“I grew up during the Mandela era, which was a truly unique time to be South African.” Douglas Ryder talks about his childhood in Cape Town. Born in 1971, he witnessed all the major changes in the country at close quarters. “But cycling wasn’t a big deal in South Africa at the time. There were a few races, such as the Rapport Tour, which attracted some big names every year, and the Cape Town Cycle Tour, which is really big in Cape Town.”
Douglas Ryder was thirteen years old when he got his first bike from his uncle. "He bought that bike from a British team that had participated in the Rapport Tour. During that race, I saw professional cyclists at work for the first time and I think that's when I fell in love with cycling. That's how I started cycling and immediately felt a connection with the sport," says Ryder.
A few years later, he found a place in the cycling peloton. "The late 1990s were not an easy time to be competitive internationally," Ryder explains. "A highlight for me was participating in the Tour DuPont in the United States, where I raced against Lance Armstrong. And of course, winning the Cape Town Cycle Tour was also very special." In 2001, Ryder proved to be the fastest in his home race, "but my best results in cycling were achieved off the bike, as team manager."
The idea of establishing his own team emerged early in Douglas' career. "In 1996, we were part of a small delegation of South Africans at the Olympic Games in Atlanta," he says. "It was only the second time our country had been able to participate since the abolition of apartheid. In the last event of the Games, South Africa won a gold medal when Josia Thugwane won the marathon. That was when I thought: if Africa can produce the best long-distance runner in the world, why not the best cyclist?"
The goal was clear: to reach the absolute top of cycling with an African team and participate in the Tour de France. Ryder travelled across the vast African continent in search of cycling talent and to see if there is any potential. He soon discovered why the continent could not be a major force in cycling.
We shared the same dream of getting Africa on bikes and participating in the Tour de France with a team of African riders. We knew right away that it would be a long-term project.
“There were simply no bicycles in Africa. That's why I started working with Anthony Fitzhenry from the charity Qhubeka, which distributes bicycles to schoolchildren in Africa. We shared the same dream of getting Africans on bikes and participating in the Tour de France with a team of African riders. We knew right away that it would be a long-term project. It was a matter of continuing to believe in our dreams and seizing every opportunity with both hands."
In 2012, Ryder first approached ASO, the Tour's organiser, about his team's possible participation. "I had arranged to meet them in an office in Paris. Bernard Hinault was there, Christian Prudhomme, Thierry Gouvenou... all the big names from ASO. And there I was, representing a billion Africans, with the idea of bringing a team of African riders to the Tour.
They looked at me as if I was completely crazy and said it would take at least another 10 years for that to be possible. But my sponsorship deals were only for three years. ASO concluded that it would be impossible, and that seemed to be the end of the conversation. It's incredible that three years later, with MTN-Qhubeka, we were able to prove them wrong."
In the late 90s, Ryder established his first team. After years of development, Douglas Ryder's team made headlines in Europe in 2012 under the name MTN-Qhubeka. South African Reinardt Janse van Rensburg won the Circuit de Wallonie, among other races, marking one of the team's first victories in Europe. "After that season, we also brought some experienced European riders to our team," Ryder explains. "The African riders were able to benefit from this, learning from their teammates who had grown up with cycling from a young age."
The first major race in which the team competed was Milan-San Remo in 2013. That edition is etched in memory as a snow-covered race, with the riders having to cover part of the course by bus to avoid hypothermia. However, even more history was made that day in the bad weather, as MTN-Qhubeka won in its first appearance in the World Tour. Gerald Ciolek was the fastest of an elite group in the streets of San Remo, and the African cycling fairytale at the highest level had truly begun.
Gerald Ciolek was the fastest of an elite group in the streets of San Remo, and the African cycling fairytale at the highest level had truly begun.
In 2015, it felt like they had arrived: Douglas Ryder and his MTN-Qhubeka team were allowed to participate in the Tour de France. The African continent was represented by South Africans Louis Meintjes, Jacques Janse van Rensburg, Reinardt Janse van Rensburg and Eritreans Merhawi Kudus and Daniel Teklehaimanot. Belgian cyclist Serge Pauwels had also been selected and would be part of this important piece of cycling history.
The riders of MTN-Qhubeka most certainly wrote history. During the sixth stage, Daniel Teklehaimont fought for the mountain points all day long from the early breakaway. He was successful in his endeavour and at the end of the day became the first black African to stand on the Tour podium. The polka dot jersey remained in the hands of the Eritrean for four days.
The absolute highlight of that first Tour participation was yet to come. On Nelson Mandela Day, celebrated annually on 18 July, the team wanted to go all out. With slightly modified equipment with orange accents in honour of the South African president, the MTN-Qhubeka riders appeared at the start extra motivated. "I wouldn't want to race against our team today," Douglas Ryder told the press that day. A few hours later, Steve Cummings outsmarts his fellow escapees and gives the team the best possible gift. It felt like the cycling gods were involved.
In no time at all, Qhubeka became one of the most popular cycling terms, the small hand serving as the charity's logo was an indelible part of the peloton. With a new title sponsor, Dimension Data, the South African team returned to the Tour in 2016. Thanks to its latest acquisition, Mark Cavendish, it became an even greater success, with no fewer than five stage victories and a day in the yellow jersey. Qhubeka was at the very top of cycling.
