Alexander Simonenko (48) | Kropyvnytskyi
Former track cyclist
(World champion in the team and individual pursuit 1998, 2001)
I cycle on different roads, but not far from home, so that I can get home quickly if I'm called because something has happened. The war changed my cycling life as much as my other life: I had lots of plans for bike tours, competitions and anything else bike-related, but it all had to be postponed. I usually cycle alone, sometimes with friends at weekends. Because of the war, some people don't dare to go out and ride. It could be that a rocket hits exactly where I'm going. But I don't think about that when I'm cycling - on the contrary: my thoughts relax.
The war had a dramatic impact on my life. My whole life changed after 24 February - for example, there are constant air raids. On 24 August, Independence Day, there were 13 alerts. Although we live about 150 kilometres from the front line, rockets hit 1.5 kilometres from our house. I worry about the children and the family. Many friends and acquaintances went to war. Unfortunately, there are also dead and missing and many wounded among my friends. What do I wish for when the war is over? I would love to travel through Europe with my friends, visit the routes and ride on the roads where we took part in cycle races.
Valerii Naryzhny (65) | Zaporizhia
Amateur rider
On Sundays, I cycle together with fellow cyclists and triathletes who have not fled to the European Union. There is always a risk: the Russian army fires artillery and tanks at nearby settlements. Tonight a rocket hit the school playground, which is 300 metres from my house. I actually wanted to go to Leipzig on holiday this year and take part in training rides and a few bike races together with German masters amateurs. I lived in Leipzig in the GDR from 1983 to 1984 and was a member of the ACL team, Aufbau Centrum Leipzig.
Back then, I took part in the classic Rund um Berlin and a road race in Güstrow. As far as cycling in Ukraine is concerned, 99 per cent of the cycling calendar has been destroyed. My sporting life has been greatly reduced. Before the war, I took part in 20 cycling races a year - this year there was only one cycling race, and that was online. If Ukraine wins the war against Russia, I want to go to a cycling race or a cycling tour in the European Union.
Alexander Mozgovoy (47) | Kharkiv
Hobby cyclist
In August, I went on a two-day cycle tour. We were a group of six people with gravel bikes and mountain bikes and cycled along historic fortifications from the 15th century. I cycle a lot less than I did before the war. Most of the time I cycle the same 50 kilometre route. There are no safe places here - everything is in God's hands. The war changed my whole life. Many friends and relatives have gone abroad, my mother now lives in Germany. I wasn't accepted into the army because I have no military experience. I helped pensioners, went to pharmacies to buy medicines and food for them.
I live on the outskirts of the city. All the shops were bombed and the pharmacies are closed. The nearest open pharmacy was ten kilometres away from me, and I cycled there. It wasn't safe, the town was constantly being shelled. Because the petrol stations were closed, I had no petrol for my car. I had actually planned to travel to Romania in the summer of 2022 and cycle the Transfogarasch High Road through the mountains, but that's not possible. My cycling dream when the war is over? Then I'll fly to Switzerland and cycle from there via Austria and Slovakia back to Ukraine.
Ekaterina Bodyul (27) | Kirovohrad
Hobby cyclist
At first I couldn't believe that all this was really happening, but that feeling quickly passed. Instead, watching the news, I felt fear - and compassion for those in the areas where the occupiers were destroying everything in their path. And I was desperate. All this intensified because I fell ill and was hospitalised on the second day of the war. Although I have now got used to the idea that we are at war, I shudder every time an aeroplane flies past or I hear other loud noises.
Now there is no absolutely safe place anywhere in Ukraine. But in my neighbourhood it is quite calm. Thanks to our army, I have the opportunity to ride no less than last year. However, I had to postpone many plans regarding brevets and multi-day bike tours. I usually cycle alone or with my husband. Rarely, one or two friends join me. My dream is to visit many cities in Ukraine by bike when the war is over.
