From BMX To The Hokkaido World Championships + Tommy's DIY Gel Recipe

It's a long way from mucking about on BMXs and mountain bikes to lining up on the start line for the UCI Grand Fondo World Championships in Japan, but that's Soomom ambassador Tommy Egan's story.

From bush bashing around the Blue Mountains to the quiet rural roads of New South Wales' Northern Rivers and riding some of Asia's most incredible climbs, the bike has taken Tommy to some remarkable places.

Tommy dabbled in Sydney track racing before COVID, but walked away from cycling entirely to chase ice hockey, and didn't return until 2023. When he did, he came back hard: Tuesday nights at Heffron, Thursdays at the Armoury, and Waratah Masters on Sundays … the bug had well and truly bitten. It was the Mudgee and Bowral Classics in 2025 that first put longer races into his head.

The push came from partner Sabrina Peng, who had already qualified for the 2025 Worlds in Lorne. After a cycling holiday in Taiwan, the pair started looking at what was next.

"Her encouraging words really inspired me to give it a shot," he says, and by December 2025 the plan was locked in.

Qualification for the UCI Grand Fondo World Championships in Japan came at the 2026 Tour de Brisbane, where Tommy finished 12th in the 35-39 category and 13th on the UCI qualifying list, but he says it was scrappier than the result suggests.

His power meter died early, then the front derailleur started making noises he didn't like.

"By the time I finished, I had just about every toe and finger crossed, hoping to have qualified," he said. Then, the derailleur gave up completely the next day.

There was a bigger worry than mechanicals: a crash with a car a few years ago that destroyed Tommy's descending confidence, and he's spent 12 months clawing it back. Brisbane's legendary Mount Coot-tha came early this year; he knew he could fly up the climb, but the descent was a different story.

Sabrina, "an insane descender", took him through a recon beforehand, and it worked.

The move from Sydney to the Northern Rivers last June reshaped Tommy's riding.

"Cycling in Sydney felt stressful," he says. "I craved open roads, good climbs, and a slower pace of life."

The semi-rural region delivered rolling hills, punchy climbs, fast descents and long flat TT stretches, with barely a traffic light in sight. He rides with Northern Rivers Cycling Club and rates the coffee culture as highly as the terrain.

A typical week is built on consistency rather than heroics: recovery on Mondays, high-intensity Tuesdays and Thursdays (mostly indoors, because the weather can turn fast), longer endurance rides on Wednesdays and Fridays, a minimum of three hours each weekend day, plus strength work.

Since May 2025 he's used the Xert coaching platform that he says "has made me a much stronger all-round rider."

Fuelling is where Tommy differs from just about everyone on the start line. Diagnosed in 2025 with asthma and Inducible Laryngeal Obstruction, he can't take solids on the bike. If he does, they'll cause his throat to tighten and contract.

"After working with a specialist and the Respiratory clinic at the Royal North Shore Hospital, I found that solids were a trigger for my ILO and that fluids were the only way I could fuel my training and races without causing my throat to close," he said. "While it makes fuelling a little more fluid-heavy, I have found my homemade gels to be the perfect consistency, allowing me to fuel during long rides."

Tommy's homemade gels are carried in a flask, and we've included his custom recipe below.

He proudly races in Soomom, after cold-emailing the brand during 2025.

"Having a small social media presence compared to others, I felt like I wouldn't stand a chance at being an ambassador," he said. "However Soomom took me on board and I'm honoured to represent the brand and kit at local races."

"It's the perfect balance between comfortable and stylish kit, and their pricing. They focus on sustainability, which is a core belief of mine, and I strongly resonate with their mission as a brand."

"For the World Championships Soomom designed and created the Australian kit from their All-Round design — white bibs, lime-and-yellow jersey, chosen to pop against Hokkaido's dark green. And the Soomom aero socks, they're a legitimate hidden gem," he added.

On 30 August Tommy will take to the 139.5km course, with its 2,370m of climbing in green & gold Soomom kit and aboard his beloved BMC Roadmachine 01 Five. His goal is refreshingly free of ego and full of authenticity.

"To simply finish the race," he told us. "Even if that means being the lanterne rouge. Being able to represent Australia, Soomom and the Northern Rivers Cycling Club is already a win in my books."