Being one of the most popular riders in the CT division and a key to our team's success, Thibaut Pinot's 2020 race schedule has been revealed. Naturally, much is expected of the man and a hot battle is sure to be brewing against Sri Lankan hopeful, Ranaweera. Ranaweera is known to be very strong against the clock, but our team hopes that the addition of a strong TTT setup may sway things in our favour. Time will tell!

Van Heerden is a familliar name in the MG world - mostly due to sprinter Juan van Heerden who has a been a common name in fast finishes. However, a new Van Heerden has entered the pro peloton. Eddie van Heerden - no relation to Juan - was snatched up in a last minute deal by Project: Africa.

The 26 year-old had been overlooked the last couple of seasons - mostly due to his age. It is through no fault of his own as Eddie originally pursued triathlon but made the switch to the bike at age 23. Ever since, he has searched for that elusive pro contract. All it took was a coincidental meeting in a Stellenbosch coffee shop in the heat of transfer season. A quick chat over a flat white, and a bid was made. Van Heerden had his spot in the pro peloton.

Eddie, a well-mannered and soft-spoken Boerseun (farm-boy) from Limpopo province, prefers to let his legs do the talking. And so he did in his first professional race - GP Yekaterinburg. Caught on the penultimate lap, he spent most of the 213km out in front with his breakaway compatriots. With an attitude like his, the future bodes well for the South African.

Project: Africa's 2020 stage racing debut couldn't have gotten off to a better start. Frenchman Thibaut Pinot proved his worth against a stellar field in Venezuela. Once the startlist was announced it was clear that the win would not come easy as many CT managers penned down their best stage racers for the tour.

Juan van Heerden was active in the sprints while the rest of the squad rallied around Pinot setting him up for a win and the yellow jersey on stage 3. Pinot, not a proflific time trialer, could more than compensate with his climbing ability by winning the mountain time trial. The remainder of the tour a strong team defense was mounted. With major team goals still to come, things bode well for Pinot and Project: Africa.

Young gun and loanee from Vesuvio, Byron Munton, confirmed his potential this week with a stellar ride at the Colombo Classic. He was part of the team that helped Thibaut Pinot to victory at Vuelta al Tachira and the 10 days of hard racing no doubt put him in great form for the start of the season.

Byron slipped into the early break along with 5 other riders. The break defied the odds and managed to cling on to their lead all the way to the line - resulting in a 5-man sprint where Byron took 4th. Disappointed not to have capitalised and taken the win, the team management was more than happy to see the promise and assured him his future will hold many victories (hopefully in Project: Africa colours).

Team Project: Africa recently returned to its home Tour of South Africa. Facing stiff competition from Pro Continental outfits, the team decided that the best approach was to ride aggressively and give the home fans a show.

Few riders embody the fighting spirit more than Costa Seibeb, who showed face with some sharp attacks throughout the race. This would pay off when Seibeb would win the tour's toughest stage in stunning fashion and netted a 7th place in the general classification. Seibeb has been a member of the team since its 2nd season and to have him win a stage in our home race in this fashion was fairytale-like.

As the season has progressed past the half-way point, it's time to reflect on races past. While there were some disappointments, overall the team has performed to expectations and it's clear the team has a strong base to work from. Management is excited for the opportunities of expanding on this base to create a top-level team in 2021.

As for the race results, 2 of our 5 goals have been achieved in Trentino and Vancouver. Our TTT was pivotal in both races - Pinot actually clinched the win at the 11th hour in Vancouver's TTT. However, our home continent race in Eritrea proved to be our undoing as Pinot was hampered by a stomach bug and consequently a 10th place was his best - failing our goal of a win.

Costa Seibeb was eager to capatilise on his strong performance in the Tour of South Africa when the team head to the Rio Vista Chinesa. And boy did he capitalise!

Seibeb made the final select group which was grupo compacto with 5km left. Showing the same racecraft that netted him his previous win, Seibeb launched a sneaky counterattack inside the final 5km which left the favourites looking at each other. He managed to hold off the two strongest puncheurs in the division and netted a glorious win. Chapeau!