Race Reports (Page 125)

The 3rd and Queen stage of the Circuit la Sarthe saw a very active MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung team with Louis Meintjes and Merhawi Kudus both attacking the peloton during the course of the day. The stage would be taken out by Manuele Boaro (Tinkoff-Saxo) with Pierre Rolland (Europcar) and Jonothan Hivert (Bretagne Seche) in 2nd and 3rd. Louis would form part of the early break of the day, escaping after just 10km of racing. Our African champ would be joined by 4 other riders for the 190km stage. The final 50km of the stage was where the real challenge lay as 5 laps of aRead More →

Like every year the Scheldeprijs is a meeting for the fast guys in the peloton, and it was not to be a different story this year. In the end Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) underlined his recent form and added another win to his palmarès. The Norwegian had the fastest legs and came in ahead of Edward Theuns (Topsport Vlaanderen – Baloise) and Yauheni Hutarovich (Bretagne – Séché Environnement). Tyler Farrar presented Team MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung’s stripes at the end and finished 9th. The 200 kilometer long race from Antwerp to Schoten started fast and saw 7 riders breaking clear after 30 kilometers. The group built up a lead ofRead More →

Wednesday will see the running of another Belgian spring classic, the 103rd Scheldeprijs. Team MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung will be lining-up for the race that is often termed as the ‘Sprinters World Champs” with a strong roster of riders. Tyler Farrar is a former winner of the Scheldeprijs, a UCI 1.HC categorised event, and just last year the American ran 2nd in the sprint behind Marcel Kittel (Giant-Alpecin) as he did in 2012 as well. As the nickname suggests, the race typically suits the sprinters with no climbs on route to speak of. The main challenges come in the form of a few short cobble sectorsRead More →

Jacques Janse van Rensburg put on a strong display of riding at the opening Circuit la Sarthe stage, getting into the break of the day and mopping up all the GPM points on offer. In a nail biting finish, the South African champion fought bravely to only be caught a few hundred meters before the line. The stage victory would go to Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis). Jacques got into the break as early as the 5th kilometer today with Romain Lemarchand (Cult Energy) and Carlos Ramirez (Colombia) and the trio forced out an early lead of just over 11 minutes. The substantial gap gave the breakawayRead More →

The Circuit Cycliste Sarthe is a UCI 2.1 4 day, 5 stage cycle race in France. The race starts on Tuesday 7 April and Team MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung are happy to be starting this French stage race, our first tour on French soil this year. Riders will take on 4 road stages and 1 time trial stage over the 4 days. Wednesday will see the running of the two half stages with a short 84km road race in the morning before the 6.8km TT in the afternoon. There are no real big mountains to speak of during the race but all stages could be termedRead More →

While most attention was placed on today’s Ronde van Vlaanderen, MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung were also racing the Paris-Camembert. The race victor would be Julien Loubet (Marseille 13 KTM), the Frenchman just out sprinted countryman Pierrick Fedrigo (Bretagne Seche). Samuel Dumoulin (AG2R La Mondiale) was 3rd. The race was animated by a 3 man early escape, Robert Foster (United Healthcare), Michael Carbel (Cult Energy) and Nicolas Baldo (Vorarlberg) were the aggressors. The trio built up a lead of just over 9 minutes before the inevitable chase ensued. The tough final 90km took its toll on the escape and they were caught with 25km to go. InRead More →

It was an epic battle for the 99th Ronde van Vlaanderen which Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) would eventually ride away with. Niki Terpstra (Etixx-Quickstep) was 2nd across the line with Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing) rounding out the minor placings.  Team MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung were again involved in the early racing as race debutant Matt Brammeier made the 7 rider break of the day. The move took a bit of time to go clear as a number of teams were trying to place a rider in the all-important escape. Once the move had been established, the peloton allowed Matt and co. to take a maximum ofRead More →

It’s that time of the season that cycling fanatics have been waiting for. The Ronde van Vlaanderen takes place this Sunday, 5th April. Team MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung are excited and eager to be participating in this 2nd Monument of the year, Belgium’s most prized sporting event.  The 265km course will again include 19 Hellingens, including the famed Koppenberg and 2 ascents of the infamous Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg climbs. With a number of separate cobble sections thrown in for good measure as well as all of the worlds best classics riders starting in peak condition, we are all set for an exciting spectacle. Unfortunately EdvaldRead More →

While one MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung team takes on the Ronde van Vlaanderen on Sunday 5 April, another will be starting the French UCI 1.1 Paris-Camembert as well. The 200km route is an interesting one with 9 categorised climbs coming in the final 90km of the race. None are particularly long, in fact most are only around kilometer in length but the steep gradients will be the challenge, much like the Hellingens in Belgium. History suggests a strong sprinter who is able to get over the climbs could triumph on Sunday. One thing is certain though, it wont be a big bunch coming to the lineRead More →

The 3 Days of De Panne concluded today with the 2 half stages. The mornings 111km road stage saw a bunch kick with Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) taking his 3rd stage in a row. The afternoon time trial would be the Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) show as the Brit won the final stage with time to spare. Team MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung highlight of the day came in the form Jay Thomson. Jay made the early break of the day during the road stage with 12 other riders. The stage was short, but fast and furious and Jay and his breakaway compatriots fought valiantly to establish aRead More →