Across the Channel, Tom Pidcock’s supporters were able to follow this feat with excitement thanks to the commentary of Matt Payne on the BBC Sport channel. A British “speaker”, or rather “Charenglais”, as his friend and neighbour Xavier Dupuis, president of the Cycloclassics association which organises the Flandres Charentaises Classic Cyclo, calls him.
For two years, Matt Payne, 52, and his wife Emma have in fact bought a second home in Saint-Gourson in the North Charente and are planning to settle there permanently by 2025. More than a decade ago, his mother had already bought a house in Beaulieu-sur-Sonnette. Here, Matt finds the ideal setting to take his bike out: “it’s very quiet”. He is also a volunteer for the organization of the Flandres Charentaises.
He was running with Tom Pidcock’s father
In the commentator’s lounge, it’s impossible to miss the references to cycling. A poster with a photo of Fausto Coppi in the Col du Galibier, old newspaper front pages evoking cycling races from the early 20th century or even… Tom Pidcock’s signed Ineos jersey. Which reminds him of his youth. “With his father, around Leeds, we raced in the same age categories,” recalls Matt Payne. Who now comments on the exploits of the winner of the Alpe d’Huez in July 2022.
A job he was not predestined for. “My first job was as a mechanic in a bike shop,” recalls the man who tries to speak French, “for integration.” In Yorkshire, which hosted the start of the 2019 Tour de France, Matt Payne also participated in organizing races, setting up the finishes, the podiums, etc. “And one day, the speaker hadn’t arrived… They told me, ‘you talk a lot and you know about cycling’. And they passed me the microphone.” The experience appealed. He was offered a repeat. “I asked if I had to pay to do that. They told me, ‘no, we’ll pay you!'”
The speaker now works for the BBC. He has commentated on the Olympic Games from the channel’s English studios. He also works for the UCI, the International Cycling Union, and brings mountain bike, BMX, track cycling and e-sport races to life. Last winter, he was at the cyclo-cross world championships in Tabor in the Czech Republic. Next weekend, he will head to Andorra for the mountain bike world championships. He will also fly to Abu Dhabi to commentate on e-sport. “What I like is racing, action, competition,” he says with sparkling eyes that reflect his passion. “And the adrenaline!” notes his neighbour Xavier Dupuis. “It’s a great job, but it’s tough. The golden rule is: one day of preparation for one hour of TV! The important thing is to live in the moment.”
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