The Cycling Podcast

In this week’s regular episode of The Cycling Podcast, Daniel Friebe is joined by former peloton stalwart Mitch Docker and former pressroom stalwart François Thomazeau to review the first WorldTour race of the 2024 season, the Santos Tour Down Under. We discuss how Stevie Williams’ thrilling overall victory represents a return from the brink for the Welsh rider - and one tinged with controversy. The other two breakout stars of the race were BORA-Hansgrohe sprinter Sam Welsford and UAE Team Emirates’ 20-year-old Mexican prodigy Isaac del Toro. We investigate Del Toro’s roots - and look at phenoms of yesteryear who did or didn’t deliver on their early promise.  There’s also the usual round-up of the week’s news and a look at what INEOS Grenadiers are plotting - and trying to change - in 2024.  Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast 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). Babbel If you want to learn a language – perhaps Italian, French or Spanish to help you at on your travels to one of the grand tours, or Dutch or Danish so you can speak to Mathieu van der Poel or Jonas Vingegaard – Babbel is for you. Get six months free with a six-month subscription at Babbel.com/play with the discount code CYCLE24 MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

When, midway through last year’s Tour de France, Caleb Ewan ‘celebrated’ his 29th birthday, in fact far from rejoicing, the Aussie sprinter was enduring some of the most difficult days of his career - out of form and out of favour with his Lotto-Dstny team, so much so that his boss, Stéphane Heulot, would respond to Ewan quitting La Grande Boucle by questioning his professionalism.  Ewan’s relationship with Lotto looked irredeemably broken - and indeed, three months later, Jayco-Alula announced that they and Ewan were to reunite in 2024. Another three months have now passed since that news broke - and Ewan is finally ready to set the record straight, as he did in this in-depth interview with The Cycling Podcast on the eve of The Tour Down Under: on why he and Heulot never hit it off; on whether, as reports suggested last summer, he even contemplated retirement; and, most importantly, on his new beginning with the team where for him it all started.  The Cycling Podcast is supported by Science in Sport. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast 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). Babbel If you want to learn a language – perhaps Italian, French or Spanish to help you at on your travels to one of the grand tours, or Dutch or Danish so you can speak to Mathieu van der Poel or Jonas Vingegaard – Babbel is for you. Get six months free with a six-month subscription at Babbel.com/play with the discount code CYCLE24 Science in Sport The Cycling Podcast has been supported since 2016 by Science In Sport. World leading experts in endurance nutrition. Go to scienceinsport.com to see the whole range. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. D Vine Cellars The 2023 Vuelta a España wine selection is available now at dvinecellars.com Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

This week’s regular episode of The Cycling Podcast is our annual Speculation episode, in which we ponder & prognosticate what will be the major stories of the coming season. Daniel Friebe is joined by Décathlon-AG2r La Mondiale star Larry Warbasse & ace commentator Rob Hatch - & together they’ll scrutinise the 2024 predictions of assorted friends, colleagues & riders. Can Visma-Lease a Bike repeat their 2023 heroics? Will Mark Cavendish take his 35th Tour de France stage win? And will the year end with Patrick Lefevere & Mikel Landa BASE jumping in Venezuela? We discuss all of the above & more…  The Cycling Podcast is supported by Science in Sport. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast 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). Science in Sport The Cycling Podcast has been supported since 2016 by Science In Sport. World leading experts in endurance nutrition. Go to scienceinsport.com to see the whole range. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. D Vine Cellars The 2023 Vuelta a España wine selection is available now at dvinecellars.com Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

