When Cyclists Put on Their Running Shoes

It’s the middle of November, and normally it’s downtime for the heroes of the Tour de France… But some get bored, and to break that feeling, they put on their running shoes! 3bikes.fr wanted to reveal some astonishing recent stories of cyclists who temporarily became very high-level runners. Here, we present some surprising recent examples of Tour de France legends who tried their hand at running with immediate excellent results.

By Jean-François Tatard – Photos: Depositphotos.com / DR (Facebook and Instagram profile photos)

Eric Leblacher has achieved several remarkable performances in running and trail running.

In the past, many figures from the pro peloton had already laced up their running shoes after a successful cycling career. The most exceptional: New Zealander Jack Foster, 2h11’ in the marathon at 42 years old after a career as a pro cyclist. He also won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in 1976. But also Abraham Olano, 2h39’ in the marathon. Jerome Chiotti, 2h28’ in Paris in 2016, Laurent Brochard 2h36’, Laurent Jalabert 2h44’ and even Lance Armstrong 2h46’. And more recently, in Rennes on October 24, former professional rider (1996-2000), Costarmoricain Stephan Ravaleu even won the French marathon championship title in 2h24’35’’, in his category. But this time, we are witnessing something newer…

Jérôme Chiotti completed the 2016 Paris Marathon in 2h28, at 44 years old.

Some active riders seem to have decided this year to give another meaning to the word rest. Starting with Briton Adam Yates (Ineos-Grenadiers) who, one month after his third place at the last Tour of Lombardy, completed the Barcelona marathon in under three hours (2h58’44’’). And a few weeks earlier, Wout Van Aert also ran a 16 km race in Belgium in 1h11’03’’. And that was only one week after hanging up his bike at Paris-Roubaix. But the most spectacular feat is the work of Tom Dumoulin. Indeed, on the same day that Thomas Voekler ran 1h17’33’’ at the Deauville Half Marathon and Clément L’hôtellerie 2h37’20’’ in the marathon, the Jumbo-Visma rider finished second in the 10 km Groene Lopen Run in Maastricht, at home in the Netherlands, in 32’38’’.

So, who among Tom Pidcock or Mathieu van der Poel or another active cyclist who is an unknown running champion will be the next to set the running clocks ablaze before the cycling season restarts?