S4 Ep32: Brother UK Cycling Podcast - Oliver Knight interview

Brother UK Cycling Podcast

Oliver Knight seems destined to be among the next cohort of young British riders to enter the elite UCI WorldTour. He ended last season by racing as an apprentice with the UAE Team Emirates squad led by two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar and now seeks a professional contract.
We caught up with Knight in January 2023 on the day he returned to Aix, the Provencal town he has called home for the last four years since moving there, alone, as a teenager, to race for the French amateur team, Aix-en-Provence. We discuss acclimatisation, resilience, language lessons and professionalism.
Knight describes joining the Team MK club in Milton Keynes and following his father into the ranks of shop team Corley Cycles. He discusses his two years with the HMT Hospitals squad, arguably the most professional junior team the sport has seen, and racing in Spain for the first time.
Physical performance is critical to a competitive cyclist. Knight reveals his fascination with training methods in a data-driven age and celebrates the value of a long-term relationship with his coach. He shares the pain of injury, the responsibility of leadership, the importance of camaraderie and the fleeting ecstasy of victory.
Knight is supported by The Rayner Foundation, a charity helping young British riders to pursue their dream of turning professional by racing abroad. In 2018, Phil Jones, Brother UK’s Managing Director, raised around £20,000 for the charity by riding the entire route of the Tour of Britain one day ahead of the race.