Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by Rapha

Have you ever wondered about what goes into the team behind the team, and what sort of support goes into helping professional athletes to get the best out of themselves? I have spoken to plenty of interesting people on the pod over the years that have helped to build the behind-the-scenes picture, mostly in the realm of physical support – osteos, soigneurs, and team directors.

They are all super crucial roles in the sport, but something that is often a bit underrated in cycling and in professional sport, is what goes into trying to train the psychological and not just the physical aspect.

Sometimes, people can write athletes off too early in their careers as being physically past their prime, when they are actually just facing mental demons, or are blocked in some way, and when they can overcome this, they have a lot more to give.

That is why I was keen to catch up with my friend, professional coach, and mentor Scott Barrow, to chat about how he gets behind the lens, find out what makes people tick, and get a glimpse into the psyche of the people he helps – and he helps people from all walks of life to get the best out of themselves and reach their potential.

I was at a crossroads in my own career when I first met Scott. He reached out to me when I was on the verge of leaving GreenEDGE, where I had been performing the role of domestique within the team for quite a few years. I knew that the impending change was going to require a lot from me mentally, to go from being a worker to needing to ride for myself and get results.  

Our paths crossed at just the right time, and by working with Scott, I was able to realign my career, and I went on to have another four years in the pro peloton, with EF Pro Cycling, where I was able to write a whole new chapter in my pro career to finish it off.

We had a great chat, covering topics like how pressure affects performance, how he helped me to realign things in my own career, and how he handles taking on the pressure of others, without becoming burdened.

I hope you enjoy the listen!

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & Subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

(or listen above)



…

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

. . .

This episode is supported by our friends at Athletic Greens.

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.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Merch



New season merch is launching soon for 2023!

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.