The
UCI 2.2 Tour of Eritrea begins April 19th and Stradalli – Bike Aid will be bringing
a full team to compete at a race in a country that sits close to the heart of
the team’s mission.
Eritrea,
due to its Italian influence, is a cycling crazy country. Cycling is less of a
hobby and more of a way of life for many Eritreans. Historically the country
has been torn by war, disease and poverty. However, that hasn’t stopped Eritrea
from ascending into the higher ranks of cycling.
Stradalli
– Bike Aid will be in attendance with a full team of 6 cyclists, half of which
are from Eritrea. Stradalli – Bike Aid has had several success stories of
bringing riders from Africa and elevating them to the World Tour level. Past
riders such as Mekseb Debesay, Eritrean professional rider for World Tour team
Dimension Data, found their feet at the higher level with Stradalli – Bike Aid.
Educating, training and providing opportunity for the African people was once a
dream and is now reality for the German Continental Professional Team.
Teshome
Meron, Amanuel Mengis and Meron Amanuel are the 3 Eritreans that will represent
Stradalli – Bike Aid at the Tour of Eritrea. Of all the talent coming from
Eritrea in the past few years, these few star riders are showing they are most
exciting. Daniel Bichlmann, Dominik Merseburg and Matthias Schnapka will all be
present to make up a top level team to compete for victory.
Amanuel
Mengis, 21-year-old from Eritrea, began his season at the Challenge Mallorca
racing against teams of the highest caliber. Trek – Segafredo took a win with
Fabian Cancellara. Lotto Soudal took wins with Andre Greipel. Movistar, Team
Sky and Francas de Jeux all were present showing off their early season form.
Mengis was one of the youngest riders in the race and still proved he could
perform with the best.
From
Mallorca, Mengis traveled immediately to Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista Del
Sol where he was a constant presence in breakaways for Stradalli – Bike Aid.
Mengis then brought his early season form to the Tour of Cameroon where
finished in the top 10 in every stage, led the youth classification and took
home the green points leaders jersey after 8 days of racing. Mengis is the
first Eritrean to bring the Stradalli Carbon Aversa to a first place finish in
a leader’s jersey competition.
The
Tour of Cameroon is one of the most prestigious races on the UCI Africa Tour,
but Eritrea is home for Mengis and several Stradalli – Bike Aid riders. The
riders will have extra motivation to dominate their home race and show Eritrea
is ready for the highest echelon of cycling. Cycling is the most watched sport
in Eritrea. Weekend races have standout numbers in terms of attendance. Fans
line the road for local races and beginner riders just entering the sport.
The
accomplishments of Stradalli – Bike Aid have attracted attention
internationally prompting everything from invites to larger races to television
coverage in multiple countries. The Tour of Eritrea will be televised in
several countries. Cycling aside, television networks in Germany will be
broadcasting a human interest piece on Stradalli – Bike Aid and its riders,
showing the genuine interest the public has in the mission behind the cycling
team.
Eritrea,
despite being a very small country, has already found its way to the top level
of cycling. The Tour de France for many is the end goal of their cycling
careers. Natnael Berhane of Team Dimension Data was the first Eritrean to
achieve this goal, finishing 51st in his first Tour de France and wore the
polka dot climbers jersey for several stages during the race. For a small
country, this is a huge achievement.
The
question for the future will be whether Eritrea can make an even greater impact
on the sport. The highest point in Eritrea sits at 2600 meters altitude and
with Eritrea being such a cycling crazy country it seems Eritrea is poised to
begin producing top athletes.
They
may lack in resources, but they do not lack heart. Stradalli – Bike Aid’s
mission is to give people such as these opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t have.
All the African riders on Stradalli – Bike Aid have been top performers this
year and Tour of Eritrea is the next stop on the journey to success in
2016.
Robbie
Hunter, former Garmin – Sharp rider from South Africa, now spends his time
helping develop young African riders. Hunter has won stages in the Vuelta a
Espana and at the Tour de France. His experience gives him an eye for talent.
Cycling is crazy in Eritrea and many fans line the streets on race day. This is
like a pro tour race just amazing atmosphere and the love for cycling
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