The Cycling Podcast

We rejoin the Tour d’Écosse story midway through stage five, just as Lionel and Simon are about to cross back over the River Clyde and head into Glasgow. Has Simon got any cash for the ferry crossing? Will the rain dampen their spirits before they reach Partick? And most importantly what's for dinner in Glasgow? There are three more football grounds to visit, at St Mirren, Rangers and Partick Thistle, plus a visit to the cricket ground that hosted the world’s first football international match 150 years ago. We hear from Simon Inglis, the author and authority on football ground construction, about how the work of Glasgow-born architect and engineer Archibald Leitch shaped the way we watch the sport today. His stadium designs dominated football during its boom period at the beginning of the 20th Century and one of the finest surviving examples of his work is at Ibrox, home of Rangers. Then we catch up with Kenny Pryde, whose byline filled cycling magazines in the late 1980s and 1990s when Lionel was gettin

With the rain hammering on the windows of their Clydeside loft apartment, Lionel and Simon decide to sit tight round the large dining table drinking coffee and eating porridge until the weather improves. There's the Killie Pie taste test, talk of Simon's phobia of big spoons, and then discussion of his previous exploits on two wheels. Simon has ridden from Lands' End to John o' Groats, from Tring to Tromsø and tackled the Transatlantic Way in Ireland so he's much more experienced than Lionel at long-distance, self-supported cycling. Finally, they can delay their departure no longer and the get on the road to Dumbarton via the Forth and Clyde canal. Dumbarton Football Club have a resident poet, Stephen Watt, who tells Lionel about the town and performs a poem he's written specially for The Cycling Podcast. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. Stay in your per

In this episode of The Cycling Podcast we discuss the burning issues of the week and continue to revisit some of the main themes and topics of the 2022 season. Daniel Friebe is joined by Brian Nygaard and veteran Sporza reporter and commentator, Renaat Schotte. Renaat explains why 2022 was a vintage one for Belgian cycling - and also tries, for the second time in recent years, to open Daniel's eyes to allure of cyclocross. We also hear from UAE Team Emirates' latest and most improbable signing of the autumn.  The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. See supersapiens.com Science in Sport For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. NordVPN This episode is supported by NordVPN, a virtual network to keep

The Tour d'Écosse picks up where it left off, in Ayr, or more to the point in a pub in Ayr where Lionel and Simon have just ordered a dessert pizza that would horrify Ciro Scognamiglio and, for that matter, all Italians. Then it's back on the road, past the golf courses that decorate the Ayrshire coast, on the roads that made the Girvan one of the toughest stage races in Britain, and via an extraordinary – if brief – Elvis impression by Simon. We also talk Graeme Obree with Edward Pickering, author of the book The Race Against Time, and get our first glimpse of the Clyde as we arrive at Greenock Morton FC. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. Stay in your performance zone with Supersapiens. Find out more at supersapiens.com Science in Sport Lionel and Simon were fuelled by Science In Sport. Everything you need before, during and after your ride. For 25% off

This is the Robert Burns stage, as Lionel and Simon head from Stranraer to Ayr to the Scottish poet's home town. The town's football team, Ayr United, are nicknamed the Honest Men – a reference to a line in one of Burns's most famous poems, Tam o' Shanter. They're getting into their stride now, tackling the second of three consecutive stages of almost 100 kilometres. It's a day that focuses on the cycling, the glorious Scottish countryside, the nature of friendship, grief and cycling's role in the healing process. There's also fuelling tips and psychological tricks from Lizzy Banks, and a poetry reading from Sir Chris Hoy to round off the episode. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. Stay in your performance zone with Supersapiens. Find out more at supersapiens.com Science in Sport Lionel and Simon were fuelled by Science In Sport. Everything you need before

The clock is ticking today because Lionel and Simon want to make it to Stranraer's Stair Park ground in time for 3pm when the home side kick-off their match against visitors Forfar Athletic. There's almost 100 kilometres to ride through the Dumfries and Galloway countryside offering plenty of time to reflect on the journey ahead and the nature of back-to-back days of riding. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. Stay in your performance zone with Supersapiens. Find out more at supersapiens.com Science in Sport Lionel and Simon were fuelled by Science In Sport. Everything you need before, during and after your ride. For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. Hammerhead The Tour d'Écosse routes wer

This is the Tour d'Écosse take two. Lionel Birnie and Simon Gill return to Gretna, the first town visitors to Scotland reach after crossing the border from north west England, to finally get their ride underway. Starting from Gretna's Raydale Park ground, it's a ride of just over 75 kilometres to Castle Douglas. They tick off the first two football grounds – Annan Athletic's Galabank and Palmerston Park, the home of Queen of the South. Lionel sets out alone because Simon has some last-minute mechanical issues that require professional assistance. On the way, they meet Giancarlo Rinaldi who explains the history of Scotland's Italian immigrants and that the bicycle was invented in Dumfries, and Lionel proves to be quite handy at curling... although Simon insists it's just beginner's luck. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. Stay in your performance zone with

