The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton The season is underway and it was time to hit the cobbles for the first time this year with Opening Weekend up in Belgium. That’s two races in one weekend; Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne on Sunday. I was travelling from Girona to Belgium with […]
Talking Luft! with Nate Wilson. S2. E3.
Nate Wilson is a Performance trainer on my team, EF Education Nippo, and I had him chatting training and all things performance over on The Cycling Podcast last week. Be sure to go check that out on their channel. Nate also raced back in the day so I was keen to get him Talking Luft. […]
Nate Wilson – Insights with a Team Trainer
The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton The year has officially kicked off, having just finished our EF Education-Nippo start of season training camp. And while my mind was fully set on training and the year ahead, I thought it would be great to dive into some insights with one of our team Performance […]
Talking Luft! with Jack Thompson. S2.E2
Now this is an on-the-bike ‘war story’ you don’t want to miss! I’m Talking Luft with Jack Thompson, an Australian Ultra Cyclist, who takes on the world’s most epic challenges on the bike. As usual, we talk caps, bikes, kits, training loops, cheat meals and of course coffee stops. Plus a hilarious and epic ‘war […]
Jack Thompson – The Power of the Bike
The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton (listen below) A little something different this week as I sit down with Jack Thompson – aka Jack Ultra – an Australian cyclist who takes on some of the world’s most epic Ultra challenges on the bike. In 2017 he rode more than 50 000 kilometres (for […]
Talking Luft! with Heinrich Haussler. S2.E1
Welcome to the first Talking Luft for 2021! Talking Luft is the back with same format as last year; a short, laid back series of questions, the ‘DVD Extras’ of the pod if you will. Listen to in depth episodes with guests over on The Cycling Podcast. I’m excited to be back and I’ve got […]
Heinrich Haussler – The German Aussie
The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton The pod is back for 2021! And for my first episode of the new year I caught up with someone I’ve been wanting to get on the pod for a long time. It’s the German-Aussie Heinrich Haussler, or Heino as he’s known. He’s going into his 16th […]
Our Casquettes are back in stock!
The Official Life in the Peloton Cycling Cap is back in stock. SHOP NOW VIA OUR MERCH STORE Get your LUFT now! Shipping Worldwide from Spain. Free shipping over €45.
Mitch Docker – Svein Tuft turns the Mic on Me
Well, it’s time to wrap up the season, both in cycling and Life In The Peloton. I’ve been asked a couple of times when someone might turn the microphone on me to tell my story. And when out adventuring with my good mate Svein Tuft, he asked if he could do me the honour. I […]
Talking Luft! with Svein Tuft. Ep. 17
He almost needs no introduction. Svein Tuft. Man. Myth. Legend. He’s a Canadian mountain man, ex pro and teammate, and most of all, a good mate of mine. You heard from him here on the pod last year; telling epic stories from bike packing days, before he became a pro bike rider and eventually went […]
Hugh Carthy – Climbing the Mountain
(Listen below) Talking L’Angliru and more.. A day after his victory on the Queen stage of La Vuelta a España, I sat down with the King of L’Angliru & my teammate on EF Pro Team, Hugh Carthy. I hear about that epic climb in his words and how the last 6km played out -what was […]
Talking Luft! with Hugh Carthy. Ep 16.
This week I’m Talking Luft with Brit Hugh Carthy. We’re a week in at the Vuelta and he’s riding like a demon, currently 4th on GC. We sat down on the first rest day to chat cap style, beverages, training loops and he tells a true peloton war story from that day of golf ball […]
Greg Griffiths – The Commissaire
The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton (listen below) Now live on The Cycling Podcast, this week I chat with a different kind of colleague in the peloton. While I was in Australia for the summer, I got a chance to sit down with Aussie UCI Commissaire Greg Griffiths – an umpire of the […]
Talking Luft! with Sam Bewley. Ep 15.
This week on Talking Luft I’ve got Kiwi Mitchelton-Scott rider, Sam Bewley. Sam’s a good mate of mine from our Greenedge days and is great for a laugh. We had fun chatting LUFT, training sessions, favourite races and of course coffee and beer. Plus Sam tells a hilarious Grand tour story for my new question […]
The second batch of LITP Caps are live!
