That Equipo Kern Pharma is, since its establishment, decidedly Spanish-oriented is beyond doubt. The team of Juan José Oroz, which became a fully professional outfit in 2021, has always had rosters composed almost exclusively of Iberian riders where riders from other nations have only rarely managed to find space.

The latest, in chronological order, was this year the young Taiwanese Yen Yi Ho who, making his official professional debut a few months ago, became the first Asian rider in the history of the Navarrese team since it assumed ProTeam status and the second overall after his compatriot Sergio Tu, admired in the white and green colors in 2020 when the team was still listed among the Continental teams.

The presence of an Asian rider in the ranks of Equipo Kern Pharma, therefore, is not something usual but, on the contrary, absolutely peculiar, which is why, meeting the twenty-four-year-old from Yilan City at the Tour of Turkey, we felt compelled to approach him to get to know him better and understand how these first months among the cycling elite are going for him.

"I started cycling when I was about 14 years old. In Taiwan it's quite normal to start at that age. Thanks to Giant's Grassroots Program, I joined Equipo Finisher, Kern Pharma's youth team, and stayed there for three years. This is my first season as a professional and it's a big challenge for me. Impressions? It's tough, there have been risks so far, but I like it" confessed the national time trial vice-champion before telling us more about his qualities.

"I would say I'm a climber...or at least, in Asia I am because I go quite well uphill, but in Europe it's different: here with my current level I can only put myself at the service of the team supporting my teammates" Ho stated with a realistic and genuine manner, a rider now accustomed to shuttling between Spain and his home.

"At the beginning of the season I usually spend two months in Spain, then I return to Taiwan to participate in the Tour of Taiwan and stay there for about a month and a half before heading back to Europe. Overall, in the course of a year, I think I spend about four or five months in Spain in total".

Despite this, Ho's Spanish, however, as he himself admitted with great honesty, is still far from perfect and, at this stage, he and the team are still resorting to the only viable solution in such cases: English.

"When my teammates and staff communicate with me, they do so basically in English because my Spanish...is terrible. I know it very little" confirmed the compact 2001-born rider who, between stays in Europe and races around the world, doesn't spend much time at home and this is an aspect (absolutely known to those who tread professional stages) that remains the most complicated for him to deal with.

"Being away from home without your family, your friends and your loved ones I think is the hardest part of this job. My parents and my girlfriend, however, support me very much and having this kind of support for me who spends very little time in Taiwan is very important" Ho admitted, a rider for whom the passion for cycling is born and resides in the "pleasure of pedaling, enjoying every pedal stroke".

"It's the most important thing and the same goes for races: 90% of them for me are very hard, but you have to enjoy them".

With this mentality, it certainly becomes easier to accept certain sacrifices and sustain the hard work in favor of his teammates required by his team, a path that Ho, who indicates van der Poel rather than Pogacar as his idol ("He's too strong. He's...like a god"), has likely already understood can lead him to realize what are the dreams of his career.

"Participating in the Olympics and taking part in a Grand Tour" Ho said without hesitation, and speaking of major stage races, he could have already given some thought to the next Vuelta España if it weren't for the fact that the timing to undertake such an effort is far from being mature.

"The 2026 Vuelta? I don't think it concerns me because I think it's too soon for me. Maybe in a few years when I'm ready" Ho concluded on the matter, showing great awareness and desire not to rush things in order to try to take, at his own pace and with proper maturation, what his legs and his heart as an ambitious cyclist have already begun to aspire to.