Yaroslav Popovich made an emotional appeal for aid to Ukraine and suggested that he might return to his homeland to fight Russian aggression. [Popovic was born in Dolokhovich in western Ukraine. He moved to Italy as a young man and became an amateur world champion in 2001. He then finished third in the 2003 Giro d'Italia and eighth in the 2007 Tour de France, and became a trusted directeur sportif for Trek-Segafredo.

He was with the U.S. team in the UAE Tour when Russia invaded Ukraine. He hardly sleeps to help his family and friends from afar, and now helps send vital supplies to Ukraine from his home in Italy.

Fighting back tears in an Instagram video, Popovich called on people to find ways to help wherever they live in the world.

"Our soldiers are protecting not only Ukraine, but also Europe," Popovich wrote with an emotional video, repeating the words of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who had called for support from NATO countries.

Speaking to L'Equipe from his UAE tour, Popovich said he was even ready to return to Ukraine to defend his homeland.

"All I am thinking about is going to my country and taking up arms. In 2014 when I was still a rider (at the time of the annexation of Crimea by Russia, ed.) I was very lost. I told my wife on Friday night and she was very upset. But I feel it inside me. Yes, of course I am scared. But in 2014 people were exposed to bombs every day. Today I don't want to hide anymore."

Popovic explained in an Instagram video that a Polish bike owner he met at the Tour de Pologne eight years ago reached out to him and helped some friends travel from Poland to Italy.

"It's an example of one person helping another with the click of a finger," Popovic said.

"In my life I have not always asked for help. I help a lot, but I don't ask for help. But now I'm going to make a list of what we need for the people of Ukraine. If you could help us, that would be really great.

"I have already arranged a lot of things with my wife and friends in Italy. We need food, clothing, medical supplies. If you can help, I will send them from Florence and in the next few days.

"If you want to help the Ukrainian people, especially the Ukrainian children, try to find someone on the Internet in your country who can help."

Popovich concluded the moving video with the Ukrainian national salute "Slava Ukraine - Glory to Ukraine."

Andrei Timir called his former rival Johan Museu on Sunday to explain that he had gone to Romania with his young wife and one-year-old child, but had returned to the Moldovan capital of Kisinau to defend his eponymous bicycle business and country.

Timir was born in the Soviet Union and holds Russian, Moldovan, and Ukrainian citizenship. A naturalized Belgian, he won the Paris-Roubaix in 1994, Milan-San Remo in 1999, and the Tour de Flanders in 2000. For several years he was manager of the Katusha team, but returned to Moldova to run a growing bicycle factory.

"'We used to fight many wars on bicycles,' Andre told me, 'but now we are in the middle of a war. I live in a border region 100 kilometers from where the fighting is going on,' Museeuw said."

"He [Cimir] sent me to Romania to protect his wife and one-year-old son, but he said he intends to stay there. 'I am going to fight. 'I'm going to protect them,' he said."

"Johann, I wanted to talk to you again. I don't know if it's tomorrow or the day after. I hope so. "

Museeuw was moved by Chimil's message and said: 'Andrei, thank you for calling me.

On Monday, Chimir explained to "Het Laatste Nieuws" that he would fight to keep the bike factory going even if there were no more orders.

"We don't sell bikes anymore. We have no contracts and no future. We don't want to let anyone down, so we keep hiring employees. We hope nothing happens to us. We are a drifting ship. We try to steer it, but we can't."

Timir understands that his situation is very precarious. He could have fled to Belgium, but now he is determined to stay. [Chisinau is 185 kilometers from Odessa. It is 75 kilometers away from Transnistria, where Ukraine's important military airport is located. On Monday the Russian army is coming. The situation is very complicated. The border is close. [Almost everything that happened in Ukraine is happening here, in Moldova. Moldova is incapable of war. We do not have an army. Moldova is a neutral country. Someone might decide to take Transnistria, which is three-quarters of an hour from here."

"Many people have called me. I heard about Johan Museeuw and Peter van Petegem. I asked them, 'Where do I go? I'm going to Belgium with a Belgian passport. But for now I will stay here