Serghei Tvetcov: The New Ride for Red

OBED Bikes is proud to introduce its newest ambassador, Serghei Țvetcov, and learn more about his leukemia survivorship campaign.

Those who have been in the road racing space for years very well may recognize the name Serghei Țvetcov. The 36-year-old Moldovan-born Romanian cyclist was a top name on the Pro Continental and U.S. domestic road racing scene, with frequent visits to the podium in the Tour of California and Tour of Utah. He has been a multi-time Romanian road race and time trial national champion, and raced the 2015 Giro d’Italia with the Androni Giocattoli Continental team. 

Țvetcov on the podium at the Tour of Romania, 2018.

But a few years ago, a fateful doctor’s visit brought him unfortunate news: he had leukemia. Luckily for Țvetcov, modern medicine, a positive outlook, and a drive to stay competitive on two wheels have helped carry him through a transition in his life as a father and in racing, from road racing to gravel racing. 

Now, as a gravel privateer, he’s doing it all on his terms. 

We chatted with Țvetcov to learn more about the new endeavor he’s heading, the Bloodstone Squad, his new perspective as an athlete and a father, the gravity of a cancer diagnosis, and how he hopes to use his platform to show others that people with chronic illness can be every bit as motivated and competitive as they’ve always been. 

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Transitioning to Gravel as a Cancer Survivor

I'm lucky to have found an outlet for my competitive side with gravel. It allows me to step back and say, hey, I'm 36 years old with a disease. I've got more important things to focus on.

OBED: Tell us about your transition in the last year, from full-time racer to gravel privateer. You had a rewarding career, battling names like Tom Danielson and Alberto Contador in the biggest races in the world. Now you’re seeing some of them—like Tom—rocking up at gravel races alongside you.

Țvetcov: Being a pro road racer, you spend 80 percent of your time training and recovering. It sounds like fun, but it's not all that great if you have a family or become a father, like I did. You find things like, you don't sleep enough, which is pretty important. But it's OK. I've got a little kid.  At that point, you begin to have a different focus. I came to a point to retire as a pro, but still maintain a good balance of being a competitive racer, and being a dad.

OBED: Some of that decision was beyond your control as well.

Țvetcov: Yes, in 2021, I broke my collarbone and went to the doctor as part of the care. At the start of 2022, I started training in Turkey and wasn’t feeling well. I was weak and just didn’t know what it was. Every month of my career, I would get blood tests, and this one was super low in white blood cells. Back here in Colorado, I got another blood test, and it showed immature white blood cells with precursors for blood cancer or an infection. They thought the plate in my collarbone may have been infecting it. I visited a hematologist to take a genetic test. I was still at the start for the tour of Romania, did the first stage, and I was still mentally not ready, waiting for the test results the next day. The test came back positive: I was diagnosed with a pretty rare blood cancer called Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia. I was like, “Oh, shit…”

The hematologist said, “Don't panic.” I went straight onto medications that can manage it, and therapy every day, early on. Initially, I had five medications I could take, and three were hard on my heart or hard on my lungs, so I couldn't ride at all. Since then, my numbers have stabilized, and I can come off of a lot of those medications with a base set of meds that allow me to ride without having many side effects like fatigue or high heart rate. Every three months, I take a test that shows accurately if I have any cancer cells.

Thankfully, it's under control, but it did force me to make some decisions. I can still race, but I can't do so at that top level. I can still race at a good level and at distances that are manageable. To be honest, road racing in the U.S. doesn't have much in the way of teams and races… It's a bit of a vicious circle. I'm lucky to have found an outlet for my competitive side with gravel. It allows me to step back and say, hey, I'm 36 years old with a disease. I've got more important things to focus on with two kids. But I still get to have that mentality of an athlete that I’ve known all my life. 

And to be honest, it’s much more relaxed racing these days. If I race, I’m gonna race not for the result, but the community aspect that gravel has really built into. I’m really enjoying that.

OBED: It seems that gravel has been a great outlet for road pros, like your friends Ian Boswell, Peter Stetina, Tiffany Cromwell, Kasia Niewiadoma, Ted King, and so many others. What’s the draw for roadies to gravel?

