“I decided that either I would try to race in Belgium or I would be done with the sport.” Ermakov prepares for his first season on the World Tour

Next season, three Russian cyclists will take part in the World Tour. Roman Ermakov will join Alexander Vlasov and Gleb Syritsa in the elite.

told him how to reach such heights. In October, Roman signed a two-year contract with Bahrain – Victorious.

– How did it all start?

— I ended up with the juniors of the Cannibal team and I raced there for three months. Then he moved to Italy. Today I live in Slovenia, but it all started in Belgium.

— You were already in the current team’s system, playing for CTF Victorious. Does this provide guarantees for moving to a higher level?

“Maybe it could have been planned, but it certainly wasn’t part of the deal that I would move from the youth team to the main team. In the end, everything worked out well.

— Are you, like Sasha Vlasov, from Vyborg? From “Favorites”?

– Yes. But we have an age difference, and I noticed it when I was just starting my studies. He went to Italy, he didn’t come back very often and we didn’t train together. But we looked at his career! In our club he is like an elite, someone we have to look up to, something we have to strive for. The fact that we came from the same club warmed our souls.

— What type of runner are you?

— Cannibal and I thought I could do well in the mountains. But it was in juniors, there are different races, and I was already quite big at the time. At the “lower” level I was already more of a “classic” with the ability to climb short climbs of a certain length, although if I climbed the mountain in a breakaway these might be longer climbs. This year, the one-day events went well for me, but the stages that are neither flat nor mountainous also suit me well.

— Were you not afraid that in current realities you could find yourself without the World Tour?

“I was afraid of it when I was still in Russia. But when the opportunity presented itself to join the Belgian team, I said to myself: either I try or I’m done with this sport. I didn’t even want any other option. Everything went well. I’m delighted with it.

— If you are a cyclist in Russia and if you are a cyclist in Europe, are they two different careers?

— In the case of a highway, these are two completely different things. Even if you are very good in Russian races, it does not mean that you will succeed in Europe. Here the guys pedal completely differently. I realized this at the junior level, but at the professional level it will be even more obvious. Only with the Russian road calendar will it not be possible to do anything at European races. In Belgium they changed my approach, changed everything possible and I began to reveal myself as an athlete.

—What do you want to do in the first season?

— During my first year on the World Tour, I did not set myself the goal of finishing a particular race. I understand that it’s not about getting results right away. It is important that the season plan is adapted to my development. Moving to another level is always a matter of development. I don’t ask the question like “I want to win this race” or “I want to work for this person.” It’s all together. It’s a team effort

— Have you received many congratulations on your contract?

— Relatives congratulated, they knew about it before the official release, then everyone congratulated again, other people joined them. But it’s not like there’s a lot of congratulations.

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