UPDATE: We’re now sold out! Stay tuned early November for the next drop. Our 2nd drop of Life in the Peloton Casquettes is here! See below for restock details Stay tuned to our Etsy Store: – Friday 9th October – Europe 10.30pm CEST UK 9.30pm BST USA 4.30pm CET/1.30pm PST Melbourne 7.30am AEST (Saturday 10th […]
Dr. Kevin Sprouse – Insight from a Pro Cycling Team Doctor
The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton (listen below) As professional cyclists, our bodies are our job. There are many integral parts of a cycling team that work to help us arrive at races with our bodies in optimal shape. The Team Doctor is the one who oversees our overall wellbeing and performance on […]
Talking Luft! with Juanma Garate. Ep 14.
I had him on the pod last week, my Sports Director on EF Education First and ex-pro, who raced for 15 years in the No Helmet/LUFT era, Juanma Garate. This week we’re Talking Luft. It’s our laid back chat, talking caps, racing no helmets until the sprint and Juanma gives me some tips on cooking […]
Juanma Garate – More than a Directeur Sportif
The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton (Listen below) Juan Manuel Garate, or Juanma as everyone calls him, is from the Basque Country in Spain and is a Sports’ Directeur of mine on EF Education First. He was also pro back in the day, having won a stage of each of the Grand Tours, […]
Talking Luft! with Allan Davis. Ep 13
Allan Davis, or Alby as he’s known, is an Australian sprinter who raced in the era of LUFT, riding for the most iconic teams of the time such as Mapei, ONCE-Eroski and Quickstep. And I’m officially jealous of his kit collection. I sat down with Alby, and we chat about cap style back in those […]
Tour de France Q&A with Mitch
Photo: Simon Gill The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton (listen below) Like everyone, I’ve been enjoying having the Tour de France back on TV every afternoon. There’s nothing like cracking a cold one and watching some epic bike racing for 21 days in a row. I’ve done my fair share of grand tours […]
Talking Luft! with Lachlan Morton. Ep 12.
Lachy Morton, you’re sure to have heard his name. He’s a teammate of mine on EF Education First and is the alternate racing king. I’ve had him on the podcast in the past, and I’ve finally got him back on talking some LUFT. We dive straight into cap style, which, of course, includes some gravel […]
Jonathan Vaughters – A Team Manager
The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton (listen below or on The Cycling Podcast channel) It’s been a long time coming and this week on the pod I’ve got the Big Boss, my boss, EF Pro Team Manager Jonathan Vaughters or JV as he’s known. Becoming a World Tour Team Manager was never in […]
Official LITP Caps: They came, they went. They’ll be back.
Restock coming next month! The first batch of Life in the Peloton Casquettes have landed & we’re pretty stoked with how they’ve turned out! Plenty of LUFT. Popping in Life in the Peloton Pink and Blue. Handmade in Italy. The first release was limited & sold out in under 5 mins! The second release is […]
Talking Luft with Alberto Bettiol. Ep 11.
Talking Luft is back after my first week back racing in Italy. It seemed only fitting to have my Italian teammate, and true Tuscan, Alberto Bettiol on the pod. If you haven’t checked out my On-road diary from that week over on The Cycling Podcast, you’ve gotta have a listen! I chat with almost everyone […]
Back on the road: A diary of racing in a pandemic
The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton (Listen below) We’re back on the road and racing again for 2020. First up is Italy for Strade Bianchi and Milan-San Remo. And I decided to take you guys with me! This is the first episode I’ve done as an on-road audio diary and I really enjoyed […]
Talking Luft! with Mike Woods. Ep 10.
He’s a crowd favourite, and rightfully so. Mike Woods, or Woodsie, is a Canadian team mate of mine. He’s easy to chat to and always has a great story to tell. I’ve had him on the pod a couple of times before; post his epic La Vuelta stage win in 2018 and in the Giro […]
A return to racing + Strade Bianchi Mailbag, with Luke Durbridge
The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton (scroll down to listen) After months of lockdown and a suspended season of racing it’s finally time to get back out on the road again! 2020 season: Round 2. It’s a mixture of excitement and nervousness amongst the pros as we head into racing with a few […]
Talking Luft! with Paul De Geyter. Ep 9.
