The Fairtree Imperial Cannondale riders fared well last weekend in the Tankwa Trek 9-5 race, despite having some difficulties.
Luyanda Tobigunya (13:41:28) and team mate Sithembiso Masango (13:41:28) completed the race in 16th overall place in UCI Elite Men division.
“This was the first stage race that Luyanda and Sithembiso have done together. Sithembiso has joined us from the Change A Life academy in Durban with a view to joining us on a permanent basis, should he manage to adjust to Stellenbosch and wish to remain with the team. He has an incredible cycling CV, including coming second in the infamous Munga race,”said Chris Norton from
Norton said, despite a crash on day 1 which Sithembiso could not avoid, they did unbelievably well to put this behind them and build what quickly looks like a phenomenal partnership. “Most of the top Cape Epic teams participated, which illustrates the opposition that they were racing against. Due to the crash Sithembiso struggled with his right knee and despite this still managed an excellent finish. We can definitely build on this partnership and look forward to watching them perform at the Cape Epic.”
With Lorenzo le Roux exiting the team they needed to find an able replacement for him. Sithembiso is an excellent partner and they believe that they will form a lasting and solid relationship which they can build on.
“They both have great experience and a maturity that enables them to look after each other in adversity, which is exactly what will be needed in future stage races such as the Cape Epic. The Tankwa Trek provided them with a platform to build on this partnership and learn how to race with each other.”
