«As I said last year that It was a loss not to have the Qhubeka pro team anymore, now that he's back I say it will be a gain", Daniele Nieri sports director of the Team Qhubeka he comments on the return of the first team.
Doug Ryder, former team manager of Qhubeka WT, returns to the track with the Q36.5, a professional. The team will be based in Switzerland, with a South African soul and a great Italian contribution, including that of Vincenzo Nibali. Therefore, there will be a certain amount of contact between the two teams, the professional and the continental, just like there is with the WorldTours and their respective development teams.
Development for real
And in fact Nieri is very clear: «We are returning to development in the true sense of the word. Last year, I said that losing Qhubeka would limit our schedule and the opportunities for the kids. But at the same time, it would increase our media exposure. This year, it's the opposite."
From a technical and practical point of view, therefore, the youth team benefits. Knowing that you have a point of support “at the top”, in professionalism, means a lot.
«In addition to the superior schedule we're going to have, the boys, if they deserve it, will be able to gain experience with the first team and, why not, move up to them next season.
«In January we will all do the retreat in Spain together. We don't know the exact dates yet, but we'll be together. It'll be a great opportunity for growth."
(Almost) twelve
The final Qhubeka squad will be announced in a few days, but Nieri tells us in advance that There should be twelve boys, two are still in the running. Compared to last season there is a great renewal and a certain rejuvenation of the rose. Next year there will only be two fourth-year athletes.
«And only four of those in the squad remain in 2022 – says Nieri – among these Raphael Moscow».
But also arriving are three Italian boys, one Swiss and five African boys from all over the continent.
I didn't have much chance to speak personally with the African guys, but we exchanged messages. However, I did have a few more conversations with two of them. And he spoke to us especially... Kevin campbell (one of the team managers, ed.) who directed them to Avenir. In France they raced with the team ofUCI and we were the ones who gave him technical support, staff and resources."
World Calendar
Daniele Nieri spoke about a more significant calendar. U23 races, but also professional experience and races abroad. In cycling, which is expanding globally, a project like this cannot avoid having certain experiences.
And then just think that in 2025 the World Cup will be held in Rwanda... We must persist.
«We will certainly also do some racing in Africa – explains Nieri – and we'll do them both ourselves and the professional team. Rwanda and Amissa Bongo are now real races, the good teams go there, and there are UCI points at stake. And yes: we want to go."
Total solidarity
Working with young people from distant countries, with sporting (and other) cultures very different from our own, isn't easy. And it's not easy in practice either. Perhaps in training, especially in the first few months, Nieri and his colleague Simone Antonini find themselves as riders who have a lot of difference between them, Especially with first-year athletes. Coordination isn't easy. Achieving a certain level of harmony quickly isn't a given.
"Of course we try to sign the strongest player," Nieri explains, "but before signing a player, we don't just evaluate the data, we also look at the person.
"As far as integration goes, it's a lot of work. It's not easy for a kid like us to be with them. African boys are very good, I would give them a lung if there was the need, but certain differences are evident. There are also cultural differences: the use of social media, cell phones, food, using Google Maps... In this case, the Italian kids give me a big hand."
"I tell them to stay close to them, to help them in their daily lives. They have to be good at understanding all this. In recent years I had a boy who wasn't good... more. And he is Luca CoatiA cut above the rest. Luca did a great job.
«And such a beautiful relationship has been established among everyone that Tesfatsion, for example, despite having changed teams, he bought a house near me. And Henok Mulubrhan Coati jokingly calls him “Love”! Off the bike you have to give him a hand, and during the race you have to help them read the race."
