The Cycling Podcast

This week’s regular episode of The Cycling Podcast is our annual Speculation episode, in which we ponder & prognosticate what will be the major stories of the coming season. Daniel Friebe is joined by Décathlon-AG2r La Mondiale star Larry Warbasse & ace commentator Rob Hatch - & together they’ll scrutinise the 2024 predictions of assorted friends, colleagues & riders. Can Visma-Lease a Bike repeat their 2023 heroics? Will Mark Cavendish take his 35th Tour de France stage win? And will the year end with Patrick Lefevere & Mikel Landa BASE jumping in Venezuela? We discuss all of the above & more…  The Cycling Podcast is supported by Science in Sport. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am). Science in Sport The Cycling Podcast has been supported since 2016 by Science In Sport. World l

In this special episode of The Cycling Podcast, as a festive treat, we serve up a Christmas selection box of highlights from the 2023 men's Grand Tours. Proceeding in chronological order, we journey back in time first to May and the Giro d'Italia, where Daniel Friebe and Brian Nygaard saw lots of rain, a race that took its time to catch light, then a finale for the ages.  Next, Lionel Birnie took over at the steering wheel for the Tour de France - variously assisted and accompanied by François Thomazeau, Mitch Docker, Lizzy Banks, Ian Boswell and Richard Abraham.  Finally, it was on to Spain and the Vuelta - where Daniel and an assortment of familiar guests saw Jumbo-Visma continue their quest to make history by winning all three Grand Tours in a single season. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Science in Sport. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updat

In this special, end-of-year episode of The Cycling Podcast, Daniel Friebe is joined by a star-studded ensemble of regular guests to relive and debate some of the highlights of the 2023 road season. Mitch Docker, François Thomazeau, Larry Warbasse, Richard Abraham (fortunate to avoid inclusion in the episode artwork!), Ian Boswell, Rob Hatch and a certain Italian newshound all drop in to share in the festive fun - and give their nominations for the Ride of 2023, Person of 2023, Beef of 2023 and other accolades. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Science in Sport. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am). NordVPN This episode is supported by NordVPN. Ensure your security online with a subscription today. Listeners will get an exclusive NordVPN deal at nordvpn.com/tcp   Science in Sport The Cycling Podcast

Yes, it’s the most wonderful time of year… Christmas quiz time! Reigning champ (or so she claims) Orla Chennaoui pits herself against quiz debutant Denny Gray in Rose Manley’s fiendish Yuletide puzzler. Let your brain be bamboozled by humdingers like, how many corners were there in the World Champs course? Did Demi Vollering really explain her teammate’s toilet habits in a post-race interview? And most crucially, which rider is “Orange Bumcrease”? As is only appropriate at Christmas time, prepare for a whole load of sledging on all sides. Before all that, Rose, Orla and Denny reveal their racing highlights of the year and in a Cycling Podcast first, Denny closes the show with his performance of “12 Days of SD Worx-mas”.  Merry Christmas to all our listeners! The Cycling Podcast is supported by Science in Sport. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast The 11.01 Cappuccino Our email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjo

In this week’s regular episode of The Cycling Podcast, we visit Bora-Hansgrohe at their December billet in Mallorca for an in-depth interview with the team’s Head of Sports Rolf Aldag.  It turned out to be a timely conversation, coming as it did hot on the heels of news that Cian Uijtdebroeks had walked out on Bora-Hansgrohe to sign for Jumbo-Visma - his agent claimed after his Bora deal had been terminated, the team said a year before it was due to expire.  Here, Aldag talks to us about Uijtdebroeks’ shock exit and what it could mean for Bora, the rider and the sport. We also, of course, discuss the star signing who has recently moved the other way, from Jumbo to Bora, Primož Roglič. There’s much more besides – on Rolf’s own career, the winning formula he helped to create at HTC High Road, Jan Ullrich’s belated doping confession and Mark Cavendish’s hopes of another Tour de France stage win. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Science in Sport. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagra

In this week’s episode of The Cycling Podcast, long-time Grand Tour diarist Pavel Sivakov joins us to reflect on his 2023 season and look ahead to his imminent move to the world’s number one-ranked team, UAE Team Emirates.  The winner of the Giro della Toscana in September and a top-10 finisher in six stage races, Sivakov enjoyed his best season ever in 2023 - and yet recognises that, in some pundits’ eyes, his Grand Tour results are still used as the single measure of his career trajectory. He and Daniel Friebe discuss why that is while also looking back at his time at INEOS, examining that team’s quest to build a new identity, dissecting his own issues with self-doubt - and casting thoughts ahead to the next phase of his career.  The Cycling Podcast is supported by Science in Sport. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as

In this episode of The Cycling Podcast, Daniel Friebe is joined by ace Eurosport commentator Rob Hatch to discuss the latest headlines from the world of professional cycling and some of the burning issues of the week.  In Germany, the hot topic of the last few days has been the release of the new, multi-part Jan Ullrich documentary ‘Der Gejagte’. Daniel reports back on what we as viewers learn and also reflects on how the film in some ways acts as the perfect afterword to his Ullrich biography.  In the final part of the episode, there’s time for a bit more self-examination - in this case from Rob on the ever-evolving craft of the commentator.  The 12 Hills of Christmas route on Strava The Cycling Podcast is supported by Science in Sport. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am). Hammerhead This episode is

In this week’s regular episode of The Cycling Podcast, Daniel Friebe is joined by Brian Nygaard and Ian Boswell - both of them formerly of Team Sky as a press chief and rider respectively - as we chew over the shock news that Deputy Team Principal Rod Ellingworth is to leave the British outfit.  We analyse Ellingworth’s legacy and ask where the team goes next, having lost one of their founding fathers. Are they on the brink of a bright new era or contemplating a crisis of identity?  There’s also discussion of the news last week that GCN+ and the GCN App are to close – in addition to the usual round-up of the latest headlines.  The Cycling Podcast is supported by Science in Sport. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am). Babbel This episode is supported by Babbel - language learning that works. Babbel is o

It’s an Annemiek Van Vleuten special on The Cycling Podcast Feminin. Rose Manley and Denny Gray reflect back on the racing career of one of the most successful and influential riders in the sport following her retirement in September.  Rose sits down with Van Vleuten herself to talk about the things that shaped her as a rider and how she’s finding post-retirement life. And Van Vleuten reveals what’s next for her both personally and professionally. We also look back at the ways in which Van Vleuten shaped the cycling world: from her winning-against-the-odds mentality to her extreme training regime. To help us decipher this part of her legacy, Denny speaks to her Movistar teammate Katrine Aalerud who continues to be directly inspired by Van Vleuten's approach to racing. Aalerud also offers up her insight on what it is like riding in service of one of the greatest cyclists of this generation and what Van Vleuten is like off-the-bike too. Plus, we dig back into the archives to hear Richard Moore's interview wi

In this week’s episode of The Cycling Podcast, we take you inside one of the more dramatic and harrowing stories of the 2023 season - a crash that abruptly ended one rider’s realistic chance of winning the Giro d’Italia, his season and also his seven-year career with the team that, as a teenager, he had dreamed of one day joining.  That rider is Tao Geoghegan Hart - and he is also our guest and Daniel Friebe’s conversation partner this week. We hear about the initial trauma of the accident, the ordeal of the days that followed and the slow and sometimes tedious battle to regain fitness. In addition, Tao looks ahead to his new start with Lidl-Trek and nominates some of his heroes and heroines of 2023.  The Cycling Podcast is supported by Science in Sport. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am). Hammerhead

