Imagine there is a huge football stadium in the middle of a city, thousands of spectators buy tickets, are waiting full of pleasant there for many hours, having safety checks and take their seats in front of a huge stage.
So far, that's nothing uncommon. But if you want to explain to someone that all this effort is for a bike race that does not even count to the international calendar of the UCI, then that sounds unbelievable.
BIKE AID won this race with Nikodemus Holler in 2017 in individual as well as in team classifications. Tomorrow, everything starts from zero. The team has to prove itself again and the competitors will build up even more pressure.
When the 6 riders came together with the sporting director Lutz Drehkopf to the stage, the pressure was certainly high. To be presented up there as a defending champion on a stage with the size of a huge Rock concert – to find something similar to that n cycling you have to go to Asia.
Thanks again China for this awesome welcome and let’s celebrate this incredible event together!
