Cycling Reports

The Vikings are coming ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

By Gerard Cromwell (Mar 10)

Well, not quite. Yes he may be blonde and wear the word Vallhall (the site where legend has it that Vikings go to die) on his racing jersey but unlike his ancestors, Kristian Hallsten is not about to set fire to our homes or rob our bikes. (I hope!)

Minutes after the finish, the 28-year-old Stockholm schoolteacher lay prone on the wet road after finishing a fine 6th in today’s Coombes-Connor Memorial in Donore. The wet and blustery conditions combined with the tough course to leave the Swede in a state of near-collapse after the line. “This was one of the hardest races I’ve ever done in my whole life” he said after being hauled to his feet by Tosh Lavery and Anto Moran. “I tried as hard as I could. It was really, really hard. I thought I could ride as a senior B when I came over. I am a second category in Sweden. I mainly ride in time trials. But they wouldn’t allow me. This is the best race I’ve ever done, in my whole life. Normally in elite races, I finish 20th-25th. I’m so pleased with today.”

Kristian has taken a year out from work and is concentrating on cycling this year and having a bit of fun in the process. He decided to come to Ireland to race in preparation for the Swedish season, which starts in May. “It’s nice to come to somewhere where I can actually speak the language” he says “I’ve always liked Ireland, the people are very friendly and it’s a nice country. I work as a physical education teacher, but I took this year off to concentrate on cycling. It’s not that I want to be really good. It’s more for the fun of it. I’m going home at the end of April to start my Swedish season. I hope to get a bit of speed in my legs.”

Another thing to his advantage is that he doesn’t seem to mind the weather. “I like racing in the rain and windy conditions. I think, the harder the better, it makes it fairer. I’m really surprised with my result today because I’ve done 18/19 hours of training this week. I’m doing a lot of training. I’m not really here to get results so I’m super pleased with this result.”

The likeable Swede will be around the Irish scene for a few more weeks, so give him a bit of encouragement and with his blonde hair, blue eyes and Scandinavian accent, maybe it would be wiser to lock up your girlfriends than your bikes!

Email: gerard@irishcycling.com