The Guardian
Published on June 23,2015
• Merhawi Kudus and Daniel Teklehaimanot named in nine-man team
• MTN-Qhubeka will be first African team to ride Tour de France
Two Eritrean cyclists will be the first from their country to compete in the Tour de France after being picked by the MTN-Qhubeka team.
The South Africa-based team, the first from Africa to gain a Tour place, selected the 21-year-old climbers Merhawi Kudus and Daniel Teklehaimanot in their final nine-man group on Tuesday.
Five of the nine are from Africa; the other three are South Africans – Jacques Janse van Rensburg, Reinardt Janse van Rensburg and Louis Meintjes.
MTN-Qhubeka will also have the American sprinter Tyler Farrar, the Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen, Britain’s Steve Cummings, and the Belgian Serge Pauwels.
MTN-Qhubeka was given a wild-card entry for the Tour.