Inspirational Islanders: Julie & Jerry Cooper, Wightlink-Wight Mountain Cycle Race Team

Cycling mad husband and wife team Julie and Jerry took over the coordination of cycling time trial events on the Isle of Wight in 2019. The pair are now pinnacle to the organisation of the Wightlink-Wight Mountain Cycle Race Team, helping some of the Island’s talented athletes gain the success they deserve.

“We moved to the Isle of Wight over 20 years ago after living in London. We have so many lovely memories of holidays on the Island from a young age and in later years with our own families. One of my (Julie) earliest was from 1969 was when I went for a walk with my parents and came across all the thousands of people in the fields (and trees!) at the Isle of Wight Festival and can remember wishing that I was older and could be enjoying the music and the whole experience with them… How lucky we are now to be able to go each year.

We both hit our 60th birthdays recently and decided it was time to start slowing down and were fortunate to get the opportunity to train as Cycling Instructors with the Isle of Wight Council under the Bikeability scheme and now work with primary school children, teaching them how to ride responsibly on the road… What could be better for two cycling enthusiasts!

The Island is such a wonderful place with a whole host of natural beauty spots, fantastic beaches and some of the best coastal paths and roads to explore on foot or by bike. With so many to choose from it’s difficult to say which is our favourite, but we live a stone’s throw away from Sandown Bay and love nothing better than relaxing on a sunny day on the beach or sipping a cold beer in one of the local bars whilst watching the world go by.

We’ve both been keen cyclists from a young age and Jerry has been a member of the Wightlink-Wight Mountain Cycle Race Team for over 20 years, racing both on the Island and mainland which wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our main sponsor Wightlink. We’re really excited about our plans for bigger and better things for 2023 and beyond; we look forward to putting the Isle of Wight firmly back on the South’s cycling calendar with their help.”

The Wightlink-Wight Mountain Cycle Race Team is supported by Wightlink in the Community.