In this week’s episode of The Cycling Podcast, Daniel Friebe & Brian Nygaard delve deeper into one of the stories of a wild pro cycling autumn - the revelation that half a dozen World Tour teams want to launch their own league or series to help secure their (financial) future. Brian was at the bleeding edge of two previous attempts to do precisely this - and he helps us understand why neither ultimately came to fruition. There’s also the usual news round-up, including reports of a bleak outlook for the Tour of Britain.  The Cycling Podcast is supported by Science in Sport. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am). Science in Sport The Cycling Podcast has been supported since 2016 by Science In Sport. World leading experts in endurance nutrition. Go to scienceinsport.com to see the whole range. MAAP Th

In this episode of The Cycling Podcast, we are joined by an old friend and confidant - AG2r-Citroën’s Larry Warbasse - for a full debrief on the former US road racing champion’s 2023 season.  Daniel Friebe quizzes Larry about personal landmarks, successes and disappointments in what was a long, tiring campaign for the 33-year-old. There’s also an honest analysis of AG2r’s fortunes over the past few months - and where they can and need to improve next year.  In addition, we round up the week’s news, including the latest attempt to bolster pro cycling’s income streams and the remarkable homecoming of a Colombian idol.   The Cycling Podcast is supported by Science in Sport. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am). NordVPN This episode is supported by NordVPN. Ensure your security online with a subscription to

Explore returns with Adam Bowie, one of The Cycling Podcast's producers, taking over the mic to document his ride at the 2023 Étape du Tour. Each July, the Étape gives thousands of riders a chance to experience the thrill of riding the route of a Tour de France stage on closed roads. This time it was the course of stage 14 from Annemasse to Morzine in the Alps, taking in the Col de Cou, Col du Feu, Col de la Ramaz and Col de Joux Plane. The Étape was celebrating its 30th anniversary – the first edition was held in 1993 and was 'won' by Christophe Rinero, who five years later won the king of the mountains. More recently, the fastest finisher in the 2018 Étape, Victor Lafay, won a stage of the 2023 Tour de France in San Sebastian. But for the other 16,000 participants the challenge is completing the stage. Regular listeners will remember Adam's episode of Explore from 2021, in which he tackled the 350-kilometre King Alfred's Way route in south-west England. This time, we join Adam in the Alps, as he takes o

In this episode of The Cycling Podcast, we review two big gala events that took place in Paris this week - the Vélo d’Or awards ceremony and the presentation of the 2024 Tour de France routes.  Daniel Friebe is joined by veteran reporter and resident francophile François Thomazeau plus top commentator Rob Hatch to give our verdict on the Vélo d’Or voting panel’s decisions - and on two Tour de France routes, men’s and women’s, that pack an awful lot of ingredients into what look like a pair of exceedingly rich cakes. Finally, we resume last week’s conversation about seasoned pros who find themselves jobless at the end of the 2023 campaign. After Tsgabu Grmay last week, it’s Joe Dombrowski’s turn to tell us about his fight to stay alive in the WorldTour.   The Cycling Podcast is supported by Science in Sport. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to e

This October episode of The Cycling Podcast Feminin is full of our podcast’s most dreaded thing “speculation”. Rose Manley and Denny Gray look over some of the rumours around next year’s Tour de France Femmes route which will apparently include a showstopping final day on the Alpe d’Huez. They also look ahead to some of how next season’s teams are shaping up, with Lidl-Trek and EF Education-Cannondale taking almost opposite approaches to their rosters. We hear from young Brit Abi Smith about her first years in the pro cycling world as she prepares to take a step up to join Team DSM next season. She speaks about how she has used painting this year as a mental escape from life on (or perhaps more accurately, off) the bike. And we cover the final races of the 2023 Women’s World Tour and hear from Tour of Guangxi winner Daria Pikulik. Plus, we stray ever so briefly on to the gravel to congratulate Kasia Niewiadoma on her World Championships win. We can hear Orla weeping happy tears all the way from Amsterdam!

