On the morning of January 9, a mobile phone began to buzz on a desk in Pretoria, South Africa. It then began to ping with messages and missed calls. The phone belongs to Thabiso Rengane.
The message was from the UCI sharing that the Tshenolo Pro Cycling Team had been granted a Continental license for the 2026 season. Rengane’s heart jumped. They had done it, what a moment!
I had last seen Thabiso - the Team Manager - at the Tour of Benin in May, where they were very successful. Comparing these moments, Thabiso shared that both experiences were immense in their own unique way, "Since they both represented huge achievements for a relatively new team and for me personally," he said.
