Cox eager to join the ‘19 Club’
MARC COX is taking his time-trial ambitions up another gear for the imminent new season.
Two riders of Commonwealth Games pedigree – Seb Tremlett and now-retired professional James McLaughlin – currently share Guernsey’s 10-mile time-trial record at 19min. 55sec.
But aiming to muscle his way into the elite ‘19 Club’ and chase his own Commonwealths berth is relative newcomer Cox, whose improvements last season culminated in a 20-19 personal best.
After making headway on Tremlett through that season, Cox knows just how much it would mean to break the 20min. barrier.
‘It’s a very select group and obviously those guys are very, very dedicated,’ he said.
‘To be in that club would be a helluva thing, but it gets harder the faster you ride.
‘The last few percent that you need takes forever to train for.
‘If I can get in the 19 club, that would be absolutely fantastic, but it’s one thing saying it, it’s another thing doing it.’
One thing is sure – time-trials will be Cox’s primary focus this season.
Although he also won road and criterium races last season, he called that 10-mile PB ‘the point I thought I would dedicate to the “TT”s.’
Cox heads into this weekend’s season opener in fine nick – as recent Zwift results show.
He shocked himself and others with an outstanding performance in one globally popular fixture, the three-stage Haute Route, finishing 12th in a colossal 4,249 rider field.
He produced another star turn last weekend to cover 10.9 miles of virtual land in 22-07 and win a Newbury Velo event.
An Island Games debutant in 2019, Cox confirmed that the 2022 Commonwealths are the next big goal.
But what if the ongoing Covid restrictions leave him unable to travel for the qualifiers?
‘It could be a collective look at my performances across the year,’ he said ahead of fears that the National 10 and 25 Championships may be off limits in late summer.
‘Even those Zwift results may help me in my quest.’
The GVC confirmed that they, as with several other sports, will consider a contingency plan if travel restrictions persist.
And so Cox will not be resting on his laurels, even in a quiet curtain-raiser this coming weekend, when GVC hold 10-mile ‘TT’s on Saturday and Sunday under stage two restrictions.
Simply being back in action is a major plus for Cox.
‘Getting a number on your back and getting back to real life racing – that’s what we do cycling for,’ he added.
‘It’s going against others, the actual combat of racing.
‘It will be interesting as everyone’s had a different winter and different training.’