I had him on The Cycling Podcast last week, my old rider agent, Paul De Geyter, talking all things contract negotiation and managing some of the rider greats. Be sure to head over and listen to that one! He’s a great personality and this week I’ve got him Talking Luft, in a fun 10 min […]
Paul De Geyter – Behind the scenes with a Rider Agent
The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton (Scroll to the down to listen) Ever wondered how pro cycling contracts are negotiated and signed? Or why riders of certain nationalities only go to certain teams? This week on The Cycling Podcast I chat with my old Rider Agent, Paul De Geyter, who was the first […]
Talking Luft! with Jens Keukeleire. Ep 8.
It’s another episode of my mini series of laid-back chats, Talking Luft, with Jens Keukeleire. I find out how Jensie wears his casquette, and that he’d go a Pantani Bandana if he could. Plus his Belgian training routes, weird breakfasts and Quarantine revelations. If you haven’t already, head over to The Cycling Podcast to listen […]
Jens Keukeleire – Growing up on the Cobbles
The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton (Scroll to the down to listen) Cycling is a national sport in Belgium. It’s part of the culture, it’s in their blood. And as an Aussie I’ve always felt that Belgium is the heart of the cycling world. It’s the place that made me really fall in […]
Talking Luft! with Tom Southam. Ep. 7
Tom Southam. He’s a LUFT man. He has a custom made casquette that has 38% additional LUFT, which, okay, might be verging on too much. Nevertheless, he was the perfect guy to get Talking Luft with. In case you missed it, Tom is my Director Sportif on EF Education First and raced as a pro […]
Tom Southam – All questions answered: Directeur Sportif
The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton Ever wondered.. What does a day in the life as a Directeur Sportif (DS) of a cycling team looks like? What is it really like in the team car during a race? And what’s it like transitioning from rider to Directeur? Well, this week on the pod […]
Talking Luft! with Matt (Whitey) White. Ep 6.
It’s episode 6 of my mini series, Talking Luft, where I chat with my guests about cycling style, culture, training and things outside of racing. Today, following on from my special Giro d’Italia episode over on The Cycling Podcast last week, I’m chatting with Matt White or Whitey – ex pro and current Sports Director […]
Orica GreenEDGE – Our Giro d’Italia TTT Win 2014
The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton It’s the month of May, and it’s hard not to think about being in Italy at this time of year, and especially at one of the hardest yet one of the best races on the calendar, the Giro d’Italia. Any pro you speak to will tell you […]
Talking Luft! with Cam Meyer. Ep 5.
I had him over on The Cycling Podcast last week, talking his career ups and downs and some epic tales from some epic wins. Be sure not to miss that one! This week I’ve got Cam on for something a bit more laid back, Talking Luft. We talk style, his favourite training routes and sessions, […]
Cameron Meyer – The Master Tactician
The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton He’s multiple time World Champion on the Track and has made his mark on the pro racing scene in his 12 years of also racing on the road. Cameron Meyer is a silent assassin in the Velodrome, a master tactician and someone I’ve always looked up to […]
Talking Luft! with Adam Hansen. Ep 4.
I’ve delved into the depths of some pretty interesting topics like nutrition and motion analysis with Adam, and it’s certain he sure knows his stuff, so it was great to have more of a casual chat and hear about Adam himself both off and on the bike. How does he wear his cycling cap? What’s […]
Adam Hansen – Composites, Nutrition and Genius Hacks
He’s one of the most interesting guys in the peloton and it’s become something of a tradition to have him on the pod every year. It’s our 3rd episode together so this time I decided to ask Adam 3 simple questions: What’s something he’s currently excited about? What’s something he’s no longer doing? What’s a […]
Talking Luft! with Ella Harris. Ep. 3
It’s episode 3 of Talking Luft, my series of mini episodes where I find out more about my guests on my regular show, The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton. This was a fun chat with New Zealander Ella Harris, who I had on the pod last week talking Zwift academy and going pro. […]
Ella Harris – From Virtual World to World Tour
While Zwift and indoor training are the buzzwords at the moment, I thought it was fitting to talk to a rider who knows Zwift a whole lot better than I do and had a really interesting way of becoming Pro. Ella Harris is a pro rider from New Zealand that came through the Zwift academy […]
Talking Luft! Ep. 2 with Kevin Poulton
It’s episode 2 of Talking Luft, my new series of short eps where I get to know a little more about my guests on the pod, talking cycling culture, style and the individual. This week I chat with my coach Kev Poulton and have a bit of fun hearing a coach’s perspective on motor pacing out […]
Kevin Poulton – Training in the Modern Day
