At Us Legnanese a story of cycling and peace, sport and brotherhood. Protagonists Artem And Maksymfrom the Allievi team, the first Russian, the other Ukrainian.
Sport and brotherhood
A small sports story that symbolizes friendship and brotherhood. Artem, of Russian origin, and Maksym, Ukrainian, met in the Allievi team of Us Legnanese 1913, the historic cycling club from Legnano, organizer of the Coppa Bernocchi and the GP Pino Cozzi and Targa d’oro Città di Legnano races. Through their rides and their challenges, the two boys discovered a friendship that goes beyond cultural and national barriers. Unione Sportiva Legnanese 1913, a name that in Artem and Maksym’s story becomes a highly relevant story to reflect on. The two wear the same shirt, train hard on the streets of the Alto Milanese area and, while pushing on the pedals, talk about a possible union in the name of sport.
Artem and Maksym: their stories
The two young people have different origins and cultures: Artem is originally from Donetsk, he lived the first years of his life in the midst of the bloody conflict between the Ukrainian government and the separatist regions. Having fled with his family to Russia, he then found refuge in Italy where he was welcomed by his Italian adoptive father. For him, cycling has become the way to discover the new country and to share a passion with his new family. Maksym trains alongside him, born and raised in western Ukraine, a territory affected by the Russian-Ukrainian conflict which devastated his homeland. Maksym was welcomed in Italy by his paternal grandmother and here he was able to experience the passion for cycling passed on to him by his grandfather.
It’s a thrill to see them run
Watching Maksym and Artem run together, under the sporting direction of Walter Jordan, is an emotion that goes beyond sporting results: it is cherishing the idea that sport can, and must, be the place where you can compete, but not fight. In the name of sport, the two boys were able to form a sincere friendship that was able to transcend cultural barriers and national borders, pedaling together towards the only desirable path, that of peace.
“This is the beauty of cycling that united these two boys and the rest of their teammates in one team, showing all of us that in the heart of sport there is always room for understanding and brotherhood – commented the vice president Gianni Dolce – Us Legnanese 1913 is not just a cycling team, but a place where differences are transformed into strength and where passion for the pedal is the universal language that everyone understands”.
