African cycling team Qhubeka NextHash will not compete in the World Tour next year after failing to secure a new sponsor, the outfit announced on Friday.
The team was denied a World Tour licence by the International Cycling Union (UCI) earlier this month but had continued their search for a sponsor in the hope of a late U-turn.
“This is an extremely disappointing moment for our organisation,” the team said in a statement.
“As a team that from the outset has strived to play a hugely progressive step in cycling through our partnership with the Qhubeka Charity … to not be able to continue to do so in 2022 comes as a significant loss to the cycling world.”
The South Africa-based team added that they would continue to feature in the second tier of global cycling as a UCI Continental team in 2022 and look to return to the top division in the near future.
“On Thursday I sent an internal message to our staff and riders to tell them the news… the responses have been so emotional and supportive. It gave me such faith and belief that what we have done here is truly unique,” said team principal Douglas Ryder.
In 2015, Qhubeka NextHash — then MTN Qhubeka — became the first African team in the Tour de France, with British rider Mark Cavendish claiming four stage wins under their banner on the tour the following year.
