Photo: Theo Clarkes

Rapha presents Life in the Peloton

Well, here we are at the start of a New Year – and this is a big one. It’s the start of my life after professional road racing: it’s a new era for me, and of course for the pod! 

As you might also know by now though, I’m not out of the game just yet… 

In 2022 I’ll still be on the bike, but instead of the World Tour I’ll be tackling a whole new range of events from my new base back here in Australia. 

The pod won’t be slowing down either, we have a fantastic new title sponsor in Rapha who we’ll be collaborating with to keep track of the pro peloton and the wider cycling world.

With a new outlook and a different calendar in front of me I’ve got back on the bike and I’ve been loving it. Without Grand Tours or Classics on my schedule however, I realised that I don’t need to be doing the thirty hour weeks on the bike, and I don’t need to keep obsessing over that extra one percent. 

So what should my riding look like? 

After thirteen years in the peloton, I want to know how not to train like a pro. 

What would make me faster? How long do I need to get fit? What – if any – residual benefits would there be from all the work I’d done over all these years? 

What better way to understand this than to talk to my old coach, Kevin Poulton. Some of you will be familiar with Kev from some previous pods; he has a wealth of experience, he’s full of insight on all aspects of training, and I love chatting to him. 

Kicking off with explaining where I have just come from, Kev and I talked about the heightened intensity of the World Tour, and the changes in training over the past decade. We also put forward our theories as to why the peloton seems to have been going so fast for so much of the time in the last two years. 

Kev also got into detail about what my riding should look like now. He had some great tips and advice that really helped me start to plan for a big year ahead. We have a great cycling scene here in Melbourne and we discuss how to use the bunch rides, the chop offs, and even some KOM hunting to get what you need. 

I’d love to think that there is also something in there for anyone out there listening who wants to know how to get the best benefit from limited time in the saddle. 

So let’s get going with the first pod of the new era: Life in the Peloton – How not to train like a pro.

And stay tuned next week for as we kick off our regular programming of Talking Luft every second week.

Cheers,

Mitch

Show Notes

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Check out episode sponsor Restrap – Yorkshire based makers of top quality, handmade and sustainable bike packing accessories. I used their bags on my bike packing trip riding the length of Sweden and can tell you I was blown away by the quality and functionality, every detail has been thought out. Whichever way you prefer to carry things on your bike, they’ll have a solution.

Use the discount code at checkout: PELOTON10 for 10% off your order. Shop now at restrap.com

. . .

Episode breakdown:

0:00 to 6:10min Introduction to Episode

6:10 to 11:02 Kevin Poulton Intro + Brief Indoor Training Chat

11:02 to 21:34 What is World Tour training currently like?

21:34 to 31:00 What training adaptations might World Tour riders have? & Pro/Trainer relationships.

32:50 to 40:40 How to get the best out of your training week.

40:30 to 43:55 Is cross training worth it?

44:00 to 48:45 Building a training plan

48:50 to end. Post Episode chat

Listen

Listen to this series on at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay or your favourite pod app.

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen to our short spin off series Talking Luft presented by Rapha – much like DVD Extras, every second week.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Merch

LITP x ÇOIS Cycling: Find the last sizes of the Road Worlds Collection at coiscycling.com. Snapbacks have now been restocked. Shop now!

LITP Cycling Caps: Jump over to our online shop to grab one.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

Subscribe 

Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.