A DECISION to take an old and well-trodden path into professional road racing is paying off for Cumbrian cyclist James Knox.

The 22-year-old from Levens finished a very respectable 68th in the week-long Criterium du Dauphine for Belgian team Quick-Step Floors, having made the step up to UCI World Tour level earlier in 2018 following two seasons with Team Wiggins.

Unlike many current-day British riders who follow the route through this country's system to riding in the Great Britain team and professionally for Team Sky, Knox went down the traditional route of joining a European team and moving to the continent to further his ambitions.

Getting his start racing in Portugal, Italy and Belgium for the Zappi Race Team, Knox drive to do it his own way which has seen him earn a place in the Quick-Step squad playing a vital domestique role on this year's event, which is regarded as one of the key warm-ups for the Tour de France.

“I rode as a junior in the UK and quite quickly grasped if I was ever going to be a cyclist, I needed to get out into Europe,” Knox told ITV4.

“That seemed to be the pathway – I'd read a few books and things like that – and I stumbled across the Zappi's racing team, based in Oxford and run by (former Italian professional) Flavio Zappi.

“Even on Wiggins, I think I only raced in the UK once or twice. I didn't do many of the domestic races.

“My abilities as a rider are more suited to the European hilly races and quite quickly a few people pushed me in the right direction, knowing that was where I was going to be good and helped me as well. With a few good results, I got lucky and here I am now riding for Quick-Step.”

Knox has been highly regarded as a climbing specialist since winning the junior National Hill Climb Championship and has caught the eye of several experienced pros with his rides up the notorious Rocacorba since relocating to Girona in Spain.

One of those is British rider-turned-media pundit David Millar, who lives in Girona as well and has been helping Knox with some coaching.

“He's almost a bit old school in that he's done it his own way and he's not been part of the British system,” Millar told ITV4.

“He's very relaxed and he reminds me of Dan Martin or the Yates brothers, who are a bit freestyle and much more instinctive because they don't rely on the data.

“He is a climber; there's a famous climb near Girona where the pros test called Rocacorba and he's actually got the record for it.

“I was out there with him the day he did it and it was a phenomenal ride. He made it look so effortless and when he's in full flight, there is a certain elegance to the way he rides.”

Knox never set himself any specific targets for this year's Dauphine, being happy to play the support role for the team's established riders, as is expected of all newcomers, and in the end he finished just 18 minutes behind winner Geraint Thomas of Team Sky

He has ambitions to be back competing for honours in the coming years after getting a taste of top-level professional cycling.

He said beforehand: “It is my sort of race, but it's my first year at this level. It's a big step up, I'm still finding my feet, so of course my ambitions in this race are a lot different to, hopefully, in five years' time when I'll be coming here.

“But we've got Bob (Jungels) and Julian (Alaphilippe) in this race, who are looking in great shape and we know how good they are.

“I want to come here, see the level, help them and just get stuck in, really. I've got no major goals for myself, but it's just great to be here.”