Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) is synonymous with sport, and when an opportunity to support Jean Spies in the UCI Track Champions League arose, it was only natural for Toyota to do so. The UCI Track Champions League is a brand-new cycling series debuting in the 2021-22 season. Round 1 of the five-series event was in Spain on 06 November, followed by Lithuania on 27 November 2021.

TSAM has been involved in cycling for a number of years and as fate would have it, one of Spies’ first club teams was the Toyota Academy as a U/23. Now on a big international stage, Spies will once again wear the colours of Toyota South Africa.

“I enjoyed representing the Toyota Academy back in 2008 - 2011 and I look forward to representing them again, this time on a much bigger platform. My love for cycling came at a young age where I enjoyed competing in cross country and marathon mountain bike focus through my teenage years before becoming an adept road rider.

“Track Sprint has become my passion. Track cycling is a highly specialized discipline because it has become an increasingly scientific battle between athletes and federations. It is the leading-edge discipline of the sport, making it vital to keep abreast of how the rest of the world of cycling is progressing,” says Spies.

In addition, TSAM is also involved in a number of cycling projects including Toyota Cryo RDT, Cadence, Pedal Power Association, Cycle Lab as well as The Munga Endurance Test – where Toyota is fielding three e-bikes in an ultra-long-distance endurance test to be used as an active case study to advance battery knowledge substantially.

Vice President of Marketing at TSAM, Glenn Crompton, says: “As a mobility company, we are honoured to have been able to support a number of entities in cycling. We hope that our involvement will go a long way in galvanizing support for Jean as he flies the South African flag on international stage."

Spies, who represented SA at the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020, says he feels inspired to continue racing and hopes to be able to compete at the Paris Olympic Games 2024 with the ultimate dream of medaling.
  • The UCI Track Champions League is made up of 5 rounds, in 4 different countries, with 72 of the best riders in the world, broadcast in over 26 countries and has a reach of over 20million people. The remaining rounds will be host in London – 03 and 04 December – and Israel on 11 December.
  • Catch all the action on SuperSport Variety 1 at 19h00