Sergio Pardilla only has good words about his two seasons at the MTN-Qhubeka team. Pardilla looks back at his two years with the African team with a smile because he has grown as a rider and above all as a person and he does not give importance to the circumstances that made his departure a bit difficult.

Sergio Pardilla who will  rider for Caja Rural-Seguros RGA next year, could see and experence the harsh African reality and quickly realized how lucky he is when he spent time on the other side of the world without water or electricity.

"When we watch their living conditions on TV, we do not pay much attention but once you are there, you realize that it is real and not easy for them. People do not live with the bare minimum but they miss a lot of basic things. No running water, no electricity but nonetheless people, especially the children, adapt to their conditions. It is what they know and you can see that they are happy. They enjoy what they have and are grateful for what they receive," Pardilla told Biciciclismo. "Here we are very spoiled when it comes to the material aspect. We always need to have the latest and best product while in other countries peoples live literally with nothing."

Pardilla told the Spanish website about a story that touched him during one of his visits to Africa.

"One day Qhubeka organized a cycling event in a village but they had the bad luck that it was terrible weather, with pouring rain and a terrible wind and it was quite cold. The turnout was huge. Everyone participated, people of all ages, including children. Qhubeka provided them with bikes. There was no asphalt, only dirt roads. We assisted them and I reached a point where I felt like ice, I was so cold.  But those people found the event exceptional and enjoyed it so I wanted to he help them even though I was cold and wet. After the event I changed clothes and went to the hotel to take a shower in hot water and get something to eat. But after the race they did not have any showers with hot water. It changes the mindset a bit. You realize that we are very lucky to have a lot of things while people live under very bad conditions," he says.

Even in the MTN-Qhubeka team, he found a clear example of the improvements.

"There are several quality riders and personal stories. They have a rider who is the image and reference of the team. Looking at the quality, he is not a great rider but he has a very special history. He is the only black South African rider in the team and has the a story that reflects the situation there. He was like those kids in those villages and comes from a family like them and had nothing. He went from living with a minimum to become a professional rider and live under cycling conditions. And that's what he wants to teach these children who never lose the hope that they can fight to get where and what they want. They can improve the quality of their lives. But of course they need the help of all of us. He had the backing of the team. He was offered everything needed to be a riders and has reached the point where he is today. His name is Songezo Jim," Pardilla said.

"He also told me about his family situation. He had no father, no mother and lived with his aunts. And here he is. Professionally, he is maybe not of the highest standard but he has a very short history. He started late with many difficulties. He gives everything and learns the trade. He trains well and improves. Thinking about where he comes from and how far he has come, it is a really powerful story," Pardilla says.

In his opinion, MTN-Qhubeka is just the tip of the iceberg coming from African cycling. 

"I think that Africa is a virgin continent in many aspects because there are great athletes, including football players, and I think they are coming into cycling too. There's Froome who has Kenyan roots and trains in South Africa. And there are more riders in the ProTour teams," he says. "In the team there are great talents. Kudus who is 20 years old, did the Vuelta a Espana and it was not easy because in the first week he had a terrible crash. The team planned that he should only do the first team days but he did not want to stop and reached the finish. Meintjes is very talented and will surely be a great rider. They are young and need to gain experience, improve year after year. They need to improve their understanding of when to move in the races but that will come. I think they will improve every year."

"I hope so, because - and I hope I'm wrong - maybe they will be a bit more lonely next year. The team has made a radical change by signing some big names, mainly classics riders and sprinters, but they are climbers and may need someone to accompany them and help them to develop their own careers," Pardilla adds.

The Spaniard acted as a teacher for the young Africans and saw them grow. Not he regrets not being able to stay with them on their long road.

"I leave my good friends. Personally I spent the first year in the wrong way. There were two blocks, one for the classics, mostly with Europeans, and one for the stage races where I was alone with all the Africans. Four never finished the races, they didn't do their jobs in the best way because they didn't have the sufficient level. They failed a lot during training and in the races. They were completely lost. As the months passed, they improved. And from year to year, they will change radically as they get more experience. That's what upsets me a bit because I've been part of that progression with them and I would have liked to continue with the group. I would hate to see them being lonely in the races. I hope the team will trust them, teach them and help them improve," Pardilla says.