the unbreakable bond between cycling and poetry - presented by the rise of 2020 junior class.

It is perhaps needless to say how much the world has been devastated by the pandemic that has been going on for almost two years now and is unfortunately still an integral part of our lives. It has caused chaos in many parts and areas of the world. Alternative solutions have emerged and polyhistors have emerged - some have grown to legends in 2 years.

If we narrow down this process to cycling, we can say that after two years, although the whole situation initially took a heavy toll on the confidence, work ethic and health of the athletes, the bounce-back was perhaps better than in other sports. Never has doing and watching cycling been so popular, and this is not only because of the birth of new legends, but also because of the unprecedented rise of talents in the sport.

The year 2020 and the World Championships held that year were special in the sense that only the elite women's and men's categories took part. The junior age group (born in 2002) was in a particularly difficult position, as they had almost no opportunity to compete in a year that would have opened a whole range of career opportunities. However, we can now see that the 'roller generation' (as some call them) are better prepared than ever for the transition between junior and elite competitions. They are true artists who have not shied away from the challenges of age and life.

Hereby, there is gonna be a short presentation of the 2002-born class from 7 countries, each with a work by a poet very closely linked to his or her country or region. The author believes that road cycling is a kind of poetry through screen, and presenting the young generation is perhaps the best way to showcase it.

Juan Ayuso (UAE-Team Emirates)

„How tiny the country that enfolds the graveyard! This sea, Sinera, the pine and vineyard-covered hills, the dusty riverbeds. There is nothing I love more but the shadow of a drifting cloud.”

(Salvador Espriu: How Tiny the Country)

If there is any similarity between Salvador Espriu's poetry and Juan Ayuso's childhood, it is patriotism. Just as Espriu spent his life searching for the boldness of his small homeland, Arenys de Mar, and just as he worried that war, industrialization, and Franco's dictatorial regime would destroy this micro-community, this kind of internal pressure was also present in Ayuso's childhood. From a young age, Juan was treated as a super-talent, a little boy who could achieve anything in his career. He must have thought countless times while climbing Montjuic that he could be a worthy heir to Alberto Contador. A man whose attacks and moves put Spain back on the cycling map.

And Ayuso has delivered on the promise. He dominated rivals in his home during his brief junior period, then became an unstoppable force on the cycling scene during his few months in the U23 ranks, and now spreading his wings in the World Tour. Interestingly, he has dominated Italy by winning the Baby Giro, the Laigueglia and the U23 World Cup, but he did not conquer either France or Spain until March 2022.

Then came this year's Tour of Catalonia. And his first competitive climb of Montjuic. The mountain he spent his childhood on. And he attacked. And he got away. And even though he was caught up and finished that stage in (only) 4th place, he was still happy. On some level, his dream had come true. And there is a lot of hope that Ayuso will only get better in the years to come and have the whole world at his feet.

Arnaud de Lie (Lotto-Soudal)

The landscape now reveals a change; A stair--that twined elm-boughs hold Enclosed 'mid hedges mystic, strange-- Inaugurates a green and gold Vision of gardens, range on range. Each step's a hope, that doth ascend Stairwise to expectation's height; A weary way it is to wend While noonday suns are burning bright. But rest waits at the evening's end.

(Emile Verhaeren: The Garden)

The landscape is changing. The time changes, and the profile changes. You wouldn't necessarily expect a sprinter to come out of Wallonia, but in a small Walloon village, emerging from the golden and green gardens and forests that Verhaeren imagined, we find the best sprinter in the class. There would normally be no indication that such a good finisher could emerge from such a hilly area – maybe one in a certain generation. But Arnaud de Lie has defied all stereotypes over the past 3 years. As a first-year junior, he dominated the Belgian field, won the Belgian championship and all the signs were that he would be the next Tom Boonen. But the epidemic and the period that followed set him back, it was feared that he would not find his full potential. Joining the Lotto development team, he made a remarkable comeback in 2021, crowning it with two wins in the Alsace Tour and a top 10 finish in one of the biggest races in the U23 category, Paris-Tours.

Every step is a new hope according to Verhaeren. A hope that can lift you up or push you down. For Arnaud de Lie, both alternatives were an option before the season. He could have excelled with his speed, but at the same time he could have been lost in the doldrums because of a quick and big changeover. And he came, he saw, and based on the last 90 days, he conquered. From his debut onwards, he has put in an incredibly solid performance, especially in the Benelux classics. As a first-year pro, he won the Jean-Pierre Monsere classic and the Ronde van Drenthe, which was held in very cold and terrible conditions. He is a particularly strong rider in such circumstances, for Lie, these factors will definitely be an advantage for future Belgian classics and could even take his career to the next level next year. Big talent, big dreams. The Walloon gardens will be in bloom for him in this decade.