Țvetcov:Yeah, gravel right now provides the best fields to compete against, considering where I am in my life. It still provides me with an opportunity to test myself and be competitive with cyclists who are at my level. I mean, there are a ton of amateurs that have private coaches, and are strict with their diet and rest, so it's still gonna be a challenge. (laughs) But I want that balance. I know my goals for the year with races, but I know I also want to be a great dad.

Cancer Awareness & the Bloodstone Squad

Everybody's got lots of different problems. But when you are diagnosed with leukemia, you suddenly have just one problem.

OBED: You’re lucky to have your disease under control and still able to do what you love as a cyclist. We look at someone like Lance Armstrong, who, love him or hate him, used his platform for cancer awareness and research with Livestrong. You have a Livestrong band on your wrist now, so the message clearly resonates with you. Do you have a similar sense of responsibility?

Țvetcov: I have met a lot of people with my disease and similar ones. It's like any cancer diagnosis: there's shock. But it's just like if you get injured; you do research, you find different groups on Facebook, and it becomes part of your life.

Everybody's got lots of different problems. But when you are diagnosed with leukemia, you suddenly have just one problem. I do find getting this disease to be an opportunity for me to help provide that sense of foundation and process for so many that have been in my shoes.

Țvetcov's GVR in the bloodstone colors.

That was the spark for starting the Bloodstone Squad. Right now, it's still in its infancy, but it allows me to use my racing as a platform to get out the message that yes, you can survive this. A bloodstone is just like it sounds: a stone that has the red color of blood, and it represents what I hope to communicate to the leukemia survivorship community. 

When I was in Europe, I met with Olaf Tinkoff, the former road team owner, who also had leukemia. He's been a good resource for me in using my platform to bring awareness of leukemia survivorship.

I plan on building a community and being very involved with mental support and goal-setting. To be able to have goals, whether it's training or anything else, it's just so important. With a disease that's treatable, it's everything.

OBED: And a few others have jumped on board with you as partners. 

Țvetcov: I'm really grateful for that. Everyone from OBED to my other partners, like ENVE and Jackroo, is providing me the canvas to spread my message and using their platforms to help spread the word. Again, it's still quite early, but I've been working on building a fundraising LLC with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for the Bloodstone Squad. They have tons of programs that help kids and adults with awareness, research, and survivorship.

Serghei Țvetcov’s New OBED GVR Gravel Bike

When I get back to the road bike, I’m like “Nah, I wanna stay on the gravel bike for a while!”

OBED: You've got a pretty special motif on your OBED GVR.

Țvetcov:Yeah, and really, that was such a huge draw to me to OBED: to be able to create a bike that matches my entire Bloodstone initiative. I love the mint, but the most important part to me was that red logo that matches so well. I'm lucky to have partners that share my goals to build community, not just around results, but also bringing awareness, having fun, and staying fit.

OBED: You made your gravel debut a year ago, but this is your first time doing a lot of the big events. You have an UNBOUND 100 finish this year, and have SBT GRVL and several BWR series events slated. How is the transition to a new style of racing?

Țvetcov: I have some background and knowledge on how to spend my energy for the distance. At the same time, it’s gravel, so it’s a bit different. It’s new for me. My second year has been a good experience. I’ve done SBT, Gravel Worlds in Nebraska, and a bunch of local Colorado races before, and it’s been fun. I believe I can do it. I don’t expect results, but during the race, we’ll see what can happen. I’ve been training, but training primarily to have fun. 

OBED: How about the transition from a road bike with 25mm tires to your GVR with 45mm tires? Tactics, handling, anything that you can say is markedly different?

Țvetcov: Gravel bikes are new for me since last year, and I have really been enjoying the GVR, and doing a lot of miles on the OBED RVR, which I really love as well. I feel like this GVR is the best bike; it’s stiff, which I really need, it’s aero, it has lots of tire clearance, and it handles well. 

OBED: Yeah, we saw you deftly thread that needle in that viral video of the big crash at UNBOUND this year!

Țvetcov: Having skills on the road is one thing, but jumping to gravel, it’s a different story. There are so many different kinds of terrain, loose over hard, big loose rocks… people crashing. I’m getting super comfortable in it all. I do all my intervals with either road tires on my GVR, or I just take out the RVR road bike. But now, when I get back to the road bike, I’m like “Nah, I wanna stay on the gravel bike for a while!”

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