As a former professional cyclist who represented his country at the 1996 Olympics, Doug Ryder has tasted great success at the elite level. But even the thrill of chasing victory on challenging cycling stages pales in comparison to the joy he derives today from managing a cycling team dedicated to helping less fortunate kids and communities in Africa.

Doug founded Team Qhubeka in 2007 to raise awareness and funds for Qhubeka, a South African not-for-profit organisation that donates bicycles to enable opportunities for African kids and communities.  

“Qhubeka”, he explains, is a word from the Zulu language that means “to move forward”. As principal of Team Qhubeka, he has fashioned the team as a purpose-led sports and social movement that, to date, has raised more than $5 million for charity. 

“Our team has always been number one about purpose, and number two about podium. Our dream is that we want to mobilise people on the African continent to give them hope and opportunity and we believe bicycles are a tool for that because Africa is inhibited by its lack of mobility, in terms of the continent moving forward.

Reaching the peak

The team has been racing internationally since 2008 and started out in the UCI Continental competition before becoming the first African cycling team to reach the highest level of the sport and gain a UCI WorldTour license in 2016. During its six years in the premier men's elite road cycling competition, Team Qhubeka won five Giro d’Italia stages, seven Tour de France stages, and two Vuelta a España stages.

“We’ve done seven Tour de France now and worn every jersey colour in the race. But due to COVID-19 and the political and financial environment we weren’t able to continue to be funded as a team at the highest level. We’ve now dropped down a few levels and are fighting to come back as the world heals and people become more confident, but it’s taking time as the impact of COVID has been far reaching,” Doug says. 

While the search continues for sponsorship to run a team at the top level, Doug is grateful for the ongoing support of Mercedes-Benz Australia, which has enabled the team to compete in the UCI Continental circuit in 2022 while they rebuild.

A strong partnership

Doug explains the relationship with Mercedes-Benz Australia emerged from Laureus Sport for Good, the global organisation that uses the power of sport to transform the lives of young people. Team Qhubeka is a Laureus Sports for Good ambassador and Mercedes-Benz an anchor partner. The partnership also has a very personal connection via Mercedes-Benz Australia CEO Florian Seidler, who was formerly CEO of Mercedes-Benz South Africa and saw first-hand the impact Team Qhubeka has made in communities there.

“Cycling is big in South Africa, as it is big in Australia. People in both our countries love to get outdoors and ride their bikes, they love to be adventurous,” Doug says. 

Mercedes-Benz Australia took up the opportunity to support Team Qhubeka based on the tangible positive impact it has on other people and the value it brings to the sport.

“We were never about just looking good in Lycra; we were always about how we could use our sport to do better and do good things for others,” Doug says. “That’s what brought us into the Mercedes-Benz family.

“Even though this year we went from the highest level of world cycling down to a Continental team, Mercedes-Benz still wanted to partner with us because they said our value system is the same. As human beings we care for humanity, we care for a better world, we care for creating opportunities, and Mercedes-Benz wanted to continue to be a part of that, which is amazing.” 

Ties Down Under

It’s also a fitting partnership, he adds, given the team’s close ties with some of the biggest names in Australian cycling. 

“We’ve always had Australian riders in our team and a strong connection to Australians,” Doug says. “Mark Renshaw did the last four years of his career with us. We brought him and Mark Cavendish and Bernie Eisel back together, to form the brat pack of old. Mark is a guy who absolutely loved riding for this team, loved riding for a higher purpose, loved being a part of it. Cadel Evans, who is the only Australian to win the Tour de France, won the Tour on a BMC bike and BMC was our partner for three years, so Cadel became very close to our team. We also have a very close connection to other Australian riders and to the Australian Institute of Sport. 

Having previously competed in the Tour Down Under, the team is excited to be returning to Australia after several years of COVID-interrupted international travel.

“The [UCI road cycling] world championships are in Wollongong in September, so we’ll be coming as a team with lots of African riders,” Doug says.

“We’re very fortunate that Mercedes-Benz Australia has continued to partner with us because it’s an iconic brand, it’s an established brand, a credible brand, a trusted brand, and it gives us an opportunity to try and rise again, because they stayed with us, and for us that’s really important.” 

By Jonathan Weller