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. 

Stradalli – Bike Aid Team Dominant On Their Adopted Continent Of Africa

It’s funny how things work out. The Stradalli – Bike Aid team from Germany loves to race in some of the most beautiful locations in Europe. Their trip to Spain is a great example as they raced in Mallorca and saw some of the most amazing sites in the world. But there’s only one place this team truly feels at home and it is the last place you would expect.

Africa is the adopted continent of the Stradalli – Bike Aid team as their charity efforts have helped to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to help young African cyclists realize their dream of becoming pro racers. The program has so many success stories but the one thing people weren’t sure of is if it would lead to wins and podium appearances for the race team.

Not only is the team off to maybe it’s best start ever, but they are dominating races throughout Africa and it continued this week at the Tour of Eritrea. But it’s not just the Germans who are doing well. Of the 6 young African racers on the team, 3 of them are from Eritrea and all have either won or placed in the top 10 already in this early season. This includes Amanuel Meron who rode his Stradalli Cycle Aversa full carbon road bike right to the podium in the Tour of Eritrea already.

Amanuel is joined by teammates Amanuel Mengis Ghebreindrias, Meron Teshome and German riders Dominik Merseburg, Daniel Bichlmann and Matthias Schnapka who all have experience riding in the heat of Africa. Great teamwork is the reason for the early season success of Stradalli – Bike Aid, however, it is also a great reminder of the hard charitable work put in by the organization. When you have 3 stellar racers return home to Eritrea and perform the way these young men have you know that the program is working and the efforts are paying off. 

Stradalli – Bike Aid has started their time in Eritrea well with a podium spot in the UCI 1.2 Massawa City Circuit Race.

Meron Teshome found his way to 3^rd by winning the field sprint after two riders broke away in the closing kilometers.

Stradalli – Bike Aid and Amore & Vita Selle SMP started attacks early to try to force the pressure onto other teams. Several breakaway attempts were made in the beginning of the race, but the race was too fast and difficult for anything to stay away.

Stradalli – Bike Aid riders are very motivated for this tour of racing in Eritrea because of the mission behind the team. Several of the Stradalli – Bike Aid riders are native to Eritrea and spend much of their time traveling to other countries for races. The opportunity to race in Eritrea for Stradalli – Bike only comes by on a few occasions, so the riders are putting all of their effort into getting a good result while in Eritrea.

Meron Teshome, Eritrean rider for Stradalli – Bike Aid, has had several podium finishes this year and said this finish was the best yet.

“I have had results in other countries, but for me to get on the podium in Eritrea is extra special.” Teshome said. “The Aversa rides so well and super stiff  in the sprint, so it is no surprise to me to be able to be this consistent.”

In Massawa City, the riders of Team STRADALLI – BIKE AID had to expect a unique atmosphere in a city that they surely will never forget. At the end, the result well rounded up this awesome and spectacular day.

Meron “Sunshine” Amanuel takes 5th place at UCI 1.2 Fenkel Challenge in Eritrea

Races in Africa are always something special for our team. We already have been reporting a lot about that and due to the special mission of the team – to develop African cycling and athletes – races on this continent are a special interest. This time there is no more superlative. The team is now in Eritrea which has a very special meaning indeed to the team. Eritrea is unique, it is a special country and a huge adventure. The first riders from Africa in the team were riders from Eritrea. It has a bit from: back to the roots!

What makes it so special to be in Eritrea? This small country is located on Africa’s east coast, right at the Red Sea and shares border with countries such as Sudan, Djibouti and Ethiopia but has a big and unique cycling tradition and history. The Italians brought this culture to this country during the colonial times beginning of the 20^th century. Nowadays cycling has a similar or even bigger meaning to the people in Eritrea than Football in our country. You can imagine that every little kid dreams of a big cycling career and talks about their legends and heroes. Not only names like Eddy Merckx or Miguel Indurain are popular, it is more the fact that their own heroes such as Daniel Teklehaimanot and our other former rider Mekseb Debesay – who made it from BIKE AID to the World Tour – are the idols of today’s generation in Eritrea.

Now our guys are there and are allowed to feel this special atmosphere and enthusiasm that is not easy at all to describe. The riders experience many nice and positive people in a country, which gives you astonishing moments.

The first of 4 UCI races has been held yesterday and led over 113 kilometers from the city of Foro to Ghindae. There is always an estimation in Europe that races in Africa are not on a high level, but this is completely wrong when you have ever done races there. In countries like Eritrea, Rwanda or in Northern Africa you find a huge potential and huge talent of riders who all grow to fulfill their dream of becoming a famous cyclist outside of their country. The only thing they don’t have: experience and the opportunity to show their talent outside or in Europe. From a point of motivation, there is no single word to describe that as this kind of motivation and passion simply not exists in our countries. Only in Eritrea there are 1.000 junior riders dreaming to become stars in the cycling world.

