As we reflect on the past year, we once again remember our cyclists and other sports persons who passed away over the past year. Our thoughts are with their families and friends. May their souls rest in peace.
This certainly has been a very demanding and challenging year as we continue to manage our severe financial position.
Despite all these challenges our riders continued to perform on the World stage with medal winning performances across all disciplines. We are particularly proud of the achievements of Greg Minnaar, Pieter du Preez, Toni Mould, Alan Hatherly, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio, Willie Smit and Louis Meintjes.
Our Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka continued to inspire many with their excellent performances on the UCI WorldTour which served as a great inspiration for all our riders across all disciplines. Not only are they performing on the World stage, but through their Qhubeka project they are also changing lives with the donation of bicycles to previously disadvantaged communities.
Our riders’ performances did not go unnoticed, with Pieter du Preez, Toni Mould and Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio making the short list in their respective categories for the SA Sports Awards.
Our youth should be inspired by the great performances of our riders. There will definitely be a renewed focus on grass roots talent identification with sustainable development programmes and growing our membership in previously untapped communities.
With a challenging year behind us, we can all take a well-deserved break for the festive season. Now is the time for us all to relax and spend some time with our loved ones and come back refreshed in the New Year ready to continue tackling the challenges before us.
I wish you all a very happy and safe festive season and a prosperous New Year. If you are driving, do so with care. Also be extra cautious out there while riding your bicycles.
Happy holidays and safe cycling!
William Newman
President