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Showing posts with label Daniel Bichlmann. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Daniel Bichlmann. Show all posts
Just over a week before the World Championships team time trial, in Doha, Qatar, Daniel Bichlmann found out he had gone from first reserve to a member of the six-man Stradalli-Bike Aid team for the TTT.
But before he could even think about flying to the Gulf, he needed to get the time off work from his boss first. She could hardly say no to a shot at cycling’s annual blue-riband event.
“She’s been so awesome about this,” Bichlmann says. “She was like: ‘I’m happy for you, but you have to work hard after the world championships.’ I think I still owe her some hours. So, after the Worlds, there is no more time for holidays!”
Bichlmann is a part-time chimney sweep in his native Germany, getting up at half-four in the morning for a twelve-hour shift that involves lying on roofs to clean industrial stacks with long brushes. “You get dirty, really dirty,” he says.
He got into the profession on the advice of former Six Day racer Michael Haase. It is hard work, but because it is part-time by German law, it gives him opportunities to trade his black boiler suit for lycra and race for German UCI Continental squad Stradalli-Bike Aid.
They are globe-trotters, competing in Europe, Asia and Africa, with a specific mission to support African riders; Bichlmann rode alongside Eritrean rider Meron Teshome in their World Championships line-up.
If you’re looking for a good news story amid the WorldTour TTT boycott and criticism of the oppressive Qatar heat, this is it.
“You know the movie Cool Runnings? That’s what we are, more or less,” the Bavarian says, referring to the cult film based on the adventures of the Jamaican bobsleigh team at the 1988 Winter Olympics.
“For the WorldTour guys, it’s like daily business; they go to the Worlds every year. For me, it’s probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing.
“When I was young, I always had these posters from the UCI World Championships on my bedroom wall. Maybe I can make it onto one of the posters in another kid’s room now.”
Bichlmann dreamed of being a top-level racer. He was on the same junior team as John Degenkolb and had an offer to turn pro with Austrian Pro Continental team Elk Haus, which he refused.
“It was the best decision I ever made,” he says. “Well, to be honest, my mum made it. She told me ‘after you get a job, maybe you can do whatever you like for two years.’ I’m pretty sure if I had signed that contract, I wouldn’t be riding now.”
Since joining Bike Aid in 2014, Bichlmann has enjoyed taking the long, exotic route to the World Championships, racing in countries such as Cameroon, China and Colombia. “You realise that you can’t win the Tour de France, that you can’t become world champion.
“But there’s more to cycling than that. Cycling is such a passion. All this travelling, learning languages, meeting people, it’s so nice.”
Bichlmann (l) and Stradalli – Bike Aid training in MallorcaFor Stradalli-Bike Aid, a third-tier squad with no full-time mechanics and a small budget, Sunday’s 40-kilometre team time-trial was like David’s baby brother squaring up to the WorldTour Goliaths. Most of the team holds down a job alongside racing; Bichlmann’s team-mate Joschka Beck is a university student in Kaiserslautern.
Bichlmann and company went all out and finished in last place, seventeenth out of 17 teams, 7-24 behind winners Etixx-Quick Step. But it didn’t matter one bit.
“It’s the pleasure of being there. We take it seriously and do our very best, but it’s not about where we finish… it’s rolling down this start ramp and the dream coming true.”
Very
good news from Stradalli – Bike Aid who sees it’s young rider from Eritrea,
Amanuel Mengis achieve an authentic feat by winning the green jersey of the
Tour du Cameroun 2016 UCI 2.2
In
the final overall standings of the Tour of Cameroon the Stradalli – Bike Aid
pro cycling team can be very pleased with their 4 podium finishes (including 1
victory by Jean Bosco Nsengimana in the 5th stage). Amanuel Mengis
finished 4th place and only 1:01 minutes behind the overall leader.
Patrick Lechner, Daniel Bichlmann and Joschka Beck also had strong showings. Mengis
also finished 2nd overall in the youth white jersey category and
winning the green jersey , great tour for team Stradalli – Bikeaid .
The 13th Tour du Cameroun finished Sunday with Stage 8 where
riders fought to the finish to decide the outcome of several close battles for
leaders jerseys and all jerseys .
