Nicholas Dlamini has achieved the pinnacle for any cyclist when he was named in the Qhubeka Assos team to compete in the 2021 Tour de France, the most prestigious cycle tour in the world. In doing so, Dlamini becomes the first Black South African to compete in the competition.
He is part of a Qhubeka Assos eight-rider team for the 2021 Tour de France. It’s the seventh time the UCI World Tour team will compete at the Tour, having first lined up in 2015. The team has won seven stages, and worn the yellow, green and polka dot jerseys.
Dlamini’s selection is a landmark moment for SA cycling.
The 25-year-old grew up in an informal settlement in Cape Town and rose through the ranks from the development team.
Dlamini has twice competed in the Vuelta a Espana, one of the three grand tours of cycling.
After suffering an arm injury in 2020, Dlamini has bounced back in considerable fashion, earning Olympic selection, and now a ride in the Tour de France.
Scuffle leaves SA’s top road cyclist Nicholas Dlamini with a broken arm:
