Life in the Peloton, presented by Rapha

Talking Luft! with Luke Plapp Dec 06, 2023

It has been a big year here at Life in the Peloton, and we’re going out with a bang for this last episode of the 2023 season. I’ve got one of the greats of the young new generation in Australian cycling on the pod today – I’m Talking Luft with Luke Plapp. We’re both long-time Brunswick Cycling Club members, and I always love getting the chance to record the pod in person, so it was a special moment to sit down at the iconic Brunswick Velodrome to record this episode with Plappy. He’s home from Europe and he’s gearing up for a huge summer of cycling in Australia, where he’s lining up for the triple - looking to take his third National Road Race Championship at Buninyong in January. We talk a bit about this goal and head further back into the Luke Plapp story to get some of the history, and of course, I put him through the full Talking Luft treatment.

I hope you enjoy this last listen of 2023!

Thanks for all the support and encouragement throughout the season, we’ll be back in the new year with heaps of exciting new content.

Cheers,

Mitch

Talking Luft with Daryl Impey Nov 01, 2023

Daryl Impey, a house hold name when it comes to a long standing and well respected pro in the world tour.

Daz is a close friend of mine as we had the pleasure of crossing paths, racing side by side and living around the corner from each other and our families throughout my time in Europe.

He is closing out a monstrous 16 year career this season! But it hasn’t been without some major set backs and challenges along the way. He has had life threatening crashes, false allegations and teams folding right under his nose. But on the other side we have seen him pull that yellow jersey on at the TDF, become multiple national champion and transform himself from a Domestique to champion leader.

Back in 2019 I sat down with Daryl to chat about the ups and downs of his career to that point and learn more about what makes him so bloody resilient! This is a must listen if you haven’t heard it before, and if you have I strongly urge you go back and listen again. Daryl shows me that when you are a pro for 16 years it’s never going to be smooth sailing. That’s what makes a successful pro, someone who can fight back and become even stronger.

But now, this week we have Daryl for Talking Luft! I wanted to pay homage to his brilliant career. We chat all the usual stuff but i have spliced a few extra questions in to wrap up his amazing career and to hear about what the future holds.

Cheers,

Mitch

Cyclo-Cross with the G.O.A.T - Sven Nys Oct 11, 2023

We’re getting to the end of the Life in the Peloton season, and I’ve saved a special episode for this week. Just as the long road season winds down, the winter cyclo-cross season is firing up for the year. And you might be asking – what exactly is cyclo-cross racing?

To learn a little bit about the sport and its history, I’ve found someone who can talk me through it. But it’s not just any old person, I’ve gone and found the best in the business, the undisputed G.O.A.T – Sven Nys.

Sven has an incredible ability to teach and talk about cyclo-cross to literally anyone – from kids right up to pros, and he does it in such a humble and entertaining way. He’s so good at it because he is an absolute champion and a true giant of the sport, the best to have ever thrown a leg over a cyclo-cross bike – or I should probably say to have thrown a cyclo-cross bike over his shoulder.

An incredibly dominant rider throughout his career, Sven won literally everything of importance – earning him the nicknames The Cannibal, and the Eddie Merckx of cyclo-cross. At his peak in the 2004 – 2005 season, he did something that no other cyclo-cross rider has ever done, when he took out the National and World Championships, won the Superprestige, and the Gazet van Antwerpen, and finished the season ranked number one in the UCI rankings and the World Cup. He is the only cyclo-cross rider to have achieved this even once, and he went close to repeating the incredible feat in the following season – only just falling short when he crashed in the final lap of the World Championships.

It's an absolute privilege to have Sven join me on Life in the Peloton today, I hope you enjoy the listen!

Cheers,

Mitch

Talking Luft! With Niki Terpstra Oct 04, 2023

This week, I’m Talking Luft with the great Dutchman himself, Niki Terpstra.

He’s one of the most successful classics riders of our time and a proper one-day racing legend - he’s won just about everything there is to win up north, from E3 Harelbeke to Dwars door Vlaanderen (twice), and of course his epic solo victories at Paris-Roubaix in 2014, and Tour of Flanders in 2018, where he became the first Dutchman to win the great race since Adri van der Poel in 1986.

He’s a two-time Olympian, a 6-day champ, a World Championship silver medallist on the track, and he rode for some of Europe’s biggest teams from Milram to QuickStep and Direct Energie. He retired at the end of the 2022 season, but when you were racing Niki Terpstra, you always had to be on your game. You never knew what he would pull out of his hat, and if he went away up the road, chances are you wouldn’t see him again.

But today, he’s getting the full Talking Luft treatment – the usuals like casquette style, World Champ rainbow style, and favourite cheat meals (tiramisu – nice). We talk all things retirement and the inevitable question – do you miss it? It’s something I’m hearing more and more from us recently retired pros, but the level of racing has jumped up so much in recent years that very few people seem to miss being out there, taking risks, suffering, amongst the carnage – and Niki is no exception.

It was a pleasure to sit down and chat with Niki Terpstra, and I hope you enjoy listening to this episode of Talking Luft!

Cheers,

Mitch

My Everesting Sep 27, 2023

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Would you ride up and down a mountain all day in an attempt to reach the virtual height of Mt Everest? I didn’t think it was for me either, but I decided it was a trend I needed to try for myself! If you haven’t heard of Everesting, come along as I make my attempt to reach the lofty heights of the majestic Everest, with a day riding the slopes of Mt Macedon.

At first glance, it might sound crazy, but the idea behind this episode was to get to understand what the trend is all about, and why so many people have jumped on board with it. Everesting evolved during the pandemic to become a challenge that pros were taking on, and I was introduced to it during that time – it was all about speed, and how fast could you do it, and that really deterred me. To be quite honest, riding up and down a mountain all day just seemed boring and unnecessary, and didn’t appeal to me at all.

But it was a conversation with Andy Van Bergen earlier this year that changed all of this and piqued my interest in trying it for myself. Andy told me the story behind the event and the background to the idea – and I really liked it. As we talked, it occurred to me that the whole thing is just another way to challenge yourself. It’s a challenge that anyone can take on, in their own way – you can do it from your own backyard or your lounge room if you like. And

as you might know, that’s something that I love to explore and to encourage others to get involved in.

Getting Andy’s perspective on it was key for me to understand what it’s all about, to learn all the tricks that go along with it, and to work out if it’s something that I would love or hate. I also chatted with Lachy Morton to get a different perspective – he’s coming from the other end of the spectrum, the elite level, where he’s trying to go for the record. From there, I decided to put together all that knowledge, and make my own Everesting attempt, and to take the listeners along on the journey, so you can form your own opinion about whether it’s something you want to tackle for yourself.

I hope you enjoy the listen and get inspired to take on some new challenges for yourself!

The Race Communique - La Vuelta a España edition Sep 20, 2023

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We’re back with the third installment of The Race Communique – where we get back to our roots chatting in depth about what’s happening in the pro peloton. This week we’ve got the whole gang back together, with Luke Durbridge, and Tom Southam, both joining me on the pod.

I couldn’t wait for this opportunity to really pick apart all the happenings of the Vuelta – and there was a lot to unpack. Of course, the incredible performance by Sepp Kuss, but also the drama surrounding Jumbo’s dominance and team leadership. When has a team last finished top three in a Grand Tour?! We take a deep dive chatting about Jumbo Visma and their incredible dominance this season – winning all three Grand Tours in the same year with different riders, which is virtually unheard of. I get a DS and rider perspective on whether Jumbo made the right call in how they supported Sepp and talk about some of the weirder optics we saw playing out on the road as the team tussled with the decision over ultimate leadership.