In this week’s episode of The Cycling Podcast, Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and ace commentator Rob Hatch examine one venerable Italian cycling institution’s latest iteration - the newly revealed 2024 Giro d’Italia route - and look at the brightest, most ambitious upstart on the same nation’s racing calendar: Filippo Pozzato and his races in the Veneto.  We deliver our own assessment of a noticeably less lofty-than-usual ‘Corsa Rosa’ route before hearing Jayco-AlUla head DS Matt White’s verdict. We, or rather Daniel, then literally travels to Italy to find out how Pozzato is trying to shake up an ageing, ailing Italian scene - and why he may need a bit more help from the Giro itself.  In the final part of the podcast, we reflect on the predicament of the many riders who find themselves jobless at the end of the 2023 season - and one in particular, the Ethiopian Tsgabu Grmay. He tells Daniel that, while his present plight looks bleak, his dreams and inner fire are very much still alive. The episode we mention

This week’s episode features a comprehensive look back at the last monument of the season, Il Lombardia, and the latest example of Tadej Pogačar in just his latest annus mirabilis.  Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch also reflect on Thibaut Pinot’s very noisy and memorable farewell, plus the full-stop on a few other notable careers last weekend. There’s also the latest on the merger that apparently will now never be, between Jumbo-Visma and Soudal-Quickstep. The former’s most decorated alumnus, Primož Roglič, is of course on his way to Bora-Hansgrohe, and their team boss, Ralph Denk tells us how he got his man. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Science in Sport. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am). NordVPN This episode is supported by NordVPN. Ensure your security online with a subscripti

In this week’s bumper episode of The Cycling Podcast, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie are joined by French press-pack doyen François Thomazeau to discuss some dramatic events over the last seven days - and look ahead to il Lombardia at the weekend.  There’s the usual news round-up, then the labyrinthine tale of how Daniel tried to establish the 2024 destination of Primož Roglič. We also ponder the latest twists and turns in the Soudal-Quickstep/Jumbo-Visma saga and what they may mean for Remco Evenepoel, among others.  In the final part, there’s a look ahead to il Lombardia and the end of the road for TCP favourite Thibaut Pinot. We also bid farewell to François’ dear friend and Induráin-whisperer Francis Lafargue, who passed away last week.  There’s also the usual round-up of the week’s other news, including the results of last weekend’s European Championships.   The Cycling Podcast is supported by Science in Sport. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast The

The Cycling Podcast returns this week with an in-depth look at the news story that has rocked the sport over the past few days: the revelation by Dutch website Wielerflits that the existing Jumbo-Visma and Soudal-Quick Step teams may be about to join forces. Daniel Friebe and ace Eurosport commentator Rob Hatch hear from the journalist who broke the story, Raymond Kerchoffs, and go on to discuss both the likelihood and the implications of any such move. Does it spell the end of the road for Primož Roglič at Jumbo-Visma ad the start of a new journey for Remco Evenepoel, perhaps alongside Jonas Vingegaard? We weigh up those possibilities and various permutations. There's the usual round-up of the week's other news, including results of last weekend's European Championships. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Science in Sport. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full

In this month’s episode of The Cycling Podcast Feminin, Rose Manley and Denny Gray pour over what has been a packed racing schedule since the World Championships. They pick out the defining moments and big breakthroughs from this closing part of the season which has included a nail-biting Tour of Scandinavia, a lively Tour de Romandie and a Simac Ladies Tour that was full of surprises. We also hear from Canyon-SRAM’s huge new talent Antonia Niedermaier who has already bagged a Giro stage win in her first year in the World Tour. The young German tells us about her double life as both an elite cyclist and an elite ski mountaineer and reveals her ambitions to compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympics. Rose and Denny also – dare we say – “speculate” on where we can expect the new rivalries and new winners to come next year now that one of the sport’s leading lights Annemiek Van Vleuten has retired. Van Vleuten said goodbye to racing at the Simac Ladies Tour, having racked up an astounding 104 wins in her 1