With some big names already announced, the Haute Route management team has continued to work hard to bolster and add the squad before the close of the transfer period.

We saw both riders coming in to the squad, as well as leaving, but we feel we are in a much more stronger position as a result.

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The signing on Thibault Pinot meant one thing the our management team. We need to build a mountains squad that can look after him well enough when the road starts pointing towards the sky. After a season out last year, Dylan Girdlestone is ready to come back to racing and prove us with the support required.

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The time trial discipline is an area which Haute Route have been lacking in since their inception in 2015. Well, we have look to rectify that with the signing of Mujtaba Hussein from the Free Agency, who will also be one of the domestiques to work for our leaders during the stages.

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Another free agency signing, Ismail Ayoune is a man for our lead-out train. Released from the Eritel - Sonatrach squad, we are happy to see him sign for our African team for a minimum wage.

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When Charles became available this season, we were happy to jump at the chance to sign him. The best climber in Gabon, he will be a key domestique in a the high mountains to Pinot, whilst also maybe getting his own chances to shine in the smaller races. Signed from Eritel - Sonatrach for a fee of € 125,000.

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All hail the king of Gabon! The cult hero of the MG has come home! Signed from Garmin - BikeNZ Cycling for € 75,000, the cobbles specialist has joined with one task in mind. To max out his development, and finally reach his true potential.

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Our only loan signing this season, Louis Vervaeke joins the Haute Route team from Löbauer Stadtwerke - Etixx. Splitting his wage 50/50 with his parent team, Louis will a domestique in the mountains, as we look to complete his development.



As mentioned in the opening paragraphs, we have seen a number of riders leave the squad, and these will be updated and announced in a later post. We also still have one or two bids to be finalised, which all of them going right up to the transfer cut-off deadline!

To all of the followers of the Haute Route HQ over the past couple of seasons, and on behalf of the management team , I would like to issue an apology regarding the sudden disappearance and a distinct lack of updates since before the season had even began.

Issues locally in Gabon, as well as personally away from the team, caused ructions within the management team, and as such, many have left the company. With limited staff on site, many areas; including the Team HQ, Twitter handle and other local social media networks were forgotten and just left to drift away into the background.



We acknowledge that is not good enough, and plans are already in place for next season, as relegation is staring us straight in the face. It is unsure on what those plans look like just yet, but we have 3 proportions on the table.

What we can confirm at this time, is that for the 4th season running (subject to MGUCI acceptance, of course), we will have a change of title sponsor. Whether that change is in support of our current sponsors, in a similar fashion to this season, or whether it is in the form a new team altogether, we are not sure. It is one of the proposals on the table though...

All I can add is watch this space!

With the Japan Cup out the way, the flag officially fell on the end of the regular MG season for 2017. With no rider in the Top 50, the race perfectly summed up what was a disappointing season for the Haute Route squad. After a late promotion to the PCT last year, it was a brief cameo in the division before return to the CT next season.

With one of the lowest points in MG history, our relegation was confirmed many months ago, with only pride and the hope of hitting the 1000 point mark on the line as we approached the final months of the year. Sadly, we would fall short on both points...


Both on and off the bike, changes are needed. Serious under-performers, some of the team's big money earners and absent management look set to leave the team after the National Championships, and sponsor-wise, we will be renamed again next year.

Title sponsor Haute Route have decided not to take up the option of an extension to their one-year contract, with OC Sports following suite. Mavic's three-year association with the team has come to a natural end, and La Poste Gabonaise will also leave come the end of the season. On a positive note though, thankfully Canyon and SRAM will remain in place as Bike and Groupset suppliers to our riders.

Discussions are underway with a new backer for the team, and we are unable at this time to confirm or deny the rumours that this will result in us stepping away from African Cycling as a team...

With the 2017 World Championships on the horizon, and the vote for the Host City is well underway, the Houte Route management wanted to take this moment to issue a statement.

We are delighted to firstly announce that a successful discussion has taken place with OC Sports, and the MG License for the current team will be passed to Hoyle Sports Management, a consortium led by current Director Sportif Phil Hoyle.

Joining Hoyle at the helm and coming on board as main backers for the team is... Global Cycling Network! The UK based YouTube channel will provide a majority of the team's fund in 2018, and the new team's HQ will be moving to Bath, UK.




We will go on record however and confirm that we are not turning our back on Africa. With the disappearance of Dimension Data and Project: Africa in recent years, and the merging of Eritel and Vesuvio, it has been insisted on by the GCN bosses that goals and tasks are set and reviewed each season to ensure the progression of African Cycling for the future.




The 2018 squad will be wearing the ProTeam Issue GCN kit next season, with a small tweak made to incorporate the logo of bike sponsor Canyon. It means a change of colours from the Blues from the last 3 season, but it will be all part of the new start.

National Champion jerseys will be revealed with each success we have when they arrive.

The National Championships are finally here, and the future GCN ProTeam will be looking colourful next season! With 3 victories so far in Gabon, Ethiopia and Morocco, our designers at Assos have been working their magic with some fantastic jerseys for our new champions.



In Gabon, Charles Anguilet bettered teammate Geoffroy Ngandamba in an uphill sprint to take the Road Race title for 2018. With us being the only team with Pro riders in the race, the Haute Route team dominated the standings, with 5 riders in the Top5 and more than a 3 minutes gap back to the amateurs who joined in.

In the Time Trial, it was a reverse of the Road Race result, as Ngandamba topped Anguilet against the clock by over 1'30" to take the title.



In Morocco, it was a shock on the cards as Soufianne Haddi somehow got the better of hot favourite Lahcen Saber to take the Road Race title in a bunch sprint. Going early for the element of surprise, he did enough to hold of the Jayco-Cobra9 rider.

It would also be an upset in the Time Trial, as Mohamed Er Rafai showed his experience over Salah Eddine Mraouni to time his effort perfectly and take the title in another NC double in the same day.



The third victory in a matter of hours came thanks to Tsgabu Grmay on a hilly Ethiopia course. Taking pre-race favourite Estifanos Kebede by surprise with an early attack, he was strong enough to drop Getachew Sendeku on he run into the finish and solo to the victory.

Grmay would be double champion that afternoon, comfortably taking the Time Trial title ahead of Sendeku again. It was expecting to be much closer battle, but the man who took the Tour de France KoM jersey is clearly in some fantastic form come the end of the season.


As we said at the start, the Assos designers were start to work with the NC jerseys for the new season, and we are delighted to present them to the team's followers!







As the National Championships progress, we will update on the team's performances with further parts, and with any hope, more jerseys to show off!