Setting off from Brest on Monday the 5th of July with a plan to ride two stages of this year's race per day, Jack has been covering an average of 350 kilometres and six thousand metres of climbing, documenting the trip on his Instagram.
“As a cyclist, I’ve always been fascinated by the Tour de France," Jack said before the start of the ride.
"As a young child, my goal was always to wear the yellow jersey and ride down the Champs Elysees in front of a crowd of people as the first placed rider.
"The reality is that my cycling journey has been anything but normal and I didn’t follow the typical ‘racing pathway.’ My life spiralled out of control as an early 20 something, partying hard and developing a substance abuse problem. I battled through depression, spent time in rehab, and was lucky enough to come out the other side.
"I still have a dream and like the young boy that once watched the Tour with big open eyes late into the night, I want to ride down the Champs Elysees as the leader of the biggest bike race on earth and in doing so, highlight what is possible with the right mindset and determination.”
And after 8 days and 83 hours of riding covering 2,270 kilometres, yesterday Thompson completed the first step of his mammoth quest as he traversed the stage 16 course in the Pyrenees and officially made it past the peloton, a final push to the Champs-Elysees now on the agenda.
Thompson was a guest on the Zwift Cycling Central podcast in 2018, where he talked about his dream to complete this very ride which has now almost become a reality.
You can follow the rest of Jack's journey here, or on his Instagram @jackultracyclist.
