KZN's first and only Continental cycling outfit

KwaZulu-Natal’s first and only continental cycling outfit, Team House of Paint, has become increasingly popular with cycling fans across the country. The team, which started with just four riders in 2007, has grown to eight riders with Dean Edwards captaining them.

This year has seen the team racing against major UCI Registered Continental teams including Team Milram, Team Liqui-Gas and Team Barloworld, all three competing in the international Tour De France.

Some of the highlights for team include the exceptional performance by Arran Brown when he claimed the “hot spot” on the final day of the Intaka Tech 5 stage tour held in Pietermaritzburg and placing 7th overall.

In addition the team placed in the top 10 on four of the five days of racing and was being noticed by some of the best teams in the world. Confidence in the team was mounting and preparation for the Giro del Capo and Argus cycle tour was in full swing when the team suffered a blow by losing their most experienced rider, Jamie Ball, due to a crash resulting in a badly ripped open knee in the Ride for Sight Classic.

Despite the loss of Ball, Hanco Kachelhoffer finished 3rd behind two Barloworld riders one being Robert Hunter during the first stage of the race. “Within just one year the team has gone from a small four man club team known to becoming one of the top two teams in the country competing against the best teams in the world,” says Edwards.

More highlights of the year included the success of Edwards and the team at the SA Track Championships. Dean won the 1500m title while Ball claimed bronze in the 40km points race and Kachelhoffer bronze in the 4000m pursuit. They also claimed silver in the 4000m team pursuit. In addition to this Edwards and Ball received International contracts to compete at two International six day track events in Italy. Another highlight was Team House of Paint clean sweeping the KZN Road Championships over 140km.

To purchase your official replica team kit, click here