Sometimes, it is not all about the bike. Peter Thompson has set himself the challenge of running the full route of the Tour de France. Two legs good, two wheels bad, to borrow from George Orwell.
It is 3,329km and it is the route of the 2018 Tour de France. He is breaking it down into 30 mile chunks for his daily mileage and will set off from Noirmoutier-en-l’Île on May 19. That is seven weeks ahead of the riders and so he plans to make it to the Champs-Élysées before the riders on July 29. The stats are 70 days on the road with a nice 28,000 metres of climbing. He will be lucky enough to go over the Pyrenees and the Alps.
Peter is not new to the ultra world. Last year he ran 44 marathons in 44 days across 44 countries. He raises money for mental health charities and says on his website that he began doing that as he had many close to him who had suffered and he wanted to help but he found, during his challenges, that he also benefitted.
“These challenges and mental health focus started for these people. However, I soon realised it was making me understand my own mental health more and more. I have always been someone who is very up and down. I feel on top of the world one day and the next wanting to hide away from the world in my room. I had always thought this was normal and never spoken to people or explained the actions that play out when you feel that way. “
Good luck, Peter! We’ll be cheering you on.
