News: Tanfield & Aru sign for Qhubeka ASSOS

Team Qhubeka ASSOS has revealed that Harry Tanfield will stay in the World Tour after he is signed for the South African team whilst Grand Tour hopeful Fabio Aru has also signed for the team for 2021

News: Tanfield & Aru sign for Qhubeka ASSOS

Team Qhubeka ASSOS are revealing their team for 2021 and in the latest signings announced, Harry Tanfield and Fabio Aru join many others already announced.

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Tanfield is no stranger to the WorldTour having ridden previously for Katusha-Alpecin and most recently AG2R La Mondiale. A former stage winner at the Tour de Yorkshire, where he famously won from a breakaway that stayed away on a day that was an expected sprint finish, Tanfield’s track experience as well as time trial abilities see him a valuable addition to the team in terms of his versatility.

Harry Tanfield: “I really look forward to the opportunity to be involved with an ambitious and passionate team that is Team Qhubeka ASSOS. The teams’ ethos and work with the Qhubeka Charity is something to admire and I can’t wait to be involved in the future. Alongside this, the loyalty of the team’s partners and sponsors and the positive team environment make Qhubeka ASSOS the optimal place for me to progress. I’m looking forward to embarking on this new challenge and contributing to the team next year.”

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Meanwhile, Fabio Aru, 30, has a stellar palmares having finished second and third at the Giro d’Italia, in 2015 and 2014 respectively, and fifth at the Tour de France in 2017. The Italian is a multiple Grand Tour stage-winner including stage five of the Tour de France in 2017, back-to-back Giro d’Italia stage wins in 2015 as well as doubling up at the Vuelta a Espana in 2014. He took his debut Grand Tour stage victory at the Giro d’Italia in 2014.

He announced himself onto the international scene in some style in 2012, then as a stagiare with Astana, by taking an impressive second place finish on stage six of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. The Sardinian spent six seasons with Astana during which time he returned some very impressive results including a stage win at the Criterium du Dauphine in 2016. The 2017 Italian champion joined UAE-Team Emirates the following year which is where he joins Team Qhubeka ASSOS from, and during which time he took to the start line of his 13th career Grand Tour.

Aru’s arrival follows on that from Simon Clarke, Sean Bennett, Dimitri Claeys, Kilian Frankiny, Lukasz Wisniowski, Karel Vacek, Emil Vinjebo, Connor Brown and Harry Tanfield.

Fabio Aru: I am absolutely delighted to be joining Team Qhubeka ASSOS next season and very grateful to Douglas Ryder who welcomed me to his team. When the possibility to sign first came about, and then after speaking with Douglas and other team members, I immediately felt that this was an environment that I wanted to be a part of.

I’ve also closely observed the work of the Qhubeka Charity and what they do is incredible. Some of my new colleagues have told me of the power and impact that going to a bicycle distribution ceremony has had on them. This has brought home to me the impact that the bicycle has had in my own life and the power it can hold for others. I really look forward to having that opportunity in the future too.

In the last few years I haven’t experienced all of the success that I’d hoped for and so I will use this new step to draw from some of the simple factors that saw me achieve those results, as I know that I’m capable again of similar success.

At this point in my career Team Qhubeka ASSOS is the perfect place for me to do so and I’m very grateful for the opportunity that they’ve provided me with to contribute to their legacy and to build on that fantastic work that they’ve done in the past.

Douglas Ryder – Team Principal: I am excited to have Fabio join our team; to have a rider who has won a grand tour in the Vuelta, been 5th in the Tour de France and twice on the podium of the Giro adds a lot to our teams development as we continue to strive to win on the world’s biggest stage; to inspire hope and create opportunity. Fabio’s passion and love for cycling can be seen in the way he races and I think in our unique team we will see him rise again, as I am sure we will get the best out of each other.

Connor Brown: “I’ve been dreaming of riding in the WorldTour for as long as I can remember and it’s finally a reality. My two years with the Continental team have been very special, and the perfect platform from which to now take the next step in my career. I’d like to pay a special thanks to Doug and the team for believing in me and giving me this opportunity.”

Emil Vinjebo: “I’m really looking forward to joining Team Qhubeka ASSOS next year. It has been a childhood dream for me since I started cycling as a little kid. This contract is exactly what I have been training towards for years. Personally, I also look forward to working with Lars Michaelsen, who is a person I admire and have a great amount of respect for. Furthermore, I am very excited to be a part of the Qhubeka organisation. Besides of course being a world-class team, the team makes a great effort in changing lives, and that inspires me!”

Lars Michaelsen: All three of these signings will be able to add hugely to the versatility within our squad which will be crucial to our ambitions in 2021. In Emil we’ve got a guy who demonstrates resilience when things are tough – highlighted by some of his personal results – but even more so when riding for the team. I’m excited for what he will have to offer, and this is a big chance for him now to show those capabilities on the WorldTour. Harry has the experience at this level now to take the next step and has scored some really good results in the past. His track experience and time trialling ability will bring an added dimension to our outfit and I look forward to seeing how he will get on in our environment.

While I am just so pleased for Connor. Him taking the step up to our WorldTour team is once again the confirmation that the system we have in place is working and we continue to offer young riders their next opportunity in their career. He’s had some very good performances and as a former junior team pursuit world record holder has a good “engine”, so let’s see what he can now produce at the highest level.