The 100th edition of Volta Ciclista a Cataluñya gets underway in Calella tomorrow. Team Qhubeka ASSOS (TeamQhubeka.com) will field a team that will be on the hunt for opportunities throughout the race. The race has multiple climbing stages and includes an individual time trial.
Our climbing trio of Robert Power, Sander Armée and Kilian Frankiny will look forward to testing their prowess on the climbs in the region. Reinardt Janse van Rensburg will provide a sprint option for us. All-rounder, Sean Bennett, and the neo-pro duo of Connor Brown and Karel Vacek complete our roster.
Kilian Frankiny- Rider
"I have already done the race twice, and I have good memories. I won my first pro race in the team time trial in 2018. The following day, I had a chance to ride with the best young rider jersey, which was nice. It was one of my best experiences so far. It's always a tough climber race, with a strong starting lineup. The stages are similar every year... So I know the parcour a bit and I know what's coming up next week. It will be a heavy week of racing.
We have a balanced team, with some strong climbers and youngsters. We can take some chances, in the breakaways or a late attack, when the other big teams are looking at each other, we can surprise them and show some good teamwork. I'm really looking forward to the race."
Alex Sans Vega - Sports Director
"Our main goal is to try and win a stage and we will focus on the general classification with Robert Power. We are not in the favourites for a GC result, but Rob feels motivated so we are going to see what happens and how far we can go.
It's always a hard race, with long stages, and lots of climbing. We have two stages (three and four) which are for the GC contenders, but the rest of the days are good opportunities for breakaways. It's our plan to be represented in every big breakaway and to try and gain a stage win. We also have Reinardt Janse van Rensburg, should it come down to a sprint. The team are motivated and the good dynamics in the team will give us the motivation to fight."
A massive thank you to Tine for our team announcement (https://bit.ly/2QfKGTF).
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Team Qhubeka ASSOS.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 (TeamQhubeka.com) 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 (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.
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