The Rouleur Podcast

A hatful of victories in recent weeks for Team Ineos’ Ethan Hayter in Italy, Spain and Portugal, with jerseys to go alongside his four stage wins. Our very own south London legend, Ian Parkinson, talks to his fellow Herne Hill velodrome habitue and level-headed young man on early riding, avoiding crashes, making the grade, and aiming for Tokyo. Will he share the team pursuit squad's latest practice time? Maybe…A van load of men armed with brushes and pots of paint hit the Tour de France climbs hours ahead of the peloton. Their mission: disguising and covering offensive graffiti on the tarmac before the cameras broadcast it to the watching millions. Political slogans, syringes and – most of all – penises of every size and colour are adapted or obliterated. An hilarious backstory from Le Tour from our new issue 104, out now.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tubeless tyres for road bikes – do we need them? Are they really better, or is it just an industry-led marketing push? A messy fiddle and faff to mount, or a fit-and-forget cyclist’s friend?Samuele Bressan, global marketing at Pirelli tyres, joins Dan Cavallari to persuade us to ditch inner tubes and embrace the rapidly-improving tubeless technology. Our own Peter Stuart piles in too. Is he under pressure to conform, or hooked by the hookless rim argument? Listen up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emilio Previtali, Editor of Rouleur's Italian Edition, shares his passion for the Giro d'Italia, highlighting its cultural significance and the vibrant community it fosters in Italy. Dan Bigham, an elite cyclist and engineer, discusses his groundbreaking book 'Start at the End,' where he applies reverse engineering to sports and life. The conversation also dives into the thrilling unpredictability of racing, innovative training methods, and the transformative impact of data on cycling performance. It's a captivating blend of passion and expertise!

All the gears and some ideas. Why have two chainrings and a front changer when the 1x drivetrain revolution has all bases covered? Or does it? Dan Cavallari makes the case for retaining maximum gearing options, on his road bike at least, while dedicated singleton Peter Stuart goes all in with the modern technology. Sprocket wars and chainring conundrums debated by our resident tech experts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For our special issue 103 on the theme of speed, we gathered four of the fastest people in the world in their respective sports.Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes F1), Jamie Chadwick (W Series and Williams development driver), Cal Crutchlow (2009 Supersport world champion) and Mark Cavendish (a very good cyclist) to discuss what makes them tick. What is this need for speed? Do they get a buzz out of the danger? What is the fastest they have ever travelled? Orla Chennaoui hosts the conversation and hangs on for dear life.On the flip side, Fredrika Ek upped sticks from her native Sweden and decided to cycle round the world - 51,000km and 45 countries. The resulting book Around the World in 1,000 Days is a beautifully-presented travelogue of her amazing journey. The friendliest country she visited? Iran. Bet you weren't expecting that.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wireless or old school cable? In the blue corner, all the way from Colorado, Dan Cavallari makes the case for “if it ain’t broke, why fix it?” when it comes to gear shifting. And in the red corner, early adopter and Rouleur digital editor Peter Stuart grabs the latest technology with both hands. Who will win the no-holds barred battle of the tech-heads? A couple of bruisers go the distance. Ding-ding. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is this endless fascination with going fast? The Slow Cycling Movement from Rouleur Issue 103 is read by Phil Wright. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hailing from Alaska, holding Harvard rowing records and with an on-hold career in investment banking, Kristen Faulkner can now add top-notch cyclist to her glittering CV. The Team Tibco-SVP racer took to the Spring Classics like a Belgian to cobbles, with 7th at Gent-Wevelgem and 10th in the Tour of Flanders. We catch up with the new American on the block.Ever considered building your own bike, rather than buying off the peg? Podcast host Ian Parkinson does it all the time, Rouleur Digital Editor Peter Stuart needs a bit of persuading, while Alan Anderson has just released a book on the subject. How to Build a Bike - In a Weekend makes the case for choosing wisely and saving money, plus the satisfying feeling of making and maintaining a unique and personal machine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From a series published in Rouleur magazine and in his excellent book Vélo, Paul Fournel’s definitions: Baroudeur, sprinter, climber and, of course, Rouleur. Read by Ben Cutler, illustration by Jo Burt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Top mountain-biker Isla Short takes a break from training and racing to lead Rouleur on the trail of legendary Scottish outlaw Rob Roy. And author Paul Jones tells the stories of the extraordinary men and women who chase the End to End record. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.