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Northumbrian 51-year-old sets out on Tour de France odyssey

Solo rider to take on entire route just days ahead of peloton

A 51-year-old from Northumberland is set to pave the way for the pro peloton later this week when he sets off from Rotterdam to ride the 3,651-kilometre route of this year’s Tour de France on his own.

The race starts in Rotterdam on Sunday, by which time Quentin Field-Boden, a self-employed cycling coach and part-time radiographer from Alnwick, will be three days into his epic ride, which starts on Wednesday.

Billed the ‘Tour de Velo,’ Quentin, who is thought to be one of the oldest rider’s to attempt the entire Tour de Frace route, has been training for a year for the ride, and his only support will be regular water replenishment plus a vehicle to transport his bike spares and clothing to the end of each day’s stage.

His exploits are being backed by the clothing company Skins, which supplies several pro teams including HTC-Columbia, Rabobank and Milram, and which will be supplying him with its C400 cycle compression clothing plus, for those times when he manages to grab some well-earned shuteye, its RY400 recovery tops and shorts.

Compared to Quentin, the oldest rider in this year’s race, Cervélo TestTeam’s Iñigo Cuesta, is a mere stripling at 39 years of age, while the oldest rider to win the maillot jaune is the Belgian Firmin Lambot, who was 36 when he won the Tour in 1922 – a fact that won’t be lost on Quentin’s hero, the 38-year-old Lance Armstrong, who is this year bidding to win the race for a record eighth time.

You can keep up to date with Quentin’s exploits on Facebook, Twitter and through his own blog.

 

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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DaveyP | 13 years ago
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Yes indeed. Mick Ives is a legend and has recently celebrated his 70th national championship and is an exceptional athlete at the age of 71.

Well done though Quentin on your tour and good luck for next year. Being a fellow Northumbrian I appreciate the scenary and weather might have been a bit dull for you!

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Tony Farrelly | 13 years ago
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Mick did have the advantage of being a cycling legend though with about 50 years (at least) of continuous racing in his legs which does even thing up a bit he still looked reasonably fresh at the end of it too… his support crew didn't though  1

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swldxer | 13 years ago
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Cycling legend Mick Ives was 66 when he did the full Tour de France in just 20 days. This 51 year old is a mere youngster!

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