“We rode with the pros to make a dream come true”
AND HIS SON TOM (AGED !") JOINED AN ELITE PAIR FOR A RIDE AS THEY TOOK ON THE MALLORCA #!$ CHALLENGE IN OCTOBER
“My son Tom was born with Koolen de Vries syndrome, which causes developmental delay and learning difficulties, but his grit and determination has shown itself in his cycling. He has to work really hard to cycle and has to focus hard to remain upright and balanced and get his feet positioned correctly. It has taken hours of practice just to pedal smoothly.”
“At the age of nine, Tom was also diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. But just weeks after the diagnosis, Tom, his brother Archie and I all climbed the final 5km of Mont Ventoux, Tom on a 20-inch mountain bike, eating a handful of jelly babies every few minutes.”
“In 2016, Tom and I met Phil Southerland, the cyclist who founded Team Novo Nordisk [a pro team whose athletes all have type 1 diabetes] and is CEO for the Supersapiens glucose monitor. Phil bonded with Tom immediately; he challenged Tom to ride Box Hill three times. Tom did it five times! Tom then went on to complete his first century ride aged 15.”
“In October 2021 I took Tom to Spain for a Special Olympics training camp. Phil was there to ride the Majorca 312 (312km ride with 5000m of climbing) and had invited me to ride with him. We didn’t know but he also arranged for Tom’s cycling hero, Sam Brand, to ride with us too.”
“I’d been training for an endurance ride at weekends and on Zwift during the week since the summer but this was physically one of the toughest things I’ve ever done. It’s a bit like a marathon in that you train for three quarters of the distance and hope you have enough in the tank to do the whole thing!”
“Phil and Sam rode on ahead of the group but we caught up at the rest stop (165km) for a cold beer. Tom had told me to try to ride with Phil and Sam. As I’d managed to catch up with them, especially through the toughest sections, Phil said, “Drink up because you’re spending the rest of the ride with us!”
“I rode the next three hours in a four-man group, with Phil, Sam and Ironman and nutritionist Asker Jeukendrup. It was the best day of pure riding I have ever experienced, due to the scenery, roads, climate and camaraderie.”
“The biggest thrill was being able to tell Tom I’d done the ride with his biggest heroes. Tom also rode with Phil and Sam around Playa Muro, and did 125km of the MA-10 route.”
“I’d been training since the summer but this was physically one of the toughest things I’ve ever done”