Potch’s cyclists earn their stripes

It is no wonder that South Africa’s best cycling talent from the MTN Qhebeka Feeder Team trains in Potchefstroom. The team recently ended their season off on a high note after topping the team classification during the Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge. No surprise then that Stefan de Bod, the 2015 winner of the 94.7 Cycle Challenge, also forms part of this team who use Potchefstroom as their base. His teammate Clint Hendricks took second place with Jayde Julius taking fifth and Gustav Basson seventh, rounding off a fantastic day for MTN Qhebeka.

These riders are more often than not seen in their famous zebra-striped shirts riding in the Potchefstroom. The town is known as a sporting capital with athletes enjoying the world-class facilities and perfect altitude for performance training.

The World Cycling Centre Africa (WCCA) is where it all happens for the upcoming cyclists who, in partnership with MTN Qhebeka, participates in a high-performance programme.  Here, riders from all over Africa can compete in local races with the opportunity of joining the premier MTN Qhebeka team – depending on their performance. The programme also helps to identify talent in different African countries and trains them to transfer their skills to other riders in their home country.

The High-Performance Programme has been running for the past three years and currently has representation from South Africa and Eritrea.

Merhawi Kudus and Daniel Teklehaimenot are two examples of flourishing riders in the system. Daniel even wore the Polka Dot jersey for four days at the prestigious Tour de France.

Nicholas Dlamini, originally from Khayelitsha, is now living his dream after winning the Cape Rouleur race earlier in the year.

“I just love to pedal. The platform here is really good for development and it is great to share my passion with the other guys in the feeder team,” says Dlamini.

The riders spend a lot of time with each other during training and preparation for race events and know each other’s strengths and weaknesses –  something that comes in very handy for the team in races.

We normally do about 500-600 kilometres per week and do a lot of core training,” he explains when asked about the team’s training schedule.

We relish the challenge of being able to set the mark, even though we know we have a target on our backs as the best team in the country,” said Jayde Julius, current u.23 SA and African champion.

“It is important to keep the team spirit going. We know there is humongous pressure but we relish the challenge. The most important thing is to keep the consistency,” said fellow teammate, de Bod, who has previously trained in Switzerland and competed in the Prix de Saint-Armour race in France, where he achieved a sixth place.

All the riders in the feeder team agree that the ultimate goal is still to race in Europe – that is where all the best riders earn their straps.

“This is where you challenge yourself against the best and this is where all the hard work can get you,” added Julius.

For more information and the latest updates follow World Cycling Centre Africa on Twitter – @wccafrica and Instagram @wccafricagroup