It is with shock and sadness that we can report the death of the legend that is Jez Avery. Our thoughts are with his family and his friends.
I thought I’d catch Jez later. Part way through commentating a bunnyhop competition at the Malverns Classic in 2024, he was in his element. Just the right balance of encouragement and cheek, surrounded by GT logos and a bunch of faces you might recognise had you been at the original Malverns Classics. Indeed, plenty of fans were stopping for a selfie with their teenage idol. I figured I’d not interrupt, and left Jez to doing what he loved.
Jez Avery was an icon in the early days of mountain biking in the UK, remembered especially for ‘Team Hot Pies’, and later the Jez Avery Stunt Show. His cheer and chat along with a bag of bike based stunts and tricks made him an easy guest at events and on TV shows. You could count on him to wow you with his performance, building the suspense – or talking his way out of a mishap. If you said ‘oh shit’, or worse, on hearing of his death last week, you’d not be alone. You’d better also apologise – Jez rarely swore, and always apologised if he did. A habit, perhaps, of having so many of his words pumped straight through a microphone and into the public’s ear. He was safe family viewing, and a committed family man, hit hard by the loss of his parents in his younger years, and doting on his daughter, Olivia.
I did not catch Jez later, at that Malverns Festival last year. Instead, my last memory of him is of his Jez Avery roadshow truck and trailer hitting the road – weaving its way along the valley across from the campsite, on his way to another summer show date. Maybe my mind’s eye is tricking me, but in it Jez is honking some crazy horn and all the festival campers are waving. I hope I didn’t imagine that, because it would be a perfect send off.
Thanks to Jez for all the chat and entertainment. Gone too soon, let him remind us to check in and catch up with our friends. Sometimes there isn’t a next time.
“Sad News coming in today that we have lost the ‘Greatest Showman’ – Jumping Jez Avery (pictured on the right here next to Les Dalley).
Jez was at there at the beginning of MTB in the UK both racing and freestyling and was one of the very best.
I still can’t work out was he a better bike rider or comedian!!
Jez made it along to last years Malverns Classic and brought along his Bunny Hop kit so we could again run a bunny hop comp in typical Jez style with all his enthusiasm and banter!
Our thoughts and wishes are now with his daughter Olivia and all of his friends and family. May he rest in eternal peace.
A polite reminder, check in on your friends now, give them a call. This time of year can be tough.”
I’ve been riding mountain bikes way too long. I remember Jez, Team Hot Pies and his Switzerland squeaker featuring regularly in MBUK. One of those names I’ll always associate with those founding days of UK mountain biking
Saw this earlier but I never want to be the one to post this type of thread.
He’s from my part of the world and I used to see him cruising around on his polished Zaskar in the mbuk days. I tried to impress him with my wheelie skills at Seaburn beach.
Jez and JMC were the first 2 mountain bikers I knew.
Really sad news 🙁 grow up watching him at the original Malvern Hills Classic as my grandparents lived there! Always seemed a cheeky happy chap but believed suffered with depression.. RIP Jez.. gutted
I remember well his appearance in Dirt, one of the forerunners of the MTB films. He appeared like a time traveller from the future, head to toe armour and full sun Pro-Flex. The film hasn’t aged well but, at the time, I watched it until the VHS tape wore out.
That’s horrible horrible news. He, along with JMC and Dave Hemming, were the riders who really drove the UK scene in the early days. Inspired a whole generation.
Went to school with Jez. Fond memeries of a group of us building ramps with a sheet of ply and some bricks and Jez jumping over us other Evel Kneival style. RIP fella.
He was the first ‘Pro’ mountain biker I met, at a show in the local park in the north east in summer of ‘93. A brilliant entertainer and inspiring kids.
When I was 18/19 (1986/87) I worked at a short lived MTB shop in Morpeth run by Frank. As well as some seriously high end bikes that it sold (Funks, Klein’s, Pace RC100), Jez used to drop in regularly and we’d ask him to do bunny hops in the precinct outside the shop. Amazing rider and nice guy.
Remember the Hamsterly dual race, but can’t remember who won! Jez was everything that was great about early 90s mountain biking. As juvenile racers at the time he was the guy we all wanted to be. Absolutely gutted to hear of his passing. RIP Jez.
As others have said, he was a staple of my teenage MTB world, one of the superstars for a starstruck lad. Then he pops up performing at Pately Show a few years back and I was a starstruck teen all over again.
Very sad news, he was definitely a big part of British MTB back in the 90’s. I remember sheltering with him, amongst others from the rain at Eastridge back in 1994 before the Dual Slalom. A real character, kept everyone entertained while we waited for the rain to pass. I seem to remember he rode pretty much the whole track backwards!
Also met JMC at that same race so it was definitely a weekend to remember (I have my signed program framed on my office wall).
So it turns out that this news really bothered me a lot more than it should have. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. I’ve bumped into Jez a few times but I couldn’t call him a mate and I didn’t ‘know’ him.
It did prompt me to make a doctors appointment to talk about my own mental health. I wasn’t sure what would happen next but I’ve just been on the phone for half an hour with my GP answering a lot of really awkward questions and saying a lot of stuff out loud for the first time ever.
Now I’ve got a list of recommended actions and a follow up appointment for next month.
Every year I wish I’d done something or spoken to someone and I never have. I’ve always just tried to ride it out but it doesn’t get any easier. Just like Jez I really struggle a lot in the winter when it’s cold and dark and the past couple of months have been rough.
I’m only 20 years late making the first move but if I can do anything to level out my mood and stop the lows from being so bloody low it’ll be a good start.
I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones.
More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments.
I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.
Posted 3 days ago
