134. Ned Boulting and the (last) Tour de France

This episode is brought to you by Laka Bike Insurance, the specialist bike insurers

This week, Robyn and Will are joined by Ned Boulting. Having started out covering football on Sky Sports, Ned joined the ITV Sports team in 2001 and soon became a reporter for their Tour de France coverage, albeit that hasn't stopped him popping up on Olympics coverage, and one of his favourite unsung sports, darts. Today, alongside co-host David Millar, Ned is the voice of the Tour for countless millions of viewers, although sadly this season will be his last (which we chat about later).

Ned has written and performed stage shows Bikeology, Tour de Ned and Marginal Mystery Tour, he ventures into the podcast world with the successful Never Strays Far with Pete Kennaugh and David Millar, and he has also written myriad books.

Ned's latest book, The Accidental Tour-ist: (Final) Dispatches from the Road (Bloomsbury) has just been released. Described as ‘a lap of honour’, the book recalls chaotic stories and memorable moments from years reporting on Le Tour, the Giro d’Italia, the Flemish Classics and more.

With the curtain set to fall on ITV4's free-to-air Tour de France coverage this summer, Ned talks to us about finding out about the news from a friend, and his personal highlights throughout the years as commentator, reporter and presenter.

Ned also talks about the seismic - and about time too - shift in women’s cycling; the riders to watch at this year's Tour de France 2025; the Tour stages that viewers cannot afford to miss; and his emotions as he contemplates putting down the mic for the last time on the Champs-Élysées.

Interview begins at 4.25

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This episode is brought to you by Laka Bike Insurance, the specialist bike insurers. Laka's collective model means you only pay a share of what it pays out each month (up to a capped amount), and Laka only makes money once claims have been settled. There's no excess, no depreciation and cover is a flexible as you want it to be - you can pause, cancel or upgrade at any time.

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