The Cycling Podcast

The Classics season has truly commenced, with Opening Weekend out of the way and regular trio Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch back to analyse the key takeaways from two intense days of racing on the cobbles and hellingen of Flanders. On Saturday, Mathieu van der Poel’s latest masterclass suggested it could be a long spring for some of his rivals. MVDP’s eternal antagonist, Wout Van Aert, was absent from Visma-Lease a Bike’s line-up through illness, but that team could at least console themselves with Matthew Brennan’s superb victory in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne on Sunday. We review both races and what they said about the coming weeks, with help from the ultimate authority on springtime racing in Belgium, Hugo Coorevits. It was also a busy weekend in France, and a delirious one for patriotic French fans. Paul Seixas’s dominant performance at the Faun Ardèche Classic on Saturday prompted former rider turned pundit Jérôme Pineau to hail Seixas as “already the third best rider in the world”. We evaluate

It’s another packed week of early-season racing, as we look back on the key action from the UAE, Andalusia and the Algarve last week – and ahead to Belgium’s Opening Weekend.Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch focus first on the Volta ao Algarve, where Paul Seixas cranked up the hype around his short and long-term future with a stunning stage win and top-three overall finish. The winner of that race overall was Juan Ayuso, now of Lidl-Trek and formerly UAE. The rider who some might argue made Ayuso expendable at UAE, Isaac del Toro, ruled the roost at the UAE Tour. Our Omloop Nieuwsblad preview is also an opportunity to find out whether there’s any truth to rumours about perhaps the biggest star of the recent Winter Olympics joining Uno-X. Team manager Thor Hushovd sets us straight on that, plus we visit our own Belgian Classics oracle in Coorevits Corner. EPISODE SPONSORSIndeedIf you are looking to hire someone for your company, maybe the best way isn’t to search for a candidate but to match with Ind

It’s been another frantic week in the world of pro cycling, with early season races in several parts of southern Europe and the Middle East. Tudor Pro Cycling’s Larry Warbasse, who began his season at the Tour of Oman, is back in the co-host’s seat with Daniel Friebe to review some of the key action and talking points. The most prestigious of the races starting this week, at least according to the UCI’s ranking system, is the UAE Tour. Many expected a revealing first head-to-head battle between Remco Evenepoel and Isaac Del Toro, and indeed they emerged from the first three stages with a win apiece. Only one of the pair, though, will have been satisfied with his GC position with the final showdown at Jebel Hafeet to come – and that was Del Toro. Larry and Daniel discuss Evenepoel’s struggles at the other Jebel, Mobrah, and ponder what they say about the rest of his season. We also talk about some other prodigious talents that have been in spotlight early this year, wayward leadouts and Pinarello Q36.5’s rece

The Cycling Podcast returns with another debrief from the latest round of early-season racing, this week focusing on the Volta Comunitat Valenciana and the Tour of Oman.Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch discuss Remco Evenepoel’s most recent tour de force in Spain and Astana’s similarly fast start to the season, with Christian Scaroni winning in the Middle East. Scaroni also lays claim to one of the best nicknames in the pro peloton (clue in the episode title), but we learn that a new contender for that title may have emerged in Oman. It was a busy week on other fronts, with Jonas Vingegaard’s coach leaving Visma-Lease a Bike, Marc Soler dragged into a minor family drama in Spain, and news of a new Lance Armstrong biopic. All that and more in another feisty episode!  EPISODE SPONSORSIndeedIf you are looking to hire someone for your company, maybe the best way isn’t to search for a candidate but to match with Indeed. Go to indeed.com/cycle now to get a £100 sponsored job credit and get matched with th

...SURPRISE! Gotcha. Yes the mini feature in this month's episode of The Cycling Podcast Féminin is all about two surprising wins from last season. We'll be hearing from reigning world champion Magdaleine Vallieres about her huge shock win last September and from podcast favourite Lotte Claes about the Omloop Het Niewsblad victory which upset all the big hitters last February.Rose Manley, Denny Gray and Rebecca Charlton will also be covering the less surprising UAE Tour where Elisa Longo Borghini took the overall title for the third time and Lorena Wiebes claimed all three sprint stages. The less than thrilling racing does however give the team the chance to look more closely at superstar Wiebes. An athlete who makes a credible bid for the title of best sprinter that has ever been but is still so often overlooked by both media and fans.You can hear more from world champion Magdaleine Vallieres in our forthcoming Friends Special, an exclusive for Friends of The Podcast subscribers. Hear about the 1,000km bike

