Henao signs as first-ever Colombian for Team Qhubeka ASSOS

That experience includes in riding in support of Chris Froome for two of his Tour de France victories demonstrating the key role that he’s able to play in the biggest races and so brings significant depth to our stage-racing aspirations for the future. The double national champion (2017 & ’18) also won Paris-Nice in 2017 when at Team Sky finishing ahead of Alberto Contador and Dan Martin. He spent seven seasons with the British team before joining Team UAE Emirates. Henao becomes the 23 rd confirmed rider on our roster for 2021, with the remainder of our line-up to be confirmed in due course. Sergio Henao I'm so excited to sign for Team Qhubeka ASSOS. I look forward to playing a critical role in supporting my teammates at the various races during the season and I can’t wait to take on this new challenge. Importantly though I also want to get good results for my new team and in doing so also inspire future generations. My goals will be to share my experience and in the process to do a great job on each stage, and I look forward to rising for raising my hands in celebration of our team’s successes. I also know that giving my absolute maximum effort is crucial visibility for our sponsors and always doing my best is a vitally important part of the world of cycling. I’m also very excited to engage with the Qhubeka Charity; I love the power that we hold in making a difference and that we can help when our hands are all joined - cycling helps us all to smile. And finally, to be the first Colombian rider at the team means a huge amount - effort, inspiration, sacrifice and so much more. I’m incredibly proud to show my yellow, blue and red colours on my new jersey, at my new awesome team. Douglas Ryder – Team Principal It’s really incredible to have Sergio Henao, our first Colombian rider, join Team Qhubeka ASSOS. I remember being in Colombia just over 20 years ago racing the World Championships and the people are the most incredible people, so passionate about cycling and the riders always race with such heart. Sergio will be a great addition to our team in the general classification area and we’re looking forward to the impact that he can make with our team next season. I’m super excited to have him in our team and I can’t wait to see him race in our kit as the new season starts. It’s going to be a great year for us, we’re building a really nice team together with many different cultures and nationalities and I think that diversity is going to be our strength. We’re probably one of the most international teams in cycling in 2021 and we look forward to bringing everyone together and seeing what we can do. Lars Michaelsen – Head Sports Director He’s been in the game for a long time and has a lot of experience, which is always really nice to have. From what I understand, having spoken to many people, is that he’s a very valuable team member who is easy to work with that loves his job as a rider; he just simply loves to ride his bike. For us I think the value in him will be his secure role as someone who can cope with grand tours in a helper role or like he did with David de la Cruz at the recent Vuelta for UAE, where he supported him but also went top-15 himself on GC; but perhaps he could be someone we send in a breakaway too so he gives us numerous options. He’s a double-Colombian champion and obviously spent many years with Team Sky so his wealth of experience is something that the team will hopefully and should profit from.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of NTT Pro Cycling.

Media Contact: Jean Smyth(Head of Communications) Email: jean@ryder.co.za Mobile: +27 63 4701 1710 or +31625739033

About NTT Pro Cycling: Founded in 2007, NTT Pro Cycling (formerly Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka) ( NTTProCycling.com ) became the first-ever African cycling team to gain a WorldTour license, in 2016. With the support of our headline sponsor and technology innovation partner, NTT, we are the most purpose-driven, performance-led, and technology-enabled team in pro cycling today.

Our ambition is to continue to race at the highest levels in world cycling, to develop riders to realise their full potential and to inspire and motivate people across the African continent to ride bicycles.

We have bases in South Africa, Denmark,the Netherlands and Italy.

We also ride to raise awareness for Qhubeka, a global charity operating in South Africa, through our #BicyclesChangeLives campaign.

The hands on the back of the team race jersey are a reminder that every Qhubeka bicycle is a helping hand up to a beneficiary, which are provided through Qhubeka's learn-to-earn and work-to-earn programmes.

About Qhubeka: Qhubeka ( Qhubeka.org ) is a charity that moves people forward with bicycles.People earn bicycles through our programmes, improving their access to schools, clinics and jobs.

A bicycle is a tool that helps people to travel faster and further, and to carry more. In the face of extreme and persistent poverty, bicycles can change lives by helping to address socioeconomic challenges at the most basic level – helping people to get where they need to go.

Media files