Explore returns with the Tour d'Écosse, a multi-part series telling the story of the beautiful game on two wheels. It was an idea dreamed up by Lionel Birnie and Simon Gill during lockdown, inspired by their childhood passions of cycling and football. The plan was to ride from Gretna to Dingwall visiting all 42 of the Scottish Football League grounds on the way. There are so many questions to answer... Will Lionel and Simon make it to Forfar without falling out? Why are Cowdenbeath called The Blue Brazil? What actually is Irn Bru? And do Lionel's ancestors really hail from Birnie? This episode is a prologue, of sorts. Lionel and Simon headed to Gretna in June 2021 ready to set off on their adventure but, as you'll hear, it turned out to be something of a false start... The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. Stay in your performance zone with Supersapiens. Fin

In this episode of The Cycling Podcast we review the 2023 Tour de France presentation, which took place in Paris on Thursday. Daniel Friebe is joined by the voice of Tour de France race radio, Seb Piquet, and a veteran of 34 Tours, a handful of them with The Cycling Podcast, François Thomazeau. We also analyse the route of the second Tour de France Femmes with Lizzy Banks of EF Education–Tibco–SVB. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. See supersapiens.com Science in Sport For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to more than 60 exclusive episodes. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast

In this episode of The Cycling Podcast we review the 2023 Giro d'Italia route presentation, which took place earlier this week. Daniel Friebe is joined by ace commentator Rob Hatch and BikeExchange-Jayco Head Sports Director Matt White. We also take the opportunity to quiz Matt about his team's goals for next season, recruitment strategy and various other burning issues in the sport.   The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. See supersapiens.com Science in Sport For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. Rouleur Live This episode is supported by Rouleur Live, which will be held at the Truman Brewery in London from November 3-5. Rouleur Live is much more than a bike show. See Tom Boonen, Demi Vollering and a host of stars over the weekend. Our listeners can get 10% off tickets at rouleur.cc with the c

In this episode of Service Course Tom spends time with the scientists, the artisans, the designers, the fabricators and the builders as he visits Bespoked 2022 to see some of the most beautiful hand-built bikes the world has to offer. At the show Tom speaks with the Namibian High Commissioner to Great Britain, Dan “Dan from Nam” Craven, and the man whose love for a specific chainring resulted in him buying and resurrecting the company that made it. Tom also hears from the people behind bike brands including Eastwood, Avalanche, BCB, Cybro and Aravis. Back in the studio Tom and Lizzy take a look at the big tech news in cycling which this month has been dominated by Filippo Ganna’s extraordinary hour record attempt. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. See supersapiens.com Science in Sport For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter

In this episode The Cycling Podcast looks back at the final Monument of the season, il Lombardia, otherwise known as the “Race of the Falling Leaves”. Did Tadej Pogačar manage to emulate last year’s success or was his Tour de France bête noire Jonas Vingegaard able to confirm his status as the peloton’s new climbing virtuoso? Daniel Friebe is joined by 2014 Lombardia winner Dan Martin and former team manager, communications chief & now journalist Brian Nygaard. We also hear, briefly, from Ciro Scognamiglio, who like Daniel was in Grenchen to see Filippo Ganna take aim at Dan Bigham’s recently established World Hour Record.  The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. See supersapiens.com Science in Sport For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. Hammerhead For a limited time, listeners to The Cyclin

Rose Manley, Orla Chennaoui and Lizzy Banks return to give their impressions of this year's thrilling World Championship road race, which saw Annemiek Van Vleuten snatch the rainbow jersey and gold medal in the final moments. Van Vleuten took to the start line with a fractured elbow – sustained only a few days prior to the the race – and looked to be on super domestique duty for the Dutch team. But an opportunistic move when she rejoined the leading group within the last kilometre saw her take her second World Championships road race title. Van Vleuten has ruled the world this season – adding the rainbow jersey to victories in the Giro, Tour and Vuelta, plus Liège-Bastogne-Liège. In this episode, we hear from the newly crowned time trial champion Ellen van Dijk about taking her title, rooming with Van Vleuten and becoming a Netflix heroine. And the winner of the inaugural under 23 title Niamh Fisher-Black talks about an emotional race for her and her fight to even make it to the start line of the race. Th

In this episode The Cycling Podcast looks ahead to the final Monument of the season, il Lombardia, otherwise known as the “Race of the Falling Leaves”. Will Tadej Pogačar repeat last year’s success or could Pog’s 2022 Tour de France nemesis Jonas Vingegaard again outclimb and outmanoeuvre him, this time on the roads of northern Italy? Daniel Friebe is joined by 2014 Lombardia winner Dan Martin and former team manager, communications chief & now journalist Brian Nygaard. We also hear from the teenaged revelation of last week’s CRO Race, Oscar Onley of Scotland and Team DSM. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. See supersapiens.com Science in Sport For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. L

