The Amazing Chase

Jack Thompson set out to ride the 2021 Tour de France route as fast as he could. 3,552km divided over 21 stages, chasing down the pros on his way to Paris. What would it take? What was realistic? What was possible? Now we know. 10 days, with a warm-down stage on the Champs Elysees - as per tradition. Jack dreamt up The Amazing Chase three years ago, and it has taken until 2021 to complete. What he didn’t quite expect was the rollercoaster he’d go through while doing it. Simple factors like the weather and fatigue are easy to talk about (and important to acknowledge), but also the internal battles that aren’t always easy to see, much less discuss, work through and write about. When we interviewed Jack the day before he rolled out, we asked him if he thought the challenge would be difficult. What we didn’t expect him to reply was ‘no’. What he told us was that when you’ve suffered through depression and darkness and loneliness, riding a bike 350km a day is manageable. You pedal, and you keep on pedaling.