“We are very excited about the prospects that our women’s team will have for local and international races in the 2010 season. Strengthening the team with four quality signings reflects the commitment of the team to increase the awareness of Africa in the cycling world and showcasing some of the best talent we have on the continent,” says Bernard Pieters, senior sponsorship manager at MTN South Africa.
The team for 2010 is (RSA unless noted otherwise, ages reflect how old they will turn in 2010):
Marissa van der Merwe, 32 years old
Carla Swart, 22
Chrissie Viljoen, 32
Cashandra Slingerland, 35*
Mariske Strauss, 19
Robyn de Groot, 27
An-li Pretorius, 22
Lylanie Lauwrens, 26
Susanne Ljunkskog, Sweden, 34
Trine Schmidt, Denmark, 21
* Slingerland does not form part of the UCI Continental team but is part of the squad
"We have a clear development pathway for our athletes that include world-class scientific training, international mentorship, and competition. The signing of Susanne and Trine to our team is the most exciting news in the history of women's cycling in Africa. We look forward to taking our SA talent to the next level in 2010 Commonwealth Games, World Championships, and on to London 2012." says Dr Carol Austin of Activeworx, the coach to Team MTN.
“Our goals for South African women’s cycling in 2010 are to have a podium at the Commonwealth Games and a top 20 at the World Championships. For Team MTN we would like to rank amongst the top 10 teams in the world and maintain our status as the number one women’s team in South Africa. Our two new local signings in Robyn and An-Li (both from Nashua) offer some diversity to the squad. By increasing the size of our UCI Continental team for next year, we want to show our commitment not only to the development of the sport but also to compete strongly against some of the best international teams,” says Douglas Ryder, owner of the MTN Energade Team.
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