The Cycling Podcast

Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch return to recap all the latest stories and racing as the stars of the international peloton commence their 2025 campaigns. In Oman, there’s a battle royale between two Frenchmen and an Englishman – and, ultimately, the same final result as in another recent sporting contest. We also discuss an excellent week for Colombian riders, with Egan Bernal and Santiago Buitrago both flying high. Finally, in the last part of the episode, we sink our teeth into the most controversial issue of the week – the exodus of top teams from the Étoile des Bessèges amid fears for riders’ safety but also for the future of small races in the sport’s heartlands. To bring a little perspective on that issue, we hear from Lidl-Trek’s directeur sportif in Bessèges, Steven de Jongh. Sponsored by Sports Tours International The Cycling Podcast is proudly sponsored by Sports Tours International. Whether you want to ride, or watch the best in the world in action, Sports Tours International can take

Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch are back to recap all the latest stories and racing as the season swings into action in Europe. A little further afield, in the Middle East, Tom Pidcock was enjoying a rip-roaring start to life with his new team, Q36.5 – and we assess to what extent the Briton's victory there could set the tone for his season. We also look at the main takeaways from the GP Marseillaise, where teenage sensation Paul Seixas enjoyed a stunning debut for Décathlon-AG2R La Mondiale. And finally, at the other end of France, the world cyclo-cross championships took place in Liévin – and we hail a historic seventh rainbow jersey for Mathieu van der Poel.  Sponsored by Sports Tours International The Cycling Podcast is proudly sponsored by Sports Tours International. Whether you want to ride, or watch the best in the world in action, Sports Tours International can take you to the heart of some of the world’s biggest cycling events. Choose from a VIP experience at the Tour de France or one of

That's a wrap for the Challenge Mallorca. Lionel Birnie heads to Palma for the final race in the series hoping for dry weather and an incident-free race. Then he reconvenes with Rob Hatch in a soggy, Sunday evening Sóller to recap the day. We hear from Michael Valgren of EF Education-Easy Post and Lotto sports director Dirk De Mol about the cancellation of Saturday's race. And Lionel and Rob take a detour to Palma's two famous velodromes – one old, one new. We play out with The Cycling Podcast's original punk, François Thomazeau. He was once a member of a punk band called Special Service and we hear their track Marseille ou Kingston. Thanks for listening, the regular episodes will return this week to review the week's other racing. Sponsored by Sports Tours International The Cycling Podcast is proudly sponsored by Sports Tours International. Whether you want to ride, or watch the best in the world in action, Sports Tours International can take you to the heart of some of the world’s biggest cycling event

The fourth race in the Challenge Mallorca series was cancelled because of crashes on the opening circuit. But that doesn't stop Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch talking Balearics for twenty five minutes or so. We discuss the safety issues and the impact of the cancellation on the race. Then we ask whether the Vuelta a España could return to the island of Mallorca for the first time since 1991*, and ponder whether innovative, alternative race formats might be the answer to the safety issues. *Corrections Corner – the Vuelta also visited Mallorca in 1998 when Fabrizio Guidi won in Palma and Abraham Olano won a time trial in Alcúdia. Sponsored by Sports Tours International The Cycling Podcast is proudly sponsored by Sports Tours International. Whether you want to ride, or watch the best in the world in action, Sports Tours International can take you to the heart of some of the world’s biggest cycling events. Choose from a VIP experience at the Tour de France or one of the major classics, or riding events such as

In this third part of our series from the Challenge Mallorca, Lionel Birnie heads to the Col de Sóller to watch the race, then returns to catch up with Rob Hatch. They discuss the greatest grand tour rider Mallorca has produced and look ahead to the final two events in the series. Sponsored by Sports Tours International The Cycling Podcast is proudly sponsored by Sports Tours International. Whether you want to ride, or watch the best in the world in action, Sports Tours International can take you to the heart of some of the world’s biggest cycling events. Choose from a VIP experience at the Tour de France or one of the major classics, or riding events such as the Etape du Tour or Marmotte, you can travel in style with Sports Tours International. One of the most prestigious sportive events in the world is the Mallorca 312 in late April. You can experience the beauty of the island on closed roads, tackling either the full 312km, or the short 225km or 167km events. Let Sports Tours International take charge