Stradalli – BikeAid again placed
several riders in the top 10 while working to give Amanuel Mengis the chance at
victory in the general classication and the youth classification. At the finish
of the race, Amanuel Mengis finished in second place in the youth
classification, only 7 seconds behind the leader.
Amanuel Mengis took the youth
classification jersey on the hardest stage of the Tour du Cameroun and in the
process acquired many points in many different competitions of the race. He
took 4th place in the mountains classification and 4thoverall in the general classification of the race.
Yves Beau, Stradalli – Bike Aid team
director, said pressure was on all the teams to make improvements on general
classification.
“Our plan before the stages was to
be very active and make sure we are represented in the breakaway,” Beau said.
“We were able to put most of the pressure on the Morrocan teams to compete for
the GC and Amanuel Mengis brought his time gap to the yellow jersey down to
just one minute.”
Though Amanuel Mengis fell short on
the general classification, he won the points competition overall for best
sprinter of the race and got the green jersey . The Stradalli – Bike Aid rider
was in the top 10 at the finish of each stage, showing his great all around
skill in flat finishes and hilly, windy stages and his great conditioning .
Patrick Lechner, Stradalli – Bike
Aid rider, grabbed a podium spot on the way to helping the team fight for the
general classification.
“I am more than happy and proud
about today,” Lechner said. “I really wanted to win the stage, but in the end
Martin was the strongest in our group and he deserves the victory. I am also
very happy about the teamwork we have here at this race. That is a joy for all
of us.”
Daniel Bichlmann, Stradalli – Bike
Aid rider, said the roads in Cameroun threw all sorts of obstacles at them, but
the team stuck together and the bikes rode great.
“Some of the roads we were on were
very dangerous,” Bichlmann said. “The bikes rode and handled really well. Some
teams had trouble navigating the rough roads, but we were able to just ride and
focus on the race and that was key to our success.”
After great showings at La Tropicale
Amissa Bongo and Tour du Cameroun, Stradalli – Bike Aid is now ranked top 10 in
the world in the UCI Africa Tour. This is a huge success for Stradalli – Bike
Aid and the team will travel next to race the Tour du Maroc at the beginning of
April.
Patrick
Lechner of Stradalli – Bike Aid finished stage 7 in 3rd place. After
Amanuel Mengis’ strong performances the goal for the race team was clearly
defined, they wanted to occupy early breakaways to put the Moroccans under
pressure and force them to work.
After
a few attacks Patrick Lechner could settle with 5 other riders from the field.
The group maintained a lead of more than 6 minutes before the field was led by
the Moroccans once more.
Then
a battle for the overall title and Daniel Bichlman, Joschka Beck and Jean Bosco
Nsengimana did an outstanding job for Amanuel Mengis where a high pace was set
on the mountain by the “man in yellow.”
But
the Moroccan team worked well and were able to stay out front. It was an
exciting day of racing which should decide the final top group. In the last
steep part, Martin Mahdar of Slovakia attacked again and Lechner could not
follow. However, he was able to secure 3rd place and the team and
sposnors where very excited and proud of him.
“I
am super happy with the day, you want to win but I cannot complain. Martin was
just a little stronger in the end a deserved to win. I am happy that we raced
as a team and worked well together.” Stradalli – Bike Aid rider Patrick Lechner.
Also
very encouraging was the 6th place finish for Amanuel Mengis,
solidifying his 3rd place ranking in the overall standings and youth
classification lead and young riders white jerseys
After
a relaxing rest day yesterday in touristy well developed Limbe on the coast of
Cameroon we traveled with the tour entourage (with free room and board,
including the driver of the Congolese national team who had accidentally missed
their original arrival flight, but now they do not want to miss out).
The
severe sixth stage between Mbanga and Bafanga was over 129km. From my first
participation of the Tour of Cameroon in 2014 I just felt that this was the
stage for me. That’s why I and the rest of the team were motivated even more to
start on the offensive.
Finally,
the group of the day consisted of a Moroccan and myself. Everyone who knows me
knows how much I appreciate the typical North African practices. I was
surprised to learn that we had a chaser and was even more surprised to learn it
was my teammate Jean Bosco from Rwanda who had won the stage the day before.