Over the years, more good results were achieved, and a few Belgians also contribute. For example, Victor Campenaerts, in the Team Qhubeka ASSOS jersey, won a stage in the 2021 Giro d’Italia. Nevertheless, the incredible success of 2015 and 2016 was not repeated. By the end of 2021, Ryder could no longer find enough sponsors to keep his team afloat, proving once again that all good things must come to an end.
After a sabbatical, Douglas Ryder made a fresh start with a new team called Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, the team we see riding in the peloton today. "In recent years, cycling has changed enormously. Nowadays, it's so much about points for the world ranking, and every race wants to attract the best riders. As a result, there is unfortunately less space for projects like ours, in which we help to develop African talent."
This year, in the 2025 season, there are no longer any African riders on the team. The development team has also been discontinued; tough choices had to be made. "We did bring Tom Pidcock to our team, and we hope to compete in some great races," Ryder explains. "In this way, our team can grow back to a higher level. Once we have a sufficient foundation, we can reintegrate the other projects." Ryder's mission, in other words, remains unchanged, with the Qhubeka bracelet on his wrist as proof.
“Our projects with Qhubeka are not just about providing children with a means of transport; we also try to show them that you can build a career with a bicycle. That remains my big dream, to open children's eyes to a world they don't know exists.” One of the children Ryder inspired is now riding in the peloton: Biniam Girmay.
"As a young boy, Girmay saw his compatriot Daniel Teklehaimanot wear the polka dot jersey in the 2015 Tour de France. People watched the race in large cinemas in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea. Bini was also there and discovered the possibilities in cycling." Ryder speaks proudly about the African superstar, who won the green jersey in last year's Tour de France.
"He's a legend. He's so kind and caring, a real family man and the ideal ambassador for the sport. Bini is one of the few African cyclists in the peloton who did not come through our programmes. On one hand, that's a shame, but on the other, it's great that he took a different path and found sufficient support and a team that believed in him."
The UCI can still make a greater effort in that regard. A wider range of races leads to more interest, better teams, and larger budgets. I sincerely hope that the upcoming World Championships in Rwanda can provide the necessary momentum.
Ryder emphasises how difficult it is for African talents to make the leap to international cycling, which primarily takes place in Europe. Not only are visas a complicated procedure, but also adapting to the lifestyle may prove to be a major challenge. There are many factors to take into account and that require a great deal of effort. "I have lived in the Netherlands for several years now, but I still find it difficult at times. Even if it's just because I don't always get enough days of sunshine here," laughs Ryder.
The racing style in Africa is also completely different, Douglas explains. There are only a few races in the UCI Africa Tour that attract European interest. For example, there's La Tropicale Amissa Bongo, a week-long stage race in Central African Gabon, where Biniam Girmay – who else – beat top sprinter André Greipel in 2019. Furthermore, every year we see footage from the Tour du Rwanda, with the public festival on the Mur de Kigali as an absolute highlight. This shows that there are indeed beautiful and interesting races in Africa, yet often only the French-speaking teams and development teams are at the start.
"Lower-level races in Africa often follow the same pattern. Long roads, 40 to 50 kilometres straight ahead, and just hitting it as hard as you can." Douglas Ryder believes that a greater number of races with more support from above can change things. "The UCI can make a greater effort in that regard. A wider range of races leads to more interest, better teams, and larger budgets. I sincerely hope that the upcoming World Championships in Rwanda can provide the necessary momentum. If there is more commitment at the lower level now, African cycling in general can take great strides forward."
The Rwandan capital Kigali is hosting this year's World Cycling Championships, the first ever to be held in Africa. It's a unique moment for cycling on the continent and a great chance to shine a spotlight on all the cool stuff that cycling-loving Rwanda has to offer.
The route mapped out in Kigali promises to be a gruelling race. "I would have done it differently," says Douglas Ryder. "Looking at the selected route, someone like Biniam Girmay don't stand a chance, which is a shame for the first World Championships in Africa. In fact, there is now a risk that no African rider will be at the forefront of the race in the last 100 kilometres. We now expect a battle between big stars like [Tadej] Pogacar, but it would have been nice if the African superstar also had a fighting chance."
Ryder primarily hopes for a good race. "If people get to see a captivating World Championships, that might be the best advertisement for cycling in Africa. The beauty of Rwanda, the wonderful enthusiasm of its people... Hopefully, it's enough to sustain engagement after the World Championships. Tom Pidcock will represent our team and our project. If he can contend for the world title in Kigali, it gives us the opportunity to tell our story once again at the highest level."
And that story remains the same for the future: representing Africa in the professional peloton and inspiring young Africans. "Africa is unique. As a continent, it is incredibly diverse and multicultural, but it also has so much potential. That is what we want to demonstrate with our projects in Africa. Sometimes all someone needs is a bike to achieve a lot," Ryder is convinced. "We also want to show children that a bike is more than just a means of transport, that you can also build a career with it.
We have many projects running, but they are not currently at the highest level of the sport. But I'm not alone; there are many people who continue to commit themselves, spending time and effort on cycling in Africa. Everyone faces the same financial problems, but there are enough people with big dreams." The future seems secure, even if Douglas Ryder were to disappear from the peloton.
Although that may take a while, he says. "I don't think I'll ever truly retire. I am sure that one day I will return to South Africa for good, because my heart is still there. Nevertheless, I want to remain involved in projects that give African riders the opportunity to race in Europe. Hopefully, when I am no longer actively involved with a cycling team on a daily basis, my legacy will be that I have been able to guide many African talents to a professional career."
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