The Cycling Podcast

We are looking ahead to the Tour de France in this week's episode as we review the recent racing in Switzerland, Slovenia and Belgium. The Tour is set to be a fascinating battle between the collective strength of Ineos Grenadiers and the individual talents of Tadej Pogačar, the defending champion, and Primoz Roglič. This week we also hear from Pavel Sivakov, the young Franco-Russian who returned to racing in Switzerland after crashing out of the Giro d'Italia.  The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. See supersapiens.com For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. This episode is sponsored by beer club Beer52. To try a case of eight delicious beers for only the £5.95 cost of postage, go to: www.beer52.com/Cycle If you order before July 13th you’ll get two extra beers totally free. 

In June's episode of The Cycling Podcast Féminin Rose Manley, Orla Chennaoui and Richard Moore discuss all the recent racing, and we hear from Tour de Suisse stage winner Elise Chabbey of Canyon/SRAM. There's also an interview with one of the strongest performers of the season, Pauliena Rooijakkers of Liv Racing. And we meet the winner of the world's biggest gravel race, Unbound. Lauren De Crescenzo is a former professional who suffered a terrible crash in 2016, then last year broke the Everesting world record, and meanwhile works as an epidemiologist. The Cycling Podcast Féminin is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. See supersapiens.com For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. This episode is supported by ShipStation, the #1 shipping software for e-commerce sellers with more 5-star reviews than anyone else. For a 60-day

Film club returns to The Cycling Podcast as Daniel Friebe and Richard Moore review The Least Expected Day, series two of Netflix's fly-on-the-wall Movistar documentary. We discuss the latest racing, including Richie Porte's victory at the Critérium du Dauphiné and what it means for the Tour de France. And we hear from Ian Boswell, last week's guest host and winner at the weekend of Unbound, arguably the world's most important gravel race. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. See supersapiens.com For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. This episode is sponsored by beer club Beer52. To try a case of eight delicious beers for only the £5.95 cost of postage, go to: www.beer52.com/Cycle If you order before July 13th you’ll get two extra beers totally free. 

Richard Moore is joined by former professional Ian Boswell and François Thomazeau for this week's episode as we discuss the Critérium du Dauphiné, look back on the Giro d'Italia and discuss the implications for cycling of the week's biggest story in sport, tennis player Naomi Osaka's decision not to participate in press conferences and to withdraw from the French Open. Is the Dauphiné a little "decaffeinated" in the absence of Primoz Roglič and Tadej Pogačar? Would a "mystery time trial" at the Tour de France work? And could Geraint Thomas bounce back from his disappointing performance on stage 4. The answer to this last question was yes, because while we were recording he won stage 5. Ian and François talk about the stories that grabbed them at the Giro and in the final part we discuss athletes' obligations, press conferences and mental health. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fu

Life in the Peloton is back after taking a break while the Giro d'Italia was on, which gave me a chance to sit down with someone I've wanted to get on the podcast for a long time. Tsgabu Grmay rides for my old team, now called Team Bike Exchange, and he's racing his tenth season in the pro peloton. He was born and brought up in the Tigray region of Ethiopia and comes from a sporty family. I was really interested to hear the story of how he got into cycling and made it to the Tour de France, which has ridden three times and completed twice. But I was most inspired by his goal-setting and his attitude to getting the most out of himself. But as inspirational as I found talking to Tsgabu, it wasn't quite enough to persuade me to reconsider the big decision I announced a few weeks ago. I've decided this will be my final season and, all being well, I'll end my pro career at Paris-Roubaix in October. It's time to find out what life has in store for me outside the peloton... Don't worry, though, there's still plen

Explore returns with Lionel Birnie travelling to the south coast of England to meet photographer and journalist Roff Smith, whose lockdown project was published in the New York Times as A Cyclist on the English Landscape. The series of self-portraits feature Roff cycling in and around his adopted home town, St Leonards-on-Sea in Sussex. Roff is not used to staying in one place for long. Born in the US and having spent time working in Australia, his career as a photographer and writer for National Geographic has kept him almost permanently on the move – until the coronavirus crisis hit in spring 2020. While tethered to home, Roff started getting up before dawn to capture photographs of himself riding through the early morning light and found that each day gave him a different perspective on the familiar. To see more of Roff's work follow him on Instagram @roffsmith where he has published more of his self-portraits and his website The Art of the Ride. The Tour d'Écosse On Thursday (June 3), Lionel and Simon

