Artem Nych, a Russian who fled the war and revolutionized the Tour of Portugal

Artem Nych, the Russian “giant” who fled the war with a backpack on his back, found refuge in Portugal and “responded” to the “reception” with a triumph in the “Tour of Portugal” on a bicycle.

The 29-year-old Russian has made a real revolution in the general classification of the “queen” race of the national cycling calendar in recent days, knowing how to wait for an opportunity after losing time in the first stage, he took advantage of the refusal of the leader of “Sabgal-Anicolor”, Uruguayan Mauricio Moreira, and confidently shot, winning the final “chrono”, after already raising his hands on the sixth shot in Boticas.

This year he has already “threatened” such a result, finishing second in the O Jogo Grand Prix, followed by victories in the Beiras, Serra da Estrela and Abimota Grand Prix – he added podiums wherever he went, including in the Joaquim Agostinho Trophy, showing all his composure, his ability to attack the front, and his reading of the race – in this Tour he was almost four minutes away from yellow, but he knew how to wait, he knew how to win in Boticas, shine in Senhora da Graça and confirm the triumph by defending in the chrono.

In 2023, when he was hired, he came, he saw and he conquered. In his first season in the national peloton – much like what happened to Mauricio Moreira – he performed at the highest level, winning the Grand Prix of Beiras and Serra da Estrela, scoring twice in 2024, and finishing second in the Joaquim Trophy Agostinho, as well as finishing in the top 10 in most of the events he entered.

The 2021 Russian Long Distance Champion, Nych was “rescued” by Glassdrive-Q8-Anicolor from the unemployment he was doomed to after the disappearance of Gazprom-RusVelo due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and showed that he lived up to the trust placed in him in his first participation in the Volta, although he showed signs of weakness in the mountains, namely in Senhora da Graça, where he was “towed” by Frederico Figueiredo and ended up in fourth place.

The partnership was repeated again this year, on the ninth stage that ended atop Senhora da Graça, this time with a much more fruitful result, days after the team considered the Tour lost when “Mauri” left the team due to physical problems.

To get here, the 1.95-metre-tall “giant” fled from Russia with a backpack on his back, with a wide smile, on a journey that stopped in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Italy and finally Santa Maria da Feira, the city where he lives, like Moreira.

Having severed ties with his father, a supporter of Vladimir Putin and a defender of the war he expected his son to fight, Nych learned Portuguese in record time and is now able to express himself, albeit with some limitations. Don’t expect detailed statements or deep analysis, just the necessary vocabulary.

A native of Siberia, or more precisely from the city of Kemerovo, where he was born on March 21, 1995, he completed his entire professional career in Russian teams, starting with Russian Helicopters (2014), and then moving to Gazprom-RusVelo.

“If I told you Artem’s story, he would be the cyclist of the Portuguese people. He took a backpack, with nothing, and came to me with a signed contract. We’ve really been through a lot,” sporting director Ruben Pereira told reporters after the “brilharete” in Senhora da Graça.

Having said that winning the Tour was virtually impossible, he dealt with the Russian’s efforts, made Frederico Figueiredo work again, especially on the decisive ninth stage, and Nykh brought back the triumph that had “escaped” in 2023.

“I’m very happy to have done this with Artem, who means a lot to me. It was like he was my third child,” said Pereira, who is visibly emotional when talking about the Kemerovo man being integrated into the team despite his small Portuguese.

It was in the national team – the number of foreigners who made it can be counted on one hand – that Nych achieved his best results, starting with the title of Russian champion in the under-23 distance in 2015, when he made his racing debut in Portugal during the Volta ao Algarve.

Having twice finished 12th in the Tour de France before Futuro, in 2016 and 2017 (during which time he finished second in the country’s elite race) he has placed in the top 10 of races across Europe, but has seen his career also be hampered by Gazprom-Rusvelo’s limited schedule.

Cyclically called up to the Russian national team, he represented his country at the European Games and also at the European Championships, but he never managed to make the leap across borders, as his best results were recorded at national championships: in addition to the 2021 title, even the following year he took second place in the long distance and won a bronze medal in the chrono in 2019.

The disappearance of Gazprom-Rusvelo left him helpless, like many of his former colleagues, until Ruben Pereira discovered him and offered him a contract – and a life – in Portugal.

Cold on the road, Nykh is friendly, impressive in the politeness and goodwill with which he tries to understand what people are saying to him, showing the same persistence that today helped him win the 85th Tour of Portugal.