And on the flipside some underperformances at the Vuelta – what happened to Remco, it wasn’t a terrible performance by any means, but it wasn’t up to expectations - so was it pressure or was it form in the third week? Beyond the Vuelta, we also cover some of the latest advancements in the world of aerodynamics and chat about some of the strange aspects of team culture that play out during transfer season.

So, sit back and enjoy this insight into the pro peloton and the world’s biggest races on The Race Communique!

Cheers,

Mitch

Sepp Kuss - More Than a Super Domestique Sep 13, 2023

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It’s great timing to have this guy on the pod, he is the man of the moment and has been dominating the Vuelta a Espana – I’m talking of course about Sepp Kuss.

I was so excited to get Sepp on the pod to learn a bit more about this enigmatic American rider and hear the backstory of his meteoric rise to the top ranks of the World Tour. He’s something of an anomaly in the pro peloton, having tread a very different route to the top of the sport. He came through the junior ranks as a mountain biker, having grown up in the remote, mountainous city of Durango Colorado, which is known for its incredible trails and vibrant mountain biking community. On moving to Boulder to study at university, he discovered road cycling and started racing on the American circuit.

During his early days of racing, when he was just starting to capture the attention of American teams, it was a meeting with Jumbo-Visma DS Grischa Niermann that catapulted Kuss from a relatively unknown, new on the scene young American talent, to European pro, and one of the most sought-after domestiques in the sport - and more recently, bona fide Grand Tour contender.

He’s part of a new generation of incredible American talent coming through the ranks, which is so exciting to watch, and we delve into some of this to see what the cycling landscape is like in the US currently in the post-Lance era, and where the future of the sport is headed. We also chatted about the pressures that come with being a Grand Tour contender, and whether he feels the pull to ride as a GC contender himself. We talked about what it’s like being the main support to these superstar riders, as well as the personalities and quirks among some of the sport’s biggest names that Sepp has ridden for.

I hope you enjoy the listen!

Cheers,

Mitch

Talking Luft! With Andy White aka FYXO Sep 06, 2023

Talking Luft is back, and I'm chatting with my friend Andy White aka FYXO, to put him through the full Talking Luft treatment!

Last week on Life in the Peloton I sat down with FYXO to talk about a whole range of fascinating things, from what it's like to work as a bike messenger, to the underground subculture of alley-cat racing, and all things fixed gear riding - plus a whole lot more. It was a super fun episode and I loved getting to know more about one of the more niche ‘pelotons’ out there. If you haven’t listened to it, head over and check it out.

But today, we’re on the Talking Luft program! You know the drill by now – I put FYXO through his paces with a little quiz, I tried to squeeze some extra fixie knowledge out of him, and he’s a bit of a style guru so it was a great chance to get a bit of a glimpse into what’s cool in the world of fixed gear bikes and alley cat racing.

I won’t spoil it for you but get ready to hear about FYXO’s love of the history and nostalgia of retro 90’s cycling– he’s a fan of the full Indurain casquette style, he loves a beanie, and he’s been known to be partial to a skin suit. I hope you have as much fun listening along as I had putting this one together!

Cheers,

Mitch

Fixed Gear Riding with FYXO aka Andy White Aug 30, 2023

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We’ve finally got him on the pod – a spot that in his own words, he was born ready for, and I couldn’t be more excited to chat with my friend FYXO (aka Andy White), to take a deep dive into the fixie world. It morphs nicely into the trajectory that Life in the Peloton has taken this year, where I’ve been talking a lot about uncovering all the different pelotons out there, and this is one of the most niche pelotons of them all.

Andy and I go way back to our days racing the club scene in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, where he used to race on an old vintage steel bike. He spent time as a bike courier in London, where he worked during the ‘heyday’ of the profession – where businesses would courier documents around the city in the same way we now send an email. It was a bit of an unexpectedly cool, cult profession at the time, that came with a bit of street cred. It was also from within the world of bike couriers that alley cat racing kicked off – which is an underground subculture of unstructured night races around the city, usually starting from the pub after a few pints.

He has dabbled in all aspects of fixie riding since settling back in Melbourne, most notably setting up his brand FYXO, which was all about bringing fixed gear bikes into the country during the boom in fixie riding that happened a few years back and documenting his adventures around the world riding alley cat races. It’s fascinating to hear about how Andy became immersed in this world and raced the alley cats in the cities of London and New York, before eventually bringing alley cat racing Down Under, and typically in his own unique way - in a style that he calls alley cats for the masses. The largest of these is the Melburn - Roobaix, which is now in its 16th year and has become synonymous with fixed-gear riding in Melbourne. It combines many of the different subcultures of cycling and the result is a fun, epic day of cycling, and something that I love being part of.

I hope you enjoy listening and learning more about the intriguing world of fixie riding!

Cheers,

Mitch

The Race Communique - Episode 2 Aug 23, 2023

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It’s just me and my old mate Luke Durbridge this week, with Tom Southam out on the road at the Vuelta a Burgos, but we’ve got plenty to get through on this edition of The Race Communique.

It’s a bit of a tricky part of the year – it has been a long season and the hype and glory of the biggest races have subsided following the TDF and the World’s, it’s the summer holiday month of August in Europe which lends itself well to lying around on the beach and relaxing, but there’s still plenty of races on the calendar and you need to keep your head switched on.

We recap the incredible ‘Super World’s’ with all the action from the road, track, and the spectacle of having all disciplines of cycling together in one giant festival. We really dig into the incredible World’s Road Race – epically long at over 270km, a 57-minute stoppage due to protesters, and the 48-plus corner circuit around the streets of downtown Glasgow with the atmosphere and the unbelievably high level of racing – there was a lot to unpack.

And we chat about the lead into the upcoming Vuelta a España, with a look at the course and some predictions about the types of epic battles we can expect when it hits the slopes of the Tourmalet and l’Angliru.

So, sit back and enjoy this insight into the pro peloton and the world’s biggest races on The Race Communique!

Cheers,

Mitch

Understanding Nutrition with Will Girling Aug 16, 2023

It’s hard to find someone more knowledgeable about sports nutrition than Will Girling – he has been a nutritionist at all levels of the professional cycling world, from Continental to pro-Continental, up to World Tour level, and he’s been the nutritionist at EF Education-Easy Post for the past several years, where we first crossed paths. He also holds a Master of Sports Nutrition and is currently working towards a Doctorate – in short, he knows his stuff.

So while he knows top-level nutrition as well as anyone out there, what I mostly wanted to talk to Will about was how amateur and weekend warrior cyclists should approach their nutrition, to prepare for racing and maintain optimal nutrition in general, and how they should approach recovery nutrition - since they need to get themselves back to work on Monday morning following an event, rather than having time at home to recover like the pros. Will has some fascinating insights and learnings that he applies from the pro level back to the everyday cyclist (and athlete), as well as heaps of personal experience of his own preparing for and doing the ultra-distance bike-packing expeditions around Europe that he loves.

Turns out there’s a bit more to it than just carb-loading the day before the event, so sit back and enjoy the listen and I hope you get a few tips for your next race!

Cheers,

Mitch

Talking Luft! Tour de France History Edition Aug 09, 2023

This week on Talking Luft we’re taking one last look back at the 2023 TDF, where I took my History of the Tour de France quiz to the masses! Or better put, to a whole bunch of current pros and DS’s that I managed to pull aside for a chat on the roadside of the Tour, to put them through their paces - including Caleb Ewan, Mat Hayman, Ian Stannard, Jai Hindley, Luke Durbridge, and Neilson Powless, among others.

It required a bit of specialist TDF knowledge, and a bit of historical insight, plus a few just for fun, like whose legs would you want in this year’s TDF, would you go full polka dot with the KOM jersey, which is the hardest of the Grand Tours, what does ASO stand for, and can you name the five winners of five or more Tours?