Kevin Poulton is a coach who’s trained many in the professional peloton, including the likes of Caleb Ewan, Marcel Kittel and who also coached Mathew Hayman to his famous win at Roubaix in 2016. If you aren’t familiar with the story, Mat spent 6 weeks solely on the home trainer with a broken bone in […]
Talking Luft! with Luke Durbridge. Ep 1
Welcome to a cheeky new series of Life in the Peloton, called Talking Luft. A bit of fun and a bit laidback, we’re talking style, we’re talking cycling culture, we’re talking the individual, and a bit of Life outside the Peloton, if you will. He was my first ever guest on the podcast and he’s […]
Luke Durbridge – Talking Classics 2020
Photo credit: Kramon. The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton. Luke Durbridge is back on the pod for our yearly chat about our favourite time of the year, the brutally beautiful cobbled classics. You don’t have to ask either of us twice to sit down and chat about this period, but seeing as I’m […]
Matt Keenan – A different path to the Tour de France
While I was back in Aus over the summer, I got to sit down with many familiar faces of the peloton, including those who spend more time behind the scenes of the bike race. This week you’ll hear my chat with a man whose voice will be familiar to many cycling fans throughout the world, […]
Mini Episode – February
New do, who this? While my latest episode with Andre Greipel is now live on The Cycling Podcast, here’s a mini episode to keep you up to date on everything Life in the Peloton. A quick recap of the Aussie summer, including the BIG SHAVE, and a chat with Lionel Birnie about my race year […]
André Greipel – The Flag Bearer
With the cycling world coming to Australia in January it meant I was able to catch up with a few mates in the peloton who were escaping European winter. One of those was the legend and all round great guy, Andre Greipel. He had mentioned to me a while ago that he was a listener […]
Jimmy Whelan – Learning the ropes
Welcome to the first episode of the 2020 season and our first episode in collaboration with The Cycling Podcast family. We’re happy to be on board with The Cycling Podcast to bring you the same great poddie, with a few tweaks to make it truly music to your ears. In this episode, I catch up […]
The Announcement
The new season is here, and that not only means some big races ahead, but also a whole new calendar of podcasts! We have had a big off season here at Life in the Peloton in the podcast world, and we are excited to be announcing for the 2020 season we will be collaborating with […]
Our 2nd Merch drop is here!
Our new embroidered styles have arrived, just in time for Christmas! We´ve added your new Winter and Summer staples.. Beanies, caps, embroidered tees, logo tees and much more..! Get yours today on our Etsy store 👇🏻
Nathan Haas – Closing out the Season
It´s our last episode of the season and I jump behind the mic with Nathan Haas, a fellow Aussie in the peloton who was there with me representing Aus at the Yorkshire worlds. I thought as we’re coming to the end of the racing season it would be great to look back at the epic […]
Christian Meier – More than Racing Bikes
If you’ve travelled to Girona, and you’re into coffee, you’re sure to have visited La Fabrica or Espresso Mafia – two of the few places you can get a decent brew in town. And if you’ve visited either of those, and you’re into cycling, you’re bound to have checked out The Service Course – ‘The […]
La Vuelta Part 3 – Logan Owen – Freshman on Tour
Episode numero tres and the final instalment of my La Vuelta mini series with our grand tour freshman Logan Owen. It´s a nice feeling to be here at the 2nd rest day, I can tell you. Logan has had an especially tough week this week, with crashes and illness, but has pushed through and is […]
La Vuelta Part 2 – Logan Owen – Freshman on Tour
So we have arrived at the 1st rest day, and it was very much needed for all. Our freshman was ready for a day off too. The 9 stages of racing for Logan proved to be a real grand tour beginning. Very fast, tough racing but also some major up and down moments within our […]
Logan Owen – Freshman on Tour – La Vuelta Part 1
Episode numero uno of my 3 part Vuelta mini series with Logan Owen. Logan is an American in his 2nd year of racing professionally with my team, EF Education First, having made the jump across from cyclocross. As we discuss in this first of three episodes, his first year on the road was a lot […]
Michael Freiberg – The Performance Mythbuster
He’s a track World Champ, Comm Games Champ, Aus Road Champ, and an inventor in between that all – Michael Freiberg has sure had a diverse career. What I’ve come to find getting to know Michael is that his way of thinking is not like most. He’s inquisitive and curious and not afraid of testing […]
Svein Tuft – Sveino´s Journey
Hiking up and talking in the high country in Andorra with the legend himself, Svein Tuft. I am always walking around and riding with Svein and listening to his stories of his journey so far, which you can call his life. He’s a Canadian that has had an extraordinary life, lots of adventuring, travelling and […]
MERCH IS HERE!
