Gerald de Kock: The Accidental Voice of Cycling
From cricket fields to commentary booths to mountain bike trails, Gerald de Kock’s journey has been anything but predictable.
Gerald de Kock just wanted to play cricket. Then he wanted to study sports science at Stellenbosch University.
But the universe has a habit of sending the best intentions along unmapped highways, and he was diverted to the world of cycling – via a 40-year-long commentary career that started in Potchefstroom, during a Western-Transvaal versus Boland Currie Cup rugby match.
To say it’s been a journey for South Africa’s undisputed ‘voice of cycling’ is an understatement. De Kock has been humming along on South African airwaves since 1985, covering everything from test match cricket to indoor hockey. Today, he’s synonymous with cycling, even if some excitable mountain bikers still confuse him with fellow commentator Arnold Geerdts…
“I wish mountain biking had been around when I was a cricketer.”
“I’d been playing cricket in the UK, then I was playing in Joburg for the Wanderers,” De Kock says. “The Wanderers captain back then was Alan Wilkins, who had just finished playing county cricket and was working for the SABC on Radio Sport, the English-language service. Alan asked me to do a voice test, which I did, and then I was offered a job.”
Having already been accepted into Stellenbosch University, De Kock sought the advice of a family friend – legendary commentator Charles Fortune. Fortune, who was a teacher before becoming a commentator, told De Kock to get his education first. “I then did the exact opposite, and accepted the SABC job!”
Fortune repaid this insolence, in a way, when he and De Kock were later paired together on a radio broadcast for a Currie Cup cricket match between the old Transvaal and Northern Transvaal. “Charles took the crossing, and handed over to me,” De Kock says. “Sylvester Clarke proceeded to hit Lee Barnard in the box with a delivery, dropping him to the floor. Barnard was down for about 10 minutes, and I had absolutely nothing to say!
“Charles just sat back with his arms folded, and left me to flounder. It was a very early lesson in how to be prepared.”
I take my coffee… my two cups of coffee… in the morning, in bed, mostly prepared by me, alongside my wife and listening to the birds.
I’d love to go for a ride with Bruce Springsteen. I’m a tragic ‘Boss’ fan, and have been for many, many years. I went to all three of his shows in Cape Town. I don’t even know if he rides a bike.
The secret to happiness is balance. Balance on the bike, and staying balanced in life; which for me means lots of things in moderation. Experience a rich variety of things; a bite of everything, so you never get bored.
My greatest exhilaration is arriving home after a long trip away. It’s so lovely. I love coming home after a long trip and feeling grounded. It really makes me happy.
A moment of pure clarity was realising that I would have made an absolutely hopeless student, and I was so fortunate to land in the job that I have. After my very first broadcast, I knew that this is what I should be doing. People say to me, “Oh, you’re still doing this…” But I don’t feel that way. I’m lucky to be doing something I love.
I am passionate about riding my mountain bike, here in South Africa.
When I wake up it’s mostly still dark! I rarely or cannot sleep beyond 6am. I wake up early every morning… And I love it, because it’s coffee time. It’s the best time of the day.
I rage against litter. Urgh. It really makes me mad when I see people littering, especially on the trails.
I wish I had discovered cycling when I was younger. I wish mountain biking had been around when I was a cricketer. I wouldn’t have achieved anything spectacular, but I would have got on the bike a lot earlier in life.