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Outlook: Coming last and still getting the biggest cheers

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Felipe Nystrom competing on his bike

13/03/2024 GMT

Coming last and still getting the biggest cheers

BBC World Service - Outlook, Coming last and still getting the biggest cheers

Now aged 40, Felipe Nystrom competes in gruelling races, never expecting to win

Costa Rican cyclist Felipe Nystrom competes in the gruelling Cyclo-cross, aged 40, never expecting to win.

Felipe Nystrom competes in a specialist cycling circuit – Cyclo-cross. He’s a decade or more older than the rest of the field and often comes in last, or nearly last, but he generally gets one of the biggest cheers of the day when he crosses the line. As people started to learn his story he built up a fan club. A difficult childhood led him to a life on the streets fuelled by drugs and alcohol. Finding a place in rehab was a start but what he needed was a new life. He explains to the BBC's Matthew Kenyon how he discovered cycling and almost by accident became Costa Rican National Road Racing Champion and then he found a new challenge.

Please note this programme contains references to suicidal thoughts, addiction, and physical and sexual abuse. If you have been affected there is support available at www.befrienders.org.
Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Andrea Kennedy

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

(Photo: Felipe Nystrom competing on his bike. Credit: Denny Burnett)

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