In this special episode of The Cycling Podcast, as a festive treat, we serve up a Christmas selection box of highlights from the 2023 men's Grand Tours. Proceeding in chronological order, we journey back in time first to May and the Giro d'Italia, where Daniel Friebe and Brian Nygaard saw lots of rain, a race that took its time to catch light, then a finale for the ages.  Next, Lionel Birnie took over at the steering wheel for the Tour de France - variously assisted and accompanied by François Thomazeau, Mitch Docker, Lizzy Banks, Ian Boswell and Richard Abraham.  Finally, it was on to Spain and the Vuelta - where Daniel and an assortment of familiar guests saw Jumbo-Visma continue their quest to make history by winning all three Grand Tours in a single season. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Science in Sport. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast 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). NordVPN This episode is supported by NordVPN. Ensure your security online with a subscription today. Listeners will get an exclusive NordVPN deal at nordvpn.com/tcp   Science in Sport The Cycling Podcast has been supported since 2016 by Science In Sport. World leading experts in endurance nutrition. Go to scienceinsport.com to see the whole range. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. D Vine Cellars The 2023 Vuelta a España wine selection is available now at dvinecellars.com Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

In this special, end-of-year episode of The Cycling Podcast, Daniel Friebe is joined by a star-studded ensemble of regular guests to relive and debate some of the highlights of the 2023 road season. Mitch Docker, François Thomazeau, Larry Warbasse, Richard Abraham (fortunate to avoid inclusion in the episode artwork!), Ian Boswell, Rob Hatch and a certain Italian newshound all drop in to share in the festive fun - and give their nominations for the Ride of 2023, Person of 2023, Beef of 2023 and other accolades. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Science in Sport. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast 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). NordVPN This episode is supported by NordVPN. Ensure your security online with a subscription today. Listeners will get an exclusive NordVPN deal at nordvpn.com/tcp   Science in Sport The Cycling Podcast has been supported since 2016 by Science In Sport. World leading experts in endurance nutrition. Go to scienceinsport.com to see the whole range. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. D Vine Cellars The 2023 Vuelta a España wine selection is available now at dvinecellars.com Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

Yes, it’s the most wonderful time of year… Christmas quiz time! Reigning champ (or so she claims) Orla Chennaoui pits herself against quiz debutant Denny Gray in Rose Manley’s fiendish Yuletide puzzler. Let your brain be bamboozled by humdingers like, how many corners were there in the World Champs course? Did Demi Vollering really explain her teammate’s toilet habits in a post-race interview? And most crucially, which rider is “Orange Bumcrease”? As is only appropriate at Christmas time, prepare for a whole load of sledging on all sides. Before all that, Rose, Orla and Denny reveal their racing highlights of the year and in a Cycling Podcast first, Denny closes the show with his performance of “12 Days of SD Worx-mas”.  Merry Christmas to all our listeners! The Cycling Podcast is supported by Science in Sport. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast The 11.01 Cappuccino Our email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am). Science in Sport The Cycling Podcast has been supported since 2016 by Science In Sport. World leading experts in endurance nutrition. Go to scienceinsport.com to see the whole range. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. D Vine Cellars The 2023 Vuelta a España wine selection is available now at dvinecellars.com Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

In this week’s regular episode of The Cycling Podcast, we visit Bora-Hansgrohe at their December billet in Mallorca for an in-depth interview with the team’s Head of Sports Rolf Aldag.  It turned out to be a timely conversation, coming as it did hot on the heels of news that Cian Uijtdebroeks had walked out on Bora-Hansgrohe to sign for Jumbo-Visma - his agent claimed after his Bora deal had been terminated, the team said a year before it was due to expire.  Here, Aldag talks to us about Uijtdebroeks’ shock exit and what it could mean for Bora, the rider and the sport. We also, of course, discuss the star signing who has recently moved the other way, from Jumbo to Bora, Primož Roglič. There’s much more besides – on Rolf’s own career, the winning formula he helped to create at HTC High Road, Jan Ullrich’s belated doping confession and Mark Cavendish’s hopes of another Tour de France stage win. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Science in Sport. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast 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). Hammerhead This episode is supported by the Hammerhead Karoo 2, the most advanced GPS cycle computer with the exclusive Climber feature giving you more data at your fingertips. Listeners can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2 at hammerhead.io with the promo code CYCLE Science in Sport The Cycling Podcast has been supported since 2016 by Science In Sport. World leading experts in endurance nutrition. Go to scienceinsport.com to see the whole range. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. D Vine Cellars The 2023 Vuelta a España wine selection is available now at dvinecellars.com Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

