NTT Pro Cycling
NTT Pro Cycling (UCI team code: NTT) is a UCI WorldTeam cycling team based in South Africa. It is sponsored by the Johannesburg-based infotech firm Dimension Data and named after parent company Nippon Telegraph and Telephone.
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| Team information | |
|---|---|
| UCI code | NTT |
| Registered | South Africa |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Discipline(s) | Road cycling |
| Status | UCI Continental (2007–2012) UCI Professional Continental (2013–2015) UCI WorldTeam (2016– ) |
| Bicycles | Trek (2007–2014) Cervélo (2015–2018)[1] BMC (2019–)[2] |
| Website | Team home page |
| Key personnel | |
| General manager | Bjarne Riis |
| Team manager(s) | Douglas Ryder Roger Hammond |
| Team name history | |
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011–2015 2016–2019 2020– | MTN Team MTN MTN Cycling MTN–Energade MTN–Qhubeka Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka NTT Pro Cycling |
History
Foundation
The team was founded in 2007, becoming a Continental Team in 2008. The team remained as a UCI Continental Team until the end of the 2012 season, with the team registering its interest for a Professional Continental licence for 2013.[3] In November 2012, the team were registered as a Professional Continental team – Africa's first[4] – by the Union Cycliste Internationale, for the 2013 season.[5][6]
The team achieved their first major win in 2013 when Gerald Ciolek won Milan-San Remo, one of the 5 Monuments of cycling. The team received their first Grand Tour wildcard for the 2014 Vuelta a España.
In July 2014, the team announced that for the 2015 season they would be using Cervélo bikes[7] with Brian Smith being appointed interim general manager.[8] In August 2014, the team confirmed the signing of Edvald Boasson Hagen on a 2-year contract.[9][10] In September 2014 the team announced they had signed Tyler Farrar[11] and Matthew Goss[12] for the 2015 season.
First African Team in Tour de France
On 14 January 2015, the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) announced the 22 teams that would participate in the 2015 Tour de France, with MTN-Qhubeka making history as the first African registered team to take part.[13] Steve Cummings brought the team their first stage win of the Tour, stage 14 on Mandela Day. The team's second Grand Tour stage victory came the following month at the 2015 Vuelta a España, where Kristian Sbaragli won a reduced bunch sprint on stage 10.[14]
Daniel Teklehaimanot made history in the 2015 Tour de France when he spent four days in the race’s polka-dot jersey, becoming not only the first Eritrean but the first African to wear that jersey. The success brought him to the attention of the wider cycling world.
Dimension Data as new sponsor
In July 2015, MTN announced they would end their sponsorship of the team.[15] Two months later, Dimension Data was announced as the team's new primary sponsor. The new team name would be "Team Dimension Data for Quebeka"; the change in name was intended to demonstrate that the team supported the Qhubeka bicycle charity rather than receiving sponsorship for them. The change came at the same time as rumours were circulating that Mark Cavendish and his lead-out man Mark Renshaw were about to sign with the team for the 2016 season.[16][17] Days later the team announced Deloitte had agreed to become a major sponsor of the team;[18] the very next day the signing of Cavendish and Renshaw – along with their former teammate Bernhard Eisel – was confirmed.[19] In November 2015, the team announced that Rolf Aldag had been appointed as the team's Performance Manager with immediate effect, following Cavendish and Renshaw from Etixx–Quick-Step.[20] Later that month Roger Hammond announced that he would join the team as a sports director for 2016, combining the role with his current position as manager of the Madison Genesis squad,[21] and it was confirmed that the team had been granted a UCI World Tour licence for the 2016 season, becoming the first African team to enter cycling's top division.[22]
Rebranding
In 2020 the team was rebranded as ″Team NTT ″, named for the holding company of Dimension Data.[23] On 8 January 2020, the team announced that 1996 Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis had acquired a third of the team's ownership and would serve as manager. Riis had previously worked with Tinkoff–Saxo.[24]
Team roster
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Major wins
National champions
- 2010
- 2011
- 2012
- 2013
- 2014
- 2015
- 2016
- 2017
- 2018
- 2019
- 2020
References
- Windsor, Richard (28 November 2014). "MTN-Qhubeka goes all Newcastle United with new 2015 kit". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
- "Dimension Data to ride BMC bikes from 2019". www.cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
- "MTN-Qhubeka targets 2015 Tour de France". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
- "Team MTN-Qhubeka is Africa's First Pro Continental Team". Bicycling. Rodale Inc. 29 November 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-12-05. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
- "Registration completed for three Professional Continental Teams". UCI.ch. Union Cycliste Internationale. 28 November 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
- "UCI confirms three more Pro Continental licences for 2013". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. 28 November 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
- "MTN-Qhubeka to ride Cervélo next season". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. 22 July 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
- "Brian Smith appointed interim manager of MTN-Qhubeka". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. 29 July 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
- "MTN-Qhubeka confirms Boasson Hagen signing". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. 27 August 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
- "Edvald Boasson Hagen signs for Team MTN-Qhubeka". teammtnqhubeka.com. MTN-Qhubeka. 27 August 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- "Farrar signs for MTN-Qhubeka". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. 10 September 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
- "Transfers: Goss confirmed with MTN-Qhubeka for 2015". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. 18 September 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
- "Team MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung receive wild card to 2015 Tour de France". 14 January 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-01-17. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
- "Vuelta a Espana: Sbaragli wins stage 10 in Castellon". Cyclingnews.com. 31 August 2015. Archived from the original on 7 November 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
- Cycling News. "MTN ends Qhubeka team sponsorship". Cyclingnews.com.
- O'Shea, Sadhbh (25 September 2015). "Dimension Data named as new primary sponsor for MTN-Qhubeka". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
- "About Qhubeka". Qhubeka.org. Qhubeka.org. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
- "Deloitte to sponsor MTN-Qhubeka in 2016". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
- O'Shea, Sadhbh (29 September 2015). "Mark Cavendish joins Team Dimension Data for 2016". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. Archived from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
- "Aldag links up with Cavendish at MTN-Qhubeka as performance manager". cyclingnews.com. 2 November 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
- Windsor, Richard (18 November 2015). "Roger Hammond joins Dimension Data as sports director". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
- "Dimension Data granted WorldTour licence". cyclingnews.com. 25 November 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
- "Dimension Data to rebrand as Team NTT for 2020". cyclingweekly.com. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
- "Bjarne Riis confirmed as manager and co-owner of NTT Team". cyclingnews.com. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
- "NTT Pro Cycling Team". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 9 January 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
- "Pozzovivo joins NTT Pro Cycling after career threatening car strike". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 31 December 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
