The Col du Mortirolo (It) on November 16, and Alpe d’Huez (F) on November 27. In just eleven days, Jack Burke broke professional records on these legendary peloton climbs. The Canadian climbed the Italian pass in 43’45”, beating the time of Vincenzo Nibali, winner of the Tour de France in 2014, by more than a minute. In France, he beat Sepp Kuss by nine seconds.
Even if Jack Burke achieved this time on dry climbs, unlike professional cyclists who often have more than a hundred kilometers in their legs, these times remain no less impressive. Especially since Jack Burke, who also claims to have the best time on the Stelvio, is an amateur. Well, not quite.
Between 2016 and 2022, the Toronto native belonged to various continental teams. His main feat of arms? His victory in the Ötztal Cycling Marathon, a 227km race with an elevation gain of 5,500m considered the unofficial cycling marathon world cup, in 2022. He repeated his feat in 2024.
Jack Burke came close to signing a contract with a World Tour team on several occasions. But his dreams of professionalism ended in January 2023, when he was hit by a car in training.
“I suffered serious brain damage and a broken back,” he said in an interview with DataSport. I was disfigured to the point that I only had 30% vision in one eye and my teeth had come through my roof.”
The one who hosts a podcast called “How to become a professional cyclist” and who wrote a book of the same name is actively seeking a contract with a World Tour team.
“I did everything I could this year, I hope to get a chance to fight against the professionals,” he stressed in a video after breaking the Mortirolo record.
