Unbeknownst to many, though, is the fact that the team was also home to a few South African riders during the years of sporting isolation. Starting with Robbie McIntosh in 1980, both Willie Engelbrecht and Mark Beneke joined the ADR-Fangio-IOC-MBK ranks seven years later, albeit via a somewhat circuitous route.
'It was very cloak-and-dagger for us South Africans back then,' recounts Mark Beneke. Now resident in Durban and a self-described "man of leisure", the talented Beneke was at his peak as a rider at that stage and was exploring avenues to forge a career abroad. But he already had experienced the difficulty that came with the international sporting boycott.
'My dream from a young age was always to race in Europe,' he explains. 'After finishing matric, I travelled to Italy to race as a junior but couldn't get a license. Although I finally managed to gain a license and residency, there were still restrictions imposed, like not being allowed to race in the club's sponsored kit. By that stage I also had national service to consider so I returned to South Africa and carried on racing here.'
While a stint racing in Switzerland followed a few years later, Mark concentrated on racing domestically, which included overall victory at the 1985 Rapport Toer. But then the opportunity arose to return to Europe as a professional, which as he explains came about via the tried and tested method of "it's who you know".
'Willie (Engelbrecht) had raced the Coca Cola Series of criteriums in Germany in 1986 and had managed to gain residency as well as a racing license there. Fortunately for him, that series was pretty lucrative but wasn't subject to too much scrutiny and restrictions from the FICP (now UCI). His results there had attracted the attention of ADR and so it was through him that I got to join the team.'
To some, gaining a contract with a top professional cycling team can conjure up images of glamour, precise organization and cutting-edge equipment. But as Mark explains, none of these attributes applied to him, or Willie, for that matter.
'We were dumped in a hotel room near Bruges and expected to fend for ourselves,' he says with a laugh. 'You have to remember that pro cycling back then didn't resemble anything that one is accustomed to today. ADR was a second division team and had a huge roster of over 30 riders. It was pretty disorganized. Our bikes didn't arrive on time, so we had to use our own machines for the early-season, and we were expected to get ourselves to many of the races.
'I was supposed to be riding stage races, but visa restrictions put paid to a lot of that,' he continues. 'So instead of competing at tours in Spain, I ended up going to 50 kermis races in Belgium. And always under radar. I lasted less than a full season there before returning home with Willie to race the Rapport Toer at the end 1987 for Southern Sun – MNET.'
Back in South Africa, the domestic racing scene was flourishing. There was a full calendar of tours and one-day races culminating each year in the two-week long Rapport Toer. And thanks to lots of media coverage, corporate sponsors were keen to get involved.
'It was a great time to be racing in South Africa,' says Mark. 'Most of the big races were televised and many of the print journalists were in love with cycling. Guys like Von Krause and Leon Landsberg had connections in some of the corporates, which led to the formation of teams like Southern Sun – MNET, Topsport – Panasonic and the like. But most of the riders worked part-time. I had studied pharmacy and started working in the veterinary sphere as an apprentice, so I had a pretty good life at that stage.'
By the time 1992 came around, South Africa had been welcomed back into the international fold and bona fide overseas opportunities were becoming available. South African riders and teams were making official forays to Europe and getting a taste of the level of racing over there. By now having claimed a second Rapport Toer crown, Mark was amongst those who took advantage of such opportunities despite being in the autumn of his own cycling career.
'Look, I was already approaching my mid-thirties by then and had started my own business,' he says. 'So cycling was no longer my prime focus. Southern Sun – MNET were invited to race the Nissan Classic in 1992, and we actually did quite well considering the level of competition, not to mention our lack of specific preparation. Gary (Beneke) almost won a stage, Fransie Kruger claimed a few sprint primes and Willie ended up placing in the top 10 on GC. All of this off racing in South Africa and training around the Lido Hotel.'
And how were Mark and his team received by the riders and race organizers?
'They loved us,' he enthuses. 'We were a novelty. Pat McQuaid had raced in South Africa previously, so he knew us as did TV commentator Phil Liggett. So, we were well received. The top riders were a bit intimidating although we knew some of them from there having raced the Rapport Toer the previous year.'
One more season and a Milk Race invitation followed before Mark hung up his pro racing wheels for good. It was also the end of the Southern Sun – MNET team, although Willie Engelbrecht and the late Fransie Kruger would race for a few more years. And while the sponsorship and racing landscape were changing (less of both), Mark was looking to the future.
'The racing scene in South Africa was shifting as many of the sponsors pulled out,' he explains. 'And there was far less racing, what with the demise of several stage races. Peaceforce Security stayed involved and sponsored a team, but the local scene was definitely a shadow of its former self.
'I was still enjoying racing but was now focused on making a living. Our company was growing, which had actually come about thanks to my veterinary pharmaceutical apprenticeship several years earlier. But my passion for cycling was still there and I continued to race in the veterans category until the age of 60. Now I just ride to keep thin.'
