The Man Who Beat the Tour de France in Sandals

> IMAGINE BEATING THE TOUR DE FRANCE.

NOW IMAGINE DOING THAT WITHOUT ANY OF THE PERKS, NO MECHANICS, NO HOTELS, NO CREWS AT ALL.

WELL, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT AUSTRALIAN PROCYCLIST DID THIS SUMMER, DUBBED IT THE ALT TOUR DE FRANCE.

HE BEAT EVERYONE TO THE PUNCH BY FIVE DAYS.

HE DID IT ALL FOR WORLD BICYCLE RELIEF, A NON-PROFIT THAT FINDS BICYCLES FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED THEM.

THANKS, BIANNA, JOINING ME NOW THE LOUGHLIN MORTON, A PROFESSIONAL CYCLIST.

I THINK THE MOST BASIC QUESTION PEOPLE ARE GOING TO HAVE AFTER LEARNING WHAT YOU DID IS WHY.

WHY TAKE ON SUCH A GRUELING PHYSICAL FEAT?

IT WAS A LITTLE BIT OF A CHALLENGE FROM JONATHAN BOILEST, WHO IS, I GUESS THE BOSS.

HE KIND OF PUT THE QUESTION TO ME, LIKE, COULD IT BE DONE?

AND I GUESS I HAVE A BIT OF A BACKGROUND IN TAKING ON, LIKE, SOME SORT OF ULTRA CHALLENGES ON THE BIKE.

AND, YEAH, IT WAS THE SORT OF CHALLENGE THAT, LIKE, YOU KNOW, JUST SPARKED SOMETHING IN ME THAT I WAS LIKE I'VE GOT TO DO THIS NOW.

YOU HAVE PHOTOS OF SOME ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR VISTAS THAT YOU WERE AT.

AND OBVIOUSLY THESE ARE JUST A SLIVER OF WHAT YOU ACTUALLY WITNESSED.

AND THIS WAS WHILE KIND OF ADJACENT TO THE TOUR.

YOU GOT TO A POINT WHERE YOU WERE AHEAD OF THEM.

SO, SOME OF THESE ROADS WERE ACTUALLY JUST QUIET.

THEY WEREN'T FILLED WITH SPECTATORS.

THEY WEREN'T FILLED WITH THE HOOPLA THAT GOES WITH THE TOUR DE FRANCE.

WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?

IT'S AMAZING.

AND TO BE HONEST THAT'S WHY I ENJOY CYCLING SO MUCH IS BEING OUTSIDE.

AND YOU KNOW THIS INCREDIBLE NATURAL SPACES THAT ARE FREE TO ANYONE TO ACCESS.

SO, I THINK I WAS, FOR ME, A LOT OF WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR OUT THERE WAS TO BE ALONE IN THESE INCREDIT PLACES BASICALLY TRAVELING BY BIKE.

IT'S A VERY UNIQUE AND AMAZING FEELING.

TELL ME THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT WHEN YOU HEAR ABOUT THE TOUR DE FRANCE.

THIS IS, LIKE, SO NICE.

SO, I DO A LOT OF MOTIVATION AND INSPIRATION JUST FROM BEING OUT IN THAT SETTING.

AND IT WAS -- I WASN'T REALLY, LIKE, SPENDING ANY TIME ON MY PHONE.

I WAS PRETTY DISCONNECTED FROM EVERYTHING THAT WAS GOING ON OUTSIDE.

SO, I THINK THE COMBINATION OF JUST, YOU KNOW, THE DIFFICULTY OF WHAT I WAS TRYING TO DO, THE PLACE I WAS DOING IT, AND THEN SORT OF EXPERIENCING IT JUST SORT OF FOR MYSELF IS, YEAH, BEAUTIFUL.

THERE WASN'T ACTUALLY A GUARANTEE THAT YOU EITHER COULD BEAT THE TOUR OR EVEN FINISH THIS BECAUSE YOU'RE DOING ON A BIKE WHAT THEY GET TO DO ON BUSES AND PLANES AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHICH IS GO TO THE NEXT RACE.

YEAH.