Get your official Life in the Peloton merch now on our Etsy Store! From your classic coffee drinking apparatus to your everyday tee to a canvas tote for the market – we´ll keep you Talking Luft!
Tour de France Preview with Luke Durbridge
Photo: Kramon He’s given the roads of France a good workout over the years and is off to line up for his 6th Tour de France. I sat down with Luke to chat about the lead up and what it’s like out there in the month of July. We cover who the favourites are, the […]
JJ – Life as a Pro Mechanic
Life on the road with a pro team sounds like all fun and games to the untrained ear. But in all reality it is gritty hard work, especially dealing with prima-donna cyclists as well. But Jac Johann, aka JJ, doesn’t see it like that. He really does see it as the dream job, something he […]
ALL FOR LOVE with ELLY WOODS
It was great to sit down with Elly Woods, Mike Woods’s wife last week and discuss what life is like after packing up and shifting over to live and support Mike with his dream job, pro cycling in Europe. Personally, the support from my wife, Lydia, has been something that has allowed me to pursue […]
Robert Gesink – The Comeback King + A mid Giro review
I was planning to sit down with Robert Gesink on the eve of the Giro to discuss his role going there to support his team mate, the big favourite, Primož Roglič . But unfortunately for Robert he had a nasty fall in Liege Bastogne Liege, where he suffered a broken collarbone and pelvis. This again has […]
Tao Geoghegan Hart – On the eve of the Giro
With the Giro d’Italia upon us, I thought who better to talk to than the in-form Londoner, Tao Geoghegan Hart. Fresh from 2 stage wins last week at Tour of the Alps in Italy, he is arriving at the Giro for the second Grand Tour of his young career. It was fun discussing and dissecting […]
Coaching 101 with Ben Day and Luke Durbridge
This time I chat with Ben Day. Ben who was a professional cyclist himself, in the final years of his racing career he began to touch on the coaching side of things. Once he hung the bike up he went full time into training cyclists in a private capacity. And now in the last few […]
Taylor Phinney
Taylor has a very colourful career up until now. Born from sporting genes, both his parents being Olympic medalists, he was destined to be a sporting star. But sometimes we need a pause in life, time to reflect on where we are going, who we are, and then who we want to become. Most often […]
Uncle Rory’s Story
Rory has had a long career. And as I found out when talking to Daryl Impey, a long career is not without it’s hiccups. “Hiccups” is putting it lightly, because before Rory could really sink his teeth into his profession career with Rabobank back in 2005, he received the piece of mail anyone would fear. […]
Talking Cobbled Classics with Luke Durbridge
I sat down with Luke Durbridge to review the opening weekend of racing up in Belgium; talking who was flying and who wasn’t. We chat about this next phase leading into the spring cobbled classics and then answer some listener questions about racing and all things behind the scenes of our time up in Belgium. […]
Daryl Impey – The Show Must Go On
It has been a cliche career of ups and downs for Daryl. From major crashes, to yellow jerseys, to false allegations, to stepping up from Domestique to leader. What we realised is that to be a professional of more than 10 years the journey is never going to be smooth sailing. That’s what makes a successful pro, someone who can fight back and become stronger. And this is the case with Daryl, where the lows are very low, he has been able to reach some amazing highs on the other side. Have a listen to his story.
Talking Nutrition with Adam Hansen
He’s back on the Podcast. We had fun chatting last time, and after rolling along in the bunch together all these years discussing nutrition among many other things, I thought it was time to record and share his ideas. Not only do we discuss the diets around racing and training but we get into nutrition for performance vs nutrition for life.
Lachlan Morton – A Refreshed view of life on two wheels
Lachlan Morton started out like every prodigy sporting star. Young, was a gun and never lacked motivation to say the least. He was following in his older also talented brother, Angus’s footsteps. But once Gus decided to call it quits with cycling Lachy was left to his own device. Make his own mistakes and ultimately finding out if he really did love the world of cycling. He stepped away from the top end to find his literal own road, which now has enabled him to return to the WorldTour racing, riding and living the life in the peloton his way.
Mike Woods – Into the Woods
Mike Woods and I are on the train home from 4 weeks on the road at the Vuelta España. We run through some questions that you sent in, and we hear about Mike’s epic first Grand Tour stage win.
