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Life in the Peloton

with Mitch Docker

Life in the Peloton

Tag: cycling

JJ – Life as a Mechanic

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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 really just loves doing. He has a refreshing approach to the daily challenges of being a World Tour Mechanic, with no job too big or small. And it was great to sit down with him, one of the team behind our team, who we definitely couldn’t do our best out on the road without. Enjoy!

As I also mention in the podcast, we are super excited to have joined the Wide Angle Podium Network which is an awesome community of cycling podcasts, including The Slow Ride Pod, The Gravel Lot and heaps more. We know ourselves that putting out a podcast regularly takes more work than it seems and so we’re super happy to support the other great cycling shows that we love listening to ourselves. Wide Angle Podium is a place where you can also support the content you love by donating. This goes a long way for us in helping to bring you more quality episodes, insights into Life in the Peloton and let’s not forget the occasional freebie!

Cheers, Mitch

Keep in touch:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Website: www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Check out all the shows on the Wide Angle Podium Network at:

www.wideanglepodium.com

Coaching 101 with Ben Day and Luke Durbridge

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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 years Ben has crossed over and is working in the World Tour as a trainer.
This is why I thought it would be interesting to talk to Ben when doing a podcast about coaching, as he has experienced it from all angles. And as suspected we find out there a lot more than crunching numbers to being a successful coach.
Luke Durbridge joins us again to give a riders prospective on things as we try to break down the technical side of our training out on the road.

Taylor Phinney

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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 than not we don’t take this time unless it is forced upon us. And I believe in many ways some things really happen for a reason. In Taylor’s case in 2014 he had a career and life changing crash. It removed him from the sporting “bubble” and gave him time to reflect. This is the Taylor we know today. Still an athletic talent, but with a much more open perspective

Uncle Rory’s Story

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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. A positive test result. For a substance completely unbeknown to him. Crushing. How do you deal with that as a 23 year old? And if you can, how do you come back from that? This is Rory’s story.

Talking Cobbled Classics with Luke Durbridge

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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. Grab a Belgi beer and get listening!

‘You Can Ask That’ with Kirk Docker, Featuring Michael Hepburn

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Long time coming but the pod is back. And back to 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. 

Mat Hayman – Part#2 The Day After Roubaix

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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

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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.

 Hang in there, part 2 is coming real soon..

Mature View of Alex Edmondson

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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.

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
Alex Edmondson in the 2016 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

PODCAST LINKS:

Theo Boss at Moscow Track

London Olympics Team Pursuit

Alex World Individual Pursuit 2014

Sam Bewley & The Prologue

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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.