The second race in the Challenge Mallorca series takes Lionel Birnie to the south east of the island and a glorious beach. But what is Ciro Scognamiglio's verdict? We hear from man of the match George Radcliffe, Lionel predicts the winner (because of course he does) and we discuss the impact of tourism on the island. Sponsored by Sports Tours International The Cycling Podcast is proudly sponsored by Sports Tours International. Whether you want to ride, or watch the best in the world in action, Sports Tours International can take you to the heart of some of the world’s biggest cycling events. Choose from a VIP experience at the Tour de France or one of the major classics, or riding events such as the Etape du Tour or Marmotte, you can travel in style with Sports Tours International. One of the most prestigious sportive events in the world is the Mallorca 312 in late April. You can experience the beauty of the island on closed roads, tackling either the full 312km, or the short 225km or 167km events. Let S

Lionel Birnie is in Mallorca for the five-day Challenge Mallorca, a stage race that's not a stage race. In this opening episode of KM0, recorded at the Trofeo Calvià, Lionel and Rob Hatch discuss the history of the race and Lionel sees two very different sides to the island.  The series title – Never Mind The Balearics, This Is The Cycling Podcast – is inspired by the classic 1977 Sex Pistols punk album of a similar name. Now it's over to Lionel and Rob for the Hipster's Tour Down Under... Sponsored by Sports Tours International The Cycling Podcast is proudly sponsored by Sports Tours International. Whether you want to ride, or watch the best in the world in action, Sports Tours International can take you to the heart of some of the world’s biggest cycling events. Choose from a VIP experience at the Tour de France or one of the major classics, or riding events such as the Etape du Tour or Marmotte, you can travel in style with Sports Tours International. One of the most prestigious sportive events in the

Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch return to reflect on the Tour Down Under, where the climb up Willunga Hill once again proved decisive and some familiar faces from previous editions shone. To Daniel’s delight, the trio also look ahead to this weekend's cyclocross world championships in France, where Mathieu van der Poel is aiming for his seventh rainbow jersey. Health-permitting, Thibau Nys will be among MVDP’s challengers – and we hear from the precocious Belgian about his past, present and future.  EPISODE SPONSORS Babbel Learn 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 limited time only at babbel.com/tcp 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 Friends of the Podcas

We’re back! In the first episode of The Cycling Podcast Féminin of 2025, Rose Manley, Denny Gray and Jo Rowsell are looking ahead to what promises to be an enticing road season. We offer up our 'bold predictions' (thanks Denny!) for the coming months, sparking arguments galore as we work out which count as downright ‘fanciful’ and which are seemingly probable. Potential Grand Tour victors, Anna van der Breggen’s return and winning opportunities for some young pretenders are all up for debate. Plus we discuss the first Women’s World Tour race of the season – the Tour Down Under – and reflect on what it might mean for the rest of the year. Noemi Rüegg was the overall winner in Australia, cementing her champion status after a breakthrough season last year. There were also stage wins for Daniek Hengeveld and Chloe Dygert, and a first peek at some new look teams. Also on the agenda, a present from the stork, showing off to your ex on Instagram and some continued Christmas Quiz seething. EPISODE SPONSOR NordVPN

Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch return to ring in the new season, which commenced this week with the Tour Down Under. After two stages and two emphatic wins for Redbull-Bora-hansgrohe’s “Flying Wombat” Sam Welsford, we look ahead to the weekend’s decisive stages.  There’s also a postscript to last week’s discussions about both the future of the sport and its business model - and also what 2025 has in store for INEOS Grenadiers.  EPISODE SPONSOR 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/cycle now to get a £100 sponsored job credit and get matched with the perfect candidate fast. 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 Cannibal & Badger Friends of the

