Cycling without borders – BIKE AID between Saarland, China, Eritrea and Switzerland
30 days in China – the longest trip thus far for Saarland’s professional cycling team BIKE AID came to an end on Saturday (28 September 2024). Dawit Yemane had to leave early to be on the starting line of the World championships elite race in Zurich on Sunday (29 September).
What do Saarland, China, Eritrea and Switzerland have in common? The answer: Team BIKE AID. Once again, the team from tiny Saarland brings the world together with cycling. It supports African athletes on their path to the top and recounts the enthusiasm for cycling that the team discovers across the globe.
Saturday marked the end of the Tour of Huangshan in China, BIKE AID’s second race after the Tour of Poyang Lake. With third place in the overall ratings, Yoel Habteab once again managed to secure a podium finish on the Tour.
The 20-year-old Eritrean was able to play to his strengths in the mountainous second and third stages and gradually gain time. Lennard Sternsdorff also put in an impressive performance, finishing tenth in the overall rankings. The 19-year-old cyclist celebrated his debut appearance as a stagiaire for the professional BIKE AIDteam in China, after progressing well in the federal league as part of BIKE AID’s in-house development team.
However, this trip was about more than just sporting success. A visit like this gave the athletes a unique opportunity to explore the country and its people in more depth. China is a very distant country that they would otherwise only hear about on the news, a country that is very different to ours.
As well as the curiosity and openness of the people we met on the street, we were continually impressed by China’s enthusiasm for cycling. Although this country does not have a long-standing cycling tradition as you would find in Italy, France or Belgium, its races are setting standards in their own way – whether the professionalism of the organisation, media interest, or above all interest from people on the street.
These trips represent a particular opportunity for the team’s African athletes: Dawit Yemane comes from a family that is trying to make a living from subsistence farming in Eritrea’s barren landscape. His time in school was short, and as he puts it, was mainly spent sleeping, as he had to work in his family’s fields before school.
Life outside of his homeland, in industrial countries with Western wealth, is something that his family has only seen on TV. Now, travelling the world with his teammates, experiencing the differences between Europe and Asia, and taking this experience back home all represent vital opportunities and driving forces for a self-determined life in the future.
Dawit Yemane had to leave China early after the Tour of Poyang Lake, as he gained a late place at the world road championships in Switzerland. This meant that he was no longer able to take part in the Tour of Huangshan, instead lining up at the start of the elite race of the world championships in Zurich.
Team BIKE AID is more than just a cycling team – it is a bridge between worlds that offers inspiration, opportunities, and the pure joy of sport both near and far. Whether from Saarland, in the mountains of China, or back in the fields of Eritrea – the BIKE AID story continues to connect and inspire people.