“Lithuanian team at the Tour de France? In 10 years, or even less, anything is possible,” smiled Ignatas Konovalovas, a three-time Olympic Games participant. The multiple-time Lithuanian champion and Giro d’Italia stage winner, who retired last year, does not hide his ambitions to take Lithuanian cycling to unexplored horizons. Having become the executive director of the Energus cycling team in October, Konovalovas has already assembled the core team that will participate in international competitions in 2026 and has outlined the schedule for key races.

The team has signed contracts with talented cyclists from the Baltic states, including Latvian Martins Pluto and Estonian Raitas Armas, who have significant experience in professional teams. Polish Marcel Pera, Ukrainian brothers Heorhiy and Pavlo Antonenko, and young Lithuanians Arnas Bilertas and Ignas Kertenis will also represent the Energus team. Contracts have also been extended with Lithuanian cyclists Rokas Kmieliauskas, Dovydas Bružas, Aironas Gerdauskas, Nikolas Klimavičius, Oleg Ivanov, and Latvians Olivers Skrapcis and Karlis Klismets.

“Starting from this team, we have a real opportunity to talk about a breakthrough, to do what has never been done in Lithuanian history. In the long run, we aim to create the strongest men’s cycling team in history, the largest in our region, providing our regional athletes an opportunity to be visible,” Konovalovas shares about the bright future of the team.

Cycling Talents in the Team

“We were looking for an experienced individual to contend for victories in UC 2.2 category races, which is why we worked hard to sign Raitas Armas. He has impressive achievements, having won the overall standings and individual stages of the Baltic Chain Tour. I see him as the cyclist who can bring results, help secure invitations to certain races, and assist young athletes in their development,” Konovalovas described the Estonian.

Another team leader is expected to be Latvian M. Pluto, who resides in the Netherlands. According to Energus’ executive director, Pluto should be the team leader in challenging conditions.

“I expect a lot from Martinš, not only in terms of results. He raced for a Dutch team and has extensive experience in competitions that take place under difficult conditions, where wind, turns, and positioning are crucial. He is serious about off-road racing and performed strongly at the world championships. Off-road competitions will be one of our secondary goals,” Konovalovas stated.

Goal – the Strongest in the Northern Region

With the addition of newcomers, the team currently includes seven foreign cyclists. This decision stems from the desire to become not only the strongest team in the Baltic States but also among the strongest in the entire Northern region.

“I joined the team only this year, but I immediately had a bigger vision of what we needed to do to strengthen the team, establish a prominent name, and be more easily invited to larger races. Since we have set truly ambitious goals as an organization, we had to start looking into other countries. We need experienced athletes who contribute significantly to their improvement and are committed to this activity – unfortunately, we currently lack such capable athletes in Lithuania,” Konovalovas explained.

Throughout his career, the cyclist from Panevėžys has participated in all the most prestigious races: Tour de France, Vuelta a Espana, and Giro d’Italia, where he even won a stage in 2009. Konovalovas identifies the absence of Lithuanian talent in road cycling competitions as a problem tied to the country’s sports system.

“Only two Lithuanians among the newcomers is a sign of a gap in our cycling sport – something is missing. With the Energus team and the Talent Academy established in Vilnius this year, we aim for the youth to have significantly greater prospects. Team newcomers Ignas and Arnas are our promising young athletes, and I believe they are eager to work together. With collective efforts, we can achieve significant results,” Konovalovas asserted.

Ambitious Schedule

The Energus cycling team will kick off the season with multi-day races in Croatia in early March. The team’s executive director hopes that later, Energus cyclists will compete in Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and even China.

“We are working with several race organizers and have not received confirmations from all. We want to participate in all major possible higher-level competitions, challenging ourselves in 1.1 and possibly even 2.1 category races in Europe. We would very much like to take part in the biggest possible races in China in the second half of the season, where the athletes would spend practically a month, but this will depend on negotiations with sponsors,” explained the Energus cycling team leader.

Currently, the team’s sports director is Martynas Maniušis, and communications and marketing are overseen by communications strategist Gabija Vaičeliūnaitė.

I. Konovalovas is pleased to note that many of his former teammates, including Evaldas Šiškevičius, Ramūnas Navardauskas, and Tomas Vaitkus, are enthusiastically contributing to the project.

“It’s great to see people joining our initiative. This is a real opportunity to be part of a breakthrough,” says Konovalovas.