Konica Minolta Cycling Team celebrates 10 years of victory

The Konica Minolta Cycling Team, which is South Africa's longest-running sponsored professional cycling team and until the beginning of 2008, was also Africa's only registered continental team, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

Since its beginnings in January 1998, the team has become an institution in South African cycling, winning every major classic race in South Africa including the Pick n Pay Cape Argus, the Amashovashova and the Giro Del Capo.

The team has an enviable record of having won three back-to-back victories at the SA Elite National Championships.

Other than competing at top-level, the team's key focus is to provide a platform to develop young riders, says Janine Ferreira, Konica Minolta South Africa public relations officer. "With the motto: 'We shape champions', this provides young athletes with the resources, training and knowledge required to allow them to mature into elite professionals who can reach the pinnacle of the sport."

Riders who have successfully passed through the ranks of Konica Minolta include John Lee Augustyn (Team Barloworld), Jeremy Maartens (Team Barloworld), Tiaan Kannnemeyer (Team Barloworld), James Perry (Team Barloworld), Jaco Odendaal and Peter Velits (2007 Under-23 World Champion) and Cherise Taylor, who came second in the Junior World Championships Mexico 2007.

The team has competed successfully on an international level. For the last three years, it has been the only South African team with an international programme. In both 2006 and 2007, the team competed in the Tour of Japan, winning stages in both years. In 2006, they also won the KOM jersey and the team classification. One of the highlights of the 2007 season was receiving an invitation to participate in the prestigious Tour of Britain. This served to raise the team's profile further in the international market, while giving the riders the opportunity to race against some of the world's leading professionals in a 2.1 event, the highest ranking available for a non-pro tour race.

Having spent the last three years racing in Europe during the South African winter months, the team elected to move into uncharted territory in 2008, securing an invite to compete in the Circuit des Beauce 2.1, the highest ranked international stage race in Canada. The tour runs from 10 to 15 June. Following the tour, the team will be competing in the American Eagle Outfitters Tour of Pennsylvania. It is a six-day, 450-mile stage race across Pennsylvania from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh and is the world's richest cycling race for elite international cyclists under 25.

"Having secured some big wins over the last couple of weeks, including the U23 and junior ladies Central Gauteng Provincial title together with first and second overall in the Elite Men's races, followed by three gold medals at the recent SA Track National Championships and gold medals in the Junior Woman's SA Time trial and Road championships, the team continues to move from strength to strength," states John Robertson, team manager.

Three new riders will join the team from May, including Aurelie Halbachs, a young Mauritian girl who finished third in the 2007 Continental Time Trial Championships in Cameroon. Abdellah Baniyoucef and Aounseghir Mohame, both from Algeria, have also signed up with the team.

The team has developed close ties with the UCI centre and has received the backing of Pat Mquaid, the president of the UCI, for the development of talent from both South Africa and Africa.

A big future star on the team is the 18-year-old Algerian, Hichem Chabane, who finished fourth in two stages at the 2008 Giro del Capo. "Hichem is currently spending time in Europe making final preparations for the Olympic games where he will represent Algeria in August and will be joining up with the team in Canada and USA," says Robertson.

"Another upcoming member of the team, who is fast following on the footsteps of Cherise Taylor, is Michelle Corbett. Michelle - still a first year junior - has been a revelation in South African junior cycling this year and will be spending four weeks at the World Cycling Centre in Potchefstroom. Thereafter, she will be representing South Africa at the World Junior road and TT Championships to be held in Cape Town," he adds.