Jez Cox has had quite the career, transitioning from an elite cycling champion, to a pro-commentator. Here, he talks to Highway Cycles about his career thus far, and his passion for promoting cycling to future generations.
Growing up in West London, before now settling in Hertfordshire with his family, Jez Cox revelled in exploring countryside with his family. In 1992, during the mountain biking boom, he fell in love with cycling.
“It was never about racing or competing initially for me, it was about disappearing, and exploring the world. I started to take part in races, obtaining a road bike at 17, which took off my career, and I never looked back.”
As a teenager, Jez landed a great coach, and moved to France, to compete for an elite cycling team. After returning to the UK several years later, he decided to incorporate running into his training, and became an elite duathlete. Over the course of a decade, he won over 80 races across Europe, and became British number one.
“As my racing career came towards its end, I took on the role as GB Team Manager for triathlon, and cross-duathlon, and from that point onward, I knew I wanted my career to remain in the cycling world.”
In 2012, Jez was tasked with writing a sporting legacy for the Olympics and became involved with the event, whilst managing the facilities and velodrome at Lee Valley.
Keen to engage with youngsters, and encourage them to get active with cycling, not just competitively, but enjoying group trips in nature, he founded the Oaklands Wolves Cycling Academy, which was the first of it’s kind in the UK, pairing daily training with studies, for serious cyclists in their final years of schooling.
In 2016, in partnership with Hertfordshire County Council, Jez ran a campaign known as “Tarmac’s Tour of Hertfordshire,” which aimed to encourage lifelong cyclists. At one such event, he was approached for interview just as one of the races commenced, and was encouraged to continue his experienced interpretations.
“Twenty minutes later, the presenter decided to leave me to it. Roll on six hours down the line, I was still commentating the event. When the presenter eventually returned, he told me I would be a perfect match for Eurosport.”
This moment launched Jez’s commentating career.
“Commentating has taken over my professional life. I can’t believe I get paid to talk about something I’m passionate about. An added bonus is when viewers come to me and tell me I’ve helped them fall in love with cycle racing.”
Preparation is key for engagement when Jez is commentating, he undertakes a huge amount of research prior to an event, including the area, races, the riders, even the food and wildlife.
“My favourite commentating experience was calling the finish live for the World Championships in Glasgow, when Mathieu van der Poel won the elite men’s road race. The crowd was huge, and it was bringing to a close a combination of two incredible weeks of racing. During the race, Mathieu had broken his shoe, he’d crashed, but he just kept going. What a highlight.”
To hear more about Jez’s commentating journey, visit: www.jezcox.com, or follow him on Instagram and X: @JezCox
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