I was born on August 22, 2007. The clinic where I entered this world is not far from Horváth Mihály Square. Although it wasn’t named after me, I hope that one day the locals will take pride in my achievements.

2020 was the year of Covid. I had a 24-inch Decathlon bike that I used to ride to school, but by then I had outgrown it. Just days before the pandemic hit, my parents asked me what kind of bike I’d like to get next – a mountain bike or a road bike. For some reason, I said road bike.

My dad took me to Decathlon to try one out. He wanted me to make sure it felt right because it would be a completely different experience from what I was used to. I gave it a spin, and I liked it. I remember they didn’t have one in my size, so we had to order it. It arrived just before everything shut down, and in March, I got my very first racing bike: a Triban RC 120 with clip-in pedals, straight from Decathlon.

I tested it out and loved it. Then, from March to June, I didn’t touch it again.

In our family, my dad was The Cyclist. Every year, he’d do the Ring 24 at the Hungaroring, a 24 hour road bike race with his friends and ride around Lake Balaton in one day at least once, if not more.

Then, in June that year, I suddenly told him that when he did his annual Balaton loop that summer, I wanted to join him. He agreed but told me that I’d need to train for it.

From that day, I started training regularly. At first, my dad told me what to do, but later – well, we’ll get to that part later.

On August 13, 2020, for the very first time in my life, I cycled around Lake Balaton in one go. Riding a Decathlon road bike with clip-in pedals, I covered 206 kilometers in the saddle — and I wasn’t even 13 years old yet.

My legs held up just fine, but my neck and wrists took more of a beating than I had anticipated. When we got home, I wasn’t sure which was stronger in me: the exhaustion or the commitment. My dad called and invited me to join him and his friends on a 147-kilometer ride along the same route on August 20, but that night, I wasn’t certain if I was up for it.

Then, as it turned out — luckily — by the time the big day arrived, I was ready to go with them. And that’s where I met Lalibá. (Lalibá is the nickname of my Dad’s friend, Lajos, and now he’s also my friend.) That’s where it all began.

Just one week after completing my first ride around Lake Balaton, I joined my dad and his friends for a 147-kilometer ride at the Lake. They usually raced together at events like Ring24 under the team name “Chemtrail Brothers.” It was during this ride that one of my dad’s friends, Lajos Kovács (BTS – Buruczki Training System), turned to me and asked: “With the passion you’re showing, and the way you’re attacking those climbs, have you thought about taking this more seriously? Both your dad and I think this sport could really be your thing.”

They were right. I said yes.

From that day, Lalibá coached me for over a year, purely out of friendship. I’ll never forget those times.

I wasn’t cycling with a real team yet, when Lalibá (Lajos Kovács – BTS, Buruczki Training System) convinced me to enter my first race. So, on October 18, 2020, I lined up at the start of the Mészkőember (“Limestone Man”) with my first-ever road bike, the Triban RC 120 with clipless pedals. Out of 13 riders, I finished 10th, but I pushed hard and was really proud of the result.

At that time, I was still too young for any coach to feel comfortable letting me ride on the open road. There wasn’t a road cycling team nearby that would take me on, and I wasn’t interested in mountain biking—road cycling was my only focus. I couldn’t wait for the day I could race as part of a team.

Lalibá had a keen sense for where my strengths lay, and he was right—the mountains were my true racing ground. We entered the Tour de Gyöngyös, and at the time, I was competing in the U15 category. To my great joy, I secured a spot on the podium, finishing second with a time of 55 minutes and 33 seconds.

The first podium finish is something you never forget!

My dad always told me that completing the Balaton loop was a nice trophy, but the Ring24—the 24-hour race at the Hungaroring—that was the real challenge. So, in 2021, I finally got the chance to race as part of a team, if only for a day, and we took on the challenge of the Ring24. We didn’t win anything, but I rode really well, and the experience of racing on the flawless asphalt of the Hungaroring, day and night, was unforgettable. Being part of a team, pushing for one another—that was something special.

2022 was a chaotic year for the world, but for me, it was an incredible one. I was finally racing on a team with a full-carbon bike, and the Giro d’Italia started in Hungary that year. Even more exciting, Valter Attila was in the peloton, the rider who wore the pink jersey for three days the year before. But what truly topped it all was that, thanks to the Alpecin-Fenix Team, I had the chance to be at the Giro start, explore the team bus from the inside, and they even took me to the finish area where I got to watch the race from the VIP zone.

Oh, and by the way, I was already using Alpecin to wash my hair—’cause I want to keep my hair!—and I still do, of course!

They gave us Alpecin T-shirts, and before handing them over, they asked, “Would you like to join the team?” Of course, I said yes!

