| Team Qhubeka NextHash | |
| Code: | TQA |
| Registered: | South Africa |
| Website: | http://www.africasteam.com/ |
| Generalmanager: | Douglas Ryder |
| Teammanager: | Lars Michaelsen |
| Discipline: | Road cycling |
| Status: | UCI Continental (2007–2012) UCI Professional Continental (2013–2015) UCI WorldTeam (2016–2021) |
| Bicycles: | Trek (2007–2014) Cervélo (2015–2018)[1] BMC (2019–2021)[2] |
| Kitimage: | 2021 Qhuebeka Assos.jpg |
Team Qhubeka ([3]) was a UCI WorldTeam based in South Africa. The team rode to raise awareness and funds for Qhubeka, a South African not-for-profit organisation. The team was founded in 2007 and was the first-ever African team to ride the Tour de France (2015).
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 under the name MTN-Qhubeka. In November 2012, the team were registered as a Professional Continental team – Africa's first – by the Union Cycliste Internationale, for the 2013 season.
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 with Brian Smith being appointed interim general manager. In August 2014, the team confirmed the signing of Edvald Boasson Hagen on a 2-year contract. In September 2014 the team announced they had signed Tyler Farrar and Matthew Goss for the 2015 season.
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. 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.[4]
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.
In July 2015, MTN announced they would end their sponsorship of the team.[5] Two months later, Dimension Data was announced as the team's new primary sponsor. The new team name would be "Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka"; 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.[6] [7] Days later the team announced Deloitte had agreed to become a major sponsor of the team;[8] the very next day the signing of Cavendish and Renshaw – along with their former teammate Bernhard Eisel – was confirmed.[9] 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 .[10] 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 squad,[11] 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.[12]
In 2020 the team was rebranded as "Team NTT", named for the holding company of Dimension Data.[13] On 8 January 2020, the team announced that 1996 Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis, who had previously worked with .,[14] had acquired a third of the team's ownership and would serve as manager. On 11 November 2020, it was announced that Riis would leave NTT Pro Cycling.[15] The team faced an uncertain future beyond 2020, as their main sponsor NTT confirmed to be leaving the team by the end of the year.[16] On 20 November 2020, Douglas Ryder announced that, from 2021, the team will move forward as "Qhubeka ASSOS".[17] The team was further rebranded ahead of the 2021 Tour de France, after a five-year naming rights agreement was signed with the NextHash Group, becoming Team Qhubeka NextHash.[18]
However, despite finding a sponsor mid-season again, the team faced financial problems. In December 2021, the UCI announced that the team would not receive a UCI WorldTour license for 2022.[19] The team then announced they would continue at the UCI Continental level with the development team and hoped to return to the WorldTour in the future.[20]
See main article: List of wins by Team MTN and its successors.