After a Christmas and New Year break, The Cycling Podcast returns with the now traditional early-season speculation episode. With suggestions from some familiar voices, Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch  look at some of the stories and trends we think may shape the 2025 professional cycling season. Episode sponsors AG1 If you want to take ownership of your health, try AG1 and get a FREE one-year supply of Vitamin D AND five free AG1 travel packs with your first purchase. Go to drinkAG1.com/cycling. Babbel Learn 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 limited time only at babbel.com/tcp 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 exclusi

The final Grand Tour of the season rolled out from Portugal in searing temperatures and with question marks over several of the contenders. We were there to witness and report on all of it, with Fran Reyes bringing his sultry presence to week one, Richard Abraham dropping in for week two and Rob Hatch helping to bring the ship in to Madrid. Once again, there were talking points, adventures and laughs aplenty.  The Cycling Podcast presented by Shokz The Cycling Podcast is proudly brought to you by Shokz, pioneers of bone-conduction headphones. Shokz headphones give you unmatched sound quality and comfort without compromising your awareness of the sounds around you. Get £10 off every purchase at uk.shokz.com with the code CYCLING10. The discount code is valid until December 31. 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

Journey back to the height of summer and the Grand Départ in Florence with our Tour de France team of Mitch Docker, Richard Abraham and Graham Willgoss. They were there to witness Tadej Pogačar’s domination, a record-breaking 35th stage win for Mark Cavendish, and a historic trio of stage wins for green jersey winner Biniam Girmay. They also endured the horror of ‘the kebab shop hotel’, soaked up the sights, sounds and flavours of France, and almost ran out of gas before the Tour concluded in Nice. The Cycling Podcast presented by Shokz The Cycling Podcast is proudly brought to you by Shokz, pioneers of bone-conduction headphones. Shokz headphones give you unmatched sound quality and comfort without compromising your awareness of the sounds around you. Get £10 off every purchase at uk.shokz.com with the code CYCLING10. The discount code is valid until December 31. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at th

Relive some of the highlights of the first Grand Tour of the season, the Giro d’Italia, with this compilation of some of our best moments from Italy in May. Daniel Friebe and Brian Nygaard were your guides, Tadej Pogačar the race winner and dominator. Along the way, an eclectic cast of characters also made memorable contributions - from Ciro Scognamiglio to Larry Warbasse, a professional truffle to Carlo Ancelotti’s childhood best friend. The Cycling Podcast presented by Shokz The Cycling Podcast is proudly brought to you by Shokz, pioneers of bone-conduction headphones. Shokz headphones give you unmatched sound quality and comfort without compromising your awareness of the sounds around you. Get £10 off every purchase at uk.shokz.com with the code CYCLING10. The discount code is valid until December 31. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Vanta This episode is supported by Vanta, the first ever enterprise-ready trust management platform. Vanta simplifies securi

It’s beginning to look a lot like… a bumper Christmas episode from The Cycling Podcast Féminin. In the true style of an old Christmas TV special, this episode has a bit of everything: chat, music, cameos from a few familiar voices and of course the feared and revered Christmas quiz.  First up, Rose Manley, Denny Gray and Rebecca Charlton pull out their favourite moments from an exhilarating and sometimes contentious year of cycling. The hosts are spoilt for choice in a season which saw the closest ever finish to a Tour de France, an Olympic road race which came down to the final kilometre and a Classics season which saw the spoils divided among comeback queens and breakthrough stars. Add to that more than a few moments of team in-fighting playing out on the road and the result is one of the best racing seasons in memory. Then Denny and Rebecca go head-to-head as we look to crown our 2024 Christmas quiz champion. There’s a brand new round this year - the 'What’s That Sound?' round to add to returning favouri

For the penultimate instalment of our Review of 2024 series, we reprise and re-iterate on one of the most popular episodes of 2023, a long & very in-depth interview with Redbull-Bora-Hansgrohe Head Sports Director Rolf Aldag. The venue is again Mallorca, the occasion is again the team‘s first training camp of the winter, & once again posing the questions is Daniel Friebe. Last year, Aldag was looking ahead to Primoz Roglič‘s first season with the team - & precisely that is the main topic of conversation here, with Roglič’s huge disappointment at the Tour de France & season-ending triumph at the Vuelta a España.  The Cycling Podcast presented by Shokz The Cycling Podcast is proudly brought to you by Shokz, pioneers of bone-conduction headphones. Shokz headphones give you unmatched sound quality and comfort without compromising your awareness of the sounds around you. Get £10 off every purchase at uk.shokz.com with the code CYCLING10 Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagr

