Between flights, Stéphane Loth’s 50 km/h life

In a world chasing time, some men decide to run with it, not against it. Here is the true, inspiring, and almost unreal story of a senior international executive at a major American company who, at almost 50 years old, continues to pin on a race number, attack on climbs, and compete with the young wolves of the peloton… while simultaneously managing a 60-million-euro business, several teams worldwide, and a busy family life. This is the story of a man who never accepted having to choose between passion, profession, and personal fulfillment. This is the story of a fighter, a strategist, a father. Here is a lesson in courage, method, and humility, for all those who say: « I don’t have time. »

The Man Without a Suit or Bib Shorts

When he’s not wearing a tie or an aero helmet, he is first and foremost a family man, a lover, a man from the North. Born in Pas-de-Calais, this born competitor grew up with the values of hard work, respect, and family. At 33, he decided to take control of his life after a divorce. A promise, almost an oath: he would write a destiny of his own making. At 50, he continues to do so, every day. On his bike.

From a Gitane on the Izoard to a D1 License

His first love affair with cycling dates back to when he was 15. His father gave him a Gitane road bike during a holiday near Lake Embrun. His baptism? The Izoard. But at the time, he was a high-level table tennis player, reaching national peaks in the sport. Cycling was a dream. It became a reality at 30, thanks to an encounter. A friend, Frédéric Coutif, sold him a Look bike. He got a license. He discovered racing. He never stopped.

Before the mountain passes, there were the tables. Champion with his table tennis teammates, he already dreamed of summits. At 15, the Izoard ignited a flame. It would never go out.

The Race Number as a Life Engine

When asked why he continues to compete despite a high-pressure international executive life, the answer comes quickly: « I am a competitor. » The race number is not an accessory. It is an end goal. A symbol. A necessity. In sport as in work, he needs an objective, a plan, a progression. Training, performing, confronting: this is how he breathes. And above all, how he exists.

The Secret? There Isn’t One

« How do you do it? » Stéphane Loth often hears this question. He answers directly: « I don’t like wasting my time. » It’s all a matter of priorities, organization, and commitment. He travels often, sometimes to the other side of the world, but always finds time to ride: at noon, at dusk, between two video calls. His agenda has no ‘rest’ slot, but he has heart to spare.

And when he can’t pedal, he compensates. A bit of gym (which he hates), a strict lifestyle, an iron will. He doesn’t complain. He adapts. He improvises. He moves forward.

Even at altitude, he keeps his feet on the ground: reading, planning, concentration. Every moment counts, even at 10,000 meters.

Handicap or Driving Force?

He doesn’t hide behind excuses. Travel, short nights, endless meetings? And sometimes (often) on the other side of the world. Constraints, yes. A handicap? No. Rather, fuel. « It’s precisely because it’s hard that it’s good. » He feels alive in the effort. He doesn’t want to be the fastest. He wants to be the one who never gives up. The one who, even in the shadows, continues to fight.

Humility Ingrained

What is striking about him is his almost disarming modesty. Few people, even among his close ones, know that he is a senior executive. Even fewer know that he sometimes returns from a long-haul flight the day before a race. He seeks neither admiration nor excuses. He is discreet, like his northern roots: « To be, not to appear. »

The Pact with Oneself

At 50, some dream of slowing down. He, he accelerates. Not out of frenzy, but out of necessity. He knows that every ride counts, every hour in the saddle is a victory over daily life. Even a simple ride with friends becomes a form of therapy. A breath. He doesn’t just ride to win. He rides to find peace, to understand, to live.

And yet, he sometimes doubts. He wonders if he’s normal. If he shouldn’t do « like everyone else ». Then he remembers why he does all this: to be happy.

Today, he leads the peloton. Tomorrow, he’ll be 11 time zones away. Endurance knows no borders when passion paves the way…

A Champion’s Method

Without following a precise training plan, he applies to sport the principles he uses in business: setting an objective, defining steps, adapting, evaluating. He is his own coach. He listens to his instinct. He knows when to push, when to ease off. Performance is not an obsession; it’s a direction. And pleasure is never sacrificed.

He pays attention to everything: recovery, sleep, nutrition, dietary supplements. He has the rigor of a pro, even in enlightened amateurism. He expects nothing from destiny: he builds it.

In the field as in conferences, Stéphane moves forward with his teams, always in strategy and performance mode.

Cycling, More Than a Sport: A Philosophy

When asked what cycling brings him that his job can never offer, he smiles. « Cycling is my breath of fresh air. » It’s a space of absolute freedom, a ground for introspection and encounters. Where professional constraints impose their tempo, cycling offers him his own. It is in effort that he finds answers, in the wind that he refines his decisions, on the climbs that he builds his certainties.

Conversely, his job brings him what cycling cannot offer: an intellectual framework, an openness to the world, a strategic perspective. The two universes nourish each other. One elevates him, the other anchors him.

When everything comes down to a breath… He doesn’t give up. Even his bike flies to cross the line first.

Balance in Tension

His biggest challenge? It’s not physical. It’s mental. Living life at 100 miles an hour, without giving in. Fulfilling all his roles without betraying any. He doesn’t complain. He transforms frustrations into a driving force. Sport, he says, has saved his life more than once. It’s his outlet, his balance, his refuge.

His wife, a silent pillar, manages the household and runs her own business. Together, they made a pact: each will support the other in turn. It is this discreet support that makes it all possible. And it is this faithfulness in commitments, both private and professional, that commands respect.

At the heart of every challenge, his greatest strength: his family, his balance, his refuge.

A Lesson for Those Who “Don’t Have Time”

He doesn’t seek to convince. He testifies. He doesn’t say it’s easy. He says it’s possible. That the biggest obstacle is not time, but the lack of will. He doesn’t claim to be a role model. He simply says that everyone can, in their own way, write a destiny that reflects them.

So, the next time you say « I’d like to, but I don’t have time », think of him. Of his back-and-forth trips between the United States, Austria, and the roads of Oise. Of his races run without excuses, of his silent victories, of his ability to never give up.

And remember that the finish line isn’t always at the end of the road. Sometimes, it’s simply in the mirror. And when you look at yourself there, you know if you’ve won.

This man, this rider, this executive, this father — he doesn’t seek the spotlight. But his journey deserves light. Not to glorify him, but to remind us that nothing is impossible when one chooses the path of effort, discipline, and heart. It’s not just a cycling story. It’s a life story. And it’s one that we all, potentially, hold in our hands.

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