Douglas Ryder carries his legacy of cycling excellence from founding Africa's only UCI WorldTour Team to his role as General Manager of Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team with the Swiss-registered squad. As a professional cyclist, he represented South Africa at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. He captained the national team from 1993 to 2002 and competed in multiple World Championships. Having spent eleven years in the corporate environment, Doug reflects, “Working at different companies has taught me a great deal about running a business, managing people and driving for success, which I have instilled in my current business of professional cycling.” Doug’s determination to showcase African cycling at a global level inspired him to start, in 2007, Team MTN Microsoft, which evolved into Team Qhubeka. His dream was realised when the team competed in their first Tour de France in 2015 and won its first stage on Madiba Day, Nelson Mandela’s birthday. More successes followed including wearing the coveted yellow jersey in the Tour de France with Mark Cavendish, and winning the U23 World Championships with Samuele Batistella . Through his work in cycling, Doug Ryder and his team have been acknowledged by institutions such as the World Economic Forum, the IOC and the UCI for their contributions in advancing African cycling and in racing for a greater purpose. Doug’s passion to make a meaningful contribution to society has seen him partner with the Qhubeka Charity, which moves people in Africa, forward, with bicycles. Qhubeka has distributed over 100,000 bikes to communities in South Africa and neighbouring countries. Through collaborations created by Doug and his team, Qhubeka has partnered with numerous corporates and esteemed organisations such as the ASO, organisers of the Tour de France. Presently, as the General Manager of Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, Doug continues to drive the team’s mission of “Racing the Future” which aims to use the power of the peloton to promote the impact of the sport. Doug Ryder is also an ambassador for Laureus Sport for Good ambassador and is currently based in the Netherlands.