Team Qhubeka ASSOS is delighted to confirm the signings of Robert Power and Bert-Jan Lindeman, and in the process complete our roster for 2021.

These signings bring our WorldTour complement to 27 which also enables us the opportunity to provide additional exposure to some of our Continental riders, where the programme allows, as part of their development process onto the WorldTour in the future.

Robert Power is a very exciting addition to our squad that’s already shown his abilities on the highest level but who we see as someone whose full potential is yet to be realised. As a rider with a fast-kick who climbs well, he understandably ranks the Tour Down Under as his favourite race – he was second on stage three of the 2020 edition which finished in Paracombe.

He counts among career highlights a 6th place at Strade Bianchi in 2018, victory at the 2018 Japan Cup and also crossing the line first, together with teammate Simon Yates, at Prueba Villafranca-Ordiziako Klasika in the same year.

The 25-year-old from Perth focused on rugby union while growing up, a sport in which his older brother played professionally, before switching his attention to cycling and making the move to Europe.

The 31-year-old Dutchman, Lindeman, brings a wealth of experience to our environment and moves across from Jumbo-Visma where he’s spent the bulk of his professional career. He’s been a key member of the support structure within that team that’s seen it rise to be among the best in the world, and now brings those expertise to Team Qhubeka ASSOS. 

A stage-winner at the Vuelta a Espana in 2015, his palmares also includes overall victory at the 2014 Tour de l'Ain ahead of the likes of Romain Bardet, Dan Martin and Julian Alaphilippe and an impressive 5th-place finish at Brabantse Pijl - La Flèche Brabançonne in 2017.

Robert Power
For next year, 2021, to be able to join Team Qhubeka ASSOS is something that really excites me, I’m really looking forward to getting to know the riders and the staff.

Between myself as a rider and Qhubeka ASSOS it’s a great fit and I’m really looking forward to working with the partners of the team. To ride on a BMC next year is something that’s really awesome; I’m really motivated for this next step and I just want to do my best.

I’m really looking forward to the next season and getting into the racing but also to be working closely with the Qhubeka Charity. Riding and racing our bikes is a real privilege and to see the impact that can have in the communities that Qhubeka works is truly inspiring.

Bert-Jan Lindeman
I’m looking forward to ride in the colours of Team Qhubeka ASSOS next year. After six years I’m really looking forward to a new environment and to bring that knowledge and skill I’ve acquired over the years to my new team.

That said, I will also be using the opportunity to expand my horizons and to take the next step; I’ve always ridden for Dutch-based teams and to now move into this team which also holds at its centre the purpose of what we do as riders through the Qhubeka Charity, makes me both extremely motivated and also very proud.

Lars Michaelsen – Head Sports Director
Bert-Jan will bring an excellent capacity as a very good addition as a “helper” rider for our team. He’s done seven Grand Tours and done nearly all kinds of the Classics races, mostly the northern ones but has also Milan-Sanremo and Lombardia. He’s solid sprinter, good climber but most of all he brings a wealth of experience coming from six years with Jumbo-Visma. 

The feedback I’ve received is that he has been a very loyal team man; I think he was the man sitting with Wout van Aert at Milano-San Remo in 2020, managing to be there for him, until van Aert made the race for himself of course. As someone from the northern part of the Netherlands, every day he’s fighting against the wind just to go out training, so he’s a fighter by nature and we see as a very valuable addition.

Robert spent his first years as a pro with the Greenedge organisation before going to Sunweb so despite his age has some really good experience at this level already. 

He is a rider who is able to climb really well and who is someone that if he gets into the right environment, or circumstances play in our favour, could be a real joker for us. His big results from 2018 show that if we get him back to that level it would be fantastic both for him and us, so if the chemistry works out well then we have high hopes for him as a trump card to play next season.

This now completes both our WorldTour and Continental rosters for the 2021 season (in alphabetical order).

WorldTour: Team Qhubeka ASSOS

1. Sander Armée (Belgium)
2. Fabio Aru (Italy)
3. Carlos Barbero (Spain)
4. Sean Bennett (USA)
5. Connor Brown (South Africa/New Zealand)
6. Victor Campenaerts (Belgium)
7. Dimitri Claeys (Belgium)
8. Simon Clarke (Australia)
9. Nicholas Dlamini (South Africa)
10. Kilian Frankiny (Switzerland)
11. Michael Gogl (Austria)
12. Lasse Norman Hansen (Denmark)
13. Sergio Henao (Colombia)
14. Reinardt Janse van Rensburg (South Africa)
15. Bert-Jan Lindeman (Netherlands)
16. Giacomo Nizzolo (Italy)
17. Matteo Pelucchi (Italy)
18. Robert Power (Australia)
19. Domenico Pozzovivo (Italy)
20. Mauro Schmid (Switzerland)
21. Andreas Stokbro (Denmark)
22. Dylan Sunderland (Australia)
23. Harry Tanfield (Great Britain)
24. Karel Vacek (Czech Republic)
25. Emil Vinjebo (Denmark)
26. Max Walscheid (Germany)
27. Łukasz Wiśniowski (Poland)

Continental: Team Qhubeka

1. Negasi Abreha (Ethiopia)
2. Ghebrehiwet Birhane (Eritrea)
3. Kevin Bonaldo (Italy)
4. Drew Christensen (New Zealand)
5. Luca Coati (Italy)
6. Mattia Guasco (Italy)
7. Henok Mulueberhan (Eritrea)
8. Marc Pritzen (South Africa)
9. Antonio Puppio (Italy)
10. Renus Uhiriwe (Rwanda)