riders. We’ll be super happy for him and we’ll give him 100 per cent focus and support,” Ryder told Cyclingnews. “It’s fine, because we have some other riders that can step up and step in.”
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Eindhovuh
31 oktober 2015 07:41
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Leuke ambities. Zeker dat feeder team.
Al denk ik dat ze komend seizoen met iam knokken om de laatste plek in de stand.
Al denk ik dat ze komend seizoen met iam knokken om de laatste plek in de stand.
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Pyama
31 oktober 2015 10:16
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De Tourploeg bestaat dus al uit Cavendish, Renshaw, Eisel, Hagen, Cummings, Tekle, Kudus, Berhane en dan nog maar een Afrikaanse locomotief zeker?
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lodjan
31 oktober 2015 14:01
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Brian Smith confident Cavendish can win with Dimension Data in 2016
MTN-Qhubeka team manager explains his way of working
General manager Brian Smith is working hard for the 2016 seasdon
(Stephen Farrand)
Brian Smith is perhaps better known as a television commentator with Eurosport, using his career as a professional in the 1990s to read races and explain race tactics in his Scottish accent. Yet in the last 18 months he has also successfully taken on the role of general manager at MTN-Qhubeka, arguably the revelation of the 2015 season.
Doug Ryder owns the team, which will be known asTeam Dimension Data in 2016, but Smith oversees the daily running of the squad. He uses his experience as a rider and television commentator to shape the team's race tactics and strategy, combining his cycling knowledge with skills he learned in sales and marketing to manage his riders and staff.
Smith has worked quietly in the background so far, gradually strengthening the team's line-up and ethos, but his presence and experience played a key role in the team's success in 2015. He has worked intensely in recent months, first securing the signing of Mark Cavendish, and then ensuring the Manxman fits in with the team's other ambitions for 2016 and its goal of promoting African cycling.
"When people ask me what my religion is, I say: ‘I went cycling every Sunday and so cycling is my religion'. If I'm not at a race, I'm commentating or watching it. I don't drink alcohol or consume caffeine, I get a buzz from bike racing," Smith tells Cyclingnews in his first major interview about his management role.
"I'm not a sports psychologist but I am a people watcher and can see when people in the team need help. In this team I hope people like me and respect me. I think people do things for me because they like me and share my ambitions. I've kicked a few people up the ass, but I treat people the way I want to be treated. When things are wrong, I try to fix them for everyone's benefit. I think that's what a good manager does. It's Doug's team and he's trusted me to run as well as I can. I'm happy to work away in the background."
Working with Cavendish
Smith recently spent a week at the team service course and training base in Lucca, Italy, as the new riders gathered for bike and clothing fitting sessions and to talk about 2016, when the team will be known as Team Dimension Data and possibly be part of the WorldTour if requested to step up by the UCI. The arrival of Mark Cavendish will mean further new challenges but Smith is convinced the team has the ability to raise its game.
"People congratulated us on signing Cavendish but it didn't feel such a big deal to me because we haven't done anything yet," Smith says. "Of course Cav has come here to win and in 2016 I think we can step up from being the surprise team, the wild card team, and go the Tour de France with a plan for more success. I think riders like Edvald Boasson Hagen, Steve Cummings and even the African guys like Daniel Teklehaimanot, Merhawi Kudus and Natnael Berhane can all step up. I'd love to win a monument Classic. That might be a lofty goal but we won Milan-San Remo with Gerald Ciolek and I think Boasson Hagen can win big, big Classics."
"Cavendish won 14 races this year. Can I see him winning more in 2016? Yeah I think he can. In my eyes he's still the fastest sprinter the world. His life has changed in recent years; he's got married and had kids. But as I said, it's about motivation. If he's not enjoying it as much, then that's a percentage between winning and losing right there. I've seen an increase in performance in that way in Tyler Farrar this season. He's not just going through the motions now. He really wants it and is enjoying it now. I think Cavendish will be the same. He's already enthusiastic. When he came to the meeting, he was here all day and we had to send him home."
Smith claims he would even like to see Cavendish ride Paris-Roubaix, to find new motivation and inspire his new teammates.
"I want to see what else Cav has in his locker," Smith says. "He is a character but I want to encourage that character to come out in our team. I want him to be himself but also help the other riders, and especially the African riders. He's got so much experience. Edvald Boasson Hagen has won two Tour de France stages, Cavendish has won 26…"
"There are a lot of guys in our team that can become better and stronger thanks to help from Cav. He's methodical. He carefully checks his bike, his position, his tactics, his training and his teammates. He's a thinker and wants to improve and be involved in things. He wants to be successful but also be happy. I know that Mark Cavendish will win but he will also lose sometimes, too. But we'll close the door when it happens and move on. I don't want to go on the team bus after a race and see riders feeling down. After races we'll de-brief, learn from our mistakes and then move on to the next race. That's the attitude I want in our team. I want to create an environment where people are paid what they're worth, but they enjoy it."
