S14 Ep1: The Speculation Episode 2026

Jan 15, 2026

As the cycling season heats up, speculation runs wild! Will Jonas Vingegaard tackle the Giro and potentially the Tour? Predictions fly about Primož Roglič's surprising winless year, while ambitious insights on Demi Vollering's Giro-Tour double emerge. Guests weigh in on standout talent Matthew Brennan and the shifting dynamics in team recruitment. Plus, intriguing nutrition trends like noni fruit could shake things up! Join the lively debate on who will rise and who might flop in the 2026 racing year.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Vingegaard's Giro Changes The Grand Tour Story

Jonas Vingegaard's Giro entry reframes the entire Grand Tour narrative for 2026.
Lionel Birnie warns the Giro-Tour double removes margin for team error and reshapes season focus.

INSIGHT

Tour Priority Creates Tight Margin For Support

Visma-Lisabike prioritises the Tour but accepts Giro risk, meaning support depth is crucial.
Lionel stresses limited margin for error if injuries or illness hit mountain support.

ANECDOTE

Yates Rumour Started In A Pub During The Tour

Daniel recalls rumours in the peloton that Simon Yates wanted to quit after the Giro.
The hosts describe how Yates felt obliged to continue due to team responsibilities toward Vingegaard.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

The first regular episode of the year is traditionally our excuse to indulge in some rare speculation ahead of the coming season – and Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie are back to uphold the time-honoured ritual here.

In addition to our hosts’ often leftfield prognostications, we hear what our international carousel of regular contributors is expecting from the next few months. Which one of our regular guests, for example, reckons that Primož Roglič won’t win a single race in 2026? Who reckons that Jonas Vingegaard will complete the Grand Tour Grand Slam before Tadej Pogačar? And what on earth is a Noni fruit – and what ‘juice’, exactly, does Daniel have on their miraculous ability to boost performance?

All of this and more will be revealed!

EPISODE SPONSORS

Babbel
Learn a language the fun, easy way with intuitive 15-minute lessons you can do when you want. Choose from 14 languages including Spanish, French, Italian and German. Listeners can get up to 60% off for a limited time only at babbel.com/cycle

Bikmo
This episode of The Cycling Podcast is brought to you by Bikmo cycle insurance – because let's face it, things happen. Whether it's a crash landing, the heartbreak of a stolen bike, or the ultimate facepalm moment of reversing over your prized aero wheel, Bikmo has you covered. Flexible policies that you can cancel anytime, 50% off extra bikes in your household, protection for your kit, race entries, and even damage while travelling to your next epic ride – they've thought of it all. Protect your ride before it's too late – head to Bikmo.com to get covered.

NordVPN
Get NordVPN two-year plan + four months extra ➼ https://nordvpn.com/tcp It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee.

Follow us on social media:
Twitter @cycling_podcast
Instagram @thecyclingpodcast

Friends of the Podcast
Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes.

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).

The Cannibal & Badger
Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in.

The Cycling Podcast is on Strava

The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.