I MEAN, WHEN I SAID, YEAH, I THINK I CAN DO IT, IT WAS MORE LIKE, YES, I WANT TO TRY.

AND I THINK THE REALITY IN MY HEAD, I WAS KIND OF PUTTING IT LIKE 60/40 IT CAN PROBABLY BE DONE JUST BECAUSE, AS YOU SAID, IT'S SUCH A LONG DISTANCE.

AND THERE'S SO MANY UNCONTROLLABLE ELEMENTS, WHICH MEANS THAT THERE'S JUST A LOT OF TIME FOR THINGS TO GO WRONG.

AND ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE TAKING IT ALL ON YOURSELF, THE STYLE, I GUESS I WAS DOING IT UNSUPPORTED.

SO, I WAS LOOKING OUT FOR MY OWN FOOD AND SLEEPING OUTSIDE IN MY CAMP SETUP.

AND MECHANICAL ISSUES AND ALL THAT, THAT WAS ALL ON ME.

SO, THAT LEAVES A LOT OF SPACE FOR THINGS TO GO WRONG.

AND YEAH, PLENTY OF THINGS DID GO WRONG AND IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF DEALING WITH IT.

FOR THE FIRST COUPLE OF DAYS THERE, PEOPLE WERE KIND OF SUCCESS BECAUSE YOU HAD SOME PROBLEMS WITH YOUR KNEES.

YES.

AND THEN YOU DID SOMETHING WAY OFF THE BOOKS, WHICH IS SWITCH TO BASICALLY LIKE BERKENSTOCK SANDALS.

WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?

YEAH, I HAD ISSUES WITH MY KNEE ON THE FIRST DAY, WHICH IS BASICALLY THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN.

AND THE EVENT WAS ALWAYS GOING TO BE ABOUT PROBLEM SOLVING.

AND I KIND OF TRIED TO NURSE MY KNEE THROUGH THE NEXT DAY BUT QUICKLY REALIZED I HAD TO CHANGE SOMETHING BECAUSE IT WAS JUST BECOMING IMPOSSIBLE TO PEDAL.

AND IT WAS WHEN I WAS ACTUALLY TRYING TO FIND SOME FOOD FOR DINNER, I STUMBLED ACROSS THIS BIKE FOR SALE AT A SUPERMARKET WITH FLAT PEDALS.

I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW WHAT, MAYBE IF I CAN MOVE MY FEET AROUND A BIT AND FIND A MORE COMFORTABLE POSITION AND NOT BE LOCKED IN, MAYBE IT WILL HELP.

IT WAS LIKE A BIT OF A SHOT IN THE DARK.

AND I SOME SANDALS WITH ME THAT I WAS USING FOR OFF THE BIKE.

SO, I THREW THEM ON MY -- I ACTUALLY HAD TO BUY THIS BIKE BECAUSE THEY WOULDN'T SELL ME THE PEDALS.

SO, IT WAS LIKE A 50-YEAR-OLD SET OF PEDALS.

BUT SURE ENOUGH THE KNEE DID FIX ITSELF.

AND I HAD TO MAKE A MODIFICATION TO THE SANDAL BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT IT RUBBING, KNOWING YOU'RE SPENDING 12 HOURS IN SANDALS YOU HAVE TO FIND OUT HOW TO MAKE THEM COMFORTABLE.

AND THEN IT JUST BECAME LIKE I DIDN'T WANT TO CHANGE IT.

WHEN SOMETHING'S WORKING, IT WAS JUST LIKE, ALL RIGHT, I'LL STICK WITH THIS NOW.

AND AT THE TIME IT SEEMED QUITE NORMAL TO ME.

I COULD SEE FROM THE OUTSIDE IT LOOKED LIKE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

IT'S RIDICULOUS.

BUT IN MY MIND IT WAS LIKE, OH, THIS IS THE PERFECT SOLUTION.

SO, THERE YOU ARE IN SANDALS RIDING 12 HOURS A DAY, WHICH MOST PEOPLE IN THEIR LIFE WILL NEVER DO ONCE, AND YOU'RE DOING IT DAY AFTER DAY AFTER DAY.