Smith knows he will have to build a lead-out train for Cavendish but also ensure his other riders have opportunities.
"I think we've got the riders for a good lead out for Cavendish. We've got Eisel who really wanted to ride with Cav again; we've got Renshaw who is the real brains of the lead out. We've also got Theo Bos and Tyler Farrar, who are both looking forward to being involved in the project. Edvald can also fit into it too," Smith explains.
"Of course he's a special rider and a leader, so he'll still have opportunities, too. Edvald and Cavendish are two different types of sprinters. Edvald likes a hard sprint, while Cavendish is perfect for high-speed bunch sprints. I think they're will be give and take. Edvald will be bigger, better and stronger in 2016. He'd lost a lot of confidence but is coming back. Look how he rode at the Tour de France, how he won the Tour of Britain and also at his ride at the Worlds. He sacrificed his chance of a sure medal for Kristoff because he's faithful and sticks to a strategy. I'm sure he'll be the same with Cav. There might be fewer opportunities for him but they will be bigger opportunities. I think there will also be a little less pressure on him and so that will help too."
Smith still regrets losing Louis Meintjes to Lampre-Merida but also sees it as an opportunity for the other African riders in the team.
"Now is time for the other African riders in the shadows to step up," he says. "Everything we achieved in 2015 was planned and worked towards. We're going to set ourselves some important but achievable goals for 2016 too. With Dimension Data and other important sponsors like Deloitte coming in, with the riders we've signed and retained, with the great sports and technical staff we have, I think we're ready to enjoy ourselves."
MTN-Qhubeka team manager explains his way of working
General manager Brian Smith is working hard for the 2016 seasdon
(Stephen Farrand)
Brian Smith is perhaps better known as a television commentator with Eurosport, using his career as a professional in the 1990s to read races and explain race tactics in his Scottish accent. Yet in the last 18 months he has also successfully taken on the role of general manager at MTN-Qhubeka, arguably the revelation of the 2015 season.
Doug Ryder owns the team, which will be known asTeam Dimension Data in 2016, but Smith oversees the daily running of the squad. He uses his experience as a rider and television commentator to shape the team's race tactics and strategy, combining his cycling knowledge with skills he learned in sales and marketing to manage his riders and staff.
Smith has worked quietly in the background so far, gradually strengthening the team's line-up and ethos, but his presence and experience played a key role in the team's success in 2015. He has worked intensely in recent months, first securing the signing of Mark Cavendish, and then ensuring the Manxman fits in with the team's other ambitions for 2016 and its goal of promoting African cycling.
"When people ask me what my religion is, I say: ‘I went cycling every Sunday and so cycling is my religion'. If I'm not at a race, I'm commentating or watching it. I don't drink alcohol or consume caffeine, I get a buzz from bike racing," Smith tells Cyclingnews in his first major interview about his management role.
"I'm not a sports psychologist but I am a people watcher and can see when people in the team need help. In this team I hope people like me and respect me. I think people do things for me because they like me and share my ambitions. I've kicked a few people up the ass, but I treat people the way I want to be treated. When things are wrong, I try to fix them for everyone's benefit. I think that's what a good manager does. It's Doug's team and he's trusted me to run as well as I can. I'm happy to work away in the background."
Working with Cavendish
Smith recently spent a week at the team service course and training base in Lucca, Italy, as the new riders gathered for bike and clothing fitting sessions and to talk about 2016, when the team will be known as Team Dimension Data and possibly be part of the WorldTour if requested to step up by the UCI. The arrival of Mark Cavendish will mean further new challenges but Smith is convinced the team has the ability to raise its game.
"People congratulated us on signing Cavendish but it didn't feel such a big deal to me because we haven't done anything yet," Smith says. "Of course Cav has come here to win and in 2016 I think we can step up from being the surprise team, the wild card team, and go the Tour de France with a plan for more success. I think riders like Edvald Boasson Hagen, Steve Cummings and even the African guys like Daniel Teklehaimanot, Merhawi Kudus and Natnael Berhane can all step up. I'd love to win a monument Classic. That might be a lofty goal but we won Milan-San Remo with Gerald Ciolek and I think Boasson Hagen can win big, big Classics."
"Cavendish won 14 races this year. Can I see him winning more in 2016? Yeah I think he can. In my eyes he's still the fastest sprinter the world. His life has changed in recent years; he's got married and had kids. But as I said, it's about motivation. If he's not enjoying it as much, then that's a percentage between winning and losing right there. I've seen an increase in performance in that way in Tyler Farrar this season. He's not just going through the motions now. He really wants it and is enjoying it now. I think Cavendish will be the same. He's already enthusiastic. When he came to the meeting, he was here all day and we had to send him home."
Smith claims he would even like to see Cavendish ride Paris-Roubaix, to find new motivation and inspire his new teammates.