I’ve gotta say, some of the efforts were a bit woeful, and a couple were a little bit controversial, but we had plenty of laughs and I hope you enjoy listening along!

Cheers,

Mitch

Maghalie Rochette - The Cycle Aug 02, 2023

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I’ve got something a bit different for you on the pod this week, but it’s a fascinating topic and one that has really gained traction in women’s sport over the past few years.

I’m chatting to Maghalie Rochette - she’s a Canadian cyclo cross rider and mountain biker, she came to the sport from a background in running and triathlon, and she also has her own successful podcast called Fever Talk. But what sets Maghalie apart is that she is known for talking openly about racing as a female and all the struggles that come along with that. On her pod she launched a super successful series where she goes into depth about the challenges for women racing during their menstrual cycle, and in doing so she has created a whole platform where people feel comfortable talking about this topic that was previously something of a taboo.

It’s so refreshing to hear how open she is about it, and fascinating to hear how she has used the science to figure out that not only is it something that does not have to hold you back, but it’s something that can actually make you stronger. We are so aware of the difference between men and women in the professional sense – the prize money, the racing, the equality and the wage gap, but it’s interesting to hear about the physiological differences. And it’s refreshing to hear Maghalie’s take, that racing as a female doesn’t necessarily mean it is harder – it just means it’s important to understand your body so that you can turn it into an advantage.

It brings up some interesting questions that are relevant to both male and female athletes on how we can use science to understand our bodies better, and in the process learn how to get the most out of ourselves during training and racing, to learn to listen to your body, and how to find the balance between performance and wellbeing.

I hope you enjoy the listen!

Cheers,

Mitch

The Race Communique Jul 26, 2023

I’m back with something brand new for you this week, the first of a new monthly series called The Race Communique.

The idea is to get back to our roots, since LITP has moved on from the pro peloton with me, I wanted to get back amongst the action and back to chatting about the World Tour. We’ll be unpacking the trends, the race results, all the news and happenings in the pro peloton – to try to get the lowdown for you, the listener.

Joining me on the pod each month will be one of two guys who need no introduction to this podcast – my friends Tom Southam, DS at EF Education-EasyPost, and Jayco-Alula’s Luke Durbridge. We’ll chat race results and analytics, in true LITP style – taking a deep dive into what life is like as a pro, and notable things that have happened at races, from the varied angles of DS, rider, and me – the guy on the outside of the peloton trying to get a glimpse back in to see what’s up and how things have changed.

For episode one, we’re talking all things Tour de France, unpacking the amazing Tour that we just witnessed, and looking ahead to the Worlds and other upcoming races. Hang in there for a cheeky quiz at the end, and most of all enjoy the listen to the first Race Communique!

Cheers,

Mitch

History of the Tour, with François Thomazeau Jul 19, 2023

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It’s nearing the end of the Tour de France for another year, and I have been in the box seat for the first two weeks of this phenomenon of an annual sporting event, following the Tour with The Cycling Podcast. Along the way, I had the chance to chat with an absolute expert in cycling history – François Thomazeau. His encyclopaedic knowledge of all facets of the Tour is extraordinary, and I am so excited to have him on the pod today walking us through the fascinating history of the Tour, from the earliest iterations of the race, up until this, the 120th edition.

While we have all become so familiar with the modern Tour, it is an event that is steeped in so much history - over a hundred years of evolution, scandal, and drama - and the idea was to try and get a complete picture of the Tour, from how it came about, to the subtle nuances of the race, and how it has evolved over time. In my opinion, there is no one better in the world of cycling than François to answer all my questions.

We start with the origins of the event, from its inception as part of the early cycling newspaper, Le Vélo, with its epic, 300km long stages, 2 am start times, and famously ingrained methods of cheating, like jumping on the train or skipping whole sections of the course. And we chat about just how important the Tour de France is to the French people, who are bathed in TDF coverage from a young age to the point that July is synonymous with the Tour, and the race itself is a French symbol of fun, of childhood, and of long summer days.

We chat about the recovery of the Tour after its war-induced hiatus, and of the emergence of a new generation of post-war riders that redefined the sport, including the likes of Fausto Coppi – likened to a type of gold dust for the sport, with his forward-thinking methods and slick media appeal – and the beloved Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and later, Raymond Poulidor, and of course the arrival of the great man himself, Eddy Merckx, whose commanding hold on all classifications of the TDF earned him the nickname, The Cannibal.

It was fascinating to hear how this history has culminated in the version of the great race that we now know and love so much – how it became the show for television, how its riders started to emerge as household names, the evolution of the media in cycling, and how riders themselves have had to adapt, in order to succeed in the Tour de France.

I absolutely loved the chance to soak up so much of the history of the Tour de France and to get under the skin of this iconic race with François, and I hope you enjoy this little glimpse into the history of the Tour!

Cheers,

Mitch

Talking Luft! with Adam Blythe Jul 12, 2023

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This week on Talking Luft I’m chatting with an old friend and teammate of mine – he is a former UK national champ, he has ridden for some of the world’s biggest teams, and – I’m calling it – he's the new voice of cycling. I’m talking about Adam Blythe and I can’t wait to put him through the full Talking Luft treatment!

I have always admired his crafty racing style and his ability to read a bike race, and when the conditions got tough, he was someone I would always look for because you could bet, he would be reading the conditions and riding smart. It’s a result of having mastered the art of race craft early on, and his insights have really translated well to the commentary box. He's unapologetic about his approach, and about his love of picking apart a race and calling out even the biggest names in cycling when they’re guilty of making questionable tactical decisions – and I just love that about him and his race commentary.

He’s also renowned for his retro style and some of these TL questions that I have put to so many riders now are right up his alley, so I can’t wait to get stuck into it. I put a few of the more important Talking Luft themes to him – he’s gravel bike for life, loves plenty of Luft, has strong feelings on all matters of cycling style, and confirms once and for all that, like it or not, the short leg length trend is back in the pro peloton.

I hope you enjoy listening along as much as I enjoyed putting this one together!

Cheers,

Mitch

The Leadout Men Jul 05, 2023

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Well, it is Tour time, and I´m taking this opportunity to look at one of the most fascinating technical aspects of pro racing – the art of the lead-out. And what better time to do it than right now, at the beginning of the Tour de France, so you can sit back and watch the adrenaline-charged sprint finishes, with a deeper understanding of the game of chess that is playing out on the road.

The idea of the designated lead-out man is something that has only really gained traction in the pro peloton in the modern era, and in that time, we have seen some incredibly talented lead-out riders, that put aside their own winning aspirations and built their careers on leading out others for the win. I spoke to some of the biggest names in the game – Mark Renshaw, Michael Morkov, Brett Lancaster, Koen de Kort, Roger Kluge, and Freddie Rodriguez. They have worked with some of the most successful sprinters of the modern era – Mark Cavendish, Robbie McEwen, Andre Greipel, and Alessandro Petacchi, to name just a few.

The depth of experience with the riders in this episode is exceptional, and I wanted to find out how they had become lead-out riders, what the evolution was like, from trying to win races themselves, to suddenly finding themselves leading out others for the win. It was interesting to hear about how quickly this change can happen and about the necessity of finding your niche in the peloton which is so important to the longevity of your career.

The lead out is a role where you don´t get the big accolades, and you don´t get to stand on the top step yourself, but you can get plenty of recognition and job satisfaction for playing an important role in winning big races, and that was something that really came across for all of these riders - how accepting your role in the team and leaning into it, can become even more satisfying than vying for smaller wins yourself.

