From refugee to professional cyclist

My dream of becoming a professional cyclist took a knock when I was in Sweden for two years as an Eritrean refugee. I applied for asylum and my status was still unclear so I feared leaving the house and being caught by the police without my papers. I used the time to learn Swedish on YouTube. I thought it would make the interviews and application process easier. I watched no cycling on TV as I’d cry because I couldn’t go out and ride.

I ate very little for these two years because I knew without training, this was one way to keep up the fitness. I had nothing else on my mind except becoming a professional cyclist.

As soon as I got my papers in Sweden, I collected empty bottles to earn an income. It was summer and in Sweden they drink too much during this time. It’s bad for those drinking but good for me because I saved enough to buy a bike after two months. I bought a bike for 700Euros then shoes and a helmet for 250Euros.

I started training. When the snow came, I did 5-hour sessions on the home trainer and became skinny. I stretched three times a day. Last year my teammates wanted to know who taught me that. Because of the two years off the bike, I needed to work hard to get back to the top level.

When I got back to racing, I could feel the only thing I was lacking was the race speed but the fitness was there. I got stronger and stronger and last year in the Tour of Portugal I was really strong. My power output was really high and I surprised myself. After two years without the bike, teams started noticing this and I had some contact with some teams.

I can’t explain the feeling of finally becoming a professional cyclist with Israel Cycling Academy. I got the call on a Wednesday night, at 9:30pm. The team manager called me and said, I have some good news for you.

My road has been a very tough one and I hope it will inspire someone. I’ve been struggling to earn money the last few years while chasing my professional cycling dream. I had the temptation in Sweden to go work for a company with good money. Because I speak the language and am a Swedish resident it’s easy to find work but I’ve been chasing the bicycle dream. It was tough not earning a salary because my family back home relies on me to support them.

Throughout this time, I’ve believed it’s possible to achieve my dream of becoming a professional. Other riders like Merhawi Kudus and Mekseb Debesay have inspired me. They believed in my potential and encouraged me to keep going. I come from the same region in Eritrea as Daniel Teklehaimanot. He’s been helping me so much over the years. He believes in me so much. Even last year while he was in the Giro d’Italia, he sent me a message telling me he believed in me and told me I’d be in the peloton one day. I’m so glad he was right.

Photos: Sérgio Gallegos