The Athlete of the Year Gala: After Valter's success, the Giro start in Budapest is a fabulous event – Stephen Roche

Welcome back to Hungary! Can we say that this is slowly becoming your third home after Ireland and France?
In fact, it's more like two and a halfth – said Stephen Roche, guest of honor at the M4 Sport – The Athlete of the Year Gala, in an interview with Nemzeti Sport, who, through his Hungarian wife, is connected to Hungary. – I jokingly say that I am thirty percent French, thirty percent Hungarian, but one hundred percent Irish. It's been four years since we started having a home at Lake Balaton, so I'm getting to know the country, the people, and the countryside. I still have problems with the language, but since a lot of people speak English, I feel really good here.

How did you meet your wife?
Through cycling. She worked for a bike club that organized several charity events – we met at one of those. We've known each other for 10-15 years, and we've been married for three years. It was the passion for cycling that brought us together.

Do you ride a bike these days, too?
Yes, I like it very much. Without it, I'm tense; it keeps me balanced, it's always helped me relieve stress. It's the best therapy for all my problems. When I finished my career, for a while, I thought it was pointless to dress up for just a one-hour ride. But after a few months, I really started to miss it, and I've been cycling regularly ever since. It can take one to three hours, but I usually do 60 to 100 kilometers. I enjoy that what I did for work for 15 years is 100% my hobby now.

Do you have a favorite route in Hungary?
One of my favorites is Balatonfüred Promenade, which is also internationally. The other is the Siófok-Alsóörs road, after which I return to Siófok by ferry. The whole Balaton Circle is attractive, but I haven't completed it yet. I often cycle all the way to Tihany, but I'm always seduced by the ferry. Due to the pandemic, I have spent fifty percent of my time in France in the last two years, forty in Hungary, and ten in Ireland. But now I'm looking forward to exploring more roads here.

You've got a dazzling professional career behind you. What was your secret?
One of them is my genes – I thank my parents again! My upbringing was important, but one of the most important things was my inner motivation. I've always said I'm not trying to do my best; I want to win. I also tell my son not to be afraid to say that he's going to compete to win. When I won, I felt like I reaped the fruits of the invested work. A lot of people celebrate spectacularly on the podium, but I was like, I win, I've worked for it, so shall the next race come! I never celebrated a win because I immediately focused on the next task. But I could be so successful because I really enjoyed what I did. I never thought of it as a job.

Thirty-five years ago, in 1987, you had a dazzling season: you won the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia, and the World Championship. How do you remember that year?
If we started talking about that year now, we'd be sitting here until tomorrow morning. When I won the Tour, Ireland was still pretty poor and had a lot of problems, but the day after my victory, I had to turn eight pages in the newspaper until the first negative news. It's my favorite memory. The first seven pages were all about me and my victory, and that added to the sense of achievement because people finally saw sport on the front page. The murders and the bombings have been overshadowed. This meant the greatest personal satisfaction because what I achieved in cycling caused happiness for the Irish, who were struggling a lot at the time.

Is it possible that we Hungarians can celebrate such a successful cyclist one day?
Attila Valter is a very good cyclist, and there are other talented riders beside him. Béla Bátorfi's team has elevated Attila to his current level, which shows that, with a little better infrastructure, the top can be reached. Unfortunately, athletes will eventually have to go to France, Italy, or Belgium to achieve their dreams. Talent is clearly there in Hungarians, but the infrastructure is lacking right now.

The Giro d'Italia, which starts from Budapest, can be an important milestone in development.
It is a real fairy tale that Attila performed so well at the Giro last year, and now the tournament starts from here. Without it, there might have been people who would have asked why the start is here. But the whole country saw Attila wearing the maglia rosa, and this big event is coming to them now. People have got to know the Giro much better, and after the huge hype surrounding the start, they will understand even more how Attila's performance was a big achievement last year. The wanting to win is encoded in the DNA of Hungarians, so they have to make the best of cycling as well.

You will be the guest of honor at Thursday's gala, where Blanka Kata Vas has a chance to win in the Women's category.
It's amazing what successes she's already achieved at such a young age! She had to make a lot of sacrifices to follow her dreams, which is why I'm glad she made the top three. These awards are also great because they encourage young people to watch the gala on TV. In addition, it promotes the local development of the infrastructure of a given sport. So, it's not just a spectacular show, it has a much bigger purpose.

Translated by Vanda Orosz