Yuriy Makalis is a Ukrainian photographer and cyclist, as well as a member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He combines photography with military service, continuing to work on cycling-related projects even during the war. Recently, together with cycling activist, volunteer, and IT entrepreneur Maria Shevchenko, Yurii co-authored the first Ukrainian photo book about the phenomenon of cycling, Velorukh, which covers the history, present, and outstanding moments of Ukrainian cycling.
Yuriy Makalis is currently serving in the army, but he hasn't given up photography.
“If you look at my Instagram and the account of the Achilles unmanned aerial vehicle battalion of the 92nd Brigade, you will see a lot of my photos. My work as a photographer continues even during the war. The camera is always with me, it is always in my backpack and I never leave it anywhere,” Yuriy says.
He has been a volunteer since the beginning of the war and later joined a volunteer unit. “In 2022, I became a volunteer with a volunteer aerial reconnaissance unit, where I gained combat experience in the east and north of the country.”
Yuriy's call sign, Sagan, is a reference to two famous figures: Carl Sagan, a popularizer of science, and Peter Sagan, a prominent cyclist.
“Carl Sagan is a scientist, but people from the cycling community also know Peter Sagan. He is a very atypical cyclist, a world champion, who has a very unusual style, not like others. He is a pirate of cycling. I will not specify whether my call sign is a reference to Carl Sagan or Peter Sagan. Let everyone think of something different,” says Yuriy.
Yuriy Makalis has been fond of photography since 2005, when he first picked up a digital camera. At first, he took pictures of friends and city streets, but the real breakthrough in his work came in 2013.
“I started taking pictures at the institute when the first digital camera appeared. At first it was intuitive and unsystematic. Then, in 2013, when I was working on cruise ships, I bought a DSLR camera and started shooting the streets in Europe. And when I returned to Odesa, I continued to go in for cycling and filmed cycling races.”
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His passion for cycling and photography came together. Thanks to his participation in the Athlete cycling club, Yurii began to photograph cycling races in Ukraine, and over time, it grew into his main hobby. He also notes: “I trained every day to prepare for races. Even now, if I get a very, very rare opportunity, I get on my bike. I believe that it is impossible to film something you are passionate about without taking part in it.”
Yuriy had long dreamed of creating a photo book that would tell the story of Ukrainian cycling. The war changed his plans, but did not stop his work on the book.
“Even before the full-scale invasion, I had an idea to publish a photo book about road cycling in Ukraine. I planned either a photo book or a photo exhibition in Kyiv. However, the invasion changed everything. After returning from Spain in February 2022, I didn't stop shooting, and thanks to Ukraine Today, I continued to shoot in Odesa,” Yuriy says.
After winning an important photo contest in the field of bicycle photography, international media became interested in Makalis' work. “In August 2022, I took several photos in an empty Odesa, and one of them won the prestigious Mark Gunther Photo Awards. It attracted the attention of journalists from England, Australia, and France.”
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Yuriy Makalis consciously approached the creation of the book Velorukh, whose main goal is to highlight the Ukrainian cycling community and cycling culture. The book includes not only Yuriy's own works, but also photographs by more than 70 authors that show various aspects of cycling in Ukraine.
“In the book, I decided to collect the works of the best photographers in Ukraine, combining sports and documentary photography,” he says. Among the authors featured in the book are those who specialize in cycling, such as Bohdan Lozytskyi, as well as documentary photographers like Viacheslav Ratynskyi, whose work reveals the historical role of the bicycle in Ukrainian realities.
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Makalis paid special attention to the section “The Bicycle during the War,” which presents stories from the life of the bicycle during the full-scale invasion. “This book can be a unique testimony of documentary photography that shows how the bicycle exists in the conditions of hostilities in Ukraine,” says the photographer. From the author's point of view, these works not only illustrate sporting achievements, but also capture important historical moments, which makes them really valuable.
The cover of the book features a photo taken during a cycling trip to Bessarabia in 2021. This is a special place for Yurii, which symbolizes freedom and discovery for him.
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“The photo on the cover was taken in April 2021, featuring my friends Valentyna Petrushenko and Oleksii Koretskyi. We organized a three-day gravel bike camp - three days of cycling, bringing together cycling enthusiasts from all over Ukraine. The photo reflects the spirit of traveling, the beauty of nature and the desire to ride a bike,” says the cycling photographer.
In his photo book Velorukh, Yurii aims to show that cycling is not only a sport but also an art. His goal is to interest and attract a wide range of people, even those who are not part of the cycling culture. He emphasizes that cycling can be aesthetically pleasing even for people who have never been interested in it.
