Stradalli – Bike Aid take wins at German Elite State Championships

Stradalli – Bike Aid sent three riders to the German Elite State Championships this past weekend. A field of 130 riders from all regions of Germany lined up in Kassel Wolfhagen to compete for the title of their respective State regions.

Matthias Schnapka, Joschka Beck and Patrick Lechner fought through the hills and wind of Germany to bring home incredible results in a race which only saw 50 riders finish.

Inevitably, due to the wind and hills, a breakaway would slip away with Matthias Schnapka of Stradalli – Bike who would win his elite state championship title for 2016 Saarland .

Patrick Lechner drove the race hard from the beginning, allowing Schnapka to take advantage of the breakaway when the opportunity was presented. Though Lechner missed the breakaway because of his hard work, Lechner would still place second in his respective region’s championship in Rheinland Pfaltz.

Joschka Beck of Stradalli – Bike Aid also brought home a strong second place finish against riders of his region who are noted for being exceptional racers at higher levels. Joschka placed second in the Hessen state.

Stradalli – BikeAid pro cycling team recently returned to Germany after a large block of UCI racing in Belgium. The German Championships attract the best riders in Germany, but the UCI level racing truly brings the Stradalli – Bike Aid riders to another level. Racing against World Tour teams all season has taught the Stradalli – Bike Aid riders many lessons, but their fitness is reaching new levels allowing them to win at the UCI level.

The team has brought home podiums consistently in the UCI Africa Tour and was fighting in breakaways in prestigious races such as Challenge Mallorca and Vuelta Andalucia. Vuelta Andalucia is notorious for being one of the hardest early season stage races in the year and the Stradalli – Bike Aid riders still competed in breakaways throughout the duration of the race.

2016 has been an exceptional year so far for Stradalli – Bike Aid. The team is currently preparing for Tour of Qinghai Lake, the most prestigious race in the UCI Asia Tour. The success in the German Elite Championships gives the riders and management confidence Tour of Qinghai Lake will be another successful tour on calendar of Stradalli – Bike Aid pro cycling team

Recap of Stradalli - Bike Aid Success At Tour of Cameroon

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 5^th stage). Amanuel Mengis finished 4^th place and only 1:01 minutes behind the overall leader. Patrick Lechner, Daniel Bichlmann and Joschka Beck also had strong showings. Mengis also finished 2^nd overall in the youth white jersey category and winning the green jersey , great tour for team Stradalli – Bikeaid .

The 13^th 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 4^th place in the mountains classification and 4^thoverall 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.

Cameroon Diary #2: Joschka Beck

The heat was brutal during the Tour du Cameroun. Between that and battling the Moroccans and Cameroonians who were able to acclimate to it much faster, it was a tough race. They ride and attack one after another and we find it challenging to keep up with them in the race. You find yourself thinking about how they would be able to adapt in Germany, in the snow.

Racing here is a lot different than anywhere else in the world . Stage 3 was the longest stage of the program, 177km. Without more topographic difficulties it was still a hard race. It’s not about tactics, it’s about going full throttle and giving it all that you have for hours in the heat . After 2 hours of barely reaching the half way point your legs are noticeably tried but you have to continue to attack.

We tried to stay up with the leaders but it wasn’t going to be easy. In the final, we went to the city of Douola and it began to rain and you had to stick to slippery roads very carefully because of all the construction sites all around. Daniel and Amanuel did a great job in the field sprint. It actually is funny that Amanuel is here with the sprint when he is actually considered one of the best climbers but he always manages to come stay up no matter the circumstances. 

Stradalli-Bike Aid Has Strong History At Tour Of Cameroon

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 .

Tour of Cameroon Stage 1: Amanuel Mengis Of Stradalli-Bike Aid In 7th Place

The cold temperatures of racing in Europe are a distant memory as the Stradalli-Bike Aid Team starts begins the Tour du Cameroun in the heat of West Africa.

The first stage was actually not too hard on the riders with fair conditions and 128 km of mostly flat terrain. Team captains Amanuel Mengis and Jean Bosco Nsengimana are used to these conditions and it showed as Mengis on the Stradalli Aversa full carbon road bike was in the lead group along with teammate Joschka Beck.

 The brutal heat took its toll on the riders, especially during the later stages of the day but Mengis continued to perform well and stay with the leaders, finishing in 7th on the day.

Stradalli-Bike Aid Heads Into The Tour du Cameroun

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

Meet Stradall-Bike Aid Rider Joshcka Beck

Joschka Beck, the 23 year old 6’4 German powerhouse riding for Stradalli – Bike Aid has started the 2016 cycling season on a mission.

Beck started the season in La Tropicale Amissa Bongo and was continuously bringing Stradalli – Bike Aid their first top placings of the season. He played a huge role in guiding Meron Teshome to a podium finish on stage 2 and throughout the Tour of Gabon he netted a couple top 10 placings as well.

After Gabon it was time for an even tougher competition as Beck headed to the Challenge Mallorca. Facing the toughest teams in the world during the stage won by Andre Greipel of Lotto Soudal, Beck was able to finish a solid 32^nd after battling hard the entire day. Even more impressive was that of the 167 starters for the stage only half managed to even finish in the front group.

Only racing for 6 years, Beck has accomplished an incredible amount in such a short period of time. He regularly races in the Vuelta Independencia in Dominican Republic, a UCI 2.2 race, and has held the young leaders jersey on 3 separate occasions as well as multiple time trial victories. His size and strength along with a surprising calmness make him a great addition to the Stradalli-Bike Aid race team.

“It’s important to me that my teammates know they can rely on me during a race to be at the front. I get opportunities but my focus is to help the team succeed, that’s more important than any individual results. That’s been the key to our success so far and our team/family mentality is what keeps us battling, we know we are here to support each other.”

Despite being a full time racer, Beck is also working on a college degree.

“I love cycling but there are other interests I have outside of the sport. Education is very important but the charitable work of the Stradalli-Bike Aid team is also very important. I am looking forward to racing in Africa because we make a difference there for people. That’s what I am most grateful to this team for, I get the opportunity to race against the best in the world and still get to help real people.”