Naturally, like every Hungarian, I was cheering for Atti. I had one more reason than most—Szilárd, my coach, used to be his coach back when they were at Csömör. But I knew Atti’s role that day wasn’t about winning the stage. However, another one of my big favorites, Mathieu van der Poel (for real!), won the stage that day. And I got to watch the finish from right next to the finish line, practically within arm’s reach of van der Poel, with the Alpecin-Fenix team!

I also met Jörg Ludewig there, who was a legend in the ’90s, having raced in both the Giro and the Tour. That was the first time I had been so close to a living legend. He spent the whole day with us, happily chatting with me. He liked that I was serious about cycling, and before the day ended, he gave me a package to open only when I got home.

Inside was a complete set of cycling gear—winter and summer kits, shorts, socks, arm and leg warmers, a cap, a neck gaiter, a headband, bottles—practically an entire pro rider’s kit in my size. And it wasn’t the kind you buy in stores; it was the exact kit the team wore.

If all of this wasn’t already enough for one incredible day, after the finish, I was given a jersey signed by the entire team—a limited edition one made specifically for that year’s Giro.

Even before all of this, I knew I wanted cycling to be my life. But on that day, it became clear: no matter how hard I had to work, I wasn’t going to stop until I made it to a big team.

I will never forget that day!

The Mapei Tour de Zalakaros holds a special place in my heart because it’s such a well-organized, safe, and vibrant race, run by people who truly love this sport. It’s always packed with strong competitors, and the challenging course makes every placing that much more valuable.

On September 25, 2022, during the Cézár race, I managed to break away with Marci Takács. Although we couldn’t catch Péter-Lichtenberger Ábris, who had broken away earlier with Milán Radics and Marcell Hugauff, we finished well ahead of the main group. I crossed the line in 5th overall, and in my age group (I was U17 at the time, but we all raced together under 18), I finished 3rd.

It’s interesting that the two competitors who stood with me on the podium that day—Marci Takács and Ábris Péter-Lichtenberger—are now my teammates on the MBH Bank Cycling Team.

The BalatonFondo was particularly important because it followed part of the 2022 Giro d’Italia route. A few weeks before the race, a pre-event was held, where I rode the long course with Márton Dina, with Team Fillari, and about 50 other cyclists. They included three intermediate sprints along the route, with prize packages and bragging rights at stake. I won two of them and finished second in the third, which secured me the overall victory—a result I was very proud of.

Then came race day. Everything was going well, but at one point, my chain dropped, and I lost contact with my group. I had to push solo to catch up, which took a lot out of me. I was frustrated because of the chain, but I still managed to secure 3rd place in my age category, and the special award was handed to me by none other than Attila Valter.

I spent nearly three full years grinding the pedals for this victory, and it was worth it! The race name says it all: The Agony of Agonies. This was the start of a season where I finally stood on the podium more and more often—many times on the top step.

Tour de Mátra was the race where I achieved my first-ever podium finish, back in my first year as a U15 rider. I always return to this race with great excitement, and so far, every time I’ve competed, I’ve made it onto the podium. In 2023, I not only took the top spot in the Gyöngyös-Kékestető stage on the second day but also finished first overall.

On top of that, this was also my very first Eurosport interview, right after the finish.

In 2023, I learned what it takes to reach the podium, and I learned how to win. It’s true what they say—winning is a skill. Getting that first victory is extremely difficult because, at the end of the race, when you’re fighting, you can only win if you truly believe you’re capable of it. Until you can piece that together mentally, until you believe in your ability to win, you’re only fighting to avoid losing.

I hadn’t forgotten what that first year in U17 was like, and I knew that in 2024, as a first-year U19 rider, I’d be facing a lot of tough lessons again—many challenges, setbacks, and hard moments to get through before I could aim for victory in my second year of U19.

But for now, I was enjoying how well this year had gone, and I made sure to thank Szilárd for all the time and effort he put into helping me.

From the very beginning, my coach, Szilárd, has been working with me to help me sign with a top team as soon as possible—one that can bring me closer to my goal of competing among the world’s elite.

In Hungarian cycling, the MBH Bank Cycling Team is like Ferrari in Formula 1. Everyone dreams of joining this team because of their strong results, their ability to field full squads in every age category, and the high-quality races they participate in.

After reviewing my achievements, a strong resume, a detailed annual summary of my 2023 race season, and a performance diagnostic test conducted by Tibor Fülöp, the team decided that I could continue with them in 2024. On November 10, 2023, we signed the papers at the VeloRoom in Kecskemét. It was the perfect way to cap off the year!