SO, I KIND OF WANT TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT IT IS THAT GOES THROUGH YOUR MIND AND HOW YOU OVERCOME THESE PROBLEMS BECAUSE INEVITABLY THROUGHOUT ANY NORMAL BIKE RIDE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO HAVE A POINT WHERE THEY FEEL LOW.

FOR YOU --

YES.

-- YOU'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF AT THE VERY AT LEAST A 10, 12-HOUR DAY AND YOU KNOW TECHNICALLY IT'S GOING TO GO ON FOR ANOTHER COUPLE WEEKS WITH LITERALLY TWO MOUNTAIN RANGES IN BETWEEN.

YEAH.

IT'S -- IT'S LIKE A HUGE MENTAL BATTLE.

THAT'S THE BIGGEST PART OF THE CHALLENGE IS KEEPING YOURSELF TOGETHER MENTALLY, TO BE ABLE TO BASICALLY -- YOU'VE JUST GOT TO KEEP PEDALING.

I WISH THERE WAS A SIMPLE KEY.

EVERY DAY IT'S LIKE INEVITABLY YOU HAVE A BIG BLOW UP AND I FOUND OUT AFTER THREE OR FOUR DAYS YOU KIND OF REALIZE THAT, OKAY, IT'S NOT GOING TO GET BETTER.

EVERY DAY THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME PROBLEM.

AND JUST ACCEPTING THAT AND BEING PREPARED FOR WHEN IT COMES AND THEN WHEN THAT MOMENT COMES TRYING TO MINIMIZE THE IMPACT IT HAS.

SO, IT'S LIKE, I NEED TO SWITCH MY MINDSET AND BASICALLY JUST TRYING TO GET A POSITIVE MINDSET.

SO, SOMETIMES I WOULD CALL MY WIFE AND JUST CHECK IN ON WHAT SHE'S DOING ON A REGULAR DAY.

I'M NOT TRYING TO TALK ABOUT WHAT I'M DOING.

I'M JUST LIKE WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

WHAT ARE YOU COOK LG FOR DINNER?

JUST TO NOT REMOVE YOURSELF FROM THE SITUATION BUT PUT EVERYTHING IN PERSPECTIVE AGAIN.

YOU ARE, AS YOU SAID, SPENDING SO MUCH TIME IN YOUR OWN HEAD.

AND WHEN YOU OVERCOME THESE DIFFICULT MOMENTS DAY AFTER DAY AFTER DAY, IT'S VERY TIRING AND I ALWAYS COME OUT OF A BIG CHALLENGE LIKE THIS FEELING LIKE, OKAY, YOU KNOW, I'M ACTUALLY SOMEWHAT STRONGER THAN I THOUGHT I WAS.

FOR PEOPLE WHO FOLLOW THE RACE, THERE'S THIS GIANT HILL, MOUNTAIN, CALLED MOUNT VONTU.

IT'S ABOVE THE TREELINE.

IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S ON MARS SOMEWHERE.

YOU HAD THIS TO CLIMB IT TWICE.

TRUE.

IT JUST SEEMED, YOU KNOW, STATISTIC TO PUT THAT IN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BIKE RACE.

BUT NOT ONLY DO THE RIDERS DO IT, A LOT OF THESE RIDES PEOPLE JUST LITERALLY DON'T MAKE THE TIME CUT.

THEY JUST CAN'T DO IT.

AND WHEN YOU'RE TACKLING OR WHEN YOU'RE AT THE BASE OF ONE OF THESE MOUNTAINS, WHAT DO YOU SAY TO YOURSELF?

THE CHALLENGING THING FOR ME CLIMBING, I THINK I DID 200K BEFORE I GOT TO THE FIRST ASSENT.

AND IT WAS RAINING THE WHOLE DAY.

AND, LIKE, IT'S A PART OF FRANCE WHERE I HAD THE THOUGHT IN MY HEAD THAT IT SHOULDN'T BE RAINING ANYMORE.

I WAS GETTING FAR ENOUGH SOUTH THAT I SHOULD BE OUT OF THE RAIN NOW.

