Sad day as Africa’s only WorldTour team Qhubeka forced to fold

Team Qhubeka NextHash confirmed on Friday that their hopes of racing as a UCI WorldTour team in 2022 are officially over after they failed to secure a long-term future for the team.

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All the team’s operations will cease on 31 December.

The team had already been denied a WorldTour licence by the UCI in early December, but team boss Doug Ryder had attempted to keep negotiation channels open in the hope of finding a last-minute deal.

However, an internal communication, sent to all riders and staff, has confirmed that the search for a title sponsor has ended in failure.

In a statement send out on Thursday, Ryder states: “I am very sad to send this message. We have tried everything to find sponsors for our team for next season, right up until the last few days, but nothing has materialised in time.

“We have engaged with 10 sports’ marketing agencies across the world and spoke to over one hundred companies. I am thankful to those of you who also supported us through talking to potential sponsors. There has not been a day that went by since NTT opted to end their support that we did not work on securing our long-term future.”

Qhubeka almost folded at the end of 2020

The team almost folded at the end of 2020 but were saved at the last minute when Assos agreed to step up and become the title sponsor of the squad.

That gave Ryder a lifeline and it looked as though the team had at least another 12 months as the management continued to try and find a long-term backer.

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On the eve of the 2021 Tour de France, NextHash were unveiled as the team’s new title sponsor and while the deal was reported to last five years the squad were dogged by financial issues.

Riders and staff faced delays with their August wages and several sponsors were asked to provide early financial assistance when it came to their final investments.

At the same time, several high-profile riders began to look for employment elsewhere and in the autumn the team notified riders that even if they had contracts for 2022, they were free to seek alternatives for the future. 

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The team has had an impressive list of successes on the bike, with the likes of Gerald Ciolek, Steve Cummings, Mark Cavendish, Edvald Boasson Hagen, Ben King, Omar Fraile, Kristian Sbaragli, Ben O’Connor, Giacomo Nizzolo, Victor Campenaerts and Mauro Schmid raising their hands in delight crossing the finish line.

As important are the moments that saw Nic Dlamini make history in riding the Tour de France, highlighting of the challenges African riders face just to get the opportunity to race in Europe.

Ryder did confirm that the team’s Continental set-up will continue in 2022 and that he would try and put together a top-flight team in 2023.

“Thank you to all of you as Team Qhubeka is loved by so many people around the world. Even though we will not be in the World Tour or a Pro Continental Team next season, we will continue with the Continental team. The support of emerging talent is incredibly important for us to rise again in 2023. This is our goal.”