With the racing hotting up all over the pro cycling world, we return with the same Friebe-Birnie-Hatch trio as last week to review the latest action and talking points. The biggest news story of the week was ASO’s decision to hand Spanish outfit Caja Rural a Tour de France wild card at the expense of the Unibet Rose Rockets. We discuss to what extent Caja’s place on the startline in Barcelona is justified and the case for the opposition i.e. the Rockets.One man who’ll certainly be heading to the Tour, barring accident, is Remco Evenepoel. His three wins in his first three outings for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe in Mallora augur well for the rest of season. Daniel’s question is: could Remco even be the man to ruin Tadej Pogačar’s Sanremo dream?Another candidate for that role, of course, is Mathieu van der Poel. He won his eighth world cyclocross title at the weekend, which has us wondering about the Winter Olympics extending his career in the discipline.EPISODE SPONSORSIndeedIf you are looking to hire someone for

With the first WorldTour race of the season, The Tour Down Under, already done and dusted, we review the action in Australia plus other early-season racing and talking points from the week in professional cycling. Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie are joined by Rob Hatch, who was on the ground to see Jay Vine take his second TDU overall victory. After his masterclass with Vine on the Corkscrew climb early in the week, Jhonatan Narváez’s crash threatened to derail UAE’s race. Happily for them, Vine couldn’t be shaken – not even by bushfires or a kangaroo running amok in the peloton. The other hot topic of the week was Jonas Vingegaard’s crash on a training ride near Málaga, amid suggestions that he was trying to shake off an amateur who wanted to tag along. We ask whether cycling fans have a “stalking” problem – or whether it’s the riders who need to change their attitude. EPISODE SPONSORSIndeedIf you are looking to hire someone for your company, maybe the best way isn’t to search for a candidate but to match w

WorldTour racing is back with the Tour Down Under underway in Australia. The Cycling Podcast returns to recap the action from the first three stages and the latest news from the pro peloton.Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie, and our very own in-house professional cyclist Larry Warbasse discuss UAE Team Emirates’ rip-roaring start to the year, as well as the predictions we didn't get from Larry last week. There is a detailed meditation on Larry’s 14-year search for the perfect training formula—and the peloton’s broader search for equilibrium in a sport that is increasingly data-obsessed, sometimes at the expense of mental and physical wellbeing.Derek Gee-West certainly experienced his share of emotional turmoil while attempting to change teams last autumn. We hear from Lidl-Trek’s newest recruit on that saga and how close he thinks he can get to the likes of Pogačar and Vingegaard.Artwork photograph: UAE Team Emirates XRG / ph. SPRINTEPISODE SPONSORSIndeedIf you are looking to hire someone for your company, maybe

Gather around The Cycling Podcast Féminin crystal ball and try (and mostly likely fail) to take a look into the future of the 2026 road season. Yes it is that time of the year when we bring out our ‘bold’ predictions for the racing ahead. This time the team are taking safety in numbers as Rose Manley is joined by a bumper number of co-hosts in Denny Gray, Rebecca Charlton and Jo Rowsell.Who will be tipped for success in the Classics? Which rider might be headed for a Giro-Tour double? Who is looking likely for a big bounceback? Before the team inevitably squabble over what is to come, they’ll first be taking a look at how they fared with their predictions last year. But enough conjecture, the team will also be taking a close look at the first Women’s World Tour race of the season, the Tour Down Under. There’s plenty to talk about after Team UAE-ADQ squandered a three-versus-one advantage over Noemi Ruegg to grant the Swiss rider her second consecutive title at the race. Plus we discuss the recently announced

The first regular episode of the year is traditionally our excuse to indulge in some rare speculation ahead of the coming season – and Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie are back to uphold the time-honoured ritual here. In addition to our hosts’ often leftfield prognostications, we hear what our international carousel of regular contributors is expecting from the next few months. Which one of our regular guests, for example, reckons that Primož Roglič won’t win a single race in 2026? Who reckons that Jonas Vingegaard will complete the Grand Tour Grand Slam before Tadej Pogačar? And what on earth is a Noni fruit – and what ‘juice’, exactly, does Daniel have on their miraculous ability to boost performance? All of this and more will be revealed! Episode art created with Nano Banana Pro. EPISODE SPONSORSBabbelLearn a language the fun, easy way with intuitive 15-minute lessons you can do when you want. Choose from 14 languages including Spanish, French, Italian and German. Listeners can get up to 60% off for a limi

