A pensioner from the Poltava region collects funds for the army by cycling

A pensioner from Poltava region pedaled his old “Ukraine” for more than 1,000 kilometers to raise funds for defenders at the front. This is his fourth charity bike ride since the start of the full-scale war.

How the man decided to do such an unusual way of volunteering, where he managed to visit and how many donations he collected – he told “UP. Life”.

“The bicycle has been my assistant since childhood”

65-year-old Oleksandr Kanibolotskyi from Opishna, Poltava region, started his volunteer journey even before the full-scale invasion – in 2019. Then he collected parcels to the front for the soldiers of the battalion named after Sheikh Mansur.

The man met the beginning of the great war at home. Like most Ukrainians, Oleksandr Mykolayovych was shocked and very worried about his family.

The man, who at that time was already 62 years old, even wanted to join the army.

“Then I called the friendly battalion. They explained that my physical training might not be enough to take 20 kilograms on my back and run with them for at least 5 kilometers. Then I understood everything and decided to do what I can.” – recalls Oleksandr Mykolayovych.

The pensioner decided to volunteer. However, he chose a rather atypical format for this – bicycle races.

“At that time, I was looking for a way to help the soldiers. You can’t allocate much money from a small pension, and I didn’t want to ask entrepreneurs for it.

A bicycle has been my helper since childhood. That is why the idea arose to draw attention to itself with a bicycle race in order to support the Armed Forces. After all, I could not calmly look at how difficult it is at the front.” – says Oleksandr Kanibolotskyi.

Father’s bicycle “Ukraine”, which is already about 40 years old, became a faithful companion of the husband.

Four bike races in 2 years of full-scale war

Since 2022, Oleksandr Mykolayovych has completed four cycling races.

The first is the shortest. In 5 days, the man drove 500 kilometers from Opishna to Baturyn. The second and third are about 900 kilometers long.

“After the terrible events of 2022, I decided to go to Buchi. The route ran through Lubny, Pyryatyn and Boryspil, and returned through Pryluky and Romny.

The third cycling race was again to Buchi. But this time the route ran through Kaniv, Romny, Konotop, Sumy and Okhtyrka.” – says the pensioner.

It was during the third bicycle race that Oleksandr Mykolayovych collected a record amount for himself – 1.6 million hryvnias. He says that everything was possible thanks to publicity in the mass media and social networks.

“With the collected funds, I bought 3 RBs, 2 night vision devices, 20 FPV drones, a Mavic quadcopter. Together with volunteers, I took all this to the front – in the Kharkiv and Donetsk directions.

There he talked with the defenders and realized how important and necessary our help is. Therefore, I decided not to wait for spring, but to do another bike ride. There are many needs, it is impossible to delay. REBs are needed now to save the lives of boys and girls at the front.” – emphasizes Oleksandr Mykolayovych.

Oleksandr Mykolayovych is on the way

Oleksandr Kanibolotskyi/Facebook

The fourth cycle run was the longest – from Opishna and all the way to Uzhhorod. It started in the evening of August 24 – on the Independence Day of Ukraine. During it, the pensioner traveled through Pyryatyn, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Yaremche.

“This route was the longest and most difficult physically. I covered 1,200 kilometers under the scorching sun. In Yaremche, my old bicycle could not withstand the mountain roads and broke down. I had to return home and fix the bicycle.

Encouraged by my friends, I set out for a second attempt on my birthday – September 6. Having reached Yaremche by train, I went from there by bicycle to Uzhgorod.” – says Oleksandr Kanibolotskyi.

During his cycling trips, the man spent most of the day on the road, covering about 100 kilometers per day. He was met by volunteers and journalists in almost every city.

“I had to spend the night in different places. Sometimes shelter was given by volunteers or just good people, sometimes I spent the night in hotels. People often support me. For example, at the entrance to Ivano-Frankivsk, a military man helped overcome a long ascent.” Oleksandr Mykolayovych shares.

It was not without funny situations. One of them happened at a checkpoint in Kyiv.

“At first, the police forced me to open all my bags, put out my compactly packed things. And then one of the policemen recognized me – and then a photo shoot with me began. They even gave me a chevron.” – recalls the pensioner.

During the third bicycle race, the pensioner collected 1.6 million hryvnias

Oleksandr Kanibolotskyi/Facebook

Results of the fourth cycling race

The fourth cycle race turned out to be very difficult for Oleksandr Kanibolotskyi. He seriously undermined his health – road snacks became a sign. Now the man is awaiting treatment.

“From Uzhgorod, I drove dozens of kilometers in the pouring rain, then I had to travel by train. I did everything in my power to collect funds.

Along the way I met many nice people who have now become my friends. My family also supported me, which is very important.” – notes Oleksandr Mykolayovych.

Unfortunately, during the extreme bicycle race, the man did not manage to collect the dream sum – a million hryvnias. Therefore, he decided to extend the collection until the end of September.

So far, Oleksandr Kanibolotsky, with the help of volunteer Ilona Kislova-Chernyavska, has collected almost 540,000 hryvnias. You can donate to him at monobank.

Alyona Pavlyuk, “Ukrainian truth. Life”