 If you take the conditions for instance, it is also very hard for European riders to compete as the capital Asmara is located on altitude of 2.400 m sea level.  Not that easy to get enough of oxygen that is so important to deliver a good performance.

Fortunately there are also 3 Eritrean riders in our team Stradalli – BIKE AID who are perfectly adapted to those conditions. Yesterday it was Meron Amanuel who managed the conditions the best of the team and finished on a great 5^th place just beaten by 37 seconds back on the winner!

Also Meron Teshome delivered a good performance on 11^th place. All in all a good opening of an interesting and unique week that needs to be followed!

Interview With Stradalli - Bike Aid Rider Meron Teshome

Meron Teshome of Stradalli – Bike Aid German team may only be 23 years old but he is already gaining attention around the European Cycling community. Trying to give sprinters from Eritrea a great reputation, Teshome is also trying to become a great representative for the rise in African cycling.

During an interview with Teshome, we were able to get to see how impactful the Stradalli – Bike Aid efforts truly are in the lives of many young African cyclists.

When you grow up in Eritrea you grow up a fan of road cycling. It’s just the way it is back home. It doesn’t matter if you race or not, over half the population of Asmara uses bikes to commute. My uncle and great uncle were also cyclists and they influenced me to do it. I grew up wanting to be just like Tom Boonen, cycling is in my blood and it is a passion I have had my entire life.

Comparing African Cycling To European

Some people don’t realize how much of a challenge it is to reach the top in Africa as compared to Europe. There are fewer opportunities in Africa, for example in Eritrea cyclists like Daniel Teklehaimanot or Nathanael Berhane will get more looks because they are very talented climbers. Daniel is already proving to the world the level of talent there is with Eritrean climbers but that doesn’t help me to move forward to where I want to go. Cycling is so big in Europe but I think Africa is finally catching up. The fan base is great and we have a great group of highly talented cyclists coming up and winning in Europe.

Despite such a young career, Teshome has picked up victories in the Tour of Rwanda, the Tour of Eritrea, the Eritrean National Championships, the African Games ITT in 2015 and the African Continental Championships TTT in 2013.

It’s not that I look at one win to be more important than another. They are all important to me. However, one that I will always cherish is the stage I won in the Tour of Rwanda, as Rwanda is a full of mountain country. That and the African Games ITT win was also special to me because I worked so hard to improve my TT skills. When I was with the MTN team in South Africa I learned a lot about being a professional racer. This is a sport centered around family because your team is your family but also because it really does take the support of your family back home to help you become the best possible cyclist.

Being a part of the Stradalli – Bike Aid family is very special for me. This has been a tough season to start, especially the Mallorca Challenge. However, when I look back to how far I’ve come in such a short period of time, I am now racing with a great team in some of big races and I get to race on the beautiful Aversa road bike from Stradalli, I know I’m very lucky to have these opportunities and I hope to make the most of them.

Recap of Stage 2 of Tour du Cameroun

Stage 2 of Tour du Cameroun was fast all the way to the end with a tight sprint finish after 153 kilometers of hills and extreme winds.

The Tour du Cameroun is infamous for its windy stages which often cause for large time gaps in the the peloton.

It was a successful day for the Stradalli – Bike Aid team as they placed three riders in the top 10 of stage 2. That's the most top 10 placings in one stage for Stradalli – Bike Aid since La Tropicale Amissa Bongo where they grabbed a podium place and a top 10 finish.

The team is focusing on stage wins being a primary goal, but team resources are being towards giving Amanuel Mengis Ghebreindrias from Eritrea, the best chance for success. Amanuel Mengis is only 21 years of age and is one of the most promising riders to come out of Africa in the past year.

Last year Mengis finished the UCI 2.2 race which consists of 10 stages, in third place of the youth competition. The Tour du Maroc is one of the most prestigious and difficult races in all of Africa.

The talented young rider from Eritrea now sits only 15 seconds off the lead of the youth classification in Cameroun thanks to incredible teamwork by Stradalli – Bike Aid which allowed him to finish in the top 10 on the first two stages. Mengis is best known for his climbing ability which gives him an advantage for the upcoming hilly days. 

Mekseb Debesay and Stradalli-Bike Aid Racer Amanuel Mengis At Vuelta Andalucia

Friends and countrymen Mekseb Debesay of team Dimension Data and Amanuel Mengis of Stradalli-Bike Aid are proudly representing their home country of Eritrea at the Vuelta Andalucia. Mengis is off to a great start this season for Stradalli-Bike Aid following in the footsteps of Debseay who is in his first year with World Tour Team Dimension Data after racing last season with Bike Aid.