Belarus
Starting in Minsk
One of Alina's strongest early memories is winning a national time-trial championship. She wanted to race at a higher level, but the costs and the need for contacts made a route into European cycling difficult to find.
Experiencing Flanders
After racing for a Portuguese club, spending three months in China and joining a team in Dubai, Alina came to Belgium through the scholarship. The cobbles, narrow roads and large fields offered a very different experience from racing at home.
Building a path for others
Mentoring conversations with Jamie Anderson helped Alina think beyond her own racing. In her interview she describes helping to develop a cycling academy in Spain, with the aim of creating a safer route into European racing for young women from Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Ukraine.
