Meron Teshome with great 2nd place on stage 11 at Tour of Qinghai Lake (UCI 2.HC)

After Meron has already showed the last two days with 2 times top 10 that he is in a promising shape, the whole team was motivated to step up with great results on today's stage. Knowing about the strength of the fast man from Eritrea, the team wanted to support Meron with no comprimise.

In the final of the stage the team led Meron out in a perfect position to start his sprint and he finished with a great performance only beaten by Jakub Mareczko from Italian Procontinental team Wilier Trestina. Marko Kump from World Tour team Lampre – Merida completed the podium on place 3, who already won 2 stages of this year's Tour of Qinghai Lake.

After taking this great result, Meron Teshome said with a big smile on his face: "today was a perfect day. The whole team comitted yesterday to work very hard to bring me in a good position and the guys did a great job. In the end I had the pressure to finalize the good work and to finish 2nd in such a big race with such great sprinters is just awesome".

The guys from team STRADALLI – BIKE AID

At This year's race edition of Sibiu Cycling Tour, ranked 2.1. category in UCI calendar, led over a prologue and four stages with a lot of high climbing in the middle of Transylvanian mountains in Romania.

 The guys from STRADALLI – BIKE AID did a great job throughout the entire week and proofed their ability to act as a real competitive European top pro team.

On stage 1 it was Nikodemus Holler who took the place of the selected sprinter Patrick Lechner as he couldn't make it in the bunch to the finish line due to several technical issues , broken chain then after chasing back a flat front tire blow out on a fast decent . 

In the massive fast sprint Niko showed that he is a very smart pro racer and finished on 10th position not bad for a skinny GC guy next to the big sprinters.

The goal was to ride for Niko as a captain in the GC and the team showed that this should not only be a plan. As a 13 man break went away in the beginning of queen-stage number 2 over 213 Kilometers with a 15k finish to the top of a ski mountain , the gap increased rapidly as no team wanted to do the work of controlling the bunch. 

After the gap still increased and reached 11 Minutes, the guys from STRADALLI - BIKE AID took over the responsibility and chased the group down to six minutes at 40 Kilometers to go. But then a shock: crash! Niko Holler! His rear derailer is broken and also his knee injured! After a hard fight try back to the group and several times of stopping due to his pain, Nikodemus Holler finished in the last group and remained in the race with his 2 team mates helping to bring him slow but save.

All the hard work for nothing ?

No, he didn't want to let the work of his team mates being unpaid and fought back on stage 4 with another great 7th place. The whole team showed a good performance and the will to ride for his captain without a doubt. Only the crash has left a little scratch on a good picture of the week in Romania.

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Tips For Cleaning a Full Carbon Bicycle and Chain Cleaning and Lubing From Stradalli Cycle

Ever wonder why you cannot wash your full carbon road bike with water? It's because of water contaminants which may cause a problem with the bike and even cause it to rust. Luckily there is an easy way to wash your bike without water and get the results you want in less than 20 minutes and Stradalli Cycle will show you how to do it yourself:

Before we begin make sure you have these items to get the DIY job done properly: 2 rags, bike wash, a bicycle stand, 2 plastic bags.  You may also want to put something under the bicycle if you are cleaning it inside. 

1.       Put the bags over the brake pads to make sure they do not get any chemicals on them

2.       Spray spray the entire bike with the was but do NOT spray directly on the bars, bar tape, bearing seals or any electrical components you may have. You can wipe them down with the wash but spraying directly on them is never advised. 

3.       Take a rag and spray it with some of the wash and then begin wiping down the bike. Don’t forget to wipe the underside as well. Be careful when wiping any cables so that you do not pull on them too much.

4.       Now take the other rag and wipe down the bike again, getting rid of any excess residue and picking up any dirt you may have missed. You want to wipe it with a clean rag because you are not using any water. 

For Cleaning The Bike Chain you will need: 1 rag, degreaser, chain lube, old toothbrush

1.       Once the bicycle is on a stand take some degreaser and apply it to the chain while turning the crank backwards. Once you have applied a good amount you can then take an old toothbrush and begin gently scrubbing the chain. An old toothbrush works best because the bristles are small but can still get into the hard to reach areas and get out any dirt deposits.

2.       Take a rag and wipe the chain down to remove as much of the degreaser and dirt as possible. Then give it a few minutes to dry.

3.       Now you can start adding the lube to the chain but make sure you get a drop on EVERY link and side plate of the chain.

4.       Once again spin the crank backwards to make sure that everything cycles through without a problem.

5.       Now take the rag and hold it around the chain, spin the crank backwards again and remove as much of the lube or oil as possible. 

If done correctly you should have your entire bike clean including the chain in less than 20 minutes.