After we teamed up the Moroccan racer no longer wanted to work together.
To
get the stage win to the team I decided to try and wear down the Moroccans by
alternating attacks. I went on the attack and Jean Bosco wasn’t as fresh as the
day before but I wanted to grab the bull by the horns.
All
communications were difficult because Bosco is still trying to improve his
English. I tried to be as aerodynamic as possible to master my Stradalli Aversa
racing machine to curve the remaining 25km of the day.
Unfortunately
the group got away from me before the summit of the last climb of the day. I
was frustrated and just wanted to get back to the air conditioned hotel room.
However, when I saw our teammate Amanuel Mengis had finished well to improve to
3rd place overall I felt better.
Few years ago when the german based
pro team won their first victory in the Tour de Cameroon. It began with Dan
Craven getting the overall victory in 2014. Then it was Daniel Bichman who was
dominant and Mekseb Debesay (now with Team Dimension Data of the World Tour)
who won the overall classification of the UCI Africa Tour.
Now the Stradalli-Bike Aid team is
chasing down victories all over Africa. There have been plenty of obstacles in
the way but that is not going to stop this team. They have established a solid
reputation amongst racers and fans in Africa.
As Jean Bosco Nsengimana and Amanuel
Mengis race on their Stradalli Aversa full carbon road bikes for the Tour
victory, they also rely on the help and support of their teammates during the
stages. Teammates like Joschka Beck , Patrick lechner and Daniel bichelman who
play a key role in the team Stradalli – Bikeaids success.
The 8 stages of the tour along the West
African country are beautiful and grueling. As they ride through the mountains of
Cameroon they battle tough climate conditions near the equator but they
continue to battle and hoping for a overall team win .
This is my third time in the West
African country. I know what I’ve gotten myself into, Europe cannot compare
with racing here. It literally would fill a book to try and explain the
differences between the two.
After resting for a couple of hours on
Thursday to heal the legs from the previous four days of ten-hour journeys from
the wintry Chiemgau it was time to begin a new challenge. The stage looked
simple enough on paper, only 128km of flat surface, no significant slopes and
the best road conditions you could ask for.
There was no delay at the start,
countless attacks and crazy initial tempo. Then after some time there was a 19
man lead group around our teammate of Stradalli-Bike Aid, Amanuel Mengis of
Eritrea. Joschka Beck was also near the front and working hard to help Mengis
throughout the day.
The heat was brutal and not a good
thing for all of the pale European riders like myself but we did our best. It
was also a challenge switching from the winter of home to the heat of Africa so
quickly. In most cases the Stradalli Aversa road bikes we are riding are able
to stand up to the challenge better than we are.
We raced well throughout the days as a
complete team but Joschka , Patrick and I were envious of our teammates Jean
Bosco Nsengimana and Amanuel Mengis because of how well they were able to
handle the heat. We pride ourselves in helping them learn while racing in
Europe but they are certainly the teachers here in Africa. Hopefully we can
continue our progress and the next few days of racing will see great results
for Stradalli -Bike Aid.
The Stradalli – Bike Aid Conti team begins the Tour du Cameroun today as the defending champions of the race. It's a race rich in history where
the team has had major success in the past.
Last year Bike Aid racer Dan Craven, formerly Team Europcar, led the team to a general classification win in
the Tour du Cameroun which was one of the biggest wins in team history. Craven is one of several success stories of Stradalli –Bike
Aid who will be looking to match that result this year.
The Tour du Cameroun is
a UCI 2.2 race and has been a part of the UCI Africa Tour since 2005. UCI
Africa is contested by the top cyclists in all of Africa and attracts
many pro continental and World Tour teams as well.
Daniel Bichlmann,
Joschka Beck and Jean Bosco Nsengimana of Stradalli Bike Aid are all racers who have had a great amount of
success so far this season and will be racing the Tour du Cameroun in hopes of continuing that trend.
Bichlmann, who was continuously present in breakaways at the Challenge Mallorca is looking for a repeat performance at Cameroun.
