The greats of Russian cycling… Konyshev browses through his memories

Famous champions and other less famous but very strong ones, with Dmitry Konyshev Let's discover the aces that have characterized Russian cycling.

A journey that is not only a reminder of champions, but is also a “window” on those who wanted to ride a bike during the times of the Soviet Union. A journey that also evokes the story of Konyshev himself. Today Dimitri is one of the technicians of the Gazprom-RusVeloHe was a pro for 18 seasons, always playing for very important teams, and he passed this passion on to his son Alexander, pro' alla BikeExchange.

Sukhoruchenkov, the greatest

«The strongest ever was Sergei Sukhoruchenkov Konyshev begins to explain. "Except that when he passed, he was already "old," he was 34. He could have been a truly great rider, but his time had probably already run its course. I'm convinced he would have won even against the greats."

«Sergei was a very serious guy, perhaps too much so. A hard worker. I don't know if calling him a fanatic is the right term, but to give an example, he in the morning he woke up doing gymnastics, he lived the life of a total athlete."

Sukhoruchenkov won the Olympics in 1980, He was very strong everywhere, he wasn't a pure sprinter but… «He didn't break away on the climbs and then he beat you in the sprint – continues Dmitri – Once he was supposed to come and compete with the professionals in Europe. I don't remember which race it was, but at the start there was also supposed to be… Bernard Hinault and it is said that the Frenchman gave up to avoid having to confront him."

In those years, despite the Soviet Union, Konyshev says they also competed frequently abroad: the Peace Races, and a few races in England and Latin America were not lacking. But Sukhoruchenkov was best known within his own country, as he once was, at least among amateurs. And in fact, he never enjoyed much fame among the "non-experts."

Abdoujaparov, what a character

But among the first great Soviet cyclists of international level, Konyshev puts Djamolidine Abdoujaparov.

«Abdu was truly great – says Konishev – he was a truly special character, unique in the world, I would say. You see, when the sprints were approaching he didn't want any help.He told us: don't hang around me, don't take risks, let me do it alone."

Abdouyaparov was among the first to attract media attention in Russia. Sports weren't much talked about on TV, or at least there wasn't a dominant sport like football in our country.

There was a lot of hockey in the newspapers. And then skiing, artistic gymnastics, biathlon, athletics... They talked about who was winning. And Abdoujaparov had won some important races. He also fueled interest in himself with his way of being, with his sprints always at the limit with Cipollini, when they wanted to disqualify him for his swaying of the bicycle.

"But he could also win by finishing alone, as happened once in the Tour de France. But he was truly a bulldog. Another time in a very long time trial (73 kilometers, ed.), again at the Tour, he finished seventh."

Tonkov: “the” rider

Konyshev claims he doesn't have a great memory. He says that, whether by luck or by mistake, he lives in the present and looks to the future, but the memory lane goes on. And when we ask him about another Russian champion, Dmitri says he has two more to remember.

«Evgeni Berzin e Pavel Tonkov. More Tonkov than Berzin. “Eugenio” was at his peak for two or three years, while Pavel was a real rider. Plus, I was lucky enough to race with him at the LPR at the end of my career and I have to say that I discovered a nice person."

In 1998, it was tough racing against a Russian, against him. Imagine, I was on Pantani's team! Pavel didn't speak much, and even now he hasn't changed. He speaks so little that after so many years in Italy, he even speaks Russian poorly!

I think my first memory of Tonkov dates back to 1988, or at least around that time. We were at a training camp with the national team, and he was very young. If I remember correctly, he'd won the Junior World Championships the year before. He was desperate to show off. So I told him, 'Look, you can't drop me on the climbs, and then I'll beat you in the sprint!' He gave it his all, lost little ground on the climbs, and caught up with us on the descents, immediately showing great character.

And Konyshev?

But among the greats of Russian cycling there is also Dmitri himself. A classy rider, who knew how to win and help. For him, a forty victories including stages in all three Grand Tours, the points classification in the Giro d'Italia and a Giro dell'Emilia. His sporting education reflects a Russia, that of the communist regime, which (we imagine) is losing its way, as is happening in the Western world. While Eastern societies were once closely linked to sport, it was an integral part of society.

«I have always played a lot of sports – says Konyshev – Especially between the ages of 12 and 14. Just as in Italy, children play soccer outside, we played hockey. We'd go to the parking lot under the house and play until Mom called us. But I also played a lot of handball. I followed my mom who also played basketball, and in the gym I always had a ball in my hand."

«I got on a bike because my dad was the coach of a local team. I went out with them a couple of times. They'd cut me off, and I'd get pissed off. So I insisted they never let me cut me off again. I was 14 years old and in fact I never stopped pedaling."

The first time Konyshev came to Italy was in 1987. "We did the Palio del Recioto, the Liberazione, the Giro delle Regioni... We won almost everything. The following year I won the Giro d'Italia amateurs and the year after that I turned professional atAlpha Lum. There were with me Tchmil, abdu, ugrumov, Sukhoruchenkov…».

And since then, Russian cycling has come a long way…