To add my 2cents worth:
It would seem that Doug could register a Protean for 2022 if all else fails according to the Daily Maverick post.
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-10-25-africas-team-fights-for-world-tour-survival-after-funds-dry-up/
“What we will do in that scenario is keep our Continental team going with the funding streams we have. There is also an option we could keep going as a second division [UCI ProTeam] and then rely on wild cards into big races. There is a lot of popularity around the team and, because of our diversity, organizers want us in races.
I suppose we will know by the 15th Nov. I would however like to see the team return to its roots if they go the Protean route and these still available riders would make a good African contribution. Natneal Berhane. Tsgabu Grmay, Willie Smit. Yacob Debesay. Mulu Hailemichael. Morne Van Niekerk and Youcef Ruiguigi. I believe that these African riders have a lot to offer and can still improve. A targeted 3-5 year plan to get back to WT with the aim of turning these African riders into consistent winners at Protean level ( some have won already ) and bring these riders along to WT should be an objective. We should improve comparably to Australia and New Zealand in terms of rider quantity and quality within the next 5 years if the focus can shift a bit more to improving our African riders. I believe they have the ability to get to that level within 3-5 years. I would think that focusing on winning one day to week long races to get the winning going as well as to give the sponsors a ROI. would be going in the right direction. We do need a team from Africa racing at as high a level as possible and since Doug has already succeeded here and is at the top already, it would be natural that he would be able to do it again. Most African WT riders have come through Doug's teams at some point so he has proven that an African team has benefit for African riders. I would love to see these 7 African riders together with Nic and Reiny form the core of an African team going in a new winning direction. If I had the money, that's what I would insist on. Wishful thinking I suppose.. But you never know...................
