MTN-Qhubeka is slowly coming of age: 2013 was the team's first season in the Professional Continental ranks, crowned by Gerald Ciolek's surprise Milano-San Remo victory. 2014 has, in some respects, been a year of consolidation, with no result of similar prestige obtained yet. But the team is now preparing for their season highlight. The Vuelta a España will be the African team's first-ever Grand Tour, and a milestone in the team's history. CyclingQuotes met with sports director Jens Zemke to talk about the team's plans for next year.
 

It's not all flowers and sunshine: Alert observers have noticed the absence of Eritreans Jani Tewelde and Meron Russom from any race results, or indeed startlists, since March and April, respectively. Zemke confirmed that the two riders aren't part of the team anymore: “They've been released. It's all official, they're no longer on the roster on the UCI website either.

“Jani Tewelde was homesick, and just stopped to show up for races. In the case of Russom, his daughter was seriously ill, and he got our permission to go home to Eritrea and take care of her. But Meron delayed his return time and again. Eventually, we had to tell him that he could either be a part of the team, and be paid; but then he'd have to return to Europe, train and race – or take care of his family, but then he can't be part of the team anymore.”
 

The team's other Eritreans are faring well though: While Frekalsi Debesay is still held back by a head injury he suffered in the Quatre Jours de Dunkerque, Daniel Teklehaimanot and neo-pro Merhawi Kudus have both been included in the team's Vuelta line-up announced earlier this weekend.

Big plans for the future
The team is eager to strengthen the squad for 2015, Zemke said: “With the arrival of Cervélo we'll have a bigger budget than we did in the past. We'll keep 14 of our current riders, and we want to sign a few profiles.”

One such profile is Edvald Boasson Hagen. The Norwegian has announced he'll leave Team Sky, but according to his agent hasn't signed a new contract yet. “Of course we'd want to get a rider of his calibre,” the MTN-Qhubeka sports director agreed. “He is an interesting option, and he would fit very well into the concept of the team.”

And there's a reason MTN-Qhubeka is in the market for a big name: “The goal for next year is to ride the Tour de France,” Zemke stated. “For that, ideally you need a star rider, a name that's bigger than who we currently have. But stars are sought-after. The team philosophy stays the same, we want to develop African cycling - but to get to the Tour, we need a star rider.

“And as harsh as it sounds, we'll have to wait and see who's left without a contract after the musical chairs of the transfer season - we're not one of the big teams. And any new arrivals would also have to be compatible with our team philosophy.”

Tour 2015?

Should a Tour de France wildcard indeed be secured, the race strategy will depend largely on the riders at hand: “We can't go out already and say 'we want to go for an overall result' or 'we want to win X stages',” Zemke pointed out. “We'll have to wait and see what our 2015 team looks like, and go from there. If we could have signed a rider like Gesink, we'd obviously go for the general classification. With a rider like Boasson Hagen, we would go stage-hunting.”

The MTN-Qhubeka sports director wouldn't rule out going for a second Grand Tour, but is careful not to overextend the team: „It will depend a lot on our 2015 squad. Riding the Tour would be huge, and is our first priority for next year.”

Asked specifically about transfer prospects from Africa, Zemke said: “Reinardt Janse van Rensburg will always be of interest to us. He's come through our program, after all. Daryl Impey would have been a target as well, but that's obviously no longer on the table,” referring to Impey's doping case.

“As for other Africans, there aren't that many yet,” the German continued. “Froome hails from Kenya - but he's way out of our league. We'll have to nurture those talents ourselves, and that's a long-term project.

“Right now, we're at the same point as the US with 7-Eleven in the 80s, or the Australians coming to Europe in the 80s and 90s. Look at what riders from these countries have won since. It's definitely possible to have an African wear the rainbow jersey one day, but it won't happen overnight.”

But first, the Vuelta

Before any thoughts of the future and a Tour de France start, MTN-Qhubeka looks to the Vuelta starting next weekend. Animating the Vuelta a Burgos queen stage with an attack on the Lagunas de Neila climb, Sergio Pardilla has showed his form recently. And in today's ITT, Pardilla improved his general classification, finishing fifth overall.

The Spaniard will be the team's protected rider, Zemke said: “With his 18th place in the 2012 Giro, Pardilla has shown that he can finish a Grand Tour in the top-20. We also have Ciolek who will go for the sprints. And on a good day, a rider like Meintjes can spring a surprise. If he's in the right group and feels well, why not?”

MTN-Qhubeka's Vuelta line-up features six African riders. Grand Tour-experienced European riders like Linus Gerdemann or Ignatas Konovalovas are missing, showing that the team is serious about nurturing African talents.

The Vuelta a España starts on Saturday 23rd August with a 12.6 km evening team time trial in Jérez de la Frontera.