New habits are helping Walsh turn a slow start into a real sprint

At 33, she may be 10 years older than her rivals but turning corners and packing in the distractions has cyclist testing limits

HAVE WHEELS, WILL TRAVEL: The move to Switzerland has proven a shrewd one for Orla Walsh. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

It’s not every day you chat to an elite athlete about how they gave up the fags. Orla Walsh is not your everyday sportsperson but her transformation from party animal to Irish international cyclist involved at least one struggle that plenty can share.

Now 33, it’s seven years since she went cold turkey on a hedonistic lifestyle that embraced cigarettes, alcohol and festivals and leaned ever further into a grá for the road that began when she started using an old bike of her dad’s for the commute to college in Dublin city centre.