Bytagand the publication "Between two flights, life at 50 km/h by Stéphane Loth"
In a world that is chasing time, some men decide to run with it, not against it. This is the true, inspiring, and almost unreal story of a senior international executive of a major American company, who, at almost 50 years old, continues to put on a bib, attack in the hills, and compete with the young guns of the peloton... while simultaneously managing a 60 million euro business, several teams around the world, and a busy family life. This is the story of a man who never agreed to choose between passion, profession, and personal fulfillment. This is the story of a fighter, a strategist, a father. This is a lesson in courage, method, and humility, for all those who say: " I do not have time. »
By Jeff Tatard – Photos: DR
The man without a suit or shorts
When he's not wearing a tie or an aero helmet, he's first and foremost a family man, a lover, a man from the North.Born in Pas-de-Calais, this born competitor grew up surrounded by the values of work, respect, and family. At 33, he decided to take control of his life after a divorce. A promise, almost an oath: he would write a destiny that suited him. At 50, he continues to do so, every day. By bike.
From a Gypsy in the Izoard to a D1 license
His first love with cycling dates back to when he was 15 years oldHis father gives him a Gitane route during a vacation near Lake Embrun. His baptism? Izoard. But at the time, he was a high-level table tennis player, flirting with the national table tennis summits. Cycling was a dream. It would become reality at 30, thanks to an encounter. A friend, Frédéric Coutif, sold him a Look bike. He took out a license. He discovered racing. He would never stop.
The bib as a driving force for life
When asked why he continues to compete despite a high-pressure life as an international executive, the answer is immediate: " I am a competitor » The bib is not an accessory. It's a purpose. A symbol. A necessity.In sport as in work, he needs a goal, a plan, a progression. Training, performing, confronting himself: this is how he breathes. And above all, how he exists.
The secret? There isn't one.
« How do you do it? » Stéphane Loth hears this question often. He answers bluntly: " I don't like wasting my time. » It's all a question of priorities, organization, and commitment. He travels often, sometimes to the other side of the world, but always finds time to ride: at noon, at nightfall, between two video calls. His calendar doesn't have a "rest" slot, but he has heart to spare.
And when he can't pedal, he compensates. A little gym (which heteste), a strict lifestyle, an iron mentality. He doesn't complain. He adapts. He improvises. He moves forward.
Disability or motor?
He doesn't hide behind excuses. The travel, the short nights, the endless appointments? And sometimes (often) on the other side of the world. Constraints, yes. A handicap? No. More like fuel. It's precisely because it's hard that it's good. "He feels alive in the effort. He doesn't want to be the fastest. He wants to be the one who never gives up. The one who, even in the shadows, keeps fighting.
Humility in the body
What is striking about him is this almost disarming modesty. Few people, even among his close friends, know that he is a senior leader.. Even less so than he sometimes returns from a long-haul flight the day before a race. He seeks neither admiration nor excuses. He is discreet, like his northern roots: " To be, not to appear »
The pact with oneself
At 50, some people dream of slowing down. He's speeding up.. Not out of frenzy, but out of necessity. He knows that every ride counts, every hour in the saddle is a victory over everyday life. Even a simple ride with friends becomes a form of therapy. A breath of fresh air. He doesn't ride just to win. He rides to soothe himself, to understand, to live.
And yet, he sometimes doubts himself. He wonders if he's normal. If he shouldn't be doing " like everyone " Then he remembers why he does all this: to be happy.
A champion's method
Without following a specific training plan, he applies to sport the principles he uses in business : set a goal, define the steps, adapt, evaluate. He is his own coach. He listens to his instincts. He knows when to push, when to delay. Performance is not an obsession, it's a direction. And pleasure is never sacrificed.
He pays attention to everything: recovery, sleep, nutrition, dietary supplements. He has the rigor of a professional, even in enlightened amateurism. He expects nothing from destiny: he creates it.
Cycling, more than a sport: a philosophy
When asked what cycling gives him that his job never can, he smiles. Cycling is my breath of fresh air. "It's a space of absolute freedom, a place of introspection and encounters. Where professional constraints impose their own pace, the bicycle offers its own. It is in the effort that he finds the answers, in the wind that he refines his decisions, in the bumps that he builds his certainties..
Conversely, his profession provides him with what cycling cannot: an intellectual framework, an openness to the world, a strategic perspective. The two worlds feed off each other. One elevates him, the other anchors him.
Balance in tension
His biggest challenge? It's not physical. It's mental.Living life at 100 miles an hour, without giving in. Taking on all his roles without betraying any. He doesn't complain. He turns frustrations into a driving force. Sport, he says, has saved his life more than once. It's his outlet, his balance, his refuge.
His wife, a silent pillar of strength, runs the house and manages her own business. Together, they made a pact: each would take turns supporting the other. It's this discreet support that makes it all possible. And it's this loyalty in both personal and professional commitments that commands respect.
A lesson for those who “don't have time"
He doesn't try to convince. He testifies. He doesn't say it's easy. He says it's possible.That the greatest obstacle is not time, but the lack of will. He does not claim to be a model. He simply says that everyone can, in their own way, write a destiny that suits them.
So, the next time you say " I would like to, but I don't have time ", think of him. His trips back and forth between the United States, Austria, and the routes of the Oise. To his races run without excuses, to his silent victories, to his ability to never give up.
And remember, the finish line isn't always at the end of the routeSometimes it's just in the mirror. And when you look in it, you know if you've won.
This man, this rider, this executive, this father—he doesn't seek the spotlight. But his journey deserves the spotlight. Not to glorify him, but to remind us that nothing is impossible when you choose the path of effort, discipline, and heart. It's not just a story about cycling. It's a story about life. And it's one we all potentially hold in our hands.
Bytagand the publication "Between two flights, life at 50 km/h by Stéphane Loth"
