http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/23/us-cycling-tour-eritreans-idUSKBN0P328K20150623?feedType=RSS&feedName=sportsNews
Sports | Tue Jun 23, 2015 2:59pm EDT
Related: SPORTS
Two Eritrean riders to compete in Tour de France
MTN-Qhubeka, the first African-based team to ride in the Tour de
France, named its nine-rider line-up on Tuesday with three South
Africans and two Eritreans making the cut.
The team, which promotes the BicylesChangeLives campaign that it hopes
will mobilize young Africans, will feature Merhawi Kudus and Daniel
Teklehaimanot who will become the first riders from Eritrea to ride in
the world-famous race.
They will be supporting seasoned professionals like Norway's Edvald
Boasson Hagen, Britain's Steve Cummings and American Tyler Farrar, who
has won stages on all three Grand Tours.
"It was always going to be difficult to choose nine riders from 23,"
the team's general manager Brian Smith said.
"It was even more difficult as history will be made in July when the
first South African-based team takes the start in Utrecht. Tyler
Farrar will be our captain on the road and work with Edvald Boasson
Hagen and Reinardt Janse van Rensburg towards the flatter stages.
"We hope to raise awareness and garner support for our
#BicyclesChangeLives campaign by targeting performance goals that
include a stage win and wearing a competition jersey."
At 21, Kudus will be the youngest rider in the race while
Teklehaimanot will start fresh off winning the team's first-ever World
Tour jersey at the recent Criterium du Dauphine.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; editing by Toby Davis)
Received on Tue Jun 23 2015 - 21:18:39 EDT