Lawson Craddock – My Tour De France
Lawson Craddock was preparing and hoping that first of all he would get selected for this years Tour De France, and then secondly if he did get selected that he would be fit enough to do his job in the team and then ultimately arrive to Paris. But that all changed after the stage 1 when he crashed and fractured the spine of his scapula. From then on the Tour was turned on it’s head for him as he literally battled through every kilometre of each stage right to the finish in Paris. I watched him battle through on TV and now it was great to hear from him about his 2018 Tour De France.
The Ever Important Soigneur – With John Murray
Moving away from the riders in the peloton for a minute and looking at some of the staff we work with as professional cyclist. One of the pinnacle members to any cycling team is the Soigneur. Who can also be described as the helper, or masseur, or driver, or physio, or just what ever gets thrown at them and needs to get done. They are the often the glue that fixes any problem that may arise, or the ear to listen to any problem. I thought it would be interesting to listen to team swanny Englishman John Murray, who is a 25 year veteran at the job, about his take on being a soigneur and to hear about the ins and outs that goes into babying a pro cyclist.
100% Clarkey
We have known each other for our entire cycling careers. And in many ways have grown up together in the cycling world. Something I have always noticed and admired about Simon Clarke is that he is the ultimate professional. In everything Simon does, he does it at 100%, leaving no stone unturned. There is a […]
MY GIRO MY TEAM – EP#6 – SACHA MODOLO
Our sprinter and our local guide . The Italian Stallion, Sacha Modolo. And my last recording on the race. He was ever so close this Giro to taking a stage win, being a 2 times Giro stage winner he knows how to be first across the line in his home race. It’s interesting to hear a Italian’s take on this years race.
MY GIRO MY TEAM – EP#5 – TVA
My room mate, my team mate, my group etto companion. The Belgian Tom Van Asbroeck. Things are getting tired here as we get ready for the final day in Rome today. Tom is a great rider, very handy sprinter himself, but has shown here how versatile he can be as a lead out man as well. It’s great to hear his battle stories of this final week of this years Giro and to learn a little bit about his past.
MY GIRO MY TEAM – EP#4 NATE BROWN
As the tour drags on, we are on to our next teammate. Introducing DownTown Nate Brown. The kind assassin. A power house teammate, and a brilliant guy to boot. Nate give us a inside to where we are at in the Giro at the final rest day as well as his story to where he is today as a cyclist.
MY GIRO MY TEAM – Episode#3 – Joe Dombrowski
Next up is Joe Dombrowski. A big character on our squad. A Baby Giro winner and now on his third Giro, so he know’s his way around the Italian roads. Joe quickly made his mark on the road cycling scene after switching form mountain biking and never looked back. He had a rough start to his professional career, but now tells us how he has clawed his way back on track.
MY GIRO, MY TEAM – Ep #2 – HUGH CARTHY
We found a moment on the second rest day here at the Giro d’Italia to sit down and have a yarn with English climber and breakaway specialist Hugh Carthy. Hugh in his 4th year as a pro and is starting to find his feet at riding Grand Tours, especially here in his 2nd Giro. We chat about his day up front in a long breakaway and about is less traveled road across to the European professional cycling circuit.
My Giro, My Team – Ep#1 – Woodsy
I am on the road for the 1st Grand Tour of the year the Giro d’Italia, and in our team, EF Education First – Drapac Powered By Cannondale, we have a lot of different dynamics of charters. We will be spending a lot of time together out on the road as well as back in the hotels. Apart from talking about what is going on in the race I thought it would be a great chance to find out about everyone on my team in this Giro.
First up is Mike Woods. A Canadian who came late into the cycling game after being forced via injury to hang the running shoes up as a worlds class middle distance runner. He has a fresh view on life in the peloton both in the way that he races and in his over mind set. There is a lot to talk to Woodsy about, and today we only just scratch the surface. We talk a little bit about his story and a little bit about the Giro. Enjoy.
Kiel Reijnen – Fathers of the Peloton
12 months ago I became a Father. As did Kiel Reijnen 6 months earlier. And little did we know about being a father in general, let alone being a father while trying to race our bikes. After chatting to Kiel in the peloton I found out that I wasn’t alone with these feelings, and that we were among many others who were all in the same boat. It’s a juggle, but one that we enjoy immensely. It has brought fantastic prospective to the sport but also to our lives. This is something that Kiel and I chat about and relate to each others new challenges of being a Father of the Peloton.