On the eve of Time Magazine naming its ‘Person of the Year’ for 2024, we offer absolutely no surprises by naming Tadej Pogačar our man of the year just past.  ‘Pog’ has been briefing the media on what to expect from him in 2025 - and Fran Reyes has been on the ground in Spain taking notes. In this episode, Fran tells Daniel Friebe and Richard Abraham what he’s heard from the Slovenian and some of those who either masterminded or assisted his all-conquering season.  Before all of that, we also discuss the two main news headlines of the week: Patrick Lefevere leaving his CEO position at Soudal-Quick Step and Tom Pidcock signing for Q36.5.  The Cycling Podcast presented by Shokz The Cycling Podcast is proudly brought to you by Shokz, pioneers of bone-conduction headphones. Shokz headphones give you unmatched sound quality and comfort without compromising your awareness of the sounds around you. Get £10 off every purchase at uk.shokz.com with the code CYCLING10 Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podc

We get into the festive spirit with an ‘Advent’ episode celebrating not the impending arrival of a king of kings…but the emergence of several would-be stars in the world of professional cycling in 2024. Daniel Friebe is joined by award-winning commentator Rob Hatch and young Richard Abraham – plus there’s a début for ace ‘stato’ Cillian Kelly – as we review breakthrough seasons for the likes of Isaac del Toro, Oscar Onley and more. We also hear from Onley’s DSM Firmenich-PostNL directeur sportif Matt Winston and a man who has burst onto the scene in recent weeks…with the help of Strava.  The Cycling Podcast presented by Shokz The Cycling Podcast is proudly brought to you by Shokz, pioneers of bone-conduction headphones. Shokz headphones give you unmatched sound quality and comfort without compromising your awareness of the sounds around you. Get £10 off every purchase at uk.shokz.com with the code CYCLING10 WIN A PAIR OF SHOKZ HEADPHONES We have a pair of Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 headphones to give away. Just a

The Cycling Podcast’s kicked off 2024 in time-honoured fashion with our Speculation Episode - a chance for us and illustrious voices in the world of procycling to foretell the story of the approaching season. Did we get everything or indeed anything right? Now, with the year drawing to a close, the three co-hosts for that first episode of the year - Daniel Friebe, Rob Hatch and Larry Warbasse - reconvene to reality-check what they and others said would happen in the season just gone.  Who could see a Pog triple crown written in the stars? Who didn’t think Mark Cavendish would take his 35th Tour de France stage win? And what other egg are we left licking off our faces, at the end of an at times  eminently predictable, at times highly surprising campaign?  The Cycling Podcast is presented by Shokz The Cycling Podcast is proudly brought to you by Shokz, pioneers of bone-conduction headphones. Shokz headphones give you unmatched sound quality and comfort without compromising your awareness of the sounds around

It’s a bumper transfer special on The Cycling Podcast Féminin this month. In what is proving to be one of the busiest and most significant transfer markets in recent memory, Rose Manley, Denny Gray and Orla Chennaoui discuss all the major moves. With so many of the peloton’s biggest champions making the switch, we pick out which transfers excite us and surprise us the most. We’ll be discussing the comebacks of former world champions Anna van der Breggen and Pauline Ferrand Prevot in detail as well as looking at the consequences of moves by the likes of Elisa Longo Borghini, Niamh Fisher-Black, Juliette Labous, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig and of course Demi Vollering. Our mini feature takes us back to the Tour de France Femmes where Rose and Denny explored why the Dutch always dominated the women’s road racing scene. We speak to Team SD Worx’s Lorena Wiebes and Mischa Bredewold and former pro Iris Slappendel, and get an outside perspective from British riders Lizzie Deignan and Becky Storrie. Also on the agenda,