Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka riders have put pen to paper on new deals, with South Africans Reinardt Janse van Rensburg and Nic Dougall, and Eritreans Natnael Berhane and Merhawi Kudus renewing their contracts with the African cycling team.

The new deals will see the African riders representing the team beyond 2016.

After coming back to the team last year, Janse van Rensburg confirmed his talent by winning the Tour de Langkawi, Asia’s most iconic stage race, in March 2016.

The 27-year-old South African showed his strength in the classic races, and was also a key member of our Tour de France squads in 2015 and 2016, where he has been a vital support rider for the African team.

Fellow South African Nic Dougall also underlined his talent in the first part of the season, and he is currently racing his first Grand Tour at La Vuelta.

At just 23 years of age, he has shown his potential throughout the current season, and that has earned him the renewal.

“I’m really happy to be riding for an African team. It means a lot to me as we do not only help to raise the bar for African cycling, but also help to put people on bikes through Qhubeka,” said Dougall, according to AfricaStream.

“I’m very much looking forward to further develop as a classics rider as these are the races that I really enjoy.”

Natnael Berhane is another Eritrean who is showing his incredible potential as an African cyclist at the top of the sport.

The former Eritrean champion was the first African to win a stage race in Europe in 2013, the Presidential Tour of Turkey, and has since steadily progressed in his development.

He was a key support rider during this year’s mountain stages of the Tour de France, after riding actively in a couple of stage races prior to the Grand Boucle, where he was the designated team leader.

All four riders will remain key performers with the African cycling team, and their new contracts will see them continue to race with Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka into the next season and beyond.