Last year, Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka used the 100th Giro d’Italia as inspiration for our fundraising campaign, raising funds to get 100 girls on bikes. This year, the campaign is bolder, aiming to impact the lives of 1000 girls and women over the next two months.

Our #1000GirlsOnBikes campaign supports the Qhubeka Charity’s aim to distribute 50% of bicycles to girls and women. Empowering women and girls is key to social transformation. Investing in girls and women will help transform their lives, add to social change and spur global growth.

The symbol of the campaign this year is a brightly painted Qhubeka bike, which was hand-painted by women who are involved in the Madikwe Rural Development Program. The program is a work-to earn project in partnership with Qhubeka that benefits women in the community. Watch the full video here. The bike will be on display at the upcoming Tour de Yorkshire before being shown at the Tour of California.

With the Giro d’Italia also about to kick off, our race graphic was inspired by the campaign. The number 72 was worn by Alfonsina Strada in the 1924 Giro. She is the only woman to have ridden the Corsa Rosa. Strada challenged her society and her sport, when she rode all 3,613km of the Grand Tour on the racing bike she had received as a wedding present. Her inspiring story is added encouragement as we aim to put #1000GirlsOnBikes.

All donations over the next two months will go towards #1000GirlsOnBikes. Find out how you can help by going to: https://www.bicycleschangelives.org

Our 2020 vision
Every year, Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka aims to fund 5000 bicycles through Qhubeka and we have the shared belief that #BicyclesChangeLives. To date, more than 80 000 people have received bicycles through Qhubeka’s programmes. Team Dimension Data endeavours to bring this cumulative number to 100 000 bicycles by 2020, a goal that forms part of the team’s 2020 vision. With bicycles, people can travel faster and further, and carry more.

Team Dimension Data For Qhubeka

Founded in 2007, Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka became the first ever African cycling team to gain a WorldTour license, in 2016. In the team’s palmares you can find a Milan-Sanremo victory, numerous stage wins at the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana, two Tour of Britain GC victories, and 42 National Championship titles. The team has bases in South Africa, the Netherlands and Italy. It’s also known as Africa’s Team due to its focus on helping African talents to the world stage of cycling. The team believes #BicyclesChangeLives and race to raise funds for the Qhubeka Charity which provides bicycles to people in Africa. #DoYourPart and gift a bicycle or part of a bicycle, by clicking here.

Qhubeka is an Nguni word that means “to progress”, “to move forward”. Qhubeka (qhubeka.org) partners with communities, public sector, private sector, and non-profit organisations to provide people with bicycles in return for working to improve their community, environment or school attendance.

Dimension Data (dimensiondata.com) uses the power of technology to help organisations achieve great things in the digital era. As a member of the NTT Group, we accelerate our clients’ ambitions through digital infrastructure, hybrid cloud, workspaces for tomorrow, and cybersecurity. With a turnover of USD 7.5 billion, offices in 58 countries, and 31,000 employees, we deliver wherever our clients are, at every stage of their technology journey. We’re proud to be the Official Technology Partner of Amaury Sport Organisation, organiser of the Tour de France, and the title partner of the cycling team, Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka.

Learn more about the team at www.africasteam.com.