James Knox: “I think cycling is one of those sports where you gain a lot off the bike”

As his next guest on the We Love Cycling Podcast, Matt Stephens welcomed James Knox, a professional road racing cyclist from Great Britain, currently riding for UCI WorldTeam Soudal Quick-Step.The 28-year-old rider hails from Levens, a small town in the county of Cumbria, UK. The first move Knox made towards the pro cycling world can be traced to 2017 when he came second in the under-23 version of Liège–Bastogne–Liège. In September of that year, Soudal Quick-Step (then Quick-Step Floors) announced that Knox would turn professional with the team for the 2018 season, and he still remains with them today. Knox has built a reputation as a solid climber ever since his junior days when he won the National Hill Climb Championships. Over the years, he proved he’s cut for both hilly one-day and stage races, based on his U23 results. In 2019, he was named in the startlist for both the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España. In the latter, he was in the general classification Top 10 with two stages to go, however, he lost 11 minutes on the penultimate stage after crashing the day before, eventually finishing in 11th place. In 2023, he concluded eighth at a very tough edition of the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, and rode to silver in some gnarly conditions at the National Championships of last year – before contributing to the team’s excellent and unforgettable Vuelta a España,In a lively chat between two British compatriots, Matt and James discussed future ambition, his first-ever Grand Tour – the fateful 2019 La Vuelta, the significance of altitude training in current cycling trends, finding one’s place in the team’s hierarchy, the importance of realistically and honestly assessing one’s skills, being in a team with some of the world’s best riders (think Remco Evenepoel), and more.Make yourself a nice brew and tune in for another episode.