I wanted to ask some big questions: when you find yourself in the lead with 200m to go, how tempting is it to go for the win yourself, and why does a sprinter even need a lead-out? There were some fascinating insights into the split-second decisions, the adrenaline rush, the importance of trusting your lead out, calculating risks, and learning to switch off your mind in order to get the job done, the sacrifices that are made when you ride in service of another rider that gets the glory of winning, and what is it like working with these typically very explosive personalities.

I had a lot of fun putting this episode together and I loved hearing about the intricacies of the lead-out, and I hope you get plenty out of it to take into your TDF watching this year!

Cheers,

Mitch

The Cadel Evans Story Jun 21, 2023

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I have a special guest on the pod this week, making his debut appearance on Life in the Peloton. He´s no stranger to you all though, he is a fellow Victorian, a former mountain biker, road world champion, and Australia´s only ever Tour de France winner, I´m talking of course about the legend himself, Cadel Evans.

This was a great opportunity to really get back to the beginning of the Cadel Evans story and hear it in his own words. I was keen to hear all about his infamous upbringing in a remote Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory of Australia, and how he made his start as a mountain biker when his family moved back to Victoria when Cadel was primary school age. We chatted through his evolution from junior mountain biker to European-level mountain biker, before moving to road cycling in Europe, and eventually, as the history books show, going on to become a world champion, and the first-ever Australian to win the Tour de France, in 2011.

Along the way, he forged some incredible partnerships and made some powerful allies, with team directors, teammates, coaches and sponsors, many of whom are still loyal to Cadel and his brand today, showing the amount of mutual respect and trust that he built up within his inner circle throughout his career. Always something of an outlier among the professional cycling ranks, we chat about the ways in which he was a visionary rider and ahead of his time, and how so many of these habits that he had are now somewhat ingrained in the pro peloton (chamomile tea after dinner, and solo training rides, to name a couple.)

It was fascinating to hear Cadel´s take on the crossover between road cycling and mountain biking, and the ways in which MTB prepared him to become one of the best cyclists of his generation. I loved getting the chance to chat in depth with him about his relationship with the visionary Italian coach Aldo Sassi, which was instrumental in shaping him into the forward-thinking cyclist that he became.

One of the golden eras of modern cycling, it was great to hear in-depth about his time on the iconic teams Mapei, T-Mobile, Lotto, and BMC – where he started his campaign towards becoming an eventual Tour de France winner, and the years of missed opportunities and bad luck that ensued along his road to winning. And to take a deep dive into his World Championship win in Mendrisio in 2009, with all the drama and team politics that came along with that win.

Something of an enigma in the world of cycling, I loved this chance to hear the Cadel Evans story from the man himself and to clear up a few myths and legends that have circulated around him throughout his career (for example, was he really the highest ever tested V02 max at the AIS?)

It´s a story we are all familiar with, but I hope you enjoy learning a bit more about the Cadel Evans story - I really loved chatting with him and hearing his story in his own words.

Cheers,

Mitch

Talking Luft! With Alison Jackson Jun 14, 2023

I just loved having Alison on Life in the Peloton so much last week, I decided to get her back for this episode of Talking Luft! I know you loved hearing all about her epic Paris Roubaix Femmes win this year, and how she became only the third-ever winner of the event. She has since been dubbed Miss Paris Roubaix (by me), for the commanding style in which she won.

Of course, we chat a bit more about that epic win, as well as dig into the really important questions in true TL style, plus I throw a few extra cobble-related questions Alison´s way. The big stuff, like rice or pasta (she´s introduced me to the idea of rice with maple syrup), world champ style (all rainbow, why not), I get some insight into some of her pre-race rituals and learn a few new Canadian terms that describe how she would choose to wear her hair in the pre-helmet golden days of cycling.

She´s a lover of bucket hats and coffee stops, a drinker of black coffee and cortados, and unsurprisingly, she will take racing over training any day. But don´t take my word for it, sit back and enjoy the listen and get to know more about the legend Alison Jackson, as she gets the full TL treatment!

Cheers,

Mitch

Alison Jackson - Miss Paris - Roubaix Jun 07, 2023

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It is her first appearance on the pod, you might know her from her larger-than-life social media presence, or you might have watched her progress through the women´s peloton, but you´ll definitely know her as the Queen of Roubaix, after her triumphant victory there this year, and I´m super excited to be chatting to Alison Jackson this week.

I couldn´t wait to hear about her epic 2023 Paris – Roubaix win, where she won so impressively, and etched her name in the cycling history books by becoming only the third-ever female winner of the race. Her post-win finish line dance catapulted her from exalted winner to something of cycling legend, and she´s known as this big-energy person that comes across online (if you´re not currently a follower, do yourself a favour and go check out her Instagram and TikTok), where she just keeps it real and has such a fun vibe. But Roubaix really cemented her position in the pro peloton, and announced to the world that she´s an excellent tactical rider and a natural racer – you just don´t find yourself in that position at a race like that for any other reason.

I wanted to hear all about how Alison made the leap from Canada to Europe – a challenge all pro cyclists go through but with varied success. It was refreshing to hear Alison´s take on what it takes to be a pro, and how you get through those challenging early years where you´re missing home, you´re just not happy in Europe and to top it all off, you´re getting your head kicked in at races. It can set off a real downward spiral for many riders, but for Alison it was the racing that kept her Euro dreams alive - she just absolutely loves to race.

And finally, we had a bit of a chat about where female cycling is headed, and the immense changes it has gone through in recent years – the increase in tactics, professionalism, and support and the flow-on effect this is having on the dynamics of women’s racing.

As you can probably tell, this episode was a lot of fun to put together, and I hope you love listening to Alison´s story as much as I did.

Cheers,

Mitch

Life in the Peloton - The Goldfields Adventure May 24, 2023

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by Rapha

I´m bringing you something a bit different for Life in the Peloton this week, I have been back on the road exploring and learning some of the fascinating history of the Victorian goldfields, by riding the historic Goldfields Track. By now, you´ve probably become used to my bike-packing adventures, but this time the trip was not just about tackling a challenging adventure and exploring my own backyard, but also learning some of the history of this country and how this thriving regional area came to be what it is.

This trip is one that has been on my bucket list since moving back to Australia last year – I had become so used to being surrounded by incredible history while living in Europe, but it has really occurred to me how much history there is right here in Australia as well. I wanted to explore the Aussie countryside, but to also give the trip some purpose. Not just to ride, but to tap into a bit of local history and learn the backstory of this country along the way - why do these little Victorian country towns exist, and what has made the area so famous?

So back in the summer, before the weather in Victoria turned bad, I grabbed my good mate Al Iacuone, someone who is well known on the pod, and we headed off from Mount Buninyong, in the direction of Bendigo. The Goldfields Track is an existing, point-to-point trail and one that is regularly ridden by mountain bike, that takes in some of Victoria´s most historic towns. It´s a 210-kilometre journey, generally tackled over two to four days. We´re doing it in a day.

The trip threw up a few surprises, but we had a lot of fun out there. The trails made for beautiful riding, and although it was much tougher than expected, being out on the road allowed us to absorb the history and stories of the land in a way we never could by sitting at home and reading in a book or on the internet. Of course, there´s value in that as well, but there´s just something about being out there and hearing the stories for yourself that makes the experience that much more special and it really gave our expedition an incredible sense of purpose and meaning. In short, I would highly recommend this trip to anyone that has been considering it or another one like it. I hope you enjoy the listen, learn a thing or two along the way, and as always, I hope it inspires you to get out on your own bike adventures!

Cheers,

Mitch

Talking Luft! With Jai Hindley May 17, 2023

Well I know you loved his last appearance on the pod, my recent chat with Australia’s one and only Giro d’Italia winner, Jai Hindley, where we heard some epic stories about his early cycling career and his meteoric ascent to the top of the pro cycling ranks.

