Cape Town - Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka have announced the signing of three stagieres for the remainder of the 2016 season.
South African Ryan Gibbons as well as Eritreans Metkel Eyob and Amanuel Gebreigzabhier spent the first half of the season riding for the African team’s continental outfit.
Gibbons, 21, has enjoyed a solid season so far, his first ever in Europe.
Eyob, 22, was runner-up at the Eritrean national championships behind Daniel Teklehaimanot and is the current Under-23 national champion of his country.
Gebreigzabhier, 21, showed his talent by winning the Under-23 African continental title.
The three will join the WorldTour squad with immediate effect.
"Our major focus is to develop cycling across the African continent. Through our UCI continental team we are giving more riders the chance to succeed in international racing. To be able to bring these three incredibly talented African riders in to experience the setup and racing of our world tour team is a fantastic achievement for the riders and testament to their hard work," said Dimension Data's team principal Douglas Ryder.
"If you add the support and commitment to providing bicycles to communities through the Qhubeka charity and how the team is leveraging its global exposure to support mobilising people on bicycles in South Africa, Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka is providing a bright future for many," he concluded.