The Cycling Podcast – daily insight and analysis of the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France, Vuelta a España and Classics. Join journalists Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie – and a few special guests along the way – as they podcast about the latest cycling news and the world of professional cycling. Expect a mix of insight and analysis as our three experienced journalists cover not just the big talking points but take you behind the scenes of professional cycling. The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie To support The Cycling Podcast, subscribe as a Friend of the Podcast and listen to more than 50 episodes. Subscribe at thecyclingpodcast.com (https://thecyclingpodcast.supportingcast.fm/)
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episode 165: Kilometre 0 – NTT SOS
Africa's premier cycling team has been around in various guises since 2007. Initially, as continental team MTN, which became pro-continental team MTN-Qhubeka, before joining the WorldTour as Dimension Data and now NTT.
Gerald Ciolek took their first win at Milan Sanremo back in 2013. Shortly afterwards, the team was riding and winning stages at the Tour de France.
They made a splash in 2015 when Daniel Teklehaimanot took the polkadot jersey on stage six, and again on stage 14 where Steve Cummings won at Mende.
The addition of riders like Edvald Boasson Hagen and Mark Cavendish to the roster made them a formidable force in the sprints and they took a total of six Tour de France stages between 2016 and 2017.
However, things have since taken a downturn for the team. Marred by illness and injury, the wins began to dissipate and on the eve of the Giro d'Italia, NTT announced that they would not be renewing their sponsorship.
What does the future hold for them?
Kilometre 0 by The Cycling Podcast is supported by Zwift, the app for riding, training and racing at home.