Giro d'Italia - The incredible story of Andrii Ponomar: "My father is currently battling in Donbass"

For obvious reasons, these aren't easy days for Ukrainian people, and the case of Andrii Ponomar (Drone Hopper - Androni Giocattoli) makes no exception.

At 19 years of age, the youngest rider to compete in this year's Giro d'Italia talked about his situation in such a delicate moment for his country: "The bike is my escape. I get distracted and no longer think about the war, about my father fighting in Dombass, about the bombs that have fallen in my city, Cernihiv, finally free from the Russians" - he said in an interview to Corriere.

With already one Giro under his belt, the youngster mentioned how difficult it was for his family to reach him in Italy: "My mother and my little sister caught up with me in Nove, near Vicenza, where I actually live. It was quite a long journey for them, after being blocked in an underground bunker for three weeks. It took five days just to get to the border with Poland. They traveled in a van, with three other families, on secondary roads, through the woods, and turned back five times when they saw the Russian checkpoint. Then, finally, I hugged them again".

On the other hand, his father remained in his country and is still fighting on the front: "My father Vikacheslav, who is 43 years old, is currently in the military on the ground: he fights on the Donbass front. He told me he's always stressed, that the adrenaline of the war keeps him awake. I try to distract him with itineraries and stories of my stages, but I realize that he doesn't want to tell me everything: he doesn't want me to worry too much" - he added. After yesterday's rest day, Ponomar and his team-mates will be back in action today for stage 10 of the Giro d'Italia.