So he’s back today for the Talking Luft! treatment and I just couldn’t wait to put a few curly questions to him. Jai Hindley is a real Aussie gem in the European peloton. He has been riding and racing his bike since he was six years of age, all he has ever wanted to be is a pro cyclist and just loves everything about the sport. His love of the cycling eras of old made me really want to test out his knowledge and see if I could really put him to the limit.

We talked Giro ups and downs, and what it feels like to gain the confidence to know you can finish out a Grand Tour, and just get better and better. We talk casquette style, where I was a little surprised to find out it’s not really his thing. We went back in time to discuss the pre-helmet days of cycling in the early 90s, and some of the best kits and team rosters of all time. We chat race food, drinks of choice, what makes a good roommate on tour, and whether he is more of a bus or a team car kind of guy. He passes my name the bike test with flying colours, with some pretty impressive knowledge of cycling throughout all the eras. And of course, I just had to ask him the all-important question, if (and in Jai’s case, when) you do become world champion during your career, how are you going to wear that rainbow kit.

I loved chatting with Jai and finding out some of the lesser-known things about him for this episode of Talking Luft! and I hope you have a laugh and enjoy listening along. If you missed the Life in the Peloton episode, Jai Hindley – For the love of cycling, head back and take a listen!

Cheers,

Mitch

Talking Tech with Lachlan Morton May 10, 2023

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by Rapha

It’s no secret that I’ve become a bit of a bike-packing devotee over the past few years, I just love everything about it – the challenge, seeing parts of the country that I’ve never seen before, meeting people along the way, experiencing some country Australiana, and just getting out on my bike and rediscovering what I really love about cycling. And I can see that this resonates with so many of you that love the adventure of bike packing as well (and if you’re yet to try it, I’ll say it again – it doesn’t need to be epic, or hard, just get out there and give it a go!)

Every time I post one of my bike-packing adventures, I’m inundated with questions and requests for recommendations on which gear to use. I totally get it, you want to be prepared when you hit that open road, where there are already so many unknowns and so many variables, and it’s natural to want to try to control that and limit the things that can go wrong (even though these can all be part of the fun).

I don’t claim to be an expert on bike packing, and like you guys, most of what I’ve learnt about gear, equipment, and planning, I’ve learnt on the fly, usually by reaching out to fellow cyclists and friends that I see out exploring by bike. One of the guys I’ve gone to for advice most often is, unsurprisingly, the bike-packing legend and my friend Lachie Morton. So, in putting this episode together, I knew exactly who I needed to reach out to for some tips of the trade. Lachie has embarked on more long-distance bike packing expeditions than anyone I know, and like me, he’s someone that has just learnt on the go, and he’s always happy to share his experiences and what works for him.

So I took your questions and put them to Lach, and I loved having the chance to sit down with him and pick his brain on all things bike-packing tech. This is in no way an exhaustive tech guide, just a fun chat about some of the things we love about bike-packing and the gear we like to take along with us to maximise the fun and enjoyment, and a chance to record it all in one spot for others to learn as well. I hope you get a few helpful tips during the listen!

Cheers,

Mitch

For the love of cycling - Jai Hindley Apr 26, 2023

I’ve got a cracking episode for you this week, one I’ve been sitting on for a while and I am so excited to bring it to life. We needed to start at the very beginning with this one, because I know you want to hear as much as I do, the whole Jai Hindley story, and it’s such an epic one that you won’t want to miss a bit of it. I sat down with Jai earlier this year at TDU, because I just couldn’t miss the opportunity to record this episode in person.

He’s one of the great talents and great personalities of the pro peloton. He’s the Aussie kid made good, who grew up only ever wanting to become a pro cyclist. And at just 26 years of age, he has not only realised that dream but he’s also already become one of the greatest in our history. He is a true cycling purist, he loves everything about the sport - he loves vintage bikes, he was drawn to the Tour de France as a 6-year-old, there was really nothing else he ever wanted to do - he just loves cycling to the core. And this always comes across when you chat with Jai, his pure love of the sport. He loves the history of the sport and the classic era of cycling, and he was inspired by the Aussies in the European pro peloton in the early 2000s, which I loved chatting with him about. But most of all, he’s just a top bloke and his humble and unapologetic nature are a big part of what make him such a great champion.

We had an in-depth chat about how he got into cycling (as a 6-year-old no less), and we talked at length about his early time as an amateur racing in Italy. To say he has had an astronomical rise since then is, of course, an understatement. His breakthrough came when he won the Herald Sun Tour, followed by his infamous second spot in the 2020 Giro d’Italia, where he lost the pink to Tao Geoghegan Hart in heartbreaking fashion on the final stage (I’m sure I don’t need to remind you of that one). But most notably, last year, he came back to take an incredible Giro d'Italia victory, becoming the first Australian ever to do so, and only the second Australian ever to win a Grand Tour. Of course, I couldn’t interview Jai without also touching on the speculation and pressure that will accompany him into the Tour de France, where he’s learning to manage the expectations that inevitably now rest on his shoulders.

If you don’t know Jai too well, you’ll love getting to know him in this episode, where he is candid and utterly himself – a trait that cycling fans have come to know and love. I hope you enjoy the listen and getting to know this young Aussie legend as much as I enjoyed recording it!

Cheers,

Mitch

Talking Luft! with Ian Boswell Apr 19, 2023

Rapha presents Talking Luft!

I recently took you on a journey through the absolute torture that was taking part in the beast that is Cape Epic. In case you missed it, it’s an hors categorie mountain biking event, across the challenging terrain of South Africa’s western cape, and it really pushed me to my limit.

I thought while I was there, I might as well get out the microphone and turn it on my friend and Cape Epic partner Ian Boswell, and give him the Talking Luft! treatment.

We had a nice little chat, spanning Bos’ early interactions with Lance Armstrong, his thoughts on achieving luft, hypothetical musings on whether it’s better to ride with or sans helmet, and whether he finds it important to keep shaving the legs post-retirement.

We did a bit of a deep dive on kit selection; how to select your kit post-pro career, which of the former pro kits and bikes are worth keeping, and if you had become world champion during your career, how would you wear your rainbow kit?

We took a look into Bos’ current Strava status (hint- it’s solid), favourite riders from the cycling history books, what his dream loop is, and his favourite pro race – which threw up a few surprises, and of course we delved into some of the trials and tribulations that we overcame at Cape Epic.

We had a bit of fun chatting in this episode, and I hope you enjoy listening along!

Cheers,

Mitch

Behind the Mirror Lens - with Scott Barrow Apr 12, 2023

Behind the Mirror Lens - with Scott Barrow

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by Rapha

Have you ever wondered about what goes into the team behind the team, and what sort of support goes into helping professional athletes to get the best out of themselves? I have spoken to plenty of interesting people on the pod over the years that have helped to build the behind-the-scenes picture, mostly in the realm of physical support – osteos, soigneurs, and team directors.

They are all super crucial roles in the sport, but something that is often a bit underrated in cycling and in professional sport, is what goes into trying to train the psychological and not just the physical aspect.

Sometimes, people can write athletes off too early in their careers as being physically past their prime, when they are actually just facing mental demons, or are blocked in some way, and when they can overcome this, they have a lot more to give.

That is why I was keen to catch up with my friend, professional coach, and mentor Scott Barrow, to chat about how he gets behind the lens, find out what makes people tick, and get a glimpse into the psyche of the people he helps – and he helps people from all walks of life to get the best out of themselves and reach their potential.

I was at a crossroads in my own career when I first met Scott. He reached out to me when I was on the verge of leaving GreenEDGE, where I had been performing the role of domestique within the team for quite a few years. I knew that the impending change was going to require a lot from me mentally, to go from being a worker to needing to ride for myself and get results.

