This is not a case of mistaken identity. Henrique Avancini is indeed the one, "first year" professional on the road at 36, after being a mountain bike legend. Number 136 in Kigali and the sole representative of the green-and-gold cyclists, the current rider for the Slovenian Continental Factor Racing team is well-known in the cycling world for his brilliance in Cross Country World Cup and beyond.

Avancini (or more precisely Herinque da Silva Avancini) has also excelled in marathons with remarkable results, winning the world championship in 2023, the year of his retirement. Just one sabbatical season and then the Brazilian native of Petropolis signed a contract as a road cyclist with a team ready to leverage his experience for the benefit of the team's young riders. Avancini doesn't hide his ambition to find his full dimension as a road cyclist, after participating in the World Championship in Rwanda: "Mainly, I wanted to test myself, and I did it and I'm proud. I've always wanted to race among the Elite, I performed well considering the unequal competition, and I, with just 25 days of racing this season, mainly focused on the Slovenian calendar. After all, I rode a world championship road race back in 2007 when Ulissi won".

Avancini watches Pogacar's stratospheric solo performance from the boxes and responds with a smile to our questions. His selector Antonio Carlos Ferreira Silvestre concludes: "Henrique deserves only applause, he didn't finish the race but still covered 160 km. His example will certainly inspire our young riders and the Brazilian national road cycling team present here in Rwanda with four riders. You know, Avancini is proof of how we are at the top in disciplines like MTB, even hosting a double Cross Country World Cup event. And instead, for road cyclists and youth categories, we need to make the calendar more extensive".