In our final episode from the 2021 Giro d'Italia Richard Moore and Brian Nygaard soak up the atmosphere in Milan and look back on the past three weeks of racing and travelling around Italy. We hear from some of the stars and unsung heroes of the race, including Alberto Bettiol, Jan Tratnik, Salvatore Puccio, Dries De Bondt and Gianni Savio. There's a final instalment from our diarist, James Knox, and Daniel Friebe discusses breakaways with Italian journalists, and podcast hosts, Filippo Cauz and Leonardo Piccione. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. See supersapiens.com For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout

In our penultimate episode from the Giro d'Italia we reflect on the final mountain stage, won by the rider in second place, Damiano Caruso. Richard Moore and Brian Nygaard discuss the stage ahead of Egan Bernal's likely coronation as Giro winner in Milan on Sunday. We hear from Chris Juul-Jensen of Team Bike Exchange, Matt Winston, sports director of Team DSM, and Larry Warbasse of Ag2r, as well as our audio diarist James Knox of Deceuninck-Quick-Step. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. See supersapiens.com For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout

On the penultimate mountain stage of the Giro d’Italia Simon Yates claimed victory to set up a thrilling final weekend.  In our stage 19 podcast we hear from Yates’s sports director, Matt White, and also from a rider who was in the breakaway, Larry Warbasse.  There’s another instalment of James Knox’s audio diary and a final entry from our other diarist, Gino Mader.  The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. See supersapiens.com For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout.

One day before stage 20 of the Giro d'Italia begins in his home town, we take a look at a rider upon whose broad shoulders the hopes of Italian cycling seem to rest. Filippo Ganna is the world champion who on Sunday in Milan will be the favourite to win his fifth Giro time trial in a row. In this episode we speak to some of his rivals, including Edoardo Affini of Jumbo-Visma, to Rod Ellingworth, who works with Ganna at Ineos Grenadiers, and to Luca Gialanella of Gazzetta dello Sport. And we hear from Victor Campenaerts, the world hour record holder, on how the emergence of Ganna forced him to abandon time trialling. Finally, we hear from the man himself – Filippo Ganna. Kilometre 0 by The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens: energy management for committed athletes. 

A rider we’ve been tipping all Giro, Alberto Bettiol, finally got his stage win on a day when the other big news was the withdrawal of Remco Evenepoel.  In our stage 18 podcast we discuss Evenepoel and the decision to throw him into the Giro and hear from a couple of other young riders, Tobias Foss and Attila Valter. We’ve also got an interview with the previous day’s winner, Dan Martin.  The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. See supersapiens.com For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout.

The Giro d'Italia may have some twists and turns left after a seventeenth stage that saw the first sign of weakness from the overall leader, Egan Bernal, while Dan Martin took a well deserved win. In the podcast we hear from Rod Ellingworth on Bernal, there's more from our diarist, James Knox, we solve the mystery of George Bennett's "double ascent" of the Zoncolan, and we have an interview with the former pink jersey Alessandro De Marchi. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. See supersapiens.com For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout.

Eleven of the sixteen stages so far at this Giro d’Italia have been won by first time grand tour stage winners.  Some – Egan Bernal, Giacomo Nizzolo – have not been much of a surprise. But some certainly have, and yet there have been days when the stage winner has been overshadowed by the GC battle.  In this episode of Kilometre 0 we revisit their stages with some of the winners, including Joe Dombrowski, Taco van der Hoorn and Victor Lafay. And we hear from a rider agent, Gary McQuaid, about the value of a stage win in a Grand Tour.  Kilometre 0 by The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens: energy management for committed athlete.