Our paths crossed at just the right time, and by working with Scott, I was able to realign my career, and I went on to have another four years in the pro peloton, with EF Pro Cycling, where I was able to write a whole new chapter in my pro career to finish it off.

We had a great chat, covering topics like how pressure affects performance, how he helped me to realign things in my own career, and how he handles taking on the pressure of others, without becoming burdened.

I hope you enjoy the listen!

Cheers,

Mitch

Cape Epic - Mitch Docker and Ian Boswell Mar 29, 2023

This week, I am taking you along on one of the most challenging weeks of my career, and by far the biggest challenge of my short mountain biking career, the Cape Epic - an eight-day team mountain biking event, across the challenging terrain of the Western Cape of South Africa. To give some context, it is an hors categorie event, and qualifying is necessary to take the start line. Get ready for a longer listen here – but it just had to be that way, to do justice to the absolute beast that is Cape Epic.

I wanted to take the listener along on this journey, to give some insight into what this race is really like – and let me tell you – it is brutal in every way. The week threw a lot at us – heat, relentless terrain, river crossings, two days of torrential rain, and some seriously wet and slippery conditions. Combined with a serious case of Cape belly, which notoriously plagues this event, and it made for an incredibly difficult challenge, which I am still recovering from.

I lined up with my friend and fellow podcast host Ian Boswell, and we were really in it together, sharing the camper life, and all the ups and downs. Going in, we expected this to be like a stage race. Bos was looking forward to getting into the groove, with visions of hanging by the camp village and trading war stories.

Before the start, there was an electricity in the air that is hard to describe, and within hours of touching down in South Africa, I had bumped into a whole heap of people I know from different corners of the cycling world, all coming together in this far-flung destination to put ourselves to the ultimate test.

There were riders who had done this event before – my friends Al Iacuone and Wade Wallace were here trying to finish this race for the first time – on their third and final attempt. I caught up with last year’s winners Georg Egger and Lukas Baum for some insider tips, and we camped alongside Dave and Fran Millar, undertaking this event for the first time as a mixed team.

It was a war of attrition from the early planning stages right through until the finish line. By the end, we were in pieces, and my fatigue level was hovering down around the level that it would normally be at the end of a Grand Tour, to put things into perspective. Put simply, this was a lot harder than expected. But the sense of accomplishment is also massive and difficult to put into words, and one beer in after the finish, we were already talking about coming back next year. It was an incredible journey, and something we might only fully appreciate in hindsight.

I hope this properly conveys the brutality of this week – it might give you pause if you have considered doing this event yourself, or maybe it has made you even more determined to cross it off your bucket list, either way, enjoy the listen!

Cheers,

Mitch

Talking Luft! with Luke Durbridge. Mar 22, 2023

Talking Luft! with Luke Durbridge

Rapha presents Talking Luft!

Well, he is back for the first time in 2023, because it just would not be a season of Talking Luft without checking in with my mate, the big fella, Luke Durbridge, back for version 4.0 on Talking Luft!

It is that time of year again, as we head up north and gear up for the start of the cobbled classics, and who better to check in with than Durbo, to get his unique perspective on the races that he loves and knows so well.

We have some curly questions lined up for him this time, some really tricky ones, as it turns out.

Like – would he prefer to win his beloved Bledisloe Cup, or take a solo victory, with plenty of time to enjoy the glory, on the final ascents of the fabled Tour of Flanders? Hint, this one is trickier than you think for this rugby-loving cyclist.

Can he recall the exact Spanish wines that he has critiqued so eloquently online?

And, most importantly, just what is up in Classics cycling fashion this year?

This one is full of laughs, maybe even a couple of tears, a few unexpected responses, and all of the great things we have come to expect from a chat on the pod with Durbo.

Sit back and enjoy this glimpse into the world of the cobbled classics, I hope you enjoy the listen!

Cheers,

Mitch

What is MTB? Featuring Ned Overend, Nino Schurter, Ian Boswell, Haley Batten & Lachlan Morton Mar 15, 2023

If you´ve been following me over the latter part of my career, and especially over the past couple of years, you´ll have seen my progression from pure roadie to lover of gravel riding and, more recently, mountain biking. I´ve lined up in a couple of MTB races, but next week, I´ll face my biggest challenge yet, at the brutal South African MTB race, Cape Epic.

But before I head off to Cape Epic, I really wanted to learn a bit more about the history of mountain biking, and the evolution that it has gone through to get to where it is today. I wanted to educate myself, and any others out there listening, that are in the same boat as me – just starting out in the sport of mountain biking but with your head still mostly in the road game, to understand the sport from the bottom up. I wanted to start at the beginning, and I wanted to know what it was like to race the sport and learn the etiquette from the inside out.

So I turned to a few greats of the sport. For history and background, I spoke with Ned Overend, one of the early adaptors of the sport. We chatted about the backstory of MTB, and the early legends, the ones who developed the iconic bikes - The Klunkers - those beach cruisers adapted into makeshift mountain bikes, which they then started racing downhill.

Next, I wanted to learn about the beauty of mountain biking racing, and that meant I needed to speak to the best of the best, and in my mind, that is the GOAT, Nino Schurter. Nino´s been part of the evolution of the sport from its inception, so what better way to find out how the sport has changed – the racing, the bike development, the course structure, all the technical stuff.

Next, I spoke to someone who started a bit later in the sport but has been really entrenched in the professional racing side of things and that´s Haley Batten, a rider who is now just coming to the forefront of mountain biking, and Haley really helped me to understand the nuances of the sport, the unwritten rules and the etiquette.

Lastly, I wanted to speak to someone who was a roadie but had transitioned to MTB, like me. Lachie Morton, having come from the road and transitioned to MTB, understands what it´s like for someone like me who is coming across from the road and trying to understand the sport.

I´ve developed a bit of a love for this sport, and I can´t wait to get stuck into the challenge of Cape Epic. It´s happening next week, and I´m heading there with my roadie partner Ian Boswell. We will document throughout the time in South Africa at Cape Epic and bring it to you after the event, but for now, sit back and enjoy learning a bit more about the beautiful sport of mountain biking.

Cheers,

Mitch

Show notes-

Intro with Ian Boswell – until 15´44

Ned Overend – 15´50

Nino Schurter – 43´30

Haley Batten – 1´08´30

Lachlan Morton – 1´25´20

The road to becoming a DS - Brett Lancaster, Zak Dempster, Tom Southam, Sam Bewley & Gregory Rast Mar 01, 2023

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to work behind the scenes at some of the world’s biggest bike races, what happens back there in the crazy, chaotic realm of the race convoy, and what the world of a Directeur Sportif is like?

Obviously, I’ve worked up close with DS’s throughout my career, but I’ve never been behind the wheel, and when I was asked to support a couple of riders at this years’ Aussie Road Nats, I realised I didn’t really know that much about what goes into the job of being a Directeur Sportif.

So, before I made my big debut as a DS – in the car supporting Brendan Johnston, and Simon Clarke – I needed to learn the ropes, quickly. Fortunately, I’ve got a bunch of Directors at various stages of their careers that I could call on to help me get up to speed before the big day. For this episode, I chatted with seasoned DS’s Brett Lancaster, Gregory Rast, Tom Southam and Zak Dempster, as well as newly minted DS, Sam Bewley.

As an ex-pro it was also a chance for me to ask some of the questions about being a DS that really bothered me during my career – like hey mate, don’t you remember what it’s like to be out here riding?! But also, it gave me a glimpsde into how much work goes on behind the scenes, from the race prep, team communication, and logistics, to managing personalities, rosters and team expectations, and I have to say (spoiler warning), it was a lot more than I expected.

