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Qhubeka going places with Dimension Data

At least four teams of two will be riding for Qhubeka during the 2016 Absa Cape Epic.

By Matshelane Mamabolo
Johannesburg, 09 Mar 2016
Nothing like a bicycle to put a smile on your face - and get you to school.
Nothing like a bicycle to put a smile on your face - and get you to school.

Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka's glory on the cycling track has been complemented by the commitment from Dimension Data and other sponsors to the Qhubeka charity and its Work to Earn projects in South Africa.

Qhubeka is the South African programme of global non-profit World Bicycle Relief (WBR). The charity is making significant progress in line with WBR's goals to advance education, health and economic advancement by delivering specially designed bicycles that are locally assembled and given to those in need. Although they are assembled and tested in South Africa, Qhubeka bicycles are designed in the USA by the Buffalo Bicycle Company, which has won the 2013 Award for Social Entrepreneurship from the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship and World Economic Forum, among many awards. Qhubeka beneficiaries earn their bicycles by improving their school results, environment or community.

The months before and after the announcement that global ICT solutions and service provider Dimension Data would become the new title partner of Ryder Cycling (owner and manager of Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka) from January 2016 have seen the team and individual cyclists reach new heights.

A fifth place in the overall team standings during the Tour de France as well as a win by Mark Cavendish riding for Team Dimension Data at the Tour of Qatar are standouts among a host of achievements, in addition to the charitable efforts through Qhubeka.

Speaking soon after the sponsorship announcement last year, team principal Douglas Ryder said the partnership with Dimension Data "enables us to continue to support the development of African cycling and the Qhubeka charity at the highest levels in world cycling".

And so it did, with more than 5 000 bicycles funded for adults and school children through the bicycleschangelives campaign in only a few months, requiring a dedicated effort from all the people who are involved. Inspired by its most recent achievements, the bicyclechangelives campaign aims to fund more than 5 000 bicycles in 2016 alone. Members of the public can contribute to Qhubeka at bicycleschangelives.org.

Alongside feats on and off the track by Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka, the IT giant's staff have supported Qhubeka over the years by raising funds for the charity. Soweto's Noordgesig, Orlando and Bona high schools have received hundreds of bicycles to reduce travel time to school for the learners and result in improved school results. Soweto - an outcome of apartheid spatial planning - is located to the south of Johannesburg's CBD and is far away from public amenities. Qhubeka has partnered with the City of Johannesburg and local cycling clubs such as Regatammogo Sports Development Life Skills in 2016 to bring an end to absenteeism and exhaustion among Soweto's school children. The city has also built cycling lanes around the schools to popularise cycling in the area.

Qhubeka's endeavour to make a positive impact on the lives of disadvantaged people continues during the 2016 Absa Cape Epic, with several teams raising funds for the cause. Their views are summarised by Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka cyclist and Olympic gold medal hopeful Mark Cavendish, who has described riding for a greater cause and helping to get more bicycles in the hands of those who need them as "one of the greatest incentives in the sport".

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Editorial contacts

Matshelane Mamabolo
ITWeb Dimension Data
(011) 807 3294
Matshelane@itwebafrica.com