This amateur just broke the Strava records on the Mortirolo, Stelvio

“], “filter”: { “nextExceptions”: “img, blockquote, div”, “nextContainsExceptions”: “img, blockquote, a.btn, a.o-button”} }”>

Imagine dethroning Vincenzo Nibali, a four-time grand tour winner, on one of cycling’s most iconic climbs.

That’s exactly what 29-year-old Canadian racer Jack Burke just did on the Mortirolo, but not in the Giro d’Italia, but rather on Strava.

Journeyman amateur Burke is hoping to use his king-breaker climbs via the riding app to catapult into the WorldTour.

“Let’s hope some kind of opportunity comes from this,” he wrote on Instagram. “Anyone, anywhere, anytime. I’ll do whatever you want. I just want a chance against the best guys.”

Burke smashed the Mortirolo Strava King of the Mountain record, clocking an incredible 43:45 to beat not just Nibali but other WorldTour pros like Giulio Ciccone and Jan Hirt.

And he didn’t stop there. Burke also pedaled to the top of the throne on the nearby Passo dello Stelvio, where he beat 2022 Giro d’Italia winner Jai Hindley’s mark.

Burke, who most recently raced on the club team Above & Beyond Cancer Cycling, isn’t just showing off on social media.

He’s using these jaw-dropping times as a digital résumé, hoping to catch the attention of WorldTour bosses.

Going after Pogačar’s record on the Madone

A former rider for teams like Aevolo, Jelly Belly p/b Maxxis, Leopard Pro Cycling, and Team Vorarlberg. Burke’s career highlight came in 2017 with a stage win at the Tour de Beauce. In 2018, he was 11th behind future WorldTour superstar Sepp Kuss at the Larry H.Miller Tour of Utah.

Well-known among the domestic racing community, Burke’s competed for the better part of a decade across Europe and North America, but never could break out of the Continental and Club-level squads.

Burke turned to Strava to relaunch his career, hoping to prove that you don’t need a agent when you’ve got a strong GPS signal and a pair of world-class climbing legs.

He’s not the first aspiring cyclist to take to social media to hunt for a job. Teams and agents regularly ply Strava and other online platforms hunting out for diamonds-in-the-rough.

Burke is also racing against more than the clock, however. By November, most teams have already closed their rosters.

He’s not done yet, writing that he’s going after world No. 1 Tadej Pogacar and his record on the emblematic Col de la Madone, a longtime testing climb for elite WorldTour pros.

“Pogi, I’m coming for your Madone,” he said.

Three days ago, the 29-year old Canadian Jack Burke climbed Il Mortirolo in 43 min 45 sec, a Strava KOM and the fastest ascent recorded since 1999 when Heras, Gotti and Simoni set the record in 41:42.
His message: “I just want a chance at the WT. Anyone, anywhere, anytime. I’ll… pic.twitter.com/CFu7hLtBge

— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) November 19, 2024