Adam (MacGyver) Hansen
Can you fathom racing 21 days in a row? It would get pretty tough, physically and of course mentally. Well in the bike racing world, that is called a Grand Tour. And there are 3 that run through the cycling calendar year. The first being the Giro d’Italia, followed by the Tour de France and […]
Phil Liggett – The Voice Of Cycling
He almost doesn’t need a intro, Phil Liggett is the voice of cycling. When I hear his voice it just takes me back to when I first fell in love with the sport watching the 6.30pm SBS highlights of the Tour De France, the Jan Ullrich Lance Armstrong battles. It was a real pleasure to be able to sit down with Phil and talk to him about his time behind the mic commentating over 44 Tour De Frances.
‘You Can Ask That’ with Kirk Docker, Featuring Michael Hepburn
Long time coming but the pod is back. And back to cycling basics it is. Why live in Europe? How does the team structure work? Can you eat whatever you want because you ride everyday? Plus coffee rides, style checks, luft, nature stops and doping. Just some of the topics we cover as my brother, Kirk, gets behind the mic, asking Michael Hepburn and myself all those simple but niggling questions any non-cyclist might wonder about life as a professional cyclist.
Kirk is a TV producer in Australia, who has produced shows like You Can’t Ask That and Demolition Man, and was previously also on screen on the show The Hungry Beast.
Michael Hepburn has been my team mate on Orica-Scott for the last 6 years, where it has been a pleasure to grow with him in the early part of his potentially long career. Both Heppy and I spend a lot of time together in both Girona, Andorra and racing on the road, so it was interesting to be able to answer a few questions from someone who is outside the cycling bubble.
A Reflection with David Millar
David Millar’s career spanned over 2 decades, where a lot happened in cycling. A lot changed. David was a big part of the changes, where firstly his career was turned upside down after admitting to using EPO, a banned performance enhancing drug, in 2004. Then after serving a 2 year ban from the sport he came back to racing but this time as a advocate anti-doping campaigner. Aside from his dark history in the sport, David has a fantastic insight to what life in the peloton used to be like and to what it is like today.
Question & Answer with Luke Durbridge and Mitch Docker
Luke and I found a bit of time this week between the big Classic races, Ronde Van Vlaanderen and Paris Roubaix, to answer all your inquisitive questions. Sit back and enjoy, cause we did recording and answering them!
Gracie Elvin – Life as a Female Pro
While obviously being tied up in the male professional peloton, I realised I don’t really have any idea about what life is like within the female peloton. Gracie Elvin is at the top of the female racing scene, especially when it comes to the tough style of racing in Belgium. She has already been twice Australian champion and is able to give a really good insight to her life on the road as a female Pro.
Marcel Kittel – I’m a Sprinter now
Marcel Kittel is a house hold name when it comes to the big bunch sprints today. He has won stages in all 3 Grand Tours, La Vuelta Espana, Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France. But it is not so well known that when he first singed as a professional with Skil-Shimano in 2011, he was signed primarily as a time-trialist who might be able to pull a good lead out for the sprinters. Things soon changed. He and I were teammates 2011 and it was nice to be there at the beginning of his stella career, and to now get the chance to discuss what has happened since those early days.
The Psych – Craig Appaneal
We all worry about the physical training that needs to take place in order for us to perform on a given race day. But I think not enough attention is payed to the mental training that should take place to have us ready psychologically to tackle the big race days. It can literally be the difference between the winners and the losers, having that right mind set. I was lucky enough to have the time to meet Craig Appaneal in my offseason this year and we discussed some situations that I have encountered through out my career, where things went well and where things didn’t go so well. We then try and decipher what was happening in my head on those given days. Craig has a background in organisational psychology which not only looks at a individual, but also how a individual acts and works within a team and then how that team works in a organisation. I think he is a person we can all benefit from in not only the performance side of cycling but in all aspects of our lives.
Simon Gerrans – Making of a Champion
We are back for 2017, and what a way to start with Simon Gerrans. We all know him as an assassin on the bike, a winning machine, where it sometimes feels like he is winning more races than he is losing. But what I wanted to find out, was when did that switch get turned on for him, from being a rider who can win, to a rider who is expected to win. I get inside that cool calm collected mind of his that when inside the final few hundred meters of a race can make unbelievable race winning decisions.
