The Rouleur Podcast

Adam Blythe has been building a reputation for his informed commentary - and his inventive dress sense - since his retirement two years ago. He’ll be at Rouleur Live next month, using his insider knowledge to interview stars of road racing past and present. Also there will be Imogen Cotter. She rides online for Movistar’s E-racing team but she's proved her ability in the real world by winning the national road championship in her native Ireland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paris-Roubaix is not just the hardest of the Classics, it's also a unique test-bed for some of the latest - and least expected - bike racing technology. Rouleur Digital Editor Peter Stuart is just back from his first Hell Of The North and he's been sharing some of his tech discoveries with host Dan Cavallari. Out this year go tubulars, rim brakes and double wrapped bars, replaced by tubeless clinchers, discs and even 1x gear systems. If it's good enough for Lizzie Deignan, it's good enough for us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Grow old. Get Fast. Don't die. Good words to live by, and the original working title of Phil Cavell's book The Midlife Cyclist. Phil is best known as the co-founder and CEO of high-end London bike store Cyclefit, and a leading expert on the science and bio-mechanics of cycling. Phil talks us through the realities of staying fit and fast past forty, fifty and over; why the current generation of older riders are nature's crash-test dummies and why biological evolution will probably see women routinely outperform men at endurance events. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are so many myths and misunderstandings about carbon frames - they break easily, they're impossible to repair, the ride deteriorates with age, you can't leave them out in the sun. In this episode Dan Cavallari goes in search of the truth with the help of carbon expert Cameron Frazer of Driven Technologies. The good news is a decent carbon frame will probably outlast you. Unless you drive into your garage with it still on the roof rack. But you knew that, right? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Slovenia is a cycling superpower - with two out of the three Grand Tour winners this year and an Olympic time trial gold for Primož Roglič. A new book by Roglič's partner Lora Klinc was designed to explain the mysteries of the international peloton to Slovenia's legion of new cycling followers, and the English-language version is surprisingly informative for even the most knowledgeable fan. Also on this episode, Daniel Stewart's examination of xenophobia in bike racing from Rouleur Issue 106. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Supersapiens hit the headlines recently when the UCI banned use of the glucose monitoring system in races. Company founder and CEO Phil Southerland, who also founded Team Novo Nordisk with a roster comprised entirely of type 1 diabetics, declared it a backward step from the governing body, citing improved rider health and welfare possibilities with the new technology.Supersapiens co-founder and CTO Gagan Chaudhari joins us to explain how the system works, what the benefits are, how to monitor fuel intake and what the future holds. It’s food for thought, literally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do we make cycling - as a sport and a way of life - as diverse as possible? That’s the central question in Rouleur edition 106 - The Empowerment Issue. And it’s the theme of this podcast. We hear from cycling coach Thea Smith on how her club is trying to attract more women, non-binary and trans people through the gates of the venerable velodrome in London’s Herne Hill. And from Will Butler-Adams of Brompton on how the bike industry has a vital role to play in rebuilding society after the pandemic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Swiss brand BMC are leaders in technological developments in the bike world. From their base in Grenchen, BMC’s team of engineers at the Impec lab develop new ideas and push the boundaries of what can be achieved in bicycle design for any terrain. Stefan Christ, head of R&D at BMC, joins host Dan Cavallari to explain what they get up to in their mysterious lab, and what we can expect to see coming out of the brain factory in the future. Both Dan and Rouleur’s digital editor Peter Stuart have visited the BMC HQ on several occasions, and a whole lot more besides. Peter chips in with his take on who is really putting in the hard yards on R&D. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emma Pooley is more likely to be found running up hills these days than cycling up them, but the competitive spirit that led her to Olympic medals, world championships and multiple stage and race wins is still strong.  She joins presenter Ian Parkinson from her home near Zurich to talk about retirement, the current state of the women’s pro scene and why she’s about to run 100km through the mountains. She also delivers a personal warning about the dangers of too much sun and not enough sunscreen. Tan-line cultivators listen closely.And what can cyclists learn from the great philosophers? Author James Hibbard argues that - from Plato’s search for the ideal to Nietzsche’s struggles in the Alps - there are lessons there for anyone who rides. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ultra-Endurance rider Lael Wilcox was the fastest woman at Unbound 2021. She sits down with host Dan Cavallari to discuss going fast over 350 miles of gravel. While it's all about the legs and the heart, bike tech plays a vital role in multi-day races in the wilderness. From making the right choice of aero bar or flat bar, choosing the best power banks and bringing a reliable head-torch for those nighttime mechanicals, Lael doesn't leave a single element of her gear to chance. Evidently as averse to an idle mind as an idle body, Lael also explains how she rode across Alaska while listening to East of Eden on audiobook, and in one race stayed awake by scaring herself stiff listening to Stephen King's It.We promise this podcast will be a little less jarring. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.