«I would have aimed for the general classification here too, but yesterday I made a big mistake and went into crisis so I lost ground and it's already a good thing that I managed to finish the stage with the sprinters' group. Let's see what we can do now...». Friday evening, the voice of Kyrylo Tsarenko From Slovenia, he seems a little down on the phone, but talking about his brilliant first part of the season gives him new verve. The next day the Ukrainian of the Solution Tech-Vini Fantini, 24 years old, is another person and in fact he takes home another victory, alone, which will surely attract the attention of some big teams.
A 2025 that exceeds expectations
By now we can consider Tsarenko an acquired Italian, given that he has lived in Emilia for many years and has even acquired a bit of local accent. His 2025 has been really rich so far, with 4 victories and it can't really be said that these are small successes. considering that he won events on the Pro circuit, the one immediately below the WorldTour.
«I really can't complain – he explains – about how things have gone so far. I was also surprised by my high performance, I didn't expect to achieve so many weight results.. Especially in China, at Tour of Hainan, I felt that I was going really strong and in fact, after winning the third stage, we raced to take home the final trophy."
The Ukrainian is a ranking man
That victory gave him a new awareness: «Now I know that I can do well in stage races too, that's why I was sorry about what happened in Slovenia., because without that disaster on the second stage, I could have even competed. Everyone said the Slovenian race was too tough, but that's not the case; it's manageable. With the right condition, I can be competitive even in races like this."
His most important victory this year? «Certainly the one in China, with all due respect to the others, precisely because it gave me a new awarenessThere I didn't think I would be so competitive as to be able to win the overall classification, moreover it was a race with good participation, even if it was certainly not a WorldTour race».
At De Gasperi, revenge on the past
Before leaving for Slovenia, the Team Solution Tech-Vini Fantini rider had brought home the Alcide De Gasperi Trophy, also putting his signature on the Italian calendar: «It may seem strange, but I was particularly interested in that race. I'd already competed in it two years ago, and that eighth-place finish had left a bit of a sore spot on my chest. I wanted to see how much I had improved in the meantime and the proof was there.
«There I had great support from Lorenzo Quartucci, finding ourselves together in the leading group of about fifteen riders allowed me to attack in the final, breaking the changes of the pursuers, allowing me to reach the finish line without the fear of being caught. Now I have a new awareness, I can also invent actions to disrupt the race».
A great team on the horizon?
All these tests have put his name among the most mentioned in the transfer market: «I don't want to worry about it, My agent is thinking about it, but I know that many teams are interested and are starting to contact him.I just have to continue on this path, do my job, and wait for news. I'm 24 years old, I've made a qualitative leap, and it's the right time for the big leap."
Which means that he might even have to leave our country: «And this would make me very sad because I feel really good in Italy, it's my second home now, and I really like Italian races, they inspire me.Many criticize these events, those not included in the top professional circuit, thinking they aren't of a high standard, but that's not the case. In my opinion, they're all beautiful races, worth experiencing."
The points, everyone's responsibility
Let's go back to Slovenia, a higher-level race than others, if only because for some it's already a test for the Tour de France: "The participation is indeed higher quality than the others, and for this reason, having signed up has a different value. But it doesn't diminish the previous ones, on the contrary: if you look carefully at the startlists, after all even a Coppi and Bartali has nothing to envyMaybe the level of sprinters changes, in Slovenia there were people like Groenewegen, but apart from that we were there…».
His victories have given new breath to the team in the hungry race for ranking points: «This makes me particularly happy because We all feel this burden, this need. The team needs points to stay at the Professional level, and being able to contribute to reaching that goal is important.But now I don't want to stop. There are races like the Giro dell'Appennino and the Swiss race in Gippingen coming up, which are right up my alley. I want to do well, especially in those races that showcase my abilities. To send out further signals..."
