Photo Credit: Getty Sport

Racing’s back, in earnest. Well on TV at least.

After a void of racing for much of last year it’s great to have an action packed calendar to get our teeth into, with a new found focus thanks to HUNT’s partnership with Team Qhubeka ASSOS. The opening classics weekend is already behind us, as well as the team’s first win of 2021 through Giacomo Nizzolo’s fast finishing at February’s Clasica de Almeria - notably our first win with the team.

The team have attacked the season from the front, but one race stands out. The iconic white gravel roads of Siena, Tuscany, at Strade Bianche - a monument in all but name. The race was won in emphatic fashion by Mathieu van der Poel from a select front group of seven which dominated the closing stages of the race - a group which included Michael Gogl, Team Qhubeka ASSOS. In the company of the pre-race favourites, Gogl helped make the race, eventually crossing the line in sixth place, with teammates Simon Clarke and Robert Power finishing eighth and 12th respectively to round out a superb race for the team.

What’s more, the entire team completed the notoriously hectic and unpredictable race without any mechanicals or punctures - an unbelievable feat in itself, and testament to the equipment used by the team and the work of the mechanics behind the scenes.

Racing’s back, in earnest. Well on TV at least.

After a void of racing for much of last year it’s great to have an action packed calendar to get our teeth into, with a new found focus thanks to HUNT’s partnership with Team Qhubeka ASSOS. The opening classics weekend is already behind us, as well as the team’s first win of 2021 through Giacomo Nizzolo’s fast finishing at February’s Clasica de Almeria - notably our first win with the team.

The team have attacked the season from the front, but one race stands out. The iconic white gravel roads of Siena, Tuscany, at Strade Bianche - a monument in all but name. The race was won in emphatic fashion by Mathieu van der Poel from a select front group of seven which dominated the closing stages of the race - a group which included Michael Gogl, Team Qhubeka ASSOS. In the company of the pre-race favourites, Gogl helped make the race, eventually crossing the line in sixth place, with teammates Simon Clarke and Robert Power finishing eighth and 12th respectively to round out a superb race for the team.

What’s more, the entire team completed the notoriously hectic and unpredictable race without any mechanicals or punctures - an unbelievable feat in itself, and testament to the equipment used by the team and the work of the mechanics behind the scenes.

It's fair to say there were definitely a few pinch-me moments watching Gogl at the front of the race on HUNT wheels, reminding us of one of the main reasons we stepped up to partner the team this season, for the pure love of the sport and watching riders perform on our products.

Michael Gogl raced on a pair of HUNT 50 Carbon Aero Disc Wheels with a tubeless set up, placing a set of wheels that retail for just £869/$1139 at the sharp end of Strade Bianche. Check out the soundbites below for what he and Simon Clarke had to say about them..

Michael Gogl raced on a pair of HUNT 50 Carbon Aero Disc Wheels with a tubeless set up, placing a set of wheels that retail for just £869/€1109 at the sharp end of Strade Bianche. Check out the soundbites below for what he and Simon Clarke had to say about them..

The action continues at relentless pace with the team racing on two European fronts this week, at both Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico. All the while, more Spring Classics loom large in the weeks ahead. After Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne Brussels Kuurne got the classics campaign underway at the end of February, we’ve not long to wait until the peloton heads back to Northern Europe to tackle the cobbled classics - with one more monumental stop in Italy to make before heading to Flanders, at Milano Sanremo - a race the team has fond memories of thanks to Gerald Ciolek’s victory in 2013 when the team carried the name MTN Qhubeka. Giacomo Nizzolo’s fifth place in last year’s edition is a sign of who is likely to be the team’s favoured rider for the day come Sunday 20th March.

HUNT’s first WorldTour win is close, but who’ll take it? Time will tell, and we’ll be watching and cheering on every step of the way.

Team Qhubeka ASSOS WorldTour March Race Schedule:

• 7-14th: Paris-Nice
• 10-16th: Tirreno-Adriatico
• 20th: Milano Sanremo
• 22-28th: Volta Catalunya
• 24th: Oxyclean Classic Brugge-De Panne
• 26th: E3 Saxo Bank Classic
• 28th: Gent-Wevelgem
• 31st: Dwars Door Vlaanderen

The action continues at relentless pace with the team racing on two European fronts this week, at both Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico. All the while, more Spring Classics loom large in the weeks ahead. After Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne Brussels Kuurne got the classics campaign underway at the end of February, we’ve not long to wait until the peloton heads back to Northern Europe to tackle the cobbled classics - with one more monumental stop in Italy to make before heading to Flanders, at Milano Sanremo - a race the team has fond memories of thanks to Gerald Ciolek’s victory in 2013 when the team carried the name MTN Qhubeka. Giacomo Nizzolo’s fifth place in last year’s edition is a sign of who is likely to be the team’s favoured rider for the day come Sunday 20th March.

HUNT’s first WorldTour win is close, but who’ll take it? Time will tell, and we’ll be watching and cheering on every step of the way.

Team Qhubeka ASSOS WorldTour March Race Schedule:

• 7-14th: Paris-Nice
• 10-16th: Tirreno-Adriatico
• 20th: Milano Sanremo
• 22-28th: Volta Catalunya
• 24th: Oxyclean Classic Brugge-De Panne
• 26th: E3 Saxo Bank Classic
• 28th: Gent-Wevelgem
• 31st: Dwars Door Vlaanderen