"I want to see what else Cav has in his locker," Smith says. "He is a character but I want to encourage that character to come out in our team. I want him to be himself but also help the other riders, and especially the African riders. He's got so much experience. Edvald Boasson Hagen has won two Tour de France stages, Cavendish has won 26…"
"There are a lot of guys in our team that can become better and stronger thanks to help from Cav. He's methodical. He carefully checks his bike, his position, his tactics, his training and his teammates. He's a thinker and wants to improve and be involved in things. He wants to be successful but also be happy. I know that Mark Cavendish will win but he will also lose sometimes, too. But we'll close the door when it happens and move on. I don't want to go on the team bus after a race and see riders feeling down. After races we'll de-brief, learn from our mistakes and then move on to the next race. That's the attitude I want in our team. I want to create an environment where people are paid what they're worth, but they enjoy it."
Smith knows he will have to build a lead-out train for Cavendish but also ensure his other riders have opportunities.
"I think we've got the riders for a good lead out for Cavendish. We've got Eisel who really wanted to ride with Cav again; we've got Renshaw who is the real brains of the lead out. We've also got Theo Bos and Tyler Farrar, who are both looking forward to being involved in the project. Edvald can also fit into it too," Smith explains.
"Of course he's a special rider and a leader, so he'll still have opportunities, too. Edvald and Cavendish are two different types of sprinters. Edvald likes a hard sprint, while Cavendish is perfect for high-speed bunch sprints. I think they're will be give and take. Edvald will be bigger, better and stronger in 2016. He'd lost a lot of confidence but is coming back. Look how he rode at the Tour de France, how he won the Tour of Britain and also at his ride at the Worlds. He sacrificed his chance of a sure medal for Kristoff because he's faithful and sticks to a strategy. I'm sure he'll be the same with Cav. There might be fewer opportunities for him but they will be bigger opportunities. I think there will also be a little less pressure on him and so that will help too."
Smith still regrets losing Louis Meintjes to Lampre-Merida but also sees it as an opportunity for the other African riders in the team.
"Now is time for the other African riders in the shadows to step up," he says. "Everything we achieved in 2015 was planned and worked towards. We're going to set ourselves some important but achievable goals for 2016 too. With Dimension Data and other important sponsors like Deloitte coming in, with the riders we've signed and retained, with the great sports and technical staff we have, I think we're ready to enjoy ourselves."
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JW
31 oktober 2015 19:26
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Verhaal is duidelijk.
De ploeg is voor de Tour toch wat minder afhankelijk geworden van Serge Pauwels
De ploeg is voor de Tour toch wat minder afhankelijk geworden van Serge Pauwels
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cyclingfreakske
03 november 2015 14:51
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proberen succes te halen in de breedte is het doel. Pauwels deed mooie dingen in de Tour maar is een moeilijke winnaar.
Uiteindelijk is het plaats 1 die herinnert word. Mogelijk krijgt Pauwels een meer vrijere rol dan vorig jaar en kijkt men weer waar het eindigt.
Intussen proberen etappes te pakken onderweg met de spurters, en de druk te verhogen voor de groene trui.
Uiteindelijk is het plaats 1 die herinnert word. Mogelijk krijgt Pauwels een meer vrijere rol dan vorig jaar en kijkt men weer waar het eindigt.
Intussen proberen etappes te pakken onderweg met de spurters, en de druk te verhogen voor de groene trui.
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CurtisWora
20 december 2016 07:34
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RichardSa
30 december 2016 21:53
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CurtisWora
27 januari 2017 23:58
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Richardbulp
05 februari 2017 16:27
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CurtisWora
12 februari 2017 19:56
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CurtisWora
23 februari 2017 13:02
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srldutx
[www.ukfinanceguide.co.uk]
[www.lanarkunitedfc.co.uk]
[www.giantfang.co.uk]
[www.poloshirtsonlineshop.co.uk]
[www.ukbriberyact2010.co.uk]
New Era Snapbacks 2016
Nike Air Max 2016 Blackout
Nike Air Max 2015 Mens Flyknit
Adidas Ultra Boost Uncaged Triple Black On Feet
Air Jordan 10 Grey Purple
[www.ukfinanceguide.co.uk]
[www.lanarkunitedfc.co.uk]
[www.giantfang.co.uk]
[www.poloshirtsonlineshop.co.uk]
[www.ukbriberyact2010.co.uk]
New Era Snapbacks 2016
Nike Air Max 2016 Blackout
Nike Air Max 2015 Mens Flyknit
Adidas Ultra Boost Uncaged Triple Black On Feet
Air Jordan 10 Grey Purple
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CurtisWora
23 februari 2017 15:59
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CurtisWora
09 maart 2017 03:23
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Douglastigo
01 april 2017 19:22
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Sorry, alleen geregistreerde gebruikers mogen berichten plaatsen in dit forum.