Angel David Rodriguez is a 10 year old cyclist who competes in MTB, BMX and Road Racing. He started in motorcross at the age of 2 ½ and was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3 ½ so his father switched him to cycling. He immediately took an interest in mountain biking and has been training with Stradalli Cycle mountain biker Bob McCarty.

His parents believe that cycling has helped tremendously with his autism and Angel competes in races throughout the year. Some of his more impressive accomplishments include:

Winning the State Time Trial Championship the first time he raced a road bike

Cross Country Champ Ages 9-11

Greater than all these accomplishments is the positive attitude Angel has towards life and others with disabilities.

“Angels Racing Together” is a program his parents created where children who are in therapy with Angel are brought to some of his races to cheer him on. Before the race Angel puts the names of each child who is there on the back of his jersey and gives them any medals or trophies he wins on that day. He does this because he wants them to experience some of the joy cycling has brought him. 

Bike Aid Provides Dozens Of Stradalli Bikes For Refugees And Youth In Blieskastel

To many in the cycling community Bike Aid is a large group of cycling enthusiasts with a professional German race team sponsored by Stradalli Cycle. However, the backbone of the group, the teams, the racers and everything that is Bike Aid is charity work. This week the charitable efforts of these amazing people were in plain view as dozens of new bikes were donated to refugees and youth in Blieskastel, Germany.

Thanks to the savings association Saarland eV and many other contributors including Stradalli Cycle, many young people were able to receive these brand new mountain bikes to enjoy and use for transportation.

Bike Aid does considerable charitable work in Eritrea, Africa as well as other parts of the world. They raise money and awareness for war-stricken areas of Africa and give hope and opportunity to many of the residents of the community.

“You’ve all probably heard about the success the team has had in bringing young African cyclists to Europe and giving them an education as well as an opportunity to have a real career in pro cycling. That’s great but what about the people who aren’t going to be pro cyclists? They need help as well and when you visit these communities or meet with some of the young men and women from there it is very humbling because you hear their stories and you are amazed at how positive an attitude they have and how much they enjoy life. That’s why I was very happy to help in any way I could.” Stradalli Cycle CEO Tom Steinbacher

It wasn’t long before the young men and women were riding their new bikes over to the local BMX race track. Bike Aid does outstanding charitable work all around the world, specifically working with refugees of many countries in Africa as well as Syria. If you would like to contribute to these efforts please contact Stradalli Cycle.