Update From Stage 3 of the 62nd Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista del Sol

The 3rd Stage of the Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista del Sol was a grueling 157.9 kilometers of racing with Oscar Gatto of UCI World Tour Team Tinkoff taking first place in a sprint finish. Ben Swift of Team Sky and Raymond Kreder of Roompot – Oranje Peloton finished 2nd and 3rd respectively.  

Stradalli – Bike Aid racers battled for places in the peloton and made the best in the breakaways during the race. Riders Damian Garcia of France and Daniel Bichlmann of Germany are holding their own against World Tour teams every day, finishing alongside teams including Lotto Soudal and Movistar Team, who are providing quality competition which benefits the Stradalli – Bike Aid riders and helps them to learn and succeed later in the season. Ruta del Sol is proving to be a great test.

The Ruta del Sol continues with an individual time trial where Stradalli – Bike Aid riders will get the opputunity to show their strength in one of the toughest races in the world. 

STRADALLI – BIKE AID TEAM LEARNS GREAT LESSON AT CHALLENGE MALLORCA

Today in the third stage of the Challenge Mallorca, Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana, the Stradalli – Bike Aid team got an education and understanding of what truly separates a continental team from a multi-million dollar World Tour Team.

The race included more than 9000 feet of climbing into a 149.9 kilometer (88.5 mile) stage. At first you would think the racers would take it easy with a start like that. Not if you were on one of the World Tour Teams. They attacked early and kept going. The Stradalli-Bike Aid riders had a max wattage of over 700 watts in only the first 6 kilometers. 

The stage started with a 4.5 ascent of the Col de Soller which had sections that were so steep that many of the team cars could barely make it up the mountain in second gear. It was an incredibly challenging day filled with competitive racing. Stradalli – Bike Aid rider Daniel Bichlmann wasn't intimidated by the mountain and began the first breakaway of the day with one Russian rider for 6 kilometers, but despite the tremendous effort in the race the world tour teams took over. 

Tom Steinbacher, title sponsor owner for Stradalli – Bike Aid, wasn't disappointed with the results and applauded the team for their efforts. 

“When you go against the best in the world all you can ask for from your team is that they give it everything they have and that's exactly what the Stradalli-Bike Aid team did this race. They left it all out there and I am very proud of them.” Steinbacher said.

Steinbacher feels that the experience in Mallorca will help the team throughout the year as they learned a lot about themselves, how to battle, how to race with the big teams and much more. 

“We are a young team with a lot to learn, but the guys show they are up to the challenge. They constantly battled and showed tremendous heart. They are grateful for everything whether it's the bikes, the sponsors and the opportunity to compete against teams like Team Sky, Lotto Soudal, Ettix – Quick Step and Team Dimension Data.” Steinbacher said.

Steinbacher feels that the racers are improving after every race.

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.

Good Start To Challenge Mallorca For Stradalli-Bike Aid

The start of the Challenge Mallorca went great for the Stradalli-Bike Aid team. French rider Damian hopped in the first breakaway of the day and rode strongly, but the peloton was not happy with that breakaway combination. They were immediately pulled back and the attacks started again. Stradalli-Bike Aid rider Daniel Bichlmann was in the third breakaway and seemed to have a chance to stay away before Lotto Soudal and Team Sky changed that.

On the final hill Team Sky and Lotto Soudal set a relentless pace at the front of the peloton to set up the finale. Soudal protected Andre Greipel in the final push which set him up for the sprint win with a lead out train. Sam Bennett of Bora – Argon 18 and Edvald Boasson Hagen of Team Dimension Data rounded out the podium for a great day of competitive racing.

Tom Steinbacher, CEO of Stradalli Cycle, said he couldn’t be happier with how the team has performed in Mallorca thus far.

“We were competitive all day long. It was great to see the Stradalli-Bike Aid team stay competitive against some of the best teams in the world. It's not easy when you are going against teams like Movistar and Team Sky but we definitely held our own."

Being around impressive teams and talented riders is certainly an experience the Stradalli-Bike Aid riders are not taking for granted. Dominik Merseburg, the 24-year old first year pro is taking in as much as he can at Mallorca.

"It's pretty cool to ride next to Cancellara, Greipel and Wiggins. When you see them on the road you realize how amazing an opportunity you have in front of you and it's very humbling. I'm also very grateful for this awesome teammates I have, I couldn't ask for a better team."

The racing in Mallorca continues tomorrow with the 162.6 kilometer (101 miles) Trofeo Pollenca – Port de Andratx.

Stradalli - Bike Aid Pro Cycling Team Enjoys Ride In Mallorca

The Stradalli - Bike Aid German Conti Team was able to take a ride around Mallorca, Spain in preparation for the UCI 1.1 Challenge Vuelta Ciclista a Mallorca race.

The sites around the island are beautiful and the race will feature some of the toughest competition including Team Sky, Trek-Segafredo, Movistar Team, Etixx-Quick Step, FDJ, Cannondale Pro Cycling Team, Lotto Soudal, IAM Cycling.