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“I want to show that cycling is also very beautiful. It is also a kind of art. Even a person who is not involved in cycling culture and is interested in documentary photography can open the book and just enjoy the photos. In the same way, you could open a book by Magnum about bicycles and enjoy it too.”
Yurii emphasizes that it is important to help newcomers to cycling. In his photo book, he has even dedicated a separate section for those who are afraid to take the first step.
“There is a separate chapter about cycling clubs, because almost every city has a group of people who are fond of bicycles. I wrote about not being afraid to ask to join a club. Because, as we all know, it's scary to take the first step, and then it will be much easier.”
Yuriy Makalis believes that cycling is unique in that it combines sport with nature contemplation and allows you to see the incredible beauty of landscapes that other sports cannot offer.
“In 2019, when we were at a race in Romania, I was climbing to the finish line at the top of Transfagaras and was simply amazed by the incredible beauty. It's a feeling of cosmic beauty that no other sport can give you."
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Through his photography, Yuriy Makalis shows that cycling is more than just a sport, it is an art that combines strength, endurance and the beauty of nature. His photo book “Velorukh” is intended to inspire people to take their first step into the world of cycling culture and see the beauty of this sport from a new angle.
Yuriy Makalis is a cyclist, photographer, author, and serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Since 2012, he has been a member of the oldest cycling club in Odesa, Athlete. He has traveled and explored many parts of the world by bike and as a navigator: from Hawaii to Alaska, from Norway to Australia. When he returned to Odesa, he joined the Southern Cycling League, which organizes local and international road races. One of his favorite things to do is to take pictures of cycling races and everything related to cycling. In 2022, he won one of the world's most prestigious cycling photography competitions, the Mark Gunter Photo Awards. He is a co-author of the book “Cycling”. Instagram of the cycling photographer.
The material was created by:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Editor-in-chief: Viacheslav Ratynskyi
Literary editor: Yulia Futey
Site manager: Vladyslav Kukhar
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Yuriy Makalis is a Ukrainian photographer and cyclist, as well as a member of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He combines photography with military service, continuing to work on cycling-related projects even during the war. Recently, together with cycling activist, volunteer, and IT entrepreneur Maria Shevchenko, Yurii co-authored the first Ukrainian photo book about the phenomenon of cycling, Velorukh, which covers the history, present, and outstanding moments of Ukrainian cycling.
Yuriy Makalis is currently serving in the army, but he hasn't given up photography.
“If you look at my Instagram and the account of the Achilles unmanned aerial vehicle battalion of the 92nd Brigade, you will see a lot of my photos. My work as a photographer continues even during the war. The camera is always with me, it is always in my backpack and I never leave it anywhere,” Yuriy says.
He has been a volunteer since the beginning of the war and later joined a volunteer unit. “In 2022, I became a volunteer with a volunteer aerial reconnaissance unit, where I gained combat experience in the east and north of the country.”
Yuriy's call sign, Sagan, is a reference to two famous figures: Carl Sagan, a popularizer of science, and Peter Sagan, a prominent cyclist.
“Carl Sagan is a scientist, but people from the cycling community also know Peter Sagan. He is a very atypical cyclist, a world champion, who has a very unusual style, not like others. He is a pirate of cycling. I will not specify whether my call sign is a reference to Carl Sagan or Peter Sagan. Let everyone think of something different,” says Yuriy.
Yuriy Makalis has been fond of photography since 2005, when he first picked up a digital camera. At first, he took pictures of friends and city streets, but the real breakthrough in his work came in 2013.
“I started taking pictures at the institute when the first digital camera appeared. At first it was intuitive and unsystematic. Then, in 2013, when I was working on cruise ships, I bought a DSLR camera and started shooting the streets in Europe. And when I returned to Odesa, I continued to go in for cycling and filmed cycling races.”
His passion for cycling and photography came together. Thanks to his participation in the Athlete cycling club, Yurii began to photograph cycling races in Ukraine, and over time, it grew into his main hobby. He also notes: “I trained every day to prepare for races. Even now, if I get a very, very rare opportunity, I get on my bike. I believe that it is impossible to film something you are passionate about without taking part in it.”
Yuriy had long dreamed of creating a photo book that would tell the story of Ukrainian cycling. The war changed his plans, but did not stop his work on the book.
