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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
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!
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.
Podcast #1 – Luke Durbridge and Season 2016
For the inaugural Podcast, I decided to speak with my team mate and close friend Luke Durbridge. Luke turned professional with the Australian outfit Orica GreenEdge when the team started back in 2012. Now entering his 5th year as a pro, I thought he would be interesting to speak to about how he now approaches his season, what type of rider he is and the make up of riders in a ProTour team…