Marco Joubert is looking forward to forming a dangerous partnership with his new teammate Dylan Rebello at Team Imbuko Pro Cycling.
Joubert, who announced his move to Imbuko on Tuesday, said today the strong chemistry between him and Rebello would improve their chances in races.
“It will help us compete as a team,” he said. “When one of us is having a bad day, the other one can pull the team through.
“It also makes it easier to be hard and honest with each other; to tell the other one to pull himself together, without anyone taking offence.”
Marco Joubert, pictured here winning the Makro Bestmed MTB Tour, believes he will form a strong partnership with new Imbuko teammate, Dylan Rebello, ahead of the 2018 season. Photo: twitter.com/MarcoJoubert
He and Rebello had become good friends last year, Joubert said.
“We’ve known each other since we started racing. The whole year [2017] we spoke about merging and racing together.”
That’s how he got his foot in the door, he added. “Dylan passed the word on to management and told them we could achieve great things together.
“I was then approached [by Imbuko] and we came to an agreement. It worked out perfectly, especially with Momsen Bikes (his sponsor) also being involved with Dylan.
“Together, we’ll focus on stage racing. We aim to consistently top the general classifications.”
The 20-year-old Port Elizabeth-born rider said the move would also be a good opportunity to give the team added exposure.
“Being a two-man team we can offer more coverage,” he said. “If there are two individual races at the same time, each of us can take part in one and so market the team in both.”
In his new team, he would also be able to compete in more high-profile races, Joubert said.
“Imbuko are upping their budget, meaning I will be able to compete in all the big events around South Africa.
“That’s great for me, because I dropped my studies last year to take up full-time cycling.
“This year will be a good opportunity to get the exposure I need. My end goal is to join a team in Europe.
“Joining Imbuko will be a big step in the right direction and I can’t wait to get started,” he added.
Joubert will race in Imbuko colours for the first time when he competes in the Attakwas Extreme MTB Challenge on January 20.
The event was granted UCI status in 2016 and it was announced last year that this year’s race would form part of the UCI MTB Marathon Series.
