Kateryna Velychko

Kateryna Velychko from Ukraine started cycling at 12. When the war began, she moved to Italy with the national team — and realised how far European racing was from what she had known at home. She decided to go all in and try to become a professional.

At the start of the 2026 season she applied to the Flandrien Scholarship. She arrived in mid-May, raced the very next day and finished 21st — and came home to a house full of people cheering for her. That support, she says, changes how you feel on the bike and in life.

Workshops at the hotel connected her with a coach who now works with her, and advice from programme director Cindy Pomares taught her to race for others too — like the day she helped Tamara stay in the group. Different countries, different cultures, one big family.