"The goal for each race is to improve as a team. I am off to a good start this year but we are not a team that is top heavy. Every race someone else will have a big day, we are only as strong as the last guy on our roster but that's the team you want to be on. We all pull for each other and do anything we can to help our teammate." Bichlmann
Beck had the most impressive outing of the year for Stradalli –
Bike Aid at the La Tropicale Amissa Bongo,
the biggest race of the year in the UCI Africa Tour.
“We have a great group of guys here and we battle each and every week. It's always special for us to race in Africa because we spend so much time here. The competition is always tough but we love these races and hope to represent the team well." Joschka Beck
For the Stradalli-Bike Aid the 2016 Challenge Mallorca finished with great experiences and lessons learned. The 161.5 kilometer Trofeo Playa de Palma – Palma presented more than a few challenges for the team on the last day of four challenging days of racing in Mallorca. Andre Greipel of Lotto Soudal would not be denied as once again he found his way to the top of the podium in a fast sprint finish.
For Stradalli – Bike Aid team however, racing in Mallorca was about much more than just final results. The racers started 2016 at La Tropicale Amissa Bongo and had fantastic results in the country where the team is making a huge impact. One of the biggest accomplishments of Mallorca for this team was that they were able to bring along 2 African athletes with them to race with the top level teams.
It is hard to fully appreciate the difference between Continental Professionals and World Tour Professionals. Stradalli – Bike Aid riders often found themselves under pressure from the top guys of World Tour racing. When Fabian Cancellara attacks, there is not much a continental professionals can do. When Team Sky takes the front and picks up the speed on the ascent of a mountain, everyone hurts from it.
For the growth of Stradalli – Bike Aid, competing against teams such as Movistar and Trek – Segafredo is an opportunity to learn. Daniel Bichlmann and Timo Schafer found themselves in breakaways many times which nearly reached the finish. Every day was filled with ups and downs but each rider on the team gave it everything they had.
For a brand new team with new bikes the Challenge Mallorca was truly a success for Stradalli-Bike Aid and the "Aversa" full carbon road bikes performed great.
Sunday, January 31, 2016
The talented field of riders in the Challenge Mallorca may be intimidating for some, but not for Stradalli-Bike Aid rider Daniel Bichlmann. In the first stage Bichlmann formed the breakaway which stayed away for the majority of the day.
Bradey Wiggins, former Tour de France winner with Team Sky, is racing in the Challenge Mallorca to prepare for Track Worlds, which takes place in London England. After Track Worlds, Wiggins will begin to focus on 2016 Rio Olympics coming this summer. He fully intends to win what would be his last Olympic Gold medal.
The high winds and open roads make this the perfect race for riders to get their legs for the new season. Wiggins is not the only high profile professional cyclist riding the Challenge Mallorca. Fabian Cancellara uses this race to get to a high level of fitness early in the year.
The Stradalli – Bike Aid riders are using the Challenge Mallorca as a springboard for a successful 2016 season and to get an idea of the team's strengths.
Stradalli-Bike Aid pro rider, Niko Holler uses the Challenge Mallorca to test his legs early in the season and compare his progress with some of the top riders in the world. Going up against world tour professionals early in the season allows riders to build a successful platform for later in the year.
The second stage of Challenge Mallorca, Trofeo Pollenca – Port de Andrax, Stradalli – Bike Aid rider Daniel Bichlmann successfully started the first good breakaway of the day that would stay clear for the majority of the stage.
A simple breakaway which began with 9 riders quickly turned into a large group of 32 that would remain clear until the closing kilometers of the stage. Timo Schafer successfully bridged across to form the large group of 32 which would stay in the clear for most of the race. The course had over 6,000 feet of elevation gain, but the bumps in the road didn’t prevent the top group from hunting down the breakaway and finishing the 162.6 kilometer stage in 3 hours 32 minutes.
The final group of riders included Bradley Wiggins of Great Britain, Alex Dowsett of Team Movistar and Niko Holler of Stradalli – Bike Aid finished the race a few minutes down on race winner Gianluca Brambilla of Etixx – Quick Step. Out of 168 starters, 109 finished the intense race day in Mallorca.
Michal Kwiatkowski, 2015 UCI Road Race World Champion, placed second for Team Sky. Zdenek Stybar, former UCI Cyclocross World Champion, finished on the podium in third place. The Challenge Mallorca continues with the 149.9 kilomteer Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana.