To finish off, hang in there after the music at the end for the first live feed segment podcast I have done, not very successfully but it’s a bit of fun anyway.
Graham Watson – Cycling from Behind the Lens
After always seeing him wiz by on the back of a moto bike snapping away during a race, I had the opportunity to pin Graham Watson down here at the last race of the season. It may come as a surprise but most often than not we do not stay in the same hotels throughout the year, so when we were I took the opportunity to have a chat. And just as expected through out his colourful 37 years of taking photo’s of the sport of cycling he has some fantastic insights to all the eras he’s been though during his time in the Peloton. Its great to hear things about the world of cycling from someone who is right there with us on the road, yet shares a different view.
Nick Schultz – Making the jump
Nick Schultz is a young Australian making his way into the European Pro ranks. He has taken a road not so often traveled anymore by Australians into the Euro cycling world. He jumped in the deep end, and immersed himself in the French scene. He has slowly but surely worked his way through the cycling ranks and created an all important european life for himself along the way.
It’s this jump from living at home in Australia with Mum and Dad as a 18 year old, to taking a leap to a whole new culture and lifestyle, living on your own and facing all challenges that come along the way that can sometimes get over looked from everyone from afar. It’s nice to hear that you can do it if you really want too.
Mat Hayman – Part#2 The Day After Roubaix
So this is the big one! I am speaking with 2016 Paris Roubaix winner Matt Hayman. I caught up with him 1 month after that momentous day, on training camp up in the high mountains in Andorra. A very un-roubaix environment but the memory was still very fresh and vibrant. I get quite excited this week as I hear the story the first time myself, so will have to excuse some of the colourful language. I hope you enjoy it, I certainly did!
Mat Hayman – Paris Roubaix Part#1 The Night Before
Paris Roubaix is a cobbled stone classic one day race, it is one of the 5 memorials races in the year. It is a spectacle, it is a tough mans race. It is the best race of the year. It is my favourite race.
Matt Hayman has ridden Paris Roubaix 15 times in his career, he is a specialist to say the least. This is his favourite race too. 2016 Roubaix was a special day for Matt, I was able to get his thoughts the night before, the night before he knew what the 2016 addition was going to be.
Mature View of Alex Edmondson
While I was back on training camp in South Africa I had the chance to sit down with Alex Edmondson for a what I thought was going to be a chat about the training involved for the Teams Pursuit in the lead up to the Rio Olympics. What I got a was a lot more interesting. Alex’s is story is not the normal progression in which a cyclist tends to have. Although Alex is only 22, when he tells his story you would assume he is a seasoned professional.
You’ll have to excuse the volume in the episode, as its lower than I would have liked.
Sam Bewley & The Prologue
Fresh after the race, back in the hotel somewhere in the cold northern part of France in the proximity of Paris. I thought it would be great to capture the thoughts just after completing the Paris Nice Prologue, from my New Zealander team mate Sam Bewley. He explains just what a Prologue is, all the intricacies that go into them, how he goes about approaching one as a specialist and just what makes a good prologue to kick start your tour.
Christopher Juul-Jensen – Changing Countries Changing Teams
This time I have some fun talking with my new team mate Chris Juul-Jensen. And he is not all the apricot Danish he is made out to be. He turned professional with Saxo-Tinkoff in 2012, and has now made the move across to Orica-Greenedge for 2016. We talk changing teams, changing countries and about the worlds best cappuccino, among many other things. Sit back and enjoy.
Scott McGrory’s Gold Medal Story
Had the pleasure to speak with my first idol, my old sports director and now friend, Olympic Gold Medalist Scott Mcgrory. I was lucky enough to be there the night Scott and Brett won the Gold Medal in the Madison at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. This was before I really even knew what cycling was, let alone track cycling. From this night on I wanted to be a cyclist, and so the rest is history. But the story behind the gold medal has never been told to me, and I thought it would be interesting to find out what was behind my inspiration that started me in the sport of cycling.
Talking Classics with Luke Rowe
Speaking with the Welshman Luke Rowe. He has been riding on team Sky for the last 4 years and has developed himself into Belgium cobble stone spring Classics Specialist. Luke stepped up last year finishing 8th in Paris Roubaix and we take a moment while here racing the Jayco Herald SunTour to discuss what it is to be a real classic hard man. And explain just what exactly a Belgium one day Classics race is.