I asked all the big questions – what kind of rider makes the best DS? Do you even have to have been a rider at all to become a DS? And crucially, do former pros turned DS’s remember how hard it is out there?! Some of the answers surprised me, but it was fascinating to learn from experience, and get behind the wheel myself and road-test my new skills.

I hope you enjoy the listen and learning about one of the behind-the-scenes aspects of pro cycling.

Cheers,

Mitch

Talking Luft! with Matt Goss Feb 22, 2023

Rapha presents Talking Luft!

We’re back with Talking Luft, and I’m chatting with a well-known name in Aussie cycling, you might not have heard his name for a while but you’ll definitely know it. He’s one of only two Australians to win the Italian monument Milan-San Remo, and he’s a former teammate of mine, I’m talking of course about Matt Goss.

A born and bred Tasmanian, Gossy started his career on the track, and was a bronze medallist in the team pursuit at the World Championships in L.A. in 2005, before making the transition to the road and making his professional debut with Bjarne Riis at Team CSC in 2007. Throughout his career, he rode for other big teams including HTC Columbia, GreenEDGE, and MTN-Qhubeka. He is a two-time stage winner in the Giro d’Italia, and a Tour de France stage winner as part of the GreenEDGE TTT win in 2013.

He's also an all-around good bloke and I’m stoked I got the chance to chat with him as part of The Race Communique at this year’s TDU. He gave us his insight into the race’s sprint stages, we also tested his knowledge on things like Tasmanian beers and past winners of Milan-San Remo, and quizzed him in true Talking Luft fashion.

Enjoy the listen guys!

Cheers,

Mitch

Chris Froome - The Man, The Myth, The Legend Feb 15, 2023

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by Rapha

Well, here we are back with one of our biggest episodes for the year! I'm really excited to bring this one to life - it's not every day that you get a chance to chat with one of the all-time greats of the sport. With seven Grand Tour wins to his name, including four Tour de France victories, he is indisputably one of the best cyclists of our era. I'm talking, of course, about the legend himself, Chris Froome. Just after the TDU in January, I sat down with Froomey to talk about his incredible career, and take a deep-dive into the tactics behind his impressive win in the 2018 Giro d'Italia.

I was really excited to get the chance to chat in depth with Froomey. He is, of course, a seven-timeGrand Tour winner, including four Tour de France wins, two Vuelta a Españawins, and one Giro d'Italia win - but his career has been plagued by rumours and unfair treatment, which I was really keen to discuss with him. And whatever your personal opinion of Froomey is, he's inarguably one of the greatest Grand Tour riders in modern cycling, and in my personal opinion, one of the greatest cyclists of all time.

He's also a great bloke, but it's a side to him that not many people get close enough to know. After so many years in the pro peloton, I knew Froomey a bit, and I also know him by reputation through a few close cycling friends that we share. Even though the guy is as professional and polished as they come, I knew from his reputation that there was also another side to him - he's not just Chris Froome the multiple Tour de France and Grand Tour winner, he's also a super nice guy, pretty quietly spoken and unassuming, and even a little bit badass at times (thanks to Daryl Impey for the background stories).

So for this episode, I was really keen to go behind the mask, to uncover that other side to the guy that seems almost superhuman, and sometimes so efficient that he's methodical and even a bit robotic in bike races. We chatted about how he got his start in cycling, and what it was like growing up riding a bike in Kenya. We delved into how he made the leap from Africa, to racing in Europe. And we really got stuck into chatting about that epic stage during the 2018 Giro d'Italia, where he tore the legs off everyone in the race (mine included), and absolutely dominated the fearsome Monte Zoncolan, to come from behind on the GC and take the Maglia Rosa and eventually the overall win. And of course, we spoke about the controversy that has plagued him throughout his incredibly successful career, and what it felt like to be booed, harassed, and even assaulted, day after day, on the already intensely difficult stages and climbs of the Tour de France.

I really loved sitting down with Froomey and hearing from the man himself. Learning more about the trajectory that his career took, and the unbelievable highs that he was able to reach, made for a really fascinating chat. I hope you enjoy getting to know the man, and not just the myth and the legend, as much as I did, and I hope it inspires you to look at this great champion in a new light.

...

Cheers,

Mitch

Image: courtesy of Graham Watson

Dr. Andre La Gerche - Time for Testing Feb 01, 2023

Rapha presents Life in the Peloton

How does exercise affect the heart, and what does that mean for elite athletes when they stop training? Is it true that you need to 'de-train' the heart when you retire? I head into the lab with Dr. Andre La Gerche to put my heart through its paces and get some answers.

If you're a regular listener to the pod, you might recall the episode around this time last year where I caught up with Sports Cardiologist Dr. Andre La Gerche, to learn more about how the heart functions in elite athletes. We went through the physiology of the changes that happen in elite athletes' hearts, and what some of the routine cardiac checks are looking for.

I first met Dr. Andre La Gerche while doing my UCI pre-season E.C.G testing with Team GreenEdge in 2013. Through his work as Head of Clinical Research at Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Dr. La Gerche has worked closely with numerous high-level athletes including many professional cyclists. He also has a 2h 29’ marathon to his name, which I think you’ll agree qualifies him as pretty athletically gifted himself!

During our last chat, I brought up the idea of repeating the cardiac testing one year on from retirement. I was really keen to discover what happens to a trained heart when - like I did just over a year ago - you retire. Would my heart simply go back to normal? Or is it true that a pro athlete needs to ‘de-train’ their heart?

So here we are, one year on. I was a little apprehensive about lining up and putting myself through the pain of this testing now that I'm no longer pro. But, in the name of research, and a good pod, I put my heart through its paces with a host of tests including a fasting dexa scan, blood tests, a resting E.C.G electrocardiagram, a Vo2 Max test, and a supine cardiac MRI while pedalling, which checks for scarring of the heart.

For the episode, we studies the test results, and had a fascinating chat that delved into the changes that have occurred in my heart since retiring, and drew some comparisons between myself and other pro cyclists, as well as the average healthy person of the same age, and other changes that have occured now that the intense stress of training has been removed from my body for the first time in 20 years.

Dr. La Gerche’s incredible knowledge of the workings of the heart in an athlete, and his insight as a keen athlete himself, made it a really fascinating chat for me, we covered many more topics around the heart and exercise which answered a lot of burning questions. So sit back and enjoy the listen, and I hope you learn a thing or two along the way (like me!)

Cheers,

Mitch

Talking Luft! With Tom Southam & Mitch Docker, feat. Phil Liggett and Matt Goss. Jan 25, 2023

Rapha presents Talking Luft!

Well, it’s the first episode of Talking Luft for the year, and I’ve got something a little bit different for you first up! We’ve kicked off with a recap of our live daily pods from last week’s TDU, as presented at the Rapha pop-up in the race village.

At Tour Down Under, I presented a live daily wrap-up of all the race action, in The Race Communique with my friend and Sports Director Tom Southam. We also chatted with a few special guests, including the legend himself Phil Liggett and caught up with my old mate Matt Goss.

I hope you have a few laughs and enjoy listening along to all the TDU action as much as I enjoyed recording these. And a heads up – don’t miss Phil’s phantom Paris-Roubaix call, where I make it to the finish in a three-up sprint against Luke Durbridge and Tom Boonen and get to live out my dream of winning the Hell of the North.

I want to say a big thanks to all of you out there for getting back on board with Life in the Peloton and Talking Luft this year! It’s great to be back, and I can’t wait to bring all our ideas to life for all of you listening along out there in 2023. Thanks for all the feedback so far, and most importantly for wearing your LITP caps with lots of Luft!

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series of the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

Listen to the Rat to Radelaide episode here.

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This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the world's largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

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Life in the Peloton’s Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show.

I grew up watching those highlights and the music became part of my childhood. When I set out to create Life in the Peloton I knew that theme song was what would set the scene and capture the essence of Life in the Peloton.

Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

The Rat to Radelaide Jan 18, 2023

Rapha presents Life in the Peloton!

We are back for the first episode of 2023, and I’ve kicked off the new year in much the same way I finished 2022 – with a cross-border bike packing trip across Australia! This time, it’s The Rat to Radelaide.

If you’re picking up on the vibe that I’m loving these trips, you would be right. My Road to the Worlds trip really ignited a passion for this style of riding, and I love taking you along for the journey to show you what it’s like out there, in the hope it will encourage you to explore some of the incredible places in your own backyard by bike.

Inspired by my September trip, I set out to design the ultimate journey to fill the week-long gap between the Australian National Road Championships in Ballarat, and the Tour Down Under in Adelaide – and so the Rat to Radelaide was born - the journey across.

The idea was to replicate the spirit of The Road to the Worlds, but this time, to share the experience, with all its inevitable highs and the lows, with a select group of riders. Putting together the perfect group was difficult – we didn’t necessarily need to know each other, but we’d need to be able to mesh quickly, and work well together over five long, hard days of up to nine hours in the saddle.

While the group selection was hard, in the end, the dynamic between the six riders on the trip is what really made the journey what it was. I was joined by road cyclist Peta Mullens, gravel specialist Ella Bloor, bike packing enthusiast and current pro Lachlan Morton, Aussie cyclo-cross champion and road cyclist Tommy Chapman, and the renowned cycling journalist Rupert Guinness. It was the perfect group, with lots of bonding, no blow-ups, and the ideal blend of experience, humbleness, energy, and determination to make it across to Adelaide.

We didn’t take the easiest or the most direct route, instead, it was selected to take us through the heart of Australia, to places that we’d never seen before and give us a taste of the real Aussie outback. I’ll admit my route selection was unpopular at times, and on some particularly long days, it would’ve been nice to cut a few corners or jump on the highway instead of the dirt. But all in all, the route was incredible, and seeing the outback of Australia and experiencing the harshness of it for what it is – the heat, the red dirt, the country bakeries, and classic outback pubs – was everything I had hoped for.

I hope you enjoy following along on our journey across The Rat to Radelaide, and I hope it inspires you to get out there and explore for yourself. Remember, trips like these don’t need to be epic or punishing, they don’t even need to be all that long, but seeing the country by bike is an unforgettable experience that I highly recommend you try for yourself.

Cheers,

Mitch

Talking Luft! with Luke Rowe Oct 12, 2022

Rapha presents Talking Luft!

Well it’s the last episode of Talking Luft for the year, and I’ve got veteran of the peloton and actually one of my first ever podcast guests from way back in 2016 back on the pod. I’m chatting with Welshman from Team Ineos, Luke Rowe.

We sat down while he was in Australia for the Worlds, and got talking all the good stuff – kit, caps, mullets, the best of riders and teams, roommates on race, coffee stops, the good and bad of racing, plus a whole lot more.

It was great to hear more about what makes Rowey tick. I hope you enjoy the chat.

I want to say a big thanks to all of you out there for listening this year, for sending in your feedback, for getting involved with Life in the Peloton and most importantly for wearing your LITP caps with lots of Luft! It’s been fantastic to speak to so many diverse guests this year, to have a laugh and I hope you’ve enjoyed this season as much as I have recording it.

Until next year, put your feet up and enjoy the off season like the pros

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

Listen to my original episode with Luke Rowe on Life in the Peloton back in 2016 here.

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Merch

Talking Luft, Official LITP & Paris Roubaix casquettes are back in stock. Shop now!

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Life in the Peloton’s Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show.

I grew up watching those highlights and the music became part of my childhood. When I set out to create Life in the Peloton I knew that theme song was what would set the scene and capture the essence of Life in the Peloton.

Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

My Road to the Worlds - On-Road with Mitch Docker Oct 05, 2022

Rapha presents Life in the Peloton!

Well, here we are, it’s the last pod of the year and I’ve got a bumper one for you! As you’ll know the UCI World Road Race Championships were held in Australia this year, and I made the 1,250km trip from my home in Lancefield, near Melbourne, to the race in Wollongong by bike, and I documented the trip for the pod.

I gave myself five days for the trip, which meant I was doing big days on the bike, but without any ridiculous pressure, and it turned out to be an amazing pilgrimage through my own backyard here in Australia.

Australia is a huge country that I’ve been away from for my whole career. I’d never ridden this route before, so I based my plans around staying and visiting some well-known pub stops and trying to catch up with other cyclists and friends, and anyone else I could find to have a cleansing ale and a chin wag with along the way.

Sure, the riding got hard at times, but it really was an incredible experience to meet so many people, soak up the culture, and discover communities in Australia that I’ve never had the chance to meet before.

I’ve got so many of these amazing characters on the pod, from keen cyclists to landlords wondering what the mad guy in pink lycra was doing in their pub! I spoke to locals who were bike racers, and to locals who had no idea what the Cycling World Championships were, let alone who Wout Van Aert was.

Overall it was an amazing experience. I had a blast in Australia, and I learned a lot about local cycling cultures and everything else along the way. I loved the time on the bike, both alone and with the company I picked up on the route, and I hope that comes across in the pod.

I also hope that it can even inspire you guys to go and plan a trip yourselves. Remember, it doesn’t need to be epic or for the fastest known time, it can be whatever you want; just get out there and do your own fun trips; have fun on the bike, visit some pubs (of course), meet great people and get out and ride!

I want to say a big thanks to everyone who met me out on the road, gave me a tow, a beer or stopped to chat. Thanks to Tim, Gene, Pykey, Neil, Tom, Jordan, Chris and Stu, Tas, Ryan, Avie, Matilda, Lila and Lou, Kelly, Tom, Hans & Malia, Ben, Jay & Randy, Greg, Jamie, Murray, Shane, Kev & Erin, Gavin, Sam & Talia, Dave, Dan, Chris, Kirk, Tom, Sinna, Frano & the whole Rapha Cycle Club peloton.

This is the last Life in the Peloton episode for 2022, as we take a break for the cycling off season and get ready for another great podcast season next year.

Stay tuned for our final Talking Luft of 2022 with Luke Rowe next week!

Cheers,
Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

This episode is proudly sponsored by Restrap – Yorkshire based makers of top quality, handmade and sustainable bike packing accessories. Hear my setup on the pod.

Use the discount code PELO10 or PELOTON10 for 10% off your next order.

This episode is proudly sponsored by QUADLOCK . Their phone mount was crucial to keeping me on track and connected to you all on this trip. Check out their fantastic range of phone mounts for your bike or every kind of activity out there!

. . .

Check out photos from the trip below or head to the Life in the Peloton Instagram story highlights for more pictures and videos from the trip.

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Merch

Talking Luft and Official LITP casquettes are back in stock. Shop now!

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Life in the Peloton’s Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show.

I grew up watching those highlights and the music became part of my childhood. When I set out to create Life in the Peloton I knew that theme song was what would set the scene and capture the essence of Life in the Peloton.

Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

Talking Luft! with Dylan Van Baarle Sep 28, 2022

You all know my love for Paris Roubaix, and in that sense I have some cycling royalty on the pod for you this week. Chatting with none other than the man who conquered this year's Hell of the North, Paris Roubaix winner, Dylan Van Baarle.

I was keen to hear a bit about Dylan and what makes him tick on and off the bike so I sat down with him while he was in Australia for the UCI Road Worlds and got Talking Luft!

Pro kit style, Oreo rice cakes, coffee shop stops, his favourite seat on the bus, the riders who inspire him, best & worst roommates, Netflix on race and a whole lot more!

This was a bit of fun. Enjoy this listen and stay tuned next week for my final LITP episode of the season, On Road with