Ex-pro cyclist sticks with Eliud Kipchoge in blistering marathon debut: 'I don't know what my future holds'
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Follow us on GoogleFormer WorldTour rider Jimmy Whelan walked away from cycling at the end of 2024, frustrated, injured and feeling out of place in a "dangerous" sport. On Sunday October 11, he went head to head in the Melbourne marathon with none other than Eliud Kipchoge, and held his own.
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Jimmy Wheelan racing la Flèche Wallonne in 2024
Whelan enjoyed some success on the bike, but left the sport frustrated
Whelan, who is Australian, signed a three-year contract with EF Education first in 2019, after winning the u23 Tour of Flanders.
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He raced with Giro d'Italia in 2020, but was then forced to race at the Continental level until 2024, when he was signed to Q36.5, having won the queen stage of the Volta a Portugal with his previous team Glassdrive-Q8-Anicolor.
He then sustained multiple injuries, crashes, and illnesses, and left the sport feeling "sorry for himself" and frustrated.
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Whelan announced his new contract in February this yea t
He announced in February that he was a pro runner, with Salomon International, a move about which he said, "I have never been more appreciative and motivated as an athlete."
Made his debut at Melbourne Marathon, stuck with Kipchoge
On home roads last weekend, Whelan lined up to make his marathon debut, next to none other than Eliud Kipchoge, perhaps the greatest long distance runner of all time.
For the first 30 kilometres (18 miles), the Australian ex-cyclist was the only one who managed to stick with Kipchoge, who went on to break the course record.
Read more below the video!
Whelan faded in the final third, eventually finishing fifth, and wanting more. However, this debut felt just right for the now pro runner.
Whelan felt "like Pogačar doing the World Championships at home"
He told escape collective, "The opportunity that presented itself on Sunday with my debut marathon at home on a fast flat course against Eliud Kipchoge – yeah, it was pretty crazy."
"As a local boy, my story is different against one of the greatest of all time, and then the question marks on whether I’d be able to keep with him, the entertainment of that, and of the unknown ... it was just crazy to feel that"
"I felt like Tadej Pogačar doing the World Championships at home, in his hometown, or something. That sounds ridiculous, but the noise on race day was the loudest thing I've experienced in sport. More than when I did the Giro, more than I did when I did any of the big Belgian races. It was just crazy."
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Clarice WebsterEditor
Clarice has been following cycling her whole life, wroting about Thibaut Pinot (among others) for her university magazine while earning her masters in Journalism. She is passionate about furthering equality in sports coverage, and has taken huge inspiration from pillars of women’s cycling like Beryl Burton, Marianne Vos, and Laura Kenny.
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Latest Comments
- A self-promoting billboard for the psychologically insecure Evenpoel, who should do as much work on his psyche as he does on his road training. It seems as if he's always looking for and desperately needing acclaim and external validation, and often miserable, as well as argumentative and accusatory unless he wins the race. And even when he does cross the finish line ahead of the pack, he seems to experience relief. more than joy. It's as if he can't win, even when he finishes first, because there's always a trap door, always someone there who will say, 'Not good enough,' or, 'But can you do it again?'rjb15-10-2026
- How does a team actually get a wildcard for a Grand Tour? Is it mainly based on ranking, or do organisers have more choice? I’m still trying to get my head around how the divisions work.andrewf15-10-2026
- The points gap to the top 18 is huge, so Picnic PostNL’s licence situation sounds precarious. Still, the allegations about conditions within the team deserve proper scrutiny, not just transfer-window speculation.cadencekingm15-10-2026
- Pidcock finishing ninth at the Tour as a ProTeam rider is impressive. WorldTour status would give the squad a more settled calendar, though the obligation to start almost every WorldTour race could stretch a team that’s still building.pedalpowe2915-10-2026
- Pinarello-Q5 are making a serious case on the road, and Ciccone is a big signing. But points alone won’t tell the whole story if Picnic PostNL meet the UCI’s financial conditions.michael5415-10-2026
- The article calls the Giro the likely option, but Seixas has said the Tour is his lifetime goal. That seems a bit premature—wouldn’t the team want him back at the Tour after finishing fourth?gearguru3314-10-2026
- Five weeks between the Tour and Worlds sounds like plenty of time to recover and get ready again. I’d love to see him go for both.sprocketspiny14-10-2026
- Why does the Vuelta start just six days after the Worlds? Do riders ever compete in both, or is that turnaround generally too short?davidm14-10-2026
- He’s had an extraordinary season, but there’s no need to rush him into targeting everything at once. A gradual build towards the Tour could pay off in the long run.lindae14-10-2026
- That Worlds course sounds tailor-made for Seixas. Twenty ascents of Domancy is savage, and racing at home could make it a huge day for him.andrewf14-10-2026
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