John Seymour, MBBS, PhD is a clinical hematologist and director of the hematology department at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia.
When and where did you start developing an interest in cycling?
I was raised on the “urban fringe” outskirts of Melbourne where public transport was sparse, and we had one car in the family that went with my dad to work. Riding a bike was my day-to-day mode of transport to and from school — around 5 kilometers away. So I guess the foundation was set in the 1970s. After that, though, I didn’t even own a bike until my wife, totally unprompted, bought me a flat-bar hybrid bike for my 40th birthday. We had two young children who I had taught to ride, and they were getting old enough to enjoy riding to a café or park, and I guess this was my wife’s way of encouraging that sort of thing — or maybe she thought I was getting fat and unfit in my middle age! As it turned out, I really enjoyed those rides and found that I wanted more, so I would head out along local bike trails on my own. It grew from there. I linked in with a group of fathers from our kids’ school who were “real riders” with “racing bikes.” They were doing a 30-kilometer local loop two mornings a week before work, with longer rides on the weekend. That’s when I became seriously hooked. It was the camaraderie of a riding group, the freedom of riding, the discovery of new roads outside urban Melbourne.
How did you go about developing your cycling skills?
As my weekly kilometers rose, so did my interest in the technical, mechanical, repair, and maintenance aspects of cycling, as well as the quality of my equipment. The hybrid was replaced by an entry-level alloy racing bike, then a lighter, higher quality carbon-fiber bike. With that group of parents and families, we began to arrange weekends away built around riding, hiking, and general outdoor fun! Once everyone’s children were older and we had more flexibility and independence, the trips grew in scale and scope to two weeks of riding in the French Alps or Switzerland or Italy. We even do a week-long ride, where we load our bikes and gear on a train and go to a town maybe 500 to 600 kilometers away, then take a meandering, week-long bike ride home, staying in country pubs or cabins in campgrounds along the way. It’s a great way to unwind and see the countryside, so long as the weather cooperates! About 10 years ago, I switched to cycle commuting into work daily, and I have not looked back.
Dr. Seymour (far right) takes his rented De Rosa Idol on a sunrise
ride with friends (l–r) Matt Davids, Chan Cheah, and Stefano Pileri.
What types of competitive cycling have you engaged in?
Our social rides sometimes got competitive in terms of being the quickest up a climb or fastest in a sprint to a city limits sign — just for bragging rights — but I don’t pin on a number and race. That has never really motivated me. I admire those who do compete, though, and I avidly follow the pro tour cyclists and major global races. Our cycling group has scheduled overseas cycling trips to coincide with events like the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and Tour de Suisse. Once or twice a year I participate in competitive, timed gran fondo mass participation rides. The toughest is the Alpine Classic Extreme, which is a 250-kilometer ride in the Victorian High Country that involves 4,500 vertical meters of climbing. At 11 to 13 hours long, it is among the most physically challenging days I have ever experienced. A cold beer, a bowl of French fries, and a large pizza taste great at the end of that day!
Where and how often do you ride now?
I ride to work almost every day and take a longer ride (60 to 150 kilometers) into the countryside or along the coast most weekends. Typically, I start at 6:00 a.m., so I get to see many beautiful sunrises. There is an area on the outskirts of Melbourne called the Yarra Valley that is great for riding. My family has a weekender down on the Great Ocean Road, and the road riding there is also fantastic! My wife and I share this activity, and there are social groups I ride with in these areas, but I’m also very at ease heading out on my own. It’s a wonderful way to unwind, meditate, problem solve, and destress from any worries that have built up over the work week. This was a powerful release for me during the strict COVID lockdowns in Melbourne. There was a period where we were limited to one hour of outdoor exercise a day within a 5-kilometer boundary of our home. I literally rode every street within that radius through those lockdowns! There is a large international community of cyclists on an app called Strava. I log my activity with the app, and it tells me I do around 12,000 kilometers a year, and I have pretty much stayed at that level over the last decade.
While the road was closed to cars for obvious reasons, Dr. Seymour
spent a glorious day in May riding over the Passo Gavia (2,621 meters)
from Ponte di Legno to Bormio in Lombardy, Italy.
What do you love about cycling, and how has it benefitted you personally?
I genuinely cannot imagine my life without cycling. It’s a big part of my identity and sense of self. The freedom and simple joy of moving through air and space under your own power, covering ground quite efficiently, and being immersed in your physical environment are all joyous to me. The synchronicity and cohesiveness of a fast group ride with long-time friends is intoxicating. The resulting fitness, usually without significant risk of injury — yes, plenty of episodes of lost skin and bruises, but few broken bones — and the reflective, in-motion meditation are wonderful advantages. I also find that in commuting to and from work, I can sort out many of the issues, problems, and stresses of the day by the time I get home so I can be present, relaxed, and available for the family.
Does your passion for cycling ever converge with your profession?
Dr. Seymour (far right) spent a rainy day riding and watching the Giro
d’Italia stage, which finished on the Plani dei Resinelli in Lecco, Italy,
with Australian riding buddies and the famous personality Didi the Devil,
who appears at many professional races.
When I travel to hematology conferences, I often either rent a bike or take my own. The Lugano, Switzerland, lymphoma conference is in a superb setting for riding, and there is a group of fellow hematologists with whom I often link up and share an early morning ride. Also, the opportunity to ride some amazing roads is a big attraction of the Pan Pacific Lymphoma Conference in Hawaii. When in Maui, who would pass up an opportunity to ride to the top of the Haleakalā volcano?
What insights can you share with your medical colleagues about the need for an “outside passion” such as cycling?
Our work as hematologists is obviously important for us, and it takes up a big part of our lives. However, I do feel it is beneficial to balance that work with outside passions, especially those that support our physical and psychological well-being, be it dancing, running, yoga, or whatever. We need that balance!