Magnus Sheffield (INEOS)

I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear, Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong, The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam, The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work.

(Walt Whitman: I Hear America Singing)

America sang. Fifteen years ago, in the so-called golden age of American cycling, the country was on fire as Armstrong, Hincapie, Hamilton and Landis marked the era of success. There really wasn't a race, either one-day or multi-day, where they didn't start as favourites.

Then (for reasons deliberately not mentioned in this article) it all went quiet. As one of the greatest Hungarian poets, Mihály Vörösmarty, wrote in his poem:

Now is winter. And silence. And snow. And death.

Cycling has stopped in USA. Not completely though, as they have produced some pretty decent riders, but they have never been able to match the legitimate successes of their predecessors. But then something snapped. The youngsters came, the wave of youngsters that the US was once totally dependent on during the beat era. Quinn Simmons' world title was the first swallow in this new era, but perhaps the most talented rider of the new US generation is the rider, whom Englishmen would so fondly love if they all would love cycling – his name is Magnus Sheffield.

Whitman would absolutely have loved Sheffield, as he was, after all, a small-town boy who achieved his great achievements through hard work in the same way as the people in poems. Sheffield's junior career, though short, was a successful one, finishing as a bronze medalist in Simmons' world championship race as a freshman, marked a huge success for US cycling at the time. Sheffield, however, did not go straight to the World Tour, spent a 'transitional' year at home with Rally Cycling, before moving to INEOS, the pinnacle of cycling, this year. And what he showed there exceeded all expectations. His racing style is like when one orders a book with a cover that looks good, but the book itself contains 100x more excitement than one has previously thought. He has won the Brabantse Pijl, he has ridden huge time trials, he has ridden incredibly on strong mountains, on short but steep climbs, he has proven himself as a leader, he can do a good time trial. A real Jolly Joker, and his development will only continue in the years to come... it's hard to think where the limit is for him.

Laurence Pithie (FDJ-Devo Team)

Let us in kindness covet for every man

one lovely memory at least in life-span

fit to be locked up in crystal reliquary,

so all may see it, yet none see, save he.

(Ursula Bethell: Rock-Crystal)

Romanticism. Somehow, when the reader thinks of New Zealand, get the feeling that it is the most peaceful place in the world. That nothing can disturb the perfect idyll of peace and tranquility. Where, for some reasons, people are nicer and all the cultural, political and social dimensions are in a balance that surpasses all expectations. Living here is a real privilege.

However, this privilege is not necessarily true for cycling. All the factors that have a negative impact on this sport are present in the country, including wind, rain, and the potential risk of earthquakes. However, we have also seen over the last decade that a very successful generation has grown up in the country, with George Bennett and Paddy Bevin (who is currently flying) being prominent members of the so-called golden generation. However, there are newcomers coming in, interestingly mainly from the track cycling scene, which makes the nation's junior scene and their racing and developmental trajectories special.

Laurence Pithie is perhaps the only exception in this respect. Although he could be called a successful track rider in the sense that he was national champion in several categories as a junior, it was decided very early on that road would be his true calling. His development has been very beneficial as every year he competes at a slightly higher level, and as the level rises, his results improve. He doesn't have World Tour experience yet, but there is a high confidence that we will see him in the field in two years at the latest. And once he gets there, he'll be one to watch in every one-day race, in every sprint after every harder stage, a real diamond, as pure and shining as New Zealand itself.

Fran Miholjevic (Friuli-ASD)

How hard it is not to be strong,

how hard it is to be alone,

and to be old, yet to be young!

and to be weak, and powerless,

alone, with no one anywhere,

dissatisfied, and desperate.

(Tin Ujevic: Daily Lament)

Youth. Mladost, as they say in Croatia. It is a particularly difficult subject in today's world, as the child of today must cope with so many difficult tasks. Youth must cope with education, social life and, if they want to be sportspeople, they must not neglect training. This is particularly difficult for a man who has not really had a predecessor in the micro-community in which he lives. Perhaps the most prominent figure in Croatian cycling was Robert Kiserlovski, who was a very useful and excellent mountain domestique for Ivan Basso and Alberto Contador, but at individual level, he never managed to achieve outstanding results, except for a few top 10 overall results in one-week races, but beyond that he was more known for his sacrificial domestique work.