On the second rest day of the Giro d'Italia Richard and Daniel sit down in Canazei in the Dolomites to answer some listeners' questions. Topics include downhill time trials, littering, Italy and the Giro's place in its cultural landscape, and why there is no cycling equivalent of Sam Allardyce, the football manager. For a couple of questions we turn to James Knox, of Deceuninck-Quick-Step, and Eurosport GCN commentator Rob Hatch for their insights. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. See supersapiens.com For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout

With the queen stage of the Giro d'Italia shortened by 60km, two major climbs removed and no TV pictures, the job of The Cycling Podcast after stage 16 was to piece together what happened. Richard and Daniel were at the finish in Cortina to speak to some of the protagonists and make sense of a stage that cemented Egan Bernal's status as the favourite to win the Giro in Milan on Sunday. In tonight's episode we hear from our diarist, James Knox, the EF sports director Charly Wegelius and his rider Tejay van Garderen, Trek-Segafredo general manager Luca Guercilena, a resurgent Romain Bardet and the Bahrain Victorious pair of Damiano Caruso and Pello Bilbao. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. See supersapiens.com For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout

The Giro d'Italia crossed into Slovenia on stage 15 and The Cycling Podcast was there to see Victor Campenaerts win Qhubeka Assos's third stage in five days. The start of the stage was marred by an enormous crash with our audio diarist, James Knox, one of the fallers. Thankfully he wasn't too badly hurt, as he tells us in tonight's instalment. We also hear from Simon Yates, who is Egan Bernal's closest challenger, ahead of Monday's key stage in the Dolomites. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. See supersapiens.com For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout

After its ascent of the Zoncolan on stage 14, the Giro d'Italia remains in Italy’s far northeast on Sunday – and even dips into Slovenia – for a stage that reflects many of the region’s textures and contradictions. The local hero as far as the Giro is concerned was Alessandro De Marchi – but the former maglia rosa crashed out en route to Bagno di Romagna. In his absence, there will still be much for the home crowds to enjoy – and for the rest of us to discover about a corner of Il Bel Paese that remains a mystery even to many Italians. Kilometre 0 by The Cycling Podcast, supported by Supersapiens: energy management for committed athletes.

No day is the same at the Giro d'Italia but very few start, for Richard and Daniel at least, with a meeting with the US Acting Ambassador to Italy. We hear from Ambassador Tom Smitham – a keen cyclist and friend of the podcast – in tonight's episode and we have all the reaction from a crucial stage that finished at Monte Zoncolan, including interviews with Simon Yates's sports director, Matt White, and Egan Bernal's, Dario Cioni. There's another instalment from our audio diarist, James Knox, and we hear from Mark Christian, whose teammate, Lorenzo Fortunato, was the surprise winner at the summit of the Zoncolan. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. See supersapiens.com For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout

Stage 13 and as the Giro d'Italia reached Verona we discuss a first grand tour stage win for Giacomo Nizzolo and hear from his teammate and lead-out man, Max Walscheid. We've got an interview with Deceuninck-Quick-step supremo Patrick Lefevere and another audio diary from one of his riders, James Knox. And at the start in Ravenna we meet Marina Romoli, whose foundation The Cycling Podcast is supporting at this year's Giro through the sales of Stacy Snyder's cups, mugs and gelato bowls. Marina tells us about her life in cycling and pays tribute to the day's winner, Nizzolo, a good friend and supporter of her foundation to help fund research into spinal injuries and to support athletes – like Marina – whose careers are cut short by spinal or brain injuries. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. See supersapiens.com For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.co

Thursday’s twelfth stage of the Giro d'Italia was a paean not only to one of Italy’s cycling heartlands – the verdant hills and mountains of Tuscany – but also two legends of Italian cycling in Gino Bartali and Alfredo Martini. Martini is the lesser known of the pair but there is no doubting his status as a national sporting treasure, less for the six rainbow jerseys he amassed as the Italian team coach from 1975 to 1997 than for who he was and how he led his life. Just a couple of hours before the Giro passed, we made our own pilgrimage to his home – and the house in which he lived – in Sesto Fiorentino. Kilometre 0 by The Cycling Podcast, supported by Supersapiens.