But at the Asmara Circuit at this day, there was a quite different thing that was important: the culture of cycling in this country and the love of the people to this unique sport is just incredible and unimaginable for us Europeans. We all know pictures from the tour de France, when riders arrive at the Champs-Elysées in Paris or just alongside the race roads. And we all might think: cycling takes place just in Europe. But what kind of enthusiasm people in some countries of Africa offer to the sport and the athletes is fa beyond what we all know. You can find this just at races like Tour de France or Giro d’Italia but with a very different background.
And Eritrea is one of the most incredible countries in terms of enthusiasm for cycling, with people who live this sport, who feel and breathe it. Everything is about cycling all day long and the riders this small country at the east coast of Africa brang out.
This Enthusiasm was so astonishing to the riders of team Stradalli – BIKE AID but even more astonishing was the fact that almost everybody on the rods celebrated the guys in black with the laughing cow at the back like rockstars and everybody recognized them. The team from Germany is very famous in this country due to the fact that with its unique and sustainable concept it gave a chance to the heroes of Eritrea to proof themselves abroad and also to fulfill dreams like the one of Mekseb Debesay. He made it up to the World Tour – the top level of cycling in the world through the development of BIKE AID.
But also riders like Meron Teshome or Meron Amanuel are famous as in Europe guys like Cristiano Ronaldo or Franz Beckenbauer what is incredible to see.
It is hard to top these feelings but if it comes true that you lead your sprinter through the roads of Asmara, cheered by thousands and ten-thousands of people and at the end he is finishing with another top-result, you can just summarize: it was an incredible week that the riders will not forget! Thanks Eritrea for having us and thanks Eritrean people, for being such a great host! That makes us even more convinced about the concept we run to develop African athletes!
