Dragons Sports are the importers and distributors of Giant and Liv Bicycles and their own brand Avalanche in South Africa, as well as other premium offerings including Cadex Products, L-TWOO Drivetrains, Enve Wheels, SR Suntour Suspension components, and Santa Cruz skateboards and Independent trucks. Since 1989, Dragons has grown to supply quality bicycles and components to independent bicycle stores across Southern Africa.
With the change of ownership in August 2021 there has been a renewed drive to prioritize human capital and equip the business with the best talent available. Dragons has recruited from within the cycling industry and from other industries to breathe fresh life into the company’s approach through new ideas and best practices. It is now time to implement this and to that end the company is proud to announce the arrival of Oliver Munnik and Marnitz Aucamp to the team.
Oliver Munnik joins Dragons Sports as Head of Brands. Photo by Zack Zinn.
One of the most recognisable personalities in the South African cycling industry, Munnik has been an elite racer, a columnist and gear editor for Bicycling Magazine, and has fulfilled the role of Marketing Manager for Johannesburg based importer and distributor Rush Sports. He joins Dragons Sports as Head of Brands. In this position Munnik will be working closely with Luke Lockhart-Ross, who joined the company as Marketing Manager in June 2023 from Ironman/Absa Cape Epic.
“I am thrilled to be joining the team at Dragons Sports where I will be focused on building awareness of industry stalwarts Giant, Liv, and Avalanche,” Munnik said. “I have fantastic memories of racing Giant Bicycles in the early 2000s where I won the SA Junior Downhill Championship in 2003 aboard a Giant DH Team and competed in XCO and on the road on a Giant XTC and Peloton 8200 respectively.”
Dragons Sports’ investment in human capital includes the addition of (from left to right) Luke Lockhart-Ross [Marketing Manager] and Marnitz Aucamp [National Sales Manager], to the team led by Andrew Cattell [Dragons Sports’ CEO]. Photo Supplied.
Marnitz Aucamp joins the team as National Sales Manager. He brings a wealth of unrivalled retail; technical and industry experience having started in the industry from as young as sixteen years old. Working retail, then moving on to be a Tour team mechanic for the UCI African Satellite Team and other pro teams, after which he joined Chris Willemse Cycles as General Manager/Buyer in 2013. His most recent position was Senior Buyer (Cycle Lab MoreCorp) and Brand Manager for Orbea, which was relatively unknown prior to it being onboarded by Aucamp at Cycle Lab. He held this position for 4 years since returning from Dubai where he was the Key Account Manager for Wolfi’s Bike Shop, recently rated one of the top 10 best global bicycle stores. It is fair to say he has an excellent understanding of brand, retail and technical, what works for the retailer and, most importantly, what the end consumer needs and wants.
Dragons Sports will be activating, with their Giant and Liv Bicycle brands, at FNB Wines2Whales. Drop by the stand to say hello and chat all things cycling throughout the event’s time in the Oak Valley race village. Photo Supplied.
“I’m super excited and proud to have been able to attract the talent of Oli [Munnik], Marnitz [Aucamp] and Luke [Lockhart-Ross] and for them to be joining our team,” Dragons Sports’ CEO Andrew Cattell stated. “Their dynamism, enthusiasm and experience will prove invaluable to us going forward. At Dragons we believe in delivering the best possible bikes and components to cyclists, but to do so we rely on the competency of our staff, to support our dealer network and their end consumers. These three will bolster our team enabling us to offer greater support to the bike shops and thereby improve each Giant, Liv and Avalanche riders’ cycling experience.”
“We will once again be activating at the FNB Wines2Whales this year so come on down, demo some of our best bikes, win some prizes, meet the team, and have some fun. Good luck to everyone taking part and we look forward to seeing you at Oak Valley or out on other trails across our beautiful country. Thank you once again for all the support and love you have shown and will continue to show our brands. It is very much appreciated!”
To find out more about Dragons Sports visit www.dragons.co.za. The full ranges of Giant, Liv, and Avalanche can be browsed at www.giant-bicycles.co.za, www.liv-bicycles.co.za, and www.avalanchebikes.co.za.
