Tour du Rwanda lessons ‘invaluable’ for ProTouch
ProTouch further cemented their position as the country's top cycling club with top performances at this year's Tour du Rwanda.
ProTouch Cycling Club’s cyclists have once again shown their mettle through their great performances in the continent’s toughest and most prestigious race, the Tour du Rwanda.
ProTouch was tasked with riding the Tour du Rwanda as the South African national team this year, since they are the best club team in South Africa at present. The team exceeded its own expectations, with one rider finishing inside the Top 20 of the final general classification standings and another finishing inside the final King of the Mountains standings. They also rode away with four Stage podium finishes, one being a second place and the others third places.
For team manager, Tony Harding, these are outstanding results. “If you had told me before the race that we’d achieve these results, I would have shaken your hand and said thank you very much,” Tony said.
The team went into the race hoping to garner vital experience, as they look to becoming a UCI Continental Team next year. “What we learnt from the race was invaluable for the way going forward for us,” Tony proudly said.
Four of the team’s riders were debutantes at the Tour du Rwanda this year, and Calvin Beneke (a guest rider for the team and the only rider to have ridden it before), thoroughly enjoyed his return to Rwanda. “My first four stages went really well, and I really enjoyed riding with ProTouch who have a great team setup,” Calvin stated. He managed to earn a third-place finish in Stage 3.
He added that he would happily ride with the ProTouch team again if he ever had the chance, as the crews are “extremely supportive and helpful, and the staff are always there to help you out”.
The team’s highest-placed rider in the general classification was James Fourie, who ended in 15th place with a third-place finish in Stage 1, as well as in 20th place in the final King of the Mountains standings. Next best in the general classification for the team was Jaydé Julius, who ended in 19th place thanks to a second-place finish in Stage 5, and a third-place finish in the Stage 6. Jaydé was the team’s highest-placed rider in the King of the Mountains standings, finishing in a highly respectable 12th position.
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