Jack Thompson (born 1988[citation needed]) is an Australian cyclist who made a world record of riding most kilometres unsupported in a week. He documents his challenges in the form of documentary films. Thompson is based in Girona, Spain.[1][2]
Jack Thompson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Ultra-cyclist |
| Years active | 2016-present |
| Notable work | Guinness World Record for most kilometres ridden unsupported in a week, Most everestings in a single calendar year.(As of 2023) |
Biography
editHaving grown up in Perth, Thompson started cycling when he was a teenager.[3][4][5][6] He attended and graduated from Scotch College in Perth, Western Australia and later on got his Bachelor's degree from Curtin University.[7]
Instead of pursuing a career in professional cycling, Thompson started riding long miles in remote locations to build up his endurance for ultra-cycling.[8][9] He began ultra-cycling in 2016 when he completed the fourth edition of the Transcontinental Race in Europe finishing number 30 in the race. The very next year he completed a Himalayan Expedition from Chengdu to Northern Laos completing 1829 km.[10]
In 2019, Thompson completed The Grand Tours Everesting Project.[11] The locations for this expedition were Passo Stelvio in Italy, Col de la Bonette in France and Port d’Envalira in Andorra.[12][13]
Thompson set the Guinness World Record for most kilometres ridden unsupported in a week in 2020.[14][15] He rode 3,505 km and total of 113 hours in Valencia, Spain within seven days.[16][17][18]
In 2021, Thompson completed his own versions of the Tour de France.[19][20] He waited for the official race to begin and after giving the tournament cyclists a head start, he tried to catch up with them. The goal was to reach Paris before them. He began his ride on 5 July, which was 10 days after the Tour de France had officially begun.[21][22] On 12 July, Jack was able to overtake the peloton, and then went on to arrive in Paris three days before the official race arrived.[23][24] His journey was covered in a documentary called "The Amazing Chase"[25]
In 2022, Thompson began a new everesting expedition with a goal of climbing 1,000,000 meters of elevation (3,280,840 feet) on his bicycle and raising 1,000,000 Euro for four mental health charities.[26] He reached the 1 million mark after 261 active days of cycling, completing one everesting per week.[27][28] Thompson completed 52 everestings during this expedition, setting a world record of most everestings done in a single calendar year and a record of most elevation ridden on a bicycle in a year.[29] The previous record was of 42 everestings held by Lachlan Morton. Thompson covered a total distance of 1,004,336 meters during this expedition.[30]
References
edit- ^ How This Cyclist Climbed A Million Meters In One Year!, retrieved 25 February 2023
- ^ "Un millón de metros de desnivel por una buena causa: el titánico reto de Jack Ultra Cyclist". Runedia (in Spanish). 5 December 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ^ "BBB Cycling - Backyard Crew: Jack Ultra Cyclist (Thompson)". bbbcycling.com. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ "Ultra-cyclist climbs long and winding road to recovery". The West Australian. 6 April 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ Velocio. "Jack Thompson, Ultracyclist". Velocio. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ rfy (28 December 2022). "Perth Ultra Cyclist Jack Thompson to set Multiple Guinness World Records". Ride for Youth. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ^ "Ultra-Endurance Cycling - MAAP Cycling Apparel. | MAAP". maap.cc. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ Fischer, Rudolf (28 January 2021). "From the Insight Out – 7 Days in the Life of Ultracyclist Jack Thompson". GRAN FONDO Cycling Magazine. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ "Soigneur - It's okay not to be okay". Soigneur. 27 August 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ "Zwift Cycling Central Podcast - Ultra Riding with Jack Thompson". SBS Sport. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ "Meet Jack Thompson, the cyclist who just set the world record for most kilometers ridden in a week". VeloNews.com. 20 October 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ Angulo, Javi (30 December 2019). "Jack Ultra Cyclist: overcoming physical and mental challenges". Raw Cycling Magazine. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ Hood, Edmond (4 November 2022). "Endurance King Jack Thompson Gets PEZ'd!". PezCycling News. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ^ "Most ridden kilometers in one week: world record set by Jack Thompson". www.worldrecordacademy.org. 16 November 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ Hunt, Chris (21 October 2022). "The Man Cycling 1 Million Vertical Metres in a Year". BASE Magazine. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ^ "New World Record Holder! Perth man Jack Thompson rides 3,500 km in seven days!". 6PR. 6 October 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ "'From the Insight Out' looks at ultracyclist Jack Thompson's record-setting ride". VeloNews.com. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ "Nonstop Girona to Portugal". 7 October 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ Ronald, Issy (3 July 2021). "Ultra-cyclist Jack Thompson aims to beat Tour de France peloton to Paris – starting 10 days late". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ "Jack Thompson: Meet the man trying to ride the Tour de France in 12 days". The Independent. 5 July 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ "Jack Thompson Is Riding the Tour de France Route in 10 Days". Peloton Magazine. 4 July 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ Chris Marshall-Bell (20 July 2021). "An amazing chase: How Jack Thompson rode the entire Tour de France route and beat the peloton to Paris". cyclingweekly.com. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ Ling, Micah (13 August 2021). "There Was Another Cyclist Who Rode the Entire Tour de France Route by Himself". Bicycling. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ Sam Anderson (15 July 2021). "Jack Thompson Overtakes Pro Peloton on Other OTHER Tour de France". Bikerumor. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ "The Amazing Chase - Can Jack Thompson beat the Tour de France?". CyclingTips. 6 July 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ "Jack 'UltraCyclist' Thompson is on a quest to ride 1,000,000 vertical meters in 2022". VeloNews. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ Welch, Betsy (19 January 2023). "Jack 'UltraCyclist' Thompson smashes Everesting world record". VeloNews.com. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ^ Anne-Marije Rook (29 December 2022). "1 million vertical meters: ultra cyclist Jack Thompson first to 'reach space' in one calendar year". cyclingweekly.com. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ^ Frazelle, Ron (20 January 2023). "UltraCyclist Jack Thompson Rides a Record 52 Everests in a Year, Climbing over 1,000,000 vertical meters!". Bikerumor. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ^ "Der extreme Rad-Abenteurer – "Ich habe eine Drogensucht überwunden. Ich weiss, wozu ich fähig bin"". Tages-Anzeiger (in German). 8 February 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.