Ermakov was ready to end his cycling career if he had not left for Belgium

Russian cyclist Romain Ermakov said he would not have stayed in the sport if he had not been able to join a European club.

Ermakov signed a contract with the Belgian club Cannibal Team in 2022. In 2025 he will perform on the World Tour.

— 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: try something, otherwise 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, everything that was possible and I began to reveal myself as an athlete,” Ermakov told .

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