In 2004, Yaroslav was one of the leaders of the Landbouwkrediet-Colnago team, but the following season Popovych was invited to Discovery Channel, where the American rider Lance Armstrong shone. The Ukrainian more than delivered on the advance given – the very next season he became the main discovery of the main cycling stage race – the Tour de France. The debutant of the "Grand Boucle" not only helped Armstrong to win the race for the seventh consecutive time, but was also recognized as the best young rider. The start of his career in the new team could not have been better.
And already in this season, experts predicted the role of leader of Discovery Channel for Popovych, because the Great Armstrong announced his retirement. However, the team management was in no hurry to determine who would become the main rider in Discovery, letting things take their course. "At a meeting before the start of the Tour de France, our bosses decided to bet on the cyclist who would show the best time on the first mountain stages," the Ukrainian later recounted. "On the flat, my teammates George Hincapie and Paolo Savoldelli were among the leaders, but we lost already the first mountain stages, and it immediately became clear that high places in the overall standings could be forgotten. So the further strategy underwent changes. The management set a clear goal for us – to think about winning individual stages."
Yaroslav successfully accomplished the task, although this victory did not allow the Ukrainian cyclist to rise above 25th place in the final ranking. Popovych was dissatisfied with himself, as he had planned to take a place from fifth to eighth – it did not work out. The result was affected by miscalculations in team preparation and the lack of a clear plan of action. But the managers had a different opinion. "Immediately after the finish of the Tour de France, still in Paris, the sponsors met with us and said that nothing terrible had happened. They said we need to know how to lose. And now for the whole team the main thing is to draw the right conclusions from the defeat, and then it will be easier to take revenge next year," says Yaroslav.
In 2006, Popovych did not shine in the world championship either, and the reason was completely different – Yaroslav did not recover in time after a common cold. "Before the world championship, I took part in the Tour of Poland stage race. During the last two races, it rained incessantly, and the air temperature dropped to +4. Apparently, I caught a cold there. And although before the start in Madrid my temperature went down, I couldn't be called healthy either. I think in a different situation I would have ridden faster. Although, I admit, the podium was not in the cards for me."
This cold might not have happened, because Yaroslav’s participation in the race was decided up until the very last moment – Popovych was recovering from a left leg ligament sprain. So there was no need to expect good results at the end of the season, but next season they will demand victories.
We very much hope that the care of a loved one will help him win – last year Popovych got married. His chosen one was an Italian with French roots, Cindy Maria Barone. The choice of a representative of this country was not accidental – the Ukrainian has been living and training in Italy for seven years. But he found his destiny not on the Apennine Peninsula, but on the island of New Caledonia, where Yaroslav participated in cycling competitions and his chosen one in triathlon.
On August 9, 2005, Yaroslav and Cindy registered their marriage in Florence, but did not throw a grand celebration – due to visa delays, none of the groom's relatives could come to Italy, and moreover, they decided to hold the wedding ceremony – the main rite at an Italian wedding – in Ukraine. The whole ceremony was limited to a small party attended by Cindy's parents and close friends of the young family.
Yaroslav's mother, Maria Popovych, although not at the wedding, gave her blessing to the children. "This is part of our Galician traditions – it is necessary to ask for blessing from parents before the wedding," said Maria Petrovna. "And Yaroslav brought Cindy for a meeting in December 2004."
The Italian woman was amazed by Ukraine – she visited a small apartment in Drohobych where Yaroslav's parents and his younger brother and sister live, met the older sister and her family, saw the city's sights, and, of course, together with her future mother-in-law, tried to cook. "Cindy wanted to learn how to make varenyky," recalls Maria Petrovna. "Yaroslav knows how to cook them, and I was very surprised when I saw that he hadn't forgotten how to do it! As a child, my son always helped me in the kitchen and already then learned a thing or two. Cindy asked why he doesn't make varenyky at home in Italy, since they are so tasty!"
Yaroslav, however, recalls something else: "I think she was prepared to meet callous, closed people. But it turned out the opposite: people in Ukraine are very kind. She also liked our Ukrainian churches."
There were no problems with communication between future relatives: Yaroslav taught her a few words in Ukrainian. Cindy especially liked the dialect word "fayno". Cindy carefully listened to Ukrainian speech, but she hasn't mastered the language yet, but she knows English and French, since her mother is French and her father is Italian. "Sometimes I take a dictionary and look for the right word, often Yaroslav helps," shared Maria Popovych. "But I don't translate the names of dishes that my daughter-in-law liked. For Christmas, we bake pampushky with jam (they can also be called donuts), then make sweet plyatsky – cakes, bake nut-shaped pastries from shortcrust dough with boiled condensed milk inside. Cindy liked all of that, she asked to teach her how to cook and copied down some recipes. She was delighted with pickled cucumbers, even took several jars with her."
Now the couple lives near Florence in the town of Poggio a Caiano. Yaroslav spends most of his time on competitions and training, while 20-year-old Cindy is studying to become a teacher of French language and literature. In the future, she would like to work with preschool children.
“For an athlete, it is very important to have a person nearby who understands you, who waits. Cindy understands that after 6-7 hours of training I come home exhausted and just want to rest,” admits Yaroslav and notes that “being the wife of an athlete who is always at competitions is not easy.” And so that Cindy would not be sad when Yaroslav is not home, the Popovychs got a dog.
On August 12, at the Church of the Holy Trinity, Yaroslav and Cindy were married, becoming spouses before God. The only thing required from the Italian bride was a certificate that she was baptized. Yaroslav is not a fan of lavish weddings and crowds, so the party after the wedding was quite modest – at the Truskavets ethno-restaurant “Yo-ma-yo” of the five-star sanatorium “Rixus-Prykarpattya.” Only the closest people were present at the celebration.
Twenty foreign guests came to Drohobych, whom the hospitable hosts housed in the best hotel in neighboring Truskavets, and on the eve of the wedding, the parents of the bride and groom finally met each other. “We were afraid that the guests would not like Ukraine,” Yaroslav’s mother told journalists, “because Cindy-Maria’s parents live in Italy, and her father Riccardo Barone holds a high post as consul of New Caledonia. But all fears were in vain – the guests were amazed by the Carpathians; the only thing that shocked them was the condition of our roads.” The groom’s parents are in no hurry to make a return visit – it’s no joke, it takes at least 23 hours to get to New Caledonia, with a transfer in Tokyo, and the ticket prices are not small. “To get to Caledonia, you have to spend about 4,000 euros,” laments Maria. “We don’t live richly; all hope is only on Yaroslav – he is now the main breadwinner in our family. Maybe someday we will get to Caledonia. Although a trip to Italy would suit me fine. It’s a pity that we couldn’t attend our son’s wedding.”
Well, while the cyclists are in the off-season, Yaroslav and Cindy are planning to have a child. “Even now I say that I will not let my son into cycling,” says Yaroslav, “because it is very hard. Although, of course, if he really wants it, then, of course, I will relent, I won’t forbid him.”
Yaroslav is not often in Ukraine. Despite the successes of our cyclists, there is no interest in this sport from either the state or sponsors. “In Ukraine, cycling is completely ignored,” Popovych says in all interviews. “But wealthy people could have excellent advertising. This is a huge market. In Ukraine, they still don’t understand that.” Nevertheless, he still does not intend to change his citizenship.