THIS IS UNFAIR.

AND THEN I HAD THREE FLAT TIRES AND ENDED UP HAVING TO PATCH MY TUBE WITH THE MATTRESS KIT FOR THE BLOW UP MATTRESS I HAD BECAUSE I HAD RUN OUT OF TUBES.

SO, THAT WAS A BIG STRESS.

AND THEN I HIT VONSU LIKE LATE IN THE AFTERNOON.

THEN IT WAS LIKE, OKAY, NOW I NEED TO GET UP AND OVER THIS THING.

BUT THE SUN WOULD COME OUT AND I IMAGINED TO FIND A COUPLE OF TUBES IN THE CANAL AT THE BOTTOM BEFORE I CLIMBED IT.

SO, INTERESTINGLY, OF THAT WHOLE DAY, IT JUST BECAME PART.

OH, JUST GOT TO GET OVER THIS THING NOW AND THEN I'LL CAMP ON THE OTHER SIDE AND THEN I'LL DO THE NEXT SIDE IN THE MORNING.

SO, IT'S INTERESTING THAT WHAT WOULD PROBABLY BE THE MOST DIFFICULT -- OR DEFINITELY BE THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF THE STAGE TURNED OUT TO BE THE MOST ENJOYABLE PART OF MY DAY.

SO, YOU KNOW, THIS IS -- YOU DID THIS AND YOU RAISED AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF MONEY.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FINAL TOTAL IS -- FOR WORLD BICYCLE RELIEF.

WHEN YOU JUXTAPOSE WHAT YOU'RE ABLE TO DO WITH WHAT A BICYCLE MEANS FOR THE PEOPLE WHO ARE GETTING THEM BECAUSE OF THIS CHARITY, HOW DOES THAT PLAY IN YOUR HEAD?

YEAH, IT'S REALLY INCREDIBLE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I'M, LIKE, I LOVE BIKES MORE THAN ANYTHING.

THEY HAVE CHANGED MY LIFE AND THEY GIVE ME SO MUCH ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS THAT I CAN'T IMAGINE LIVING WITHOUT THE BIKE IN MY LIFE.

AND THAT'S COMING FROM SOMEONE WHO I HAD EVERY OPPORTUNITY AND EVERY PRIVILEGE AS A KID AND STILL THE BIKE MEANS MORE TO ME THAN ANYTHING.

SO, TO BE ABLE TO GIVE THAT GIFT TO PEOPLE WHO KNOW THEM AND JUST JOIN THEM, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, THAT'S 90% OF WHAT I DO.

IT'S LIKE THEY CAN USE IT TO JUST ACCESS EDUCATION OR CUT DOWN THE TIME IT TAKES TO GET WATER, WHICH CAN ALLOW THEM TO SPEND MORE TIME AT SCHOOL.

AND IT JUST -- IT'S SO EMPOWERING.

SO, TO PLAY LIKE A SMALL PART IN BEING ABLE TO DO THAT AND ME USING MY BIKE TO ENABLE THAT TO HAPPEN, YEAH, I FEEL LUCKY THAT I WAS ABLE TO PLAY A ROLE IN THAT.

AND I'M REALLY THANKFUL TO EVERYONE WHO DONATED AND GOT BEHIND THE RIDE.

IT'S BASICALLY A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO DONATED.

RIGHT NOW WE'RE ALSO IN A PERIOD WHERE WE ARE SEEING ATHLETES REALLY TAKE THE FIRST STEP IN TALKING ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH, WHETHER IT'S NA OMI OSAKA OR SIMONE BILES.

AND I WONDER ABOUT HOW IT IS THAT YOU GET THROUGH AN EVENT LIKE THIS WHEN YOU KNOW THAT THE LOWS YOU'RE GOING THROUGH ARE LOWER THAN MOST OF US WILL EVER GO THROUGH?

WHAT DO YOU KEEP IN MIND OR HOW DO YOU FRAME IT TO HAVE SOME SORT OF CONFIDENCE THAT IT WILL GET BETTER, THAT YOU WILL REACH A HIGHER POINT?

