Jake Burke has been in the news a lot in recent hours. The amateur cyclist beat professional cyclist Vincenzo Nibali’s record on the famous Mortirolo pass in Italy. He hopes to get his chance in the pros.
A record that does not go unnoticed. Jake Burke, a 29-year-old Canadian, beat professional cyclist Vincenzo Nibali’s time on the legendary Italian Mortirolo pass a few days ago. Recorded on Strava, an application that remembers the sporting performances of 100 million users around the world, Jake’s prowess gave him the title of KOM, King of Mountain, (King of the Mountain in French, editor’s note).
With a time of 43min45 on the climb, the amateur hit very hard on November 16, as he beat the Italian professional by more than a minute (44’52), a record which dated from 2019.
Since the arrival of the platform in 2009, which is very popular among cyclists or runners, many amateurs like to compare their times to those of professionals.
An arrival at the pros?
That’s what Jake Burke wants in any case. In his Instagram video where he highlights his record, he asked the World Tour teams, a cycling competition bringing together teams and cycling races that have obtained a WorldTour license, to have a chance. “I don’t know what more I can do, I’ve done everything I can. I just want my chance! A chance to compete against the best guys in the world. I did everything I could,” he said.
In addition to the Mortirolo pass, Jake claims to have broken the record for the ascent of Stelvio, another legendary pass, and has promised to publish the proof very soon.
He hopes to follow in the footsteps of another amateur, Jay Vine, who revealed himself to the world during confinement, who then signed professional, won two stage victories in the Vuelta, a title of champion of Australia in the time trial and who now races for UAE Team Emirates, Tadej Pogacar’s team.
