Motivation and a certain sense of self-awareness can come from playing with the big boys, and this was probably the case here. A 12-year-old cyclist raced against pro riders at the 2021 Tour of Britain, briefly outpaced them and made a name for himself as the latest viral star.
No one but a child or a fellow professional rider would think of racing against professional cyclists, that much is certain. On Saturday, the Tour of Britain convoy was passing through Edinburgh, Scotland and, as it so happened, Xander Graham was on his way home from a cycling event, BBC reports.
He knew the convoy would pass by there and he had made a plan to see it for himself. An already accomplished cyclist (he won the 2019 and 2021 road bike series with Scottish Cycling), Xander then decided to join the convoy. It was a spur of the moment thing, he would later tell the media and, albeit briefly, he was able to outpace the pro riders.
Videos of his stunt are available at the bottom of the page. Technically, Xander didn’t outpace the cyclists because he got a head start, but he was able to keep the unfair advantage for a short while. The young cyclist tells the same media outlet that he estimates he was going as fast as 25 kph (15.5 mph), and notes that it was an honor for him to ride alongside his heroes.
One of them, Pascal Eenkhoorn of Netherlands’ Team Jumbo-Visma, acknowledged Xander’s efforts by handing him his water bottle. Catching cyclists’ water bottles was a tradition until months ago, when it was banned on considerations of safety and in order to avoid littering. Xander says the water bottle was his big prize for his unofficial race and that he plans to have a shelf built in his room specifically for it.
One of the Tour of Britain sponsors reached out to him after Saturday’s stage and gave him VIP passes to the final stage in Aberdeen. He got to meet all his heroes in person and was surprised to learn that they already knew who he was.
While Xander’s short-lived race against the pro riders went viral earlier this week, with many praising the kid for daring to test himself against such a high standard, there are also those who point out that what he did was illegal. Riding on the pavement is illegal throughout Scotland. Children are the only exception to the rule, but Xander is past the legal threshold, which is 10 years of age.
He knew the convoy would pass by there and he had made a plan to see it for himself. An already accomplished cyclist (he won the 2019 and 2021 road bike series with Scottish Cycling), Xander then decided to join the convoy. It was a spur of the moment thing, he would later tell the media and, albeit briefly, he was able to outpace the pro riders.
Videos of his stunt are available at the bottom of the page. Technically, Xander didn’t outpace the cyclists because he got a head start, but he was able to keep the unfair advantage for a short while. The young cyclist tells the same media outlet that he estimates he was going as fast as 25 kph (15.5 mph), and notes that it was an honor for him to ride alongside his heroes.
One of them, Pascal Eenkhoorn of Netherlands’ Team Jumbo-Visma, acknowledged Xander’s efforts by handing him his water bottle. Catching cyclists’ water bottles was a tradition until months ago, when it was banned on considerations of safety and in order to avoid littering. Xander says the water bottle was his big prize for his unofficial race and that he plans to have a shelf built in his room specifically for it.
One of the Tour of Britain sponsors reached out to him after Saturday’s stage and gave him VIP passes to the final stage in Aberdeen. He got to meet all his heroes in person and was surprised to learn that they already knew who he was.
While Xander’s short-lived race against the pro riders went viral earlier this week, with many praising the kid for daring to test himself against such a high standard, there are also those who point out that what he did was illegal. Riding on the pavement is illegal throughout Scotland. Children are the only exception to the rule, but Xander is past the legal threshold, which is 10 years of age.
The real race we're here for!
— AJ Bell Tour of Britain ???????? (@TourofBritain) September 11, 2021
Nicely done, @PascalEenkhoorn ????
???? Watch stage seven live on ITV4#TourOfBritain ????????? pic.twitter.com/C4G646nZ5I
The first time they methttps://t.co/OWJgJoj7y0
— George "Foxy" Brown (@im_silverfox) September 12, 2021