Fran Miholjevic is breaking the stigma of failure in Croatian cycling - so far with great success. Although the 19-year-old from Rijeka is still only competing at continental level for his (almost) home team Friuli, he has already attracted attention with some great results. Those with keen eyes may have already spotted him at last year's U23 World Championships, where he achieved a surprisingly great result in the time trial and, with a bit more luck and power, could have done better in the road race.

But the real bang came for him at the Tour of Sicily in April. Youth, folly, the layman might have said, as he made his escape in the roaring headwinds. And suddenly he found himself with 10 kilometres to go and alone in front, 2 minutes ahead. And he just climbed all the last little climbs, like all Croatian kids climb the cliffs on the Dalmatian coast. It was the moment of his life. Perhaps the most touching celebration of the whole season was the way he held his helmet with his left hand, then with his right, trying to come to terms with what he had done. He became a national hero at 19. He will have even greater success in a few years' time, which could start a positive trend for South Slavic cycling as a whole.

Johannes Staune-Mittet (Jumbo-Development Team)

It was the evening with fireflies

while we were waiting for the bus to Velletri

that we saw two old people kissing

under the plane tree. It was then

you said, half to the air

half to me:

Whoever loves for years

hasn't lived in vain.

And it was then I caught sight of the first

fireflies in the darkness, sparkling

with flashes of light around your head.

(Rolf Jacobsen: The Fireflies)

The scandinavification of cycling has reached a new level in recent years. After having very few high-level Danish or Norwegian riders in the peloton for years, despite the high level of cycling culture, in recent years a lot of new talents have emerged and are making huge strides towards world fame. Although there are still gaps in this process (Swedes, Finns), and there are territories and riders who have not yet reached their maximum potential, this is certainly a positive sign. It is also a sign that there are riders who just don’t simply follow the traditional junior/professional path but can make a name and earn respect for themselves by moving from a completely different sport.

Johannes Staune-Mittet, a junior competitor for Jumbo, is one of them. 3 years ago, he was junior champion... in cross-country skiing, in the 10 km classic category. This kind of feel-good story is extremely rare, but at the same time it fits perfectly into the kind of romantic narrative, the idyll that Jacobsen has modelled of the world, both about his home and his travels. Staune-Mittet, moreover, took the difficult road in cross-country skiing, too, but his outstanding talent enabled him to make a rapid breakthrough. However, making the Norwegian team... is perhaps one of the hardest things in the world. That's why he chose cycling, and here the Jumbo-Visma scout system must be highlighted, the fact that he was selected from virtually nowhere shows how well the Dutch system works.

The Norwegian rider has repaid the trust. Even to his surprise, he finished very near the front in the Norwegian championship last year and this year he has improved a step at every level. It became certain a few weeks ago that he will be in the World Tour field from 2024, a wise decision, because it is a fact that he has room for improvement, and he needs to improve in certain areas. But his talent is undeniable, and surely, he can harvest it in the iconic yellow jersey.

Gianmarco Garofoli (Astana Development Team)

Bring me the sunflower so I can transplant it

here in my own field burned by salt-spray,

so it can show all day to the blue reflection of the sky

the anxiety of its golden face.

(Eugenio Montale: Bring Me The Sunflower)

Finally, the story arrive to the Italian fields, the Italian fields that have seen so many great races, stages, stars and dramas that could fill 15 Tolstoy books. Every new seed planted, every new plant in bloom marks the birth of a new icon, a new star, and in a way this metaphor is true of the country, especially if we think of the already more developed northern region or the narrow, relatively flat strip of land along the coast, which is also a particularly favourable area for cycling.

Well, this is the area where Gianmarco Garofoli came into the experts' sights not so long ago. He is a very good mountain rider who, despite his young age, has already shown signs that could put him among the greats. He dominated the Italian junior scene in his first two years, winning everything there was offered to be won, and his first year at U23 level was also very good. Perhaps one of the most dominant wins of 2021 was the Cervinia mountain finish in the Tour of Aosta - he beat second place rider by two minutes and showed skills that make him very valuable for the future. This year, he has transferred to Astana, where he has already made his debut in professional races, and while his progress may have stalled from the outside, we can be sure that this is the stop he needs to complete his career. Big words, but he could be the next Nibali or Ciccone for the Italians - if it works, everyone will be happy. Most of all, perhaps, us fans.