The Stradalli–Bike Aid team from Germany races to raise awareness and funding to give aspiring cyclists in Africa the opportunity to compete in Europe. Two of their five-man roster for the An Post Rás are from Rwanda while they have Tanzanians and Eritreans also in their squad. Nikodemus Holler (not in picture) is amongst their strongest, however. He was close to signing for the now defunct Team Argos-Shimano in 2013.
By Brian Canty
With just over a month to go to the start of this year’s An Post Rás, two more foreign teams have confirmed their entry for the eight-day race (May 22-29).
Germany will be represented by the Stradalli – Bike Aid squad while the Amical Vélo Club Aix-en-Provence team from France will bring a stellar squad.
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The latter’s line-up features Florent Castellarnau, Grégoire Tarride, Matthieu Converset, Alexis Dulin and Loïck Lebouvier.
Tarride is arguably the ace in their pack having won the Tour of Alsace in 2014.
The 24-year-old has finished in the top 10 overall in the Tour l’Ain and goes very well on hilly terrain so the Rás should be right up his street.
Dulin is another rider who will come with big ambitions and his palmarés includes victories in the Trophée Roger Walkowiak as well as the Circuit de la Drôme and the Boucles du Haut-Var, respectively.
The Stradalli – Bike Aid team are laced with talent and they comprise a very international squad of riders.
They’ve two Rwandans in their five, Jean Bosco Nsengimana and Janvier Hadi, as well as the Germans Nikodemus Holler, Timo Schäfer and Joschka Beck, respectively.
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Nsengimana took three stages plus the overall in last year’s Tour du Rwanda and this year won a stage in the Tour du Cameroun.
Hadi won the All African Games road race in 2015 and also picked up stages in the Tour of Rwanda in the past.
Holler is arguably their strongest, however and has raced some massive events over the years.
He’s a former stagiaire with Team Argos-Shimano (now Giant-Alpecin) and has been a continental rider throughout his career.
The team have some big ambitions for the future – and indeed the Rás.
They’re part of a growing movement in the sport to promote African cycling, hence the two Rwandans they have on their roster, as well as Tanzanians and Eritreans.
Through various initiatives and campaigns the team has raised over €200,000 in donations for social projects and has supported numerous young athletes.
The team had, amongst others, Dan Craven and Mekseb Debesay in their ranks in recent years, the latter now riding for WorldTour team Dimension Data.
“The goal of the team in the Rás is to fight for a top-ranking in the general classification, as well as a stage win,” said Schäfer.
“The main goal is to show a sustainable high performance in an eight-day stage race as key preparation for this year’s Tour of Qinghai Lake.”
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