Team Qhubeka will race the 2022 Tour of Sicily led by South Africa’s Nicholas Dlamini as he makes his 2022 European season debut.
Sicily, Italy (12 April 2022) – Nicholas Dlamini makes a return to Team Qhubeka this season as a rider and mentor; he debuted in Europe as the leader of the team for the tour in Sicily, Italy.
The team boasts a wide range of diverse talents from South Africa, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Italy. Team Qhubeka plays a crucial role in cycling’s fabric, with over 50 riders from Africa having had the opportunity to grow through our programme and race at the highest level, which in 2019 saw Samuele Battistella crowned the under-23 World Champion.
26-year-old Nicolas Dlamini, from Cape Town, South Africa, has accepted the unique role as a mentor and rider for the Team Qhubeka UCI Continental team. The team is based in Lucca, Italy. Dlamini graduated from the team’s development outfit before turning professional in 2018.
Dlamini makes his European bow, having recently completed his maiden Absa Cape Epic in late March. The 26-year-old leads a young, exciting team including Alessandro Iacchi (Italy), Luca Coati (Italy), Efrem Gebrehiwet Araya (Eritrea), Travis Stedman (South Africa), Jacopo Meneghotto (Italy) and Negasi Haylu Abreha (Ethiopia).
For the Capetonian, who impressed in his first-ever mountain bike race, he now can’t wait to get racing in more familiar territory.
“I’m really looking forward to starting my season in Europe, with my new teammates. I’ve really been eager to get to Europe and get back racing over here.
“I’ve looked at the start list and there are some really strong teams in the field. I know that Domenico Pozzovivo is here as well as Louis Meintjes – two former teammates – so it’s going to be a hard four days. I’m just looking to take it day by day; luckily the first stage is a flat one so I can ride myself in, as it were, as it will be a big difference coming from South Africa straight into a race like this.
“After completing the Absa Cape Epic I’ve got good condition but now need to get a bit of speed into the legs which might take a few days. More than anything, I’m just excited to race with the team. Everyone is extremely motivated, particularly the young guys, so we’re looking forward to going and racing our hearts out. We are going to go out and do our thing working together, and in doing that can then hope for a good result this week.”
The four-stage race, which starts today, Tuesday 12th April, opens up with an opportunity for the faster men over 199km from Milazzo to Bagheria, while all eyes will be on the grand finale on Easter Friday, featuring three HC climbs on the road from Ragalna and finishing atop the iconic Mount Etna.
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