The Cycling Podcast’s coverage of the 2022 UCI World Championships in Wollongong, Australia, continues with an in-depth look back at the Men’s Elite Road Race. We review the key incidents – on and off the bike – and weigh up the challenges now facing the new World Champion. Daniel Friebe is joined by AG2R-Citroën rider Larry Warbasse and former team manager, communications chief & now journalist Brian Nygaard. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. See supersapiens.com Science in Sport For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. Noom If you would like to lose weight in a sustainable way and embed some healthy eating habits go to noom.com/cycle MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection is available now. Go to maap.cc to see the full MAAP range. Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the

The Cycling Podcast’s coverage of the 2022 UCI World Championships in Wollongong, Australia, continues with a look back at the men’s elite time trial and a glance ahead to the men’s elite road race at the weekend. We analyse the surprise new time trial world champ’s performance and also dig deeper into his life story, unearthing some startling biographical trivia. In the second half of the episode, we turn our attention to the men’s road race and ask who is and – equally important this year – who isn’t on the start-line and why. Daniel Friebe is joined this week by AG2R-Citroën rider Larry Warbasse and ace Eurosport commentator Rob Hatch. The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. See supersapiens.com Science in Sport For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. MAAP The Cycling Podcast x MAAP collection

In this month's episode of Service Course Tom Whalley and Lizzy Banks delve in to the world of custom painting. They speak to Tony Baumann at Made Rad by Tony and Tom Hunt from KustomFlow who take us through the process of custom painting bike frames and how to do it yourself. Tom and Lizzy try to find out why the sport of cycling brings out creativity like no other sport and they ask whether there is a line between a bike as a tool and a bike as a piece of art. In this episode, we also hear from Abi Smith of EF-Tibco-SVB about how art is an important part of her life as a professional cyclist. Service Course by The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. See supersapiens.com For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. The Cycling Podcast has a new collaboration with MAAP. The jersey, bibshorts, bidon, casquette an

In a bumper edition of The Cycling Podcast Féminin, Rose Manley, Orla Chennaoui and Lizzy Banks not only preview the upcoming World Championships in Wollongong but also discuss some six weeks' worth of Women's World Tour racing. Topics up for discussion include Marianne Vos' disqualification in Vårgårda, Team DSM's sprint tactics, the value of the "three Grand Tours" and the young upstarts making an impression on the Women's World Tour. Then New South Wales native Amanda Spratt offers her insight into the World Championships which return to Australia for the first time since 2010 as well as talking about her imminent move to Trek-Segafredo and her comeback from years of injury and illness. We look in further depth at the race course and also hear from some of the other teams in contention for the Worlds title, including Elisa Longo Borghini of Italy, Marlen Reusser of Switzerland, Leah Thomas of the USA and Elynor Backstedt of Great Britain. And of course The Cycling Podcast Féminin team offer up their pred

The Cycling Podcast’s coverage of the 2022 Vuelta a España will follow the race from Utrecht in the Netherlands to the capital of Spain, Madrid, with daily episodes after each of the stages. Join Daniel Friebe and friends as they analyse the race, catch up with the riders and capture the spirit of the Vuelta, the third and final grand tour of the pro cycling season. In this episode, Daniel is joined by Larry Warbasse. Daily features include El Ritmo de la Vuelta (The Rhythm of La Vuelta), El Encuentro del Día (The Meeting of the Day), El Resumen a Contrarreloj (The Stage Summary Time Trial) and La Etapa de Mañana, la Cena de Ayer (Tomorrow’s Stage, Yesterday’s Food). The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. See supersapiens.com Science in Sport For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checkout. MAAP Th

The Cycling Podcast’s coverage of the 2022 Vuelta a España will follow the race from Utrecht in the Netherlands to the capital of Spain, Madrid, with daily episodes after each of the stages. Join Daniel Friebe and friends as they analyse the race, catch up with the riders and capture the spirit of the Vuelta, the third and final grand tour of the pro cycling season. In this episode, Daniel is joined by Brian Nygaard and Fran Reyes Daily features include El Ritmo de la Vuelta (The Rhythm of La Vuelta), El Encuentro del Día (The Meeting of the Day), El Resumen a Contrarreloj (The Stage Summary Time Trial) and La Etapa de Mañana, la Cena de Ayer (Tomorrow’s Stage, Yesterday’s Food). The Cycling Podcast is supported by Supersapiens and Science in Sport. Supersapiens Supersapiens is a continuous glucose monitoring system that helps you make the right fuelling choices. See supersapiens.com Science in Sport For 25% off all your SiS products, go to scienceinsport.com and enter the code SISCP25 at the checko