Xander Graham, 12, from Midlothian outpaces professional cyclists in Edinburgh leg of Tour of Britain

A 12-year-old Midlothian boy was caught on camera outpacing professional riders in the Tour of Britain near Edinburgh.
Pascal Eenkhoorn of Team Jumbo–Visma hands a bottle to Xander Graham (Photo: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com).Pascal Eenkhoorn of Team Jumbo–Visma hands a bottle to Xander Graham (Photo: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com).
Pascal Eenkhoorn of Team Jumbo–Visma hands a bottle to Xander Graham (Photo: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com).

Xander Graham, from Bonnyrigg in Midlothian, grabbed the attention of many around the world after he was spotted on TV riding alongside the breakaway group in the Tour of Britain’s seventh stage on Saturday.

The 12-year-old, who is a keen cyclist and member of Edinburgh RC, was also handed a water bottle by Dutch cyclist Pascal Eenkhoorn, who rides for the Jumbo-Visma team, when the professionals eventually passed him as they raced towards the finish in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh.

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A video posted on the race's social media accounts had more than a million views within 24 hours.

After cycling earlier that day and heading off to see the race, Xander suddenly decided to join the professionals by cycling along the pavement.

He told the BBC: "We already knew they were going to be there because we had seen the route online.

"They were coming round the corner and people were clapping and that's when I decided to start riding up beside them.

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"It was about one minute and I was just riding as fast as I could - about 25km an hour I think."

After the race, Xander was invited to the start of the final stage of the race, which is sponsored by AJ Bell, in Stonehaven as the Jumbo-Visma team’s guest.

He was also given a tour of their bus and a signed jersey.

Xander added: "Eenkhoorn was really nice, he took me on a tour of the bus and I went on the stage with them.

"He's definitely one of my heroes now."

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