Benonian helped develop champ

When Chris Froome sped down the famous Champs Elysees Avenue in the overall leader’s yellow jersey with his Team Sky team mates,during the 21st and last stage of the 100th Tour de France,few would have known that the Kenyan-born British rider has a small connection to Benoni.

In fact,born and raised Benonian Conrad Venter has been a part of the Chris Froome story.

Venter, former team mechanic for the Konica Minolta Cycling Team turned sports director, remembers 2007, when Chris joined the Konica Minolta Cycling team (at the time Africa’s only registered Pro Continental Cycling Team).

“Nobody had heard of Chris Froome before he joined the team,” said Venter.

“Seven riders had been confirmed for the new season, but eight was the minimum requirement for riders in order to register the team.”

According to Venter, John Robertson (team owner) was in negotiations with David George for the final vacant spot when he was contacted by Robbie Nilsen, Froome’s coach at the time.

He asked Robertson to give Froome a chance, as Konica Minolta was the only local team with an international racing programme.

The team registration deadline was looming and Robertson had not heard from David George.

Time had run out and he was forced to submit the list of eight riders in order to complete the registration, and went with Froome.

“They took a complete gamble on him and the 21-year-old was the last pick for the Konica Minolta team,” added Venter.

All the riders on the team were encouraged to bring their own bicycles and equipment to the team’s first training ride, so that Venter and Robertson could get an indication of the rider’s bike sizes and setups before ordering the team bicycles for the new season.

The first thing that Venter noticed on the team training ride was that Froome was lacking the right professional guidance.

“His bike was way too small for him and the equipment was middle of the range quality,” he said.

“The wrong bike size also meant that his setup on the bike was completely wrong.”

With this observation Venter and Robertson immediately got to work to fit Froome on a proper racing machine.

The pair took the team to Europe where they were based in Belgium for six months and competed in UCI-ranked events.

Venter added that it was quickly clear that Froome had huge potential.

“With the right setup and equipment Chris quickly started improving and standing out,” he said.

“The team was racing in the Tour of Japan when Chris was really starting to make himself noticed and the bigger European teams were taking note.”

It was after a great performance in Japan and winning a stage with a solo victory that Robertson realised that the only way that the future Tour de France would really be noticed is to get the team into the Tour of Britain.

After another great performance in Britain Froome was noticed by Barloworld and they signed him on for the 2008 season.

Conrad added that Froome is the most humble person you can ever meet and that it was a pleasure working with him.

The Benonian’s interest in cycling started at Hoërskool Hans Moore, when he went on a school cycling tour and immediately got hooked on the sport.

After school he started working in a bicycle shop in Boksburg, called Future Cycles and owned by Gary Blem.

From there he worked in a local bicycle shop (Pro Cycles), where he gained most of his mechanical experience from shop owner Ian McKechnie, from 2003 to 2005. In 2006 Venter signed with the Konica Minolta Cycling Team and, today, continues his passion and love for the sport by managing the Bizhub Ladies Cycling Team.

“Well done Chris, you have done us all proud and have proved that any young rider from Africa with the right attitude and hard work can succeed in the wonderful sport of cycling,” said Venter.