Team Qhubeka (TeamQhubeka.com) has announced an exciting line up for the Tour de Bretagne (2.2) which starts on Monday 25 April. Racing gets underway in Guenrouët – just north of Nantes – with opening the stage comprising of 162.3km and finishing in Sainte-Reine-de-Bretagne.

The 7^th and final stage from Plumilliau to Lannion is the longest at just under 200km.

This will be familiar terrain to many of the riders and staff alike, and of course was the setting for the opening stages of the 2021 Tour de France.

Weather conditions, and wind in particular, always play a part in this region but the parcours should enable some exciting racing and multiple opportunities for the team to take advantage of.

Alessandro Iacchi will be looking to build on the strong performance he displayed at the recently completed Tour of Sicily while Nic Dlamini is selected following his exit from the same race, after falling heavily and requiring treatment in hospital.

They’ll be joined by a host of exciting young talents including quick men Luca Coati and Nicolo Parisini.

While Efrem Gebrehiwet Araya, at just 19 years of age, will be looking to spring a surprise, or two, alongside Mattia Guasco, who has had a solid start to his season on the one-day racing scene.

Our line-up is:

1. Nicholas Dlamini (RSA)
2. Alessandro Iacchi (ITA)
3. Luca Coati (ITA)
4. Efrem Gebrehiwet Araya (ERI)
5. Mattia Guasco (ITA)
6. Nicolo Parisini (ITA)

Alessandro Iacchi

The Tour of Sicily was very nice for me, as I was able to show myself in trying to get some results. I am quite satisfied with how it went.

That race was very important as part of progressing to the Tour de Bretagne, and so I’ll arrive at the race in good shape, ready and hope to get the most out of it. I feel good, let’s see how it goes.

In terms of the team, I joined at the end of the year, when the team was already almost complete, but I immediately felt comfortable. I really like this team – we have everything in place – and I am proud to wear the Team Qhubeka jersey.

Nicholas Dlamini

After Sicily I’ve been recovering pretty well, and now I look forward to the Tour of Bretagne. I know the region as I’ve done quite a bit of racing around there, and the last time I was there was for the Tour de France Grand Depart so I’ve got very fond memories of it.

Going into race, my plan is to go all-in but it’s a week-long race and I’ve looked at a few stages to really commit to, and go full in. At this stage I won’t be looking at the GC but at stage results, maximising my effort in that direction.

At the moment the mood in the team is excellent. We’re highly motivated and are still early in our racing calendar and we’re building nicely. So it’s going to be great to see how things stack up going forward.