NTT Pro Cycling team principal Douglas Ryder remains confident that the pro cycling team will be able to secure a solution to keep the team “on the road” in 2021.
It was announced in late September that current title partner NTT would not renew its sponsorship of the team; seeing Ryder in a race against time to secure the necessary funding to ensure the team’s survival.
Ryder reflected on the team’s overall journey, performances in 2020 as well as what the future may hold for Africa’s only UCI-registered WorldTour outfit. Founded in 2007, NTT Pro Cycling (formerly Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka) became the first-ever African cycling team to gain a WorldTour license, in 2016.
Following the team’s best-ever performance at the Giro d’Italia, Ryder reflected “It has been a good year on the bike. Sadly, it has not been so good from a sponsorship point of view in terms of our future, but we are piecing that puzzle together.
“When we announced that we needed a new partner, the response has been unbelievable from all over the world. Our social media presence has been incredible in terms of people just trying to support us.”
He added “We have people from America to Australia and everything in between loving this team and wanting to get involved, trying to make a difference, and trying to connect with us. It is tough in the world today economically, and some businesses are really struggling, and some aren’t. But we are very close to being on the road next year.”
Today (Thursday 5 November) sees the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) confirm the teams that have already submitted confirmed documentation for 2021, and Ryder says that right now time is of the essence.
“This Thursday is an announcement of the teams which have submitted their documentation, and we will not be on that list. In the next couple of days, I think we should be able to say that we will have a plan to move forwards into 2021.”
Ultimately for Ryder the dream to continue to make an impact through the distribution of bicycles with the Qhubeka Charity in rural areas remains a driving force in ensuring the team’s existence. He said, “If there are many more people that can be moved by bicycles and can use the bicycle as tool to be free, have hope, be independent and use it as a transport tool, then it shows that our team has been successful.
“If we have raced around the world, been successful and we can raise funds and awareness for the Qhubeka Charity, which gets more kids on bicycles, then it is self-fulfilling and shows that we have done a great job on all fronts.
“The next part of our dream as a team is that a child who starts on a Qhubeka bicycle ends up [having] the opportunities to race internationally. That would be a dream come true, that is what gets us up every day and that is what makes me work so hard now in this tough time to try and keep this team on the road.”