“Even before the full-scale invasion, I had an idea to publish a photo book about road cycling in Ukraine. I planned either a photo book or a photo exhibition in Kyiv. However, the invasion changed everything. After returning from Spain in February 2022, I didn't stop shooting, and thanks to Ukraine Today, I continued to shoot in Odesa,” Yuriy says.
After winning an important photo contest in the field of bicycle photography, international media became interested in Makalis' work. “In August 2022, I took several photos in an empty Odesa, and one of them won the prestigious Mark Gunther Photo Awards. It attracted the attention of journalists from England, Australia, and France.”
Yuriy Makalis consciously approached the creation of the book Velorukh, whose main goal is to highlight the Ukrainian cycling community and cycling culture. The book includes not only Yuriy's own works, but also photographs by more than 70 authors that show various aspects of cycling in Ukraine.
“In the book, I decided to collect the works of the best photographers in Ukraine, combining sports and documentary photography,” he says. Among the authors featured in the book are those who specialize in cycling, such as Bohdan Lozytskyi, as well as documentary photographers like Viacheslav Ratynskyi, whose work reveals the historical role of the bicycle in Ukrainian realities.
Makalis paid special attention to the section “The Bicycle during the War,” which presents stories from the life of the bicycle during the full-scale invasion. “This book can be a unique testimony of documentary photography that shows how the bicycle exists in the conditions of hostilities in Ukraine,” says the photographer. From the author's point of view, these works not only illustrate sporting achievements, but also capture important historical moments, which makes them really valuable.
The cover of the book features a photo taken during a cycling trip to Bessarabia in 2021. This is a special place for Yurii, which symbolizes freedom and discovery for him.
“The photo on the cover was taken in April 2021, featuring my friends Valentyna Petrushenko and Oleksii Koretskyi. We organized a three-day gravel bike camp - three days of cycling, bringing together cycling enthusiasts from all over Ukraine. The photo reflects the spirit of traveling, the beauty of nature and the desire to ride a bike,” says the cycling photographer.
In his photo book Velorukh, Yurii aims to show that cycling is not only a sport but also an art. His goal is to interest and attract a wide range of people, even those who are not part of the cycling culture. He emphasizes that cycling can be aesthetically pleasing even for people who have never been interested in it.
“I want to show that cycling is also very beautiful. It is also a kind of art. Even a person who is not involved in cycling culture and is interested in documentary photography can open the book and just enjoy the photos. In the same way, you could open a book by Magnum about bicycles and enjoy it too.”
Yurii emphasizes that it is important to help newcomers to cycling. In his photo book, he has even dedicated a separate section for those who are afraid to take the first step.
“There is a separate chapter about cycling clubs, because almost every city has a group of people who are fond of bicycles. I wrote about not being afraid to ask to join a club. Because, as we all know, it's scary to take the first step, and then it will be much easier.”
Yuriy Makalis believes that cycling is unique in that it combines sport with nature contemplation and allows you to see the incredible beauty of landscapes that other sports cannot offer.
“In 2019, when we were at a race in Romania, I was climbing to the finish line at the top of Transfagaras and was simply amazed by the incredible beauty. It's a feeling of cosmic beauty that no other sport can give you."
Through his photography, Yuriy Makalis shows that cycling is more than just a sport, it is an art that combines strength, endurance and the beauty of nature. His photo book “Velorukh” is intended to inspire people to take their first step into the world of cycling culture and see the beauty of this sport from a new angle.
Yuriy Makalis is a cyclist, photographer, author, and serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Since 2012, he has been a member of the oldest cycling club in Odesa, Athlete. He has traveled and explored many parts of the world by bike and as a navigator: from Hawaii to Alaska, from Norway to Australia. When he returned to Odesa, he joined the Southern Cycling League, which organizes local and international road races. One of his favorite things to do is to take pictures of cycling races and everything related to cycling. In 2022, he won one of the world's most prestigious cycling photography competitions, the Mark Gunter Photo Awards. He is a co-author of the book “Cycling”. Instagram of the cycling photographer.
The material was created by:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Editor-in-chief: Viacheslav Ratynskyi
Literary editor: Yulia Futey
Site manager: Vladyslav Kukhar
UAPP is an independent association of professional Ukrainian photographers, designed to protect their interests, support, develop and promote Ukrainian photography as an important element of national culture.
UAPP's activities span educational, social, research and cultural initiatives, as well as book publishing.
UAPP represents Ukrainian professional photography in the international photographic community and is an official member of the Federation of European Photographers (FEP) — an international organization representing more than 50,000 professional photographers in Europe and other countries around the world.
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