Kalén being next in line as the crowd shouted , “ Now , he ’ s coming !” It seemed that his performance had a twinkle of “ win or die ” in it . Kalén not only ousted his opponent , but also set a new track record of 58.6 seconds – four tenths of a second better than Westerberg . With an entrance fee of one Krona ( approx . 20 U . S . cents ), people returned home being thrilled by the drama .
Ten pages later in the same magazine , you could read about a dramatic and terrible accident in the very same race at the kilometre South Klevaliden stretch . Halfway
up this hill , ace Nils Torell had gone off the track during practice , with consequences of severe injuries . He was lucky to escape the incident , thankfully still alive after spectacular acrobatics into a dangerous ditch .
Nils Torell eventually recovered in hospital and would return the following year , setting a new Klevaliden record of 52.4 seconds . This time would not be beaten for five consecutive years , until 1932 when the Stockholm rider Gunnar Barthelsson rode his Husqvarna to a 40.66 second run . This everlasting record equaled
VOL . 7 ISSUE 2 - FEBRUARY 2022 // PAGE 149