This episode is KM0 is free for everyone to listen to thanks to the support and generosity of our Friends of the Podcast subscribers. You can get an annual subscription at thecyclingpodcast.com which will give you access to an archive of more than 330 special episodes released since 2015. The final stage of the 2025 Lloyds Tour of Britain marked the end of an era for British cycling. It was the final road race of Geraint Thomas's long career, taking the Welshman on roads he has ridden since he discovered cycling as a child. The stage began at the velodrome in Newport that has been named after him and finished in his home city of Cardiff. On the run-in to the line, the peloton passed the outdoor velodrome at Maindy where Geraint's journey began. From riding laps of the track as a youngster he went on to win world and Olympic titles and the 2018 Tour de France. At the start of the year, Lionel Birnie took a trip to Cardiff to meet the people who founded and built the Maindy Flyers, a club created specifical

In this episode of The Cycling Podcast, we continue to round up the biggest stories from the ‘Costa crawl’ of pre-season training camps, with our spotlight this week falling on Lidl-Trek and their new star signing Juan Ayuso.  Before Dani Arribas reports back from Ayuso’s curious ‘welcome’ press conference in Spain, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie give their impressions on the newly unveiled 2026 Vuelta a España route. On paper it may be the hardest Grand Tour in recent memory. But will that make for exciting racing on the road?   The second and third parts of the episode feature exclusive interviews with Ayuso and also one of the men charged with coaxing the best out of him in his new team: Lidl-Trek’s Head of Performance, Josu Larrazabal.  Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes

You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout… would all be worthy advice for our co-hosts on this episode of The Cycling Podcast Féminin. Yes, quizmaster Rose Manley, defending champion Rebecca Charlton and perennial quiz loser Denny Gray are back for another humdinger of a quiz. Join in as they take on such rounds as Blankety Bonk, the Sound Round and the now infamous Cryptic Criterium. No genuine cycling knowledge required but an enjoyment of puns is advisable. Before all the ugly competitiveness sets in, the team look back at some of their top racing moments of 2025. Tantalising rivalries, career-changing breakthroughs and some French flair all make the list. And we hear from a few familiar friends to find out their top picks from the season too. And of course no Christmas is complete without a little homespun festive music and some Cycling Podcast themed gifting. Keep listening right to the end for a very special exclusive treat from Paul Carella, the musician extraordinaire who also h

In this week’s episode of The Cycling Podcast, Daniel Friebe is joined by fellow journalist Dani Arribas for a special bulletin from UAE Team Emirates’ December training camp. Before hearing Tadej Pogačar reveal his 2026 race programme in Benidorm, we find out more about a revamped and renamed team born in Barcelona, NSN Cycling Team. Their manager, Kjell Callström answers Daniel’s questions about their controversial old owner, Sylvan Adams, and his successors.  Pogačar’s great unveiling told us that he will target Paris-Roubaix first and the Tour de France second, in that order of chronology and importance. We hear from the SlovAlien himself, his coaches and one team-mate, Florian Vermeersch, who opens up about the famous leader who fascinates him maybe as much as his superstar team-mate.  Artwork photo: ©️ Fizza/UAE Team Emirates-XRG  Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to lis

In this week’s episode of The Cycling Podcast, Daniel Friebe is joined by fellow journalist Daniel Benson for a look at how RedBull-BORA-hansgrohe are gearing up for the 2026 season. After Remco Evenepoel’s arrival, the German team are under pressure to deliver on their long-standing ambition to join cycling’s ‘superteams’. This week their riders and goals for the new season were presented in Mallorca, with Daniel Benson among the reporters in attendance. He tells us what he heard and what he makes of Ralph Denk’s grand plan to integrate Remco while still keeping his other star names happy.  We also give you the latest on the Oscar Onley-to-Ineos speculation and ponder what Lidl-Trek are likely to reveal about Juan Ayuso’s 2026 schedule at their own media event in Spain.  EPISODE SPONSORS NordVPN Get NordVPN two-year plan + four months extra ➼ https://nordvpn.com/tcp It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast

In this week’s episode of The Cycling Podcast, Daniel Friebe is joined by Brian Nygaard and Michele Pelacci as we run the rule over the men's 2026 Giro d’Italia just presented in Rome.  The ‘Corsa Rosa’ will start from Eastern Europe for the second year in a row. After Albania this year, next May it’ll be Bulgaria’s turn to host Italy’s national tour - at a hefty price. In part three of the episode, we hear from Eurosport’s Bulgarian reporter Simeon Kichukov about what the Giro should expect from Bulgaria and his homeland from the race. We then ‘revisit’ Albania - checking in with their national coach, Mejdin Malhani - to find out what legacy, if any, the Giro has left there.   There’s also discussion about which GC contenders might actually be tempted to throw their hat into the ring. Should Jonas Vingegaard seize this chance to complete a Grand Slam of Grand Tours? One of our hosts this week certainly believes so… EPISODE SPONSORS NordVPN Get NordVPN two-year plan + four months extra ➼ https://nordvpn.

In this week’s episode of The Cycling Podcast, Daniel Friebe and Tudor Pro Cycling stalwart Larry Warbasse discuss some of the more intriguing and controversial news stories of the last few weeks.  With most teams about to gather for their first pre-season training camps, some also face an uncertain future. The long-mooted Lotto-Intermarché merger still hasn’t been confirmed, raising questions about who will even be in the WorldTour in 2026. The UCI’s introduction of a promotion and relegation system was supposed to ensure that such matters were decided primarily on sporting merit. With the latest three-year cycle having just concluded, Daniel and Larry discuss whether the UCI needs to go back to the drawing board.  We also discuss what was formerly Israel Premier Tech’s new identity, Marcel Kittel’s eye-catching recent comments about doping and why exactly the pro peloton has got so much faster since Covid. EPISODE SPONSORS NordVPN Get NordVPN two-year plan + four months extra ➼ https://nordvpn.com/tcp It

Oi you, loser! Or should that be winner? Yes on this month’s episode of The Cycling Podcast Féminin, we discuss our picks for the winners and losers of the season. Our very own losers Rose Manley, Denny Gray and Rebecca Charlton pick out a few notable performances – both for good and bad reasons – from a season that threw up a number of surprises. We ask who faired best and worst from the big transfer shake up which saw many big name riders find new teams and responsibilities. For our mini feature this month we look at the rise of African cycling in light of Team Amani’s announcement that they will become the first ever Africa-based Women’s Continental team. We hear about the challenges facing African riders from visa complications to community stigma and find out about Team Amani’s ambitions to make it to the Tour de France Femmes by 2028. Listen in to hear from team mentor Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio, partnerships director Xylon Van Eyck and Team Amani star rider Xaverine Nirere who lit up the World Championshi

In this week’s episode of The Cycling Podcast, we revisit one of the most intriguing storylines of the late summer and autumn in the first instalment of a new KM0 series - Trapdoor - examining the fight to avoid relegation from the WorldTour.  First up is Astana and their miraculous recovery from a dire position a year ago. Exactly how did the recruitment of a data scientist, new bikes, a bit of ‘Moneyball’ recruitment and a completely fresh approach to race planning revive a team that looked dead and buried twelve months ago? Maybe the key individual in the whole, miraculous process, the team’s Head of Performance, Vasilis Anastopoulos, reveals many if not all of the secrets in this interview with Daniel Friebe.  Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our re

In this week’s episode of The Cycling Podcast, we digress from the usual diet of weekly news and analysis for a check-in with a familiar voice and regular guest over the years, Matt White, who in recent weeks has joined the Movistar’s team staff after over a decade in senior management at Jayco-AlUla. White’s departure from the Australian trade team he had shaped for years was almost as much of a surprise as his professional ‘emigration’ to Spain, although he has lived close to Valencia for many years. In this episode, he explains the specific challenges facing Movistar to Daniel Friebe, while also meditating more broadly on the challenge for ‘mid-table’ teams of staying relevant in the Pogačar era.    EPISODE SPONSORS NordVPN Get NordVPN two-year plan + four months extra ➼ https://nordvpn.com/tcp It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee. Indeed If you are looking to hire someone for your company, maybe the best way isn’t to search for a candidate but to match with Indeed. Go to indeed.com/cycl