In this week’s episode of The Cycling Podcast, long-time Grand Tour diarist Pavel Sivakov joins us to reflect on his 2023 season and look ahead to his imminent move to the world’s number one-ranked team, UAE Team Emirates.  The winner of the Giro della Toscana in September and a top-10 finisher in six stage races, Sivakov enjoyed his best season ever in 2023 - and yet recognises that, in some pundits’ eyes, his Grand Tour results are still used as the single measure of his career trajectory. He and Daniel Friebe discuss why that is while also looking back at his time at INEOS, examining that team’s quest to build a new identity, dissecting his own issues with self-doubt - and casting thoughts ahead to the next phase of his career.  The Cycling Podcast is supported by Science in Sport. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast 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). NordVPN This episode is supported by NordVPN. Ensure your security online with a subscription today. Listeners will get an exclusive NordVPN deal at nordvpn.com/tcp   Science in Sport The Cycling Podcast has been supported since 2016 by Science In Sport. World leading experts in endurance nutrition. Go to scienceinsport.com to see the whole range. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. D Vine Cellars The 2023 Vuelta a España wine selection is available now at dvinecellars.com Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

In this episode of The Cycling Podcast, Daniel Friebe is joined by ace Eurosport commentator Rob Hatch to discuss the latest headlines from the world of professional cycling and some of the burning issues of the week.  In Germany, the hot topic of the last few days has been the release of the new, multi-part Jan Ullrich documentary ‘Der Gejagte’. Daniel reports back on what we as viewers learn and also reflects on how the film in some ways acts as the perfect afterword to his Ullrich biography.  In the final part of the episode, there’s time for a bit more self-examination - in this case from Rob on the ever-evolving craft of the commentator.  The 12 Hills of Christmas route on Strava The Cycling Podcast is supported by Science in Sport. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast 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). Hammerhead This episode is supported by the Hammerhead Karoo 2, the most advanced GPS cycle computer with the exclusive Climber feature giving you more data at your fingertips. Listeners can get a free heart-rate monitor with the purchase of a Hammerhead Karoo 2 at hammerhead.io with the promo code CYCLE Science in Sport The Cycling Podcast has been supported since 2016 by Science In Sport. World leading experts in endurance nutrition. Go to scienceinsport.com to see the whole range. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. D Vine Cellars The 2023 Vuelta a España wine selection is available now at dvinecellars.com Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

In this week’s regular episode of The Cycling Podcast, Daniel Friebe is joined by Brian Nygaard and Ian Boswell - both of them formerly of Team Sky as a press chief and rider respectively - as we chew over the shock news that Deputy Team Principal Rod Ellingworth is to leave the British outfit.  We analyse Ellingworth’s legacy and ask where the team goes next, having lost one of their founding fathers. Are they on the brink of a bright new era or contemplating a crisis of identity?  There’s also discussion of the news last week that GCN+ and the GCN App are to close – in addition to the usual round-up of the latest headlines.  The Cycling Podcast is supported by Science in Sport. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast 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). Babbel This episode is supported by Babbel - language learning that works. Babbel is offering listeners six months free with the purchase of a six month subscription.  Visit babbel.com/play and use the promo code CYCLING. LinkedIn Jobs This episode supported by LinkedIn Jobs. Post your job for free at linkedin.com/cycle. Terms and conditions apply. Nord VPN This episode is supported by Nord VPN who are offering listeners a bonus four months free with any plan. Visit nordvpn.com/tcp to get the extra four months.  Science in Sport The Cycling Podcast has been supported since 2016 by Science In Sport. World leading experts in endurance nutrition. Go to scienceinsport.com to see the whole range. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. D Vine Cellars The 2023 Vuelta a España wine selection is available now at dvinecellars.com Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.