South African cycling team takes top spots in the final stages of the tour de france while cycling for Qhubeka… an incredible cause.
Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka, Africa’s first-ever International Cycling Union registered World Tour cycling squad, triumphantly concluded the iconic Tour de France on Sunday, 24 July 2016, with riders Edvald Boasson Hagen, from Norway, and Reinardt Janse van Rensburg, from South Africa, finishing in the top 10 in the final stage.
Boasson Hagen crossed the line in fourth place, and Janse van Rensburg placed 10th.
“Nederburg, the premium exclusive wine sponsor for Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka, is celebrating this extraordinary achievement with the team that’s riding for Africa,” says Dè-Mari Shaw, head of Nederburg’s global marketing team.
“The team showed consistent perseverance and focus throughout the three-week, 21-stage race, securing an amazing five stage victories, more than any other team competing in the race. Mark Cavendish, considered the best sprinter in the world won four stages, spending a day in the yellow jersey and six days in the green jersey. With his four stage wins, he took his career tally of Tour de France stage wins up to 30. This is the second most in the history of the race. And Steve Cummings made us immensely proud with his stage 7 victory.
“Outstanding performances like these aptly reflect the Nederburg brand ethos. It’s about ambition, resilience, self-discovery, pushing boundaries, cultivating skills, and leaving a legacy.”
According to Doug Ryder, the Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka team principle, the results were inspired by the squad’s goal to fund 5 000 bicycles this year through the #Qhubeka5000 campaign that ran during the 2016 Tour de France.
Team Dimension Data raises funds and awareness for the non-profit Qhubeka, World Bicycle Relief’s programme in South Africa. The organisation mobilises for socio-economic progress by distributing bicycles to needy South Africans in exchange for work to improve the environment, community or academic results. In this way lives are changed, increasing the distance and speed at which beneficiaries can travel.
To date, Qhubeka has distributed bicycles to over 63 000 people in South Africa.
The #Qhubeka5000 challenge was staged in mid-July, during stages 13 and 14 of the Tour de France. Individuals from around the world were encouraged to commit to cycling a distance of their choice and to contribute to the #BicyclesChangeLives campaign, in support of Team Dimension Data in their effort to fund 5 000 bicycles this year. With 1 131 registrations and additional donations, enough was raised to fund at least 133 bicycles. This brings it to a total of 3 669 bicycles already funded in 2016.
“Through our association with the pro-cycling squad, Nederburg is fully committed to helping raise funds for Qhubeka. During the next two to three years, we will be rolling out tactical plans to further benefit this worthy organisation,” Shaw explains.
Nederburg hosted selected members of the off- and on-trade from key markets during the Tour de France. They were wined and dined and had the chance to meet some of the Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka team members along the way. They were also given a tour of the state-of-the-art team bus and learned about the intricate inner workings of a pro-cycling team.
“The vision was to ignite the curiosity of wine lovers and cycling enthusiasts, inviting them to discover the best of both worlds. It was indeed a very premium team-building exercise for Nederburg and race supporters, and an investment in the future of our brand,” Shaw adds.
“By aligning ourselves with pro-cycling and the enormous global viewership that the Tour de France enjoys, we raised Nederburg’s visibility amongst an enormous global consumer base. As importantly, Nederburg is helping Qhubeka to reach more people, and change more lives. “
She said Nederburg was not only one of South Africa’s best-loved and most-decorated names in wine, it is also currently ranked as one of the world’s most admired wine brands. Earlier this year, it was featured on the 2016 Drinks International list of the world’s most admired wine brands. The 50 brands were identified by a group of 200 wine experts, including 30 Masters of Wine.
Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka – Tour de France team:
- Natnael Berhane
- Edvald Boasson Hagen
- Mark Cavendish
- Steve Cummings
- Bernhard Eisel
- Reinardt Janse van Rensburg
- Serge Pauwels
- Mark Renshaw
- Daniel Teklehaimanot
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