On Sunday, 22 May, Philip Buys (Garmin-adidas) made cycling history in Yorkshire’s Dalby Forest when he raced across the finishing line at the second UCI Cross Country World Cup event.

It was the first time that Buys finished a World Cup race.

“I really enjoyed myself while I was out on the course. It was tough but pleasant. The only bit of bad luck that I experienced during the race was when had to stop to “bomb” my tyre. That was when I realized that it was one thing to race in South Africa and something quite different to race in Europe.

During the past weekend (7-8 May) Philip Buys and Marc Bassingthwaighte (Garmin-adidas) dominated the national cross-country event in Port Elizabeth by finishing first and second respectively.

As was expected, Buys did not waste time before taking control of the pro-elite race. The moment he reached the single-track section, Buys took the lead and rode a near perfect race, increasing his lead with almost every pedal stroke.

In the UCI-sanctioned Karkloof cross-country race that took place this past weekend (9-10 April), Philip Buys (Garmin-adidas) rode the ride of his life.

He finished second after Burry Stander (Specialized) with just more than 30 seconds separating the two riders.

Mannie Heymans (Garmin-adidas) and Adrien Niyonshuti (MTN/Qhubeka) will team up to contest next month’s Absa Cape Epic.

This might develop into one of the most exciting combinations during the world famous stage race. One thing is for certain they will be contesting the category ‘Best African Team of the Tour’.

The MTN Clarens Ultra-marathon that will take place on Saturday (19 February) will in all probability boil down to a battle of wits and brawn between the riders from Garmin-adidas and DCM.

When it comes to racing ultra-marathons, Max Knox (DCM) is certainly the in-form rider at the moment. He finished fourth in the Attakwas and fulfilled the role of destroyer in Barberton when he simply ‘killed off’ his competitors on the last climb of the race to achieve a third consecutive victory.

Dare to do something different.

This, in short, is what Francois Theron (Garmin-adidas) decided that his cycling motto for 2011 will be.

Keep reading for an insight into the 2011 season plans for Francois Theron and Team Garmin Adidas.

The name ‘Kevin Evans’ (MTN-Energade) and ‘cycling firsts’ have become synonymous in 2010.

During the past weekend in Parys (9-10 October) Evans added another ‘first’ to this ever growing list by becoming the first rider to defend his MTN Ride Crater Cruise ultra-marathon title successfully.