"I was the best Canadian junior, but was suddenly seen as a cheater" - Jack Burke on false positive test, being almost homeless and potential interest from Visma
Cycling
Jack Burke, the amateur rider who took the Strava KOM's at the Passo del Mortirollo, Passo dello Stelvio and Alpe d'Huez this winter is one of the most interesting stories of the past few weeks. He is still in search of a World Tour contract and has shared stories about several topics, including close contact with a Team Visma | Lease a Bike Grand Tour winner who tipped him off to the team.
"If you saw my training data from this year, you would think this is a joke. I'm actually a hobby cyclist. It was also not my goal at all to set KOMs on all those iconic climbs," Burke shared with Sporza, whom he described as his 7th interview of the day - a good indicator of how much interest exists on him right now.
Even if not for his performances, teams could potentially have an eye on him over the exposure he's having. His story is quite interesting, and the list of teams that have contacted him has grown: "In the meantime, five teams have already shown interest. I would really like to become a professional cyclist and ride the Tour de France and the Olympics. I agree that riding a top Strava time is not the same as racing in the WorldTour. But I have a big engine and I know how to ride in a peloton."
In 2013 the 29-year old tested positive for Hydrochlorothiazide, but it was a rare case where the rider is able to prove the contamination. "I was the best Canadian junior, but was suddenly seen as a cheater. That was unfair." Eventually Burke was actually acquitted, as it was proven that contaminated spring water from the area was the reason behind the positive case.
His pro career switched between North America and Austria, where he kept performing in the mountainous races, but that didn't come without it's difficulties. "2020 was a lost year due to Covid and in 2021 there were problems with my bike. I continued to pursue my professional dream in Europe and was almost homeless."
He's since continued to race for a club, but not at professional level. But this winter a trip to Europe changed things: "Friends from the WorldTour told me that I should send my Strava data to pro teams, because they were impressed with my data. In mid-October I was tired of indoor cycling. I took a day off and then went to the foot of the Stelvio to test myself."
He took the KOM, held at the time by Jai Hindley who flew up it at the 2020 Giro d'Italia together with Wilco Kelderman and Tao Geoghegan Hart. "Among a few critical comments, I also received a message from my friend Sepp Kuss. 'Awesome, an amazing job', Sepp sent me. With the addition that he would tell his team to keep an eye on me," he added, telling that Visma is certainly amongst the teams who are in contact with him.
"Although I fear that teams will think I am too old (29 years old). But I think I deserve a chance. In the past I have already gone through the testing procedures at Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe and Israel-Premier Tech. But I just missed out. Now I am making a last-ditch effort to get a chance," he concluded.
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