THE SPORT SCAN – In a few days, Canadian Jack Burke broke the records of stars of the peloton at the top of legendary climbs. Thanks to his performances, this amateur dreams of signing a professional contract.
His name means nothing to you and yet he has just broken a new record. On the app Strava which allows you to precisely measure the time achieved over distances while running or Cycling, Canadian Jack Burke recorded a new record.
On November 16, the 29-year-old runner had already beaten Italian legend Vincenzo Nibali's Strava KOM (King of the Mountain) record by one minute on the legendary Mortirolo by climbing the ascent (11.85 km at 10, 8%) in 43 minutes and 45 seconds. As this first feat was not enough for him, this Wednesday, he did it again at the top of the Alpes d'Huez, this time dislodging the winner of the 2023 Vuelta Sepp Kuss by just nine seconds.
If these times are achieved on dry climbs, unlike professional cyclists who often have more than a hundred kilometers in their legs, his performances remain impressive for a man who has been away from the professional world for several years.
An amateur who trained as a professional
Jack Burke is not quite an amateur rider, between 2016 and 2022, the Toronto native belonged to various continental division teams (H&R Block, Aevolo, Leopard Pro Cycling…). The Toronto native is best known for his victories in 2022 and 2024 at the Ötztal Cycling Marathon, a 227km race considered the unofficial world cup of the cycling marathon.
Thanks to his performances, he came very close to being offered a contract with a World Tour team (cycling's top division), but his dreams of professionalism were hampered in January 2023, when he was hit by a car at training. In the columns of DataSport he revealed: “I suffered serious brain damage and a broken back. I was disfigured, I only had 30% vision in one eye and my teeth had passed through my roof.”
With these latest exploits, Jack Burke continues to dream and hopes that a team will offer him a contract “I did everything I could and that’s something I can be proud of. I'm still trying to chase my dream. I just want a chance to fight with the best”he commented on Strava.
France
Cycling
