{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "bskyPostRef": {
    "cid": "bafyreicpwxj55baldx4o6xdu4pxih6uep4q66gdgqnavmjfogyzsmaqmoa",
    "uri": "at://did:plc:jcu7nrruxovhg3q5vlsnw3wt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhxupjfdw4r2"
  },
  "coverImage": {
    "$type": "blob",
    "ref": {
      "$link": "bafkreid4ozel7u4quh7oq62mrdenzkbboe2cpxx36znvsgsqoi7dvfbwee"
    },
    "mimeType": "image/png",
    "size": 2852963
  },
  "description": "The former Dimension Data rider has launched a new team, Live Your Dream, which he hopes will give the next generation of South African cyclists the same opportunities to race the world's biggest races.",
  "path": "/from-the-township-to-the-tour-nic-dlamini-is-helping-young-south-africans-follow-his-path/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-26T15:01:56.000Z",
  "site": "https://escapecollective.com",
  "tags": [
    "Live Your Dream",
    "Tour du Rwanda in the WorldTour? Organiser explores options for upgrade in 2027The president of the Rwandan Cycling Federation wants to build a legacy off the back of the Kigali World Championships, but would a WorldTour Tour du Rwanda be good for cycling in Africa?Escape CollectiveDan Challis",
    "As she rides toward retirement, Ashleigh Moolman Pasio is ready for her next challengeThe African icon and AG Insurance-Soudal climber will hang up her bike at the end of this season and focus on the growth of women’s cycling, particularly in Africa.Escape CollectiveBenoît Vittek",
    "Subscribe now"
  ],
  "textContent": "Cor Vos\n\nFive years ago, Nic Dlamini made history as the first black South African to race the Tour de France. His story rippled through the media. Kids from the Capricorn Park township aren’t expected to race the Tour. In fact, they’re not expected to ever be able to leave Capricorn, the Western Cape’s oldest informal settlement, home to more than 8,000 people.\n\n“For anyone who lives in a township, it starts to become a box. You can't really get out of it,” Dlamini said to _Escape Collective,_ describing the reality of life for people in places like Capricorn. Defying expectations, Dlamini raced in the WorldTour for four years with Team Dimension Data, rode the Vuelta a España twice alongside his singular Tour appearance and won the King of the Mountains classifications at the 2018 Tour Down Under and Tour of Britain.\n\nAfter stepping away from cycling in 2022, Dlamini is now investing in seeing the next generation of South African cyclists make their mark on the WorldTour. Although in its embryonic stage, Dlamini’s ambitious new team, Live Your Dream, aims to create a high performance pathway to cycling’s elite levels for cyclists from all backgrounds in South Africa.\n\nTour du Rwanda in the WorldTour? Organiser explores options for upgrade in 2027The president of the Rwandan Cycling Federation wants to build a legacy off the back of the Kigali World Championships, but would a WorldTour Tour du Rwanda be good for cycling in Africa?Escape CollectiveDan Challis\n\n## Closing the gap\n\nCycling in South Africa has changed a great deal since Dlamini’s time, especially since the 2021 closure of the team that was known as Team Qhubeka-NextHash in its final year. There are pathways through the UCI's World Cycling Centre and a new South African Continental team, Tshenolo Pro Cycling, has begin racing in Europe this season, but the opportunities for riders like Dlamini to progress in the sport have lessened, with financial resource often determining the height of each cyclist’s ceiling, rather than talent.\n\nFurther to that, longstanding South African professionals such as Louis Menitjes and Ryan Gibbons have retired, and Ashleigh Moolman Pasio is soon to follow at the end of the 2026 season. There is just one South African rider each in the men’s and women’s WorldTours this season - AG Insurance-Soudal’s Moolman Pasio and Jayco-AlUla’s Alan Hatherly - and a shrinking pipeline of talent coming through. Dlamini wishes to see that trend reversed.\n\nAs she rides toward retirement, Ashleigh Moolman Pasio is ready for her next challengeThe African icon and AG Insurance-Soudal climber will hang up her bike at the end of this season and focus on the growth of women’s cycling, particularly in Africa.Escape CollectiveBenoît Vittek\n\nThe now 30-year-old came up through the ranks at MTN-Qhubeka, which had an overt aim to develop African talent and give riders opportunities in Europe. It gave young people from places like Capricorn Park the possibility to dream about a career in cycling.\n\n“What I loved about that setup was that riders like myself and some of the Ethiopians, Eritreans that were there, we all came from challenging backgrounds. Then you found some of the riders that came from privileged backgrounds, but in that structure, we all had the same opportunities,” Dlamini told _Escape_ over a video call from a coffee shop in Cape Town.\n\n### This post is for subscribers only\n\nBecome a member to get access to all content\n\nSubscribe now",
  "title": "From the township to the Tour: Nic Dlamini is helping young South Africans follow his path",
  "updatedAt": "2026-03-26T15:01:59.327Z"
}