Strong start to the season for BIKE AID
Oliver Mattheis gains podium spot in Tour du Rwanda – BIKE AID win team competition
What an epic finish to Africa’s biggest cycling race! Oliver Mattheis had just a second between sparkling in third place or slipping back into thankless fourth. It would have been a real showdown – but the race took an unexpected turn.
Over the course of eight intense days, the Tour du Rwanda (23/02 to 02/03/2025) takes cyclists through the majestic mountains of east Africa. They cover a total distance of 839.9 kilometres – and this challenge is what makes professional cycling so exciting: despite countless climbs, falls and attacks, often it comes down to fractions of a second separating victory from defeat.
Before the final stage, Oliver Mattheis was a whole 12 seconds behind the leaders in the overall rankings – and just a second ahead of fourth place. The mental and physical pressure of not making any mistakes whatsoever in such a difficult race is hard to put into words. Over the eight days, the professionals cannot allow themselves a single second of inattention, a fall, or a moment of weakness – if they do, all is lost.
However, the entire team’s self-confidence grew as each day passed. Vinzent Dorn wore the climbing jersey at points, Yoel Habteab secured an impressive second place in the third stage, and BIKE AID continually fought their way back to the top of the team rankings – against professional teams with budgets of millions.
The final stage on Sunday was all about attacking. At the start of the final round, Dawit Yemane took a promising lead in a leading group, broke away with another rider and seemed to have a real hope of winning the stage. But then everything changed: stormy weather and heavy rainfall set in, making the roads so slippery that the race had to be abandoned for safety reasons.
This left the overall rankings as they had been the previous day – a podium finish for Oliver Mattheis and a well earned victory in the team classification for BIKE AID. This was a strong start in the very first race to kick off the season.
Team owner and co-founder Matthias Schnapka was delighted with his team’s strong performance in the ‘land of a thousand hills’ and views the Tour du Rwanda as the perfect start to a promising season. The passion and enthusiasm of the local fans spurred the team on and motivated athletes to put in top performances: ‘But in particular, the intense feeling of Rwanda’s enthusiasm for cycling will carry us into our upcoming races on a wave of euphoria. The unique atmosphere at this cycle race shows why Africa deserves a firm spot in international cycling – for the local people and for the many talented athletes hoping for their opportunity and wanting to be finally seen.’
The unique atmosphere at this cycle race shows why Africa deserves a firm spot in international cycling
Matthias Schnapka, team owner
Schnapka emphasised that the Tour du Rwanda is not only a sporting highlight, but also a platform to shine a spotlight on the exceptional talent of African cyclists, giving them an opportunity to shine on a global stage.’
Team BIKE AID are now looking forward with great anticipation to the season’s races, including upcoming events in Greece, Turkey and France. With a strong performance in Rwanda and the boost of motivation this experience provided, the team are well equipped to cause another stir and shine on the international cycling stage.