Few sports in the world give the opportunities for minnow nations to compete on the world stage, but the UCI World Championships are proving to be something different, as Wollongong has already experienced.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
As the heavyweights of cycling prepare for the elite road races on Saturday and Sunday with a 'win at all cost' attitude, some nations are involved simply to make their country proud.
Other nations such as Latvia, Lithuania, Rwanda, and Kazakhstan will be doing their best in the elite road races despite not being anywhere near favourites for the event.
It begs the question, is there another sport on the planet that would be able to give the opportunity to so many nations to compete on such a global stage? The short answer is no.
For these nations, competing at the world's means more than simply finishing on the podium at the end of the day. They are representing something more than that.
Team Tahiti even sat at the top of the podium during the time trial, even if it were only for a short period of time but it provided them with a moment that will live long in their memory.
Following the mixed time trial, team Samoa were thrilled to be apart of proceedings.
"This is the first time Samoa have had a team in the world champs," men's rider Raea Khan said.
"There's not many riders [in the selection process] so we had to scramble a team together of three males and three females within a period of four weeks."
Women's rider Urlin Mulitalo said to even compete in the event was something phenomenal.
"To be able to represent Samoa is amazing," she said.
"It was really cool how we had all these people lined up on the sidelines cheering us on.
"Back home we don't really people doing this on the sidelines for us so it was amazing.
"In Samoa we have this looped that we practised on [in preparation for Wollongong]. It was kind of hard because the road wasn't as smooth as it is here but we managed."
Another rider who will be gunning for glory will be Biniam Girmay, who is an Eritrean cyclist who recently became the first African cyclist of colour to win a Grand Tour stage after winning stage 10 of the Giro d'Italia earlier this year.
Despite not likely having a team around him in the men's elite road race on Sunday to support him, but the potential of a podium finish for Girmay would be the biggest result in African cycling history.
The world's are providing these minnow nations with the potential for greatness and falling short of that, it gives the smaller them a chance to showcase their culture globally.
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say.
Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Illawarra Mercury website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.
To read more stories, download the Illawarra Mercury news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.
