The 1st stage of the Deutschland Tour stayed in Saarland. The focus was on a team that has its home there and at the same time would like to give cyclists from Africa a chance.
They led the race for almost 135 kilometers, then the inevitable happened: the escape group was swallowed up by the peloton. Instead, the Belgian Ilan van Wilder (Soudal – Quick Step) was able to celebrate victory on the first stage from St. Wendel to Merzig. The courageous breakaways consisted almost exclusively of German riders who compete for the national wildcard teams in the Deutschland Tour.
So did Jasper Pahlke and Oliver Mattheis, whose Team Bike Aid comes from Saarland and had a home game today. “The fans cheered us on tremendously, of course that made us really excited”said Mattheis after the race, which he finally finished in 60th place.
Revive cycling
The Saarland knows all about great cycling, 21 years ago the Tour de France was a guest. In the years that followed, however, the sport went downhill, with one crisis following the next. That was the trigger for founding the non-profit association Bike Aid eV, from which the professional team of the same name emerged in 2014. “We wanted to revive cycling, but also bring in new approaches”remembers team manager Matthias Schnapka.
Of course, Schnapka is particularly pleased that his team can now compete in the Deutschland Tour at home. “Ever since there was the Tour de France stage in Saarland, I’ve been looking forward to this moment. Because it was actually crazy that a Saarland team could drive in the Tour de France. But that we’re now in such a big race as Being part of the Deutschland Tour is like a lifelong dream coming true”according to Schnapka.
Giving drivers from Africa a chance
Participation in the Deutschland Tour is not only an opportunity to show yourself sporty as a Continental team, but also to draw more attention to the slightly different philosophy behind it. Although the focus is on promoting German talent, Bike Aid has also set itself the goal of giving riders from Africa a chance at a professional career.
“Back then it was said that cycling was dead. But we were racing in Rwanda and Eritrea at the time and the enthusiasm was huge. We saw that cycling is not just about the Tour de France, but in all corners of the world is run with enthusiasm”, says Schnapka, who still races as a cyclist himself. Since then drivers from Eritrea or Rwanda have been an integral part of the team. So does Dawit Yemane, who has been with Bike Aid for two years and finished 33rd on today’s stage.
Diversity in the peloton is non-existent
Along with Natnael Tesfatsion, Yemane is the only black rider from Africa participating in the Deutschland Tour. This reflects very well the lack of diversity in the peloton, because black riders are still a rarity in cycling. Daniel Teklehaimanot made history in 2015 when he became the first black rider from Africa to wear the mountain jersey in the Tour de France.
Seven years later, Biniam Girmay won a stage in the Giro D’Italia, also becoming the first black rider in Africa to do so in a Grand Tour. Like Yemane, both come from Eritrea, where cycling is very popular.
The successes of Girmay and Teklehaimanot have ensured that more and more young people in Eritrea want to get on their racing bikes and become professionals themselves, Yemane told the sports show. “I also started because I saw Daniel Tekleheimanot on TV. That’s when I knew I wanted to do it too.”says the 25-year-old, who also took part in the World Cup in Glasgow this year.
bureaucracy as Challenge
However, it is not that easy for the athletes to find a team. On the one hand, the places in the top teams are limited, on the other hand, the bureaucracy – especially the problem of obtaining a visa for the athletes – repeatedly presents the teams with challenges. “We would like to add more athletes from Africa to our team ourselves, but unfortunately we can’t do that as a small team.”, Schnapka points out. He would like the big World Tour teams to be more active in this area.
Schnapka is convinced that the talent is mainly to be found in East African countries. “I would argue that the talent pool is just as big as in running. Only there you only need shoes to compete.” Cycling, on the other hand, is more complex. Not just in terms of equipment.
“There’s more to cycling than that, for example the tactical element. And you have to learn that from good coaches, but they don’t exist there.” But progress is being made, albeit slowly. “A black rider from Africa is no longer unique in the peloton, no sensation. But when you see how important cycling is in countries like Eritrea, the number of them is far too low.”