Cycling: The South African team from Dimension Data came close to missing out on the WorldTour license for 2017 and 2018. The reason for this is the bottom place in the 2016 team ranking - but that sounds worse and more dramatic than it really was; because despite the apparently poor performance, Cavendish and Co. had plenty to celebrate this year.
Team Dimension Data 2017: Transfers
departures
Theo Bos (unknown)
Cameron Meyer (end of career)
Kanstantin Siutsou (Bahrain-Merida)
Jim Songezo (unknown)
Additions
Ryan Gibbons (Dimension Data Continental)
Ben King (Cannondale-Drapac)
Lachlan Morton (Jelly Belly Maxxis)
Ben O'Connor (Avanti Sports)
Scott Thwaites (Bora-Argon 18)
Team 2017 (preliminary)
Igor Anton
Natnael Berhane
Edvald Boasson Hagen
Mark Cavendish
Stephen Cummings
Mekseb Debesay
Nick Douglas
Bernhard Eisel
Tyler Farar
Omar friar
Ryan Gibbons
Nathan Hass
Reinardt Janse van Rensburg
Jacques Janse van Rensburg
Benjamin King
Merhawi Kudus
Lachlan Morton
Adrien Niyonshuti
Ben O'Connor
Serge Pauwels
Youcef Reguigui
Mark Renshaw
Kristian Sbaragli
Daniel Teklehaimanot
Jay Robert Thomson
Scott Thwaites
Johann van Zyl
Jacob Venter
Team Dimension Data 2017: Team bikes and equipment
Not much will change in the technical equipment of Dimension Data in the coming season. As before, the team bikes come from the noble manufacturer Cérvelo and you will take a seat on the R5, S5 and P5 models. For the new season, the tried-and-tested materials from the US-based carbon specialists at ENVE are also used for the wheels. On the other hand, it will be exciting to see what the drive of the Dimension Data team bikes in 2017 will look like.
Product news: Rotor UNO: Completely hydraulic road bike groupset presented
Market: Bang from Spain! Components and accessories manufacturer Rotor announced today that it will be launching its own road bike groupset, dubbed UNO, early next year. As if the surprise wasn't big enough, the real hammer follows: The Rotor UNO is operated completely hydraulically, from the brakes to the gears. Six […]
The future? testing @cervelo #r3disc & @rotor_bike uno groupset around the roads of Belgium. 🚴🏿💨 pic.twitter.com/OeimIiO9FF
— Matt Brammeier (@Mattbrammeier85) 24 December 2015
Shimano and ROTOR are still contributing the necessary components, but we may see the UNO hydraulic shifting system in racing for the first time. Last season there were repeated snapshots on Twitter of training bikes with the new ROTOR groupset, but in racing it would be a novelty.
Product news: MET with a new helmet design for Dimension Data: From March also regularly in stores
Cycling / Market: As in the previous season, the riders of the South African WorldTour team Dimension Data will also start in 2017 with helmets made by the Italian manufacturer MET. To celebrate the close and successful collaboration, there are completely new helmet designs for the Manta, the Rivale and the Drone. From March next year […]
Team Dimension Data 2017: The Curse of the WorldTour
Even though Dimension Data finished last in the WorldTour rankings at the end of the season, the team will again start in the highest license class next season. In addition, this poor placement belies what was actually a very good season. It may not have been able to compete at the top of the overall rankings at any major national tour or win a major classic, but Dimension Data has been able to put its stamp on a few races. 32 wins this season and almost 40 other podium finishes speak for themselves. Especially at the Tour de France one cleared: Mark Cavendish won four stages, Stephen Cummings one. Edvald Boasson Hagen was finally able to make another leap in development and clinched 13 podium finishes over the months. So far, the many young drivers from Africa have not been able to develop into real winners, but some have already indicated potential. This African project is definitely good for cycling overall.
Nevertheless, sooner or later the team management will have to consider whether they want to continue to compete for victories in the WorldTour, or whether they would rather switch to the second division in the long term and focus everything on talent. Because the absolute top performer Mark Cavendish will hardly be able to drive another season like this. Edvald Boasson Hagen is not the best in any category, but can do almost everything a bit. In 2017 it could therefore be much closer with the victories. Even the previously known newcomers do not promise any improvement. It will therefore be extremely difficult to leave the bottom of the WorldTour rankings. Whether it will then be enough in two years to get the license for the highest class in cycling can be described as very uncertain. In any case, we should keep an eye on Merhawi Gebremedhin Kudus. The Eritrean man will only be 23 next season and has already hinted at his potential in the mountains. It wouldn't be surprising if he mutated into a good classification driver in the future.