The art of making do beyond the Iron Curtain? When a strong passion for cycling was at stake, Hristo Zaykov resorted to a clever trick: "a bike was something for wealthier people, I remember my neighbors across the street had one. And I would trade a 5-minute ride for a handful of plums picked from the courtyard tree".

That six or seven-year-old boy didn't yet know that two wheels would play such a dominant role in his life, as recounted to L'Equipe by Zaykov, a former talented cyclist and then sports director, discovered by the French colleagues not by chance, on the seafront of Burgas.

Yes, because the former sports director of Delko has been living in France with dual nationality for the past thirty years, having arrived in Martigues, in the south of the country, where he directs the N3 team of the town at the gates of the Camargue. Would Zaykov miss the appointment with the Giro's departure from his native town? "It warms my heart" - explains the man in question, recalling how Bulgaria was a powerhouse of amateur cycling, he who was a stage winner at the Peace Race and three-time national champion.

Those were formidable years, somewhat less memorable was the disqualification of Ivailo Gabrovski, the only Bulgarian to have ventured into professional cycling. Returning to Hristo, to correspondent Julien Chesnais he recalled the bike with the coaster brake that he used as a junior rider, a Universal brand model, while as a youth he raced on the Soviet Start Chosse.

Inspired by the myth of Hinault, he proudly claims the sticker of the "Badger" glued in his locker and remembers waking up early to go to the newsstand to buy specialized magazines Start and Sport Popolare. Then a bitter realization: "back then there was great organization of sports activities, we were almost on par with professionals in that regard, with a coach for each category. To give you an idea: I had a ministerial salary but I only devoted myself to cycling, often meeting Polish and Soviet cyclists here in Burgas too, during gatherings organized to take advantage of the microclimate on the Black Sea coast".

Zaykov's victory in a stage of the Peace Race came in the year when Soukhoroutchenkov won the general classification for the second time, it was 1984. Tastes of the West, thanks to races, also highlighted Bulgaria's most renowned cyclist in the eyes of European teams. "After the Regioni, an Italian team wanted me, unfortunately we were told we had to prepare for the Games, but there was a boycott and we stayed home".

His arrival in France came five years later, in February 1990 in Dijon: "when the regime collapsed, the State withdrew from cycling, many clubs dissolved and the Burgas velodrome no longer even exists, replaced by apartment buildings". A reason that pushes the now 64-year-old sports director to be cautious about any soothing effect produced by the pink race: "the Giro will stir up dust but it is destined to settle three weeks later".