Team MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung are happy to announce that Serge Pauwels will join the African Pro-Continental team next season. Pauwels joins Team MTN-Qhubeka after having spent the past 5 years racing at the World Tour level.

Pauwels is a super strong domestique who has ridden in support of a number of grand tour contenders and also he has an impressive team time trial record. Having ridden all 3 grand tours, Pauwels experience is a resource that will be extremely important to the team as they are looking to develop their young African climbers into real GC contenders.

The support Pauwels will be able to give the young Africans in the mountains and in stage races will be instrumental to their success. Coming from Belgium, Pauwels addition to the squad is also important in terms of globalising the team for increased support to the Qhubeka foundation.

Pauwels himself is quite happy with how it all has turned out for him in the last couple of years. But he also ready to let his career take a new and exciting turn with the MTN-Qhubeka team.

“Over the last couple of years I have had the luck to ride for some of the biggest teams in the world. Having been in a supportive role for some of the best riders on the planet, I have gained a lot of experience, especially in Grand Tours,” Pauwels says.

“At Team MTN-Qhubeka I will get the unique opportunity to share this experience with young, promising African riders like Louis Meintjes and Merhawi Kudus. Team MTN-Qhubeka is for me a team with a soul, and that's why I am very excited to take on this new challenge, which comes at a perfect time in my career,” he finishes.

And the Team Principal Douglas Ryder I happy to present a rider like Serge Pauwels. An experienced and strong rider like him is always welcome on the African team.

“I am really happy that Serge has taken on the challenge to join Team MTN-Qhubeka. Our African riders like Merhawi Kudus, Louis Meintjes and Jacques Janse van Rensburg have shown what they are able to achieve in a grand tour and in stage races this year, with Serge’s experience and support we now have a rider that can help them on their path to become GC contenders into the near future. We have been on a steep learning curve since Team MTN-Qhubeka became a Pro Continental team last year and this is another step forward in our development,” Ryder stated.