Many folks consider simply getting out to rollerski on the nearby bike route to be an accomplishment. But going on a six-day, 360-kilometer rollercoaster ride down the renowned Camino de Santiago in northwest Spain? That is quite a feat! Many folks consider simply getting out to rollerski on the nearby bike route to be an accomplishment. But going on a six-day, 360-kilometer rollercoaster ride down the renowned Camino de Santiago in northwest Spain? That is quite a feat!
First, some background: Since the ninth century, pilgrims have walked the Camino, which now consists of multiple routes, all joining up and leading to the tomb of St. James at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Many are on some sort of spiritual quest, while some make the trek for other reasons. Andrej Bendtsen and Hjalte Paaske fall into the latter group; earlier this summer, the two Danes rollerskied part of the Camino Francés (French Way), from León, Spain, to the cathedral.
The hardest part of their journey? Not surprisingly, the downhills.
We recently spoke with the two men via Zoom. Bendtsen, 32, is a rower-turned-skier who works for a Danish firm in Minneapolis. Before moving to the U.S., he competed internationally in rowing, earning World Cup and world championship medals, and cross-trained on skis. Paaske, 31, learned to rollerski while living in Norway and now teaches it at the Aarhus Skiklub in Denmark. He’s also a spinning instructor and the project manager of a philanthropic foundation. The two men met years ago, when both worked for an organization that observed elections in Ukraine. Bendtsen and Paaske hatched the idea for the trip last year. They then found a couple of sponsors: Rollerskishop.com in Minnesota and the District10.dk shop in Copenhagen. And they were off even rollerskiing to the airport 4 a.m. on June 28 to catch their flight to Santiago de Compostela. recently spoke with the two men via Zoom. Bendtsen, 32, is a rower-turned-skier who works for a Danish firm in Minneapolis. Before moving to the U.S., he competed internationally in rowing, earning World Cup and world championship medals, and cross-trained on skis. Paaske, 31, learned to rollerski while living in Norway and now teaches it at the Aarhus Skiklub in Denmark. He’s also a spinning instructor and the project manager of a philanthropic foundation. The two men met years ago, when both worked for an organization that observed elections in Ukraine. Bendtsen and Paaske hatched the idea for the trip last year. They then found a couple of sponsors: Rollerskishop.com in Minnesota and the District10.dk shop in Copenhagen. And they were off evening rollerskiing to the airport 4 a.m. on June 28 to catch their fligWe recently spoke with the two men via Zoom. Bendtsen, 32, is a rower-turned-skier who works for a Danish firm in Minneapolis. Before moving to the U.S., he competed internationally in rowing, earning World Cup and world championship medals, and cross-trained on skis. Paaske, 31, learned to rollerski while living in Norway and now teaches it at the Aarhus Skiklub in Denmark. He’s also a spinning instructor and the project manager of a philanthropic foundation. The two men met years ago, when both worked for an organization that observed elections in Ukraine. Bendtsen and Paaske hatched the idea for the trip last year. They then found a couple of sponsors: Rollerskishop.com in Minnesota and the District10.dk shop in Copenhagen. And they were off—even rollerskiing to the airport 4 a.m. on June 28 to catch their flight to Santiago de Compostela. recently spoke with the two men via Zoom. Bendtsen, 32, is a rower-turned-skier who works for a Danish firm in Minneapolis. Before moving to the U.S., he competed internationally in rowing, earning World Cup and world championship medals, and cross-trained on skis. Paaske, 31, learned to rollerski while living in Norway and now teaches it at the Aarhus Skiklub in Denmark. He’s also a spinning instructor and the project manager of a philanthropic foundation. The two men met years ago, when both worked for an organization that observed elections in Ukraine. Bendtsen and Paaske hatched the idea for the trip last year. They then found a couple of sponsors: in Minnesota and the District10.dk shop in Copenhagen. And they were off evening rollerskiing to the airport 4 a.m. on June 28 to catch their flight to Santiago de Compostela.