YEAH, IT'S INTERESTING.

I THINK WHEN YOU'RE IN THE RIGHT SITUATION, YOU'RE VERY AWARE OF THE PRESSURE BECAUSE YOU HAVE A SCENE DIRECTOR WHO IS ASKING YOU TO DO A JOB.

AND YOU KNOW THAT'S SORT OF WHAT YOU'RE PAID TO DO, TO GO THERE AND PERFORM THIS TASK.

SO, THERE'S A PRESSURE ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS TO BASICALLY GET SOMETHING OUT OF YOURSELF THAT YOU'RE 90% SURE YOU CAN DO.

IT'S STILL 10% OF THE ATMOSPHERE AND THE ANXIETY AROUND IT.

SO, THE WAY I APPROACH WHAT I WAS DOING WAS TO BASICALLY REMOVE THAT IDEA OF PRESSURE.

AND I THINK IF I'D KNOWN HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE FOLLOWING WHAT I WAS DOING AND JUST THE AMOUNT OF SUPPORT I WAS GETTING, IT WOULDN'T HAVE HELPED ME BECAUSE, LIKE, IT'S A LOT OF PRESSURE THEN TO KEEP DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING.

AS A SPECTATOR, IT'S A VERY STRANGE THING.

WE JUST COLLECTIVELY SEEM TO EXPECT EITHER A GOLD MEDAL OR YOU'RE A LOSER OR THIS PERSON SHOULD WIN EVERY RACE THAT THEY'RE IN, WHY AREN'T THEY.

SOMETHING'S LITTLE OFF.

BUT, YOU KNOW, WHEN SIMONE BILES MADE HER DECISION THE OTHER DAY, WHAT WENT THROUGH YOUR HEAD?

I CAN ABSOLUTELY RELATE TO THAT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, MY EXPERIENCE IN ELITE SPORT IS THAT, YOU KNOW, I DON'T DEAL WITH PRESSURE WELL.

SO, FOR ME, THAT HAS MEANT I COMPETE LESS OFTEN SO THAT WHEN I DO I'M MENTALLY READY AND CAN ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE.

SO, I CAN'T IMAGINE THE AMOUNT OF PRESSURE THAT SIMONE BILES IS UNDER, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE NOT ONLY IS SHE COMPETING AT A LEVEL THAT NO ONE HAS EVER COMPETED AT BEFORE AND THAT'S JUST WHAT SHE'S EXPECTED TO DO TIME AND TIME AGAIN, IT'S ALSO SHE'S IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHEN LIKE THE SPORT IS JUST A SMALL PART OF SIMONE.

HE'S PART OF A HUGE MACHINE, I GUESS.

SO, YEAH, I THINK IT'S AMAZING THAT SHE'S DONE WHAT SHE'S DONE, I THINK.

AND I REALLY LIKE TO APPLAUD HER BECAUSE NOW I THINK MORE THAN EVER IT'S DIFFICULT FOR THOSE TOUGH, ELITE ATHLETES BECAUSE THERE'S NO ESCAPING IT.

IT'S A DIFFERENT WORLD THAT THESE ATHLETES ARE COMPETING IN NOW.

IT'S A LOT MORE PRESSURE.

I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE A BIGGER FOCUS ON MENTAL HEALTH AND JUST SUPPORT IN GENERAL BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT'S BASICALLY -- IT'S A PROVISION THAT NO ONE CAN RELATE TO, YOU KNOW, OR THERE'S MAYBE 20 ATHLETES IN THE WORLD WHO KNOW WHAT THAT FEELS LIKE.

SO, IT'S EASY TO SIT ON THE COUCH AT HOME AND GO, OH, YEAH, BUT SHE'S AN ELITE ATHLETE, THAT'S WHAT SHE'S PAID TO DO.

BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE.

SO, YEAH, I TAKE MY HAT OFF TO HER AND I HOPE IT STARTS A CONVERSATION THAT, YOU KNOW, CAN LEAD TO THESE ELITE PERFORMERS GETTING THE SUPPORT THEY NEED.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.

THANKS FOR HAVING ME.