LEADING THE WAY - RYAN GIBBONS, 29, SA PRO RIDER, MULTIPLE SA & AFRICAN ROAD CHAMP

AFTER JOINING LIDLTREK from UAE Team Emirates, South African national champ Ryan Gibbons aims to be the best lead-out man he can be - while also helping his new team in their quest to climb the World Tour rankings.

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Gibbons started the year with a bang, claiming time trial and road race honours at the national champs in February. Since then he's raced a handful of events in Europe, including Paris-Nice and Milan-San Remo.

His flying start to the season has been somewhat curtailed due to illness, but Lidl-Trek intends to utilise the power of the South African speedster in a few races that might sound familiar. "The team plan," says Gibbons in between travels, "is for me to do the Critérium du Dauphiné, the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, all as Mads Pedersen's lead-out man." Despite the untimely intervention of health issues on his season, Gibbons is well supported by the team and looking forward to a strong second half of the year.

"My experience with Lidl-Trek has been amazing. The team is very professional and ambitious, and they always have the riders' best interests at heart," he says.

What are the team's ambitions for the rest of the year?

Lidl-Trek is striving to be in the top three of the World Tour rankings by the end of the year - and to achieve 40 professional victories. We currently have the third-most victories for the season, and we've been very successful in the biggest races.

You started the year brilliantly, claiming national TT and road race honours. Was it your aim to win both?

It's not often I get to race nationals, but the team kindly gave me the opportunity this year. The goal was pretty clear - I'm not sure they would have let me miss other races if they didn't think I could collect both titles! I'm grateful that I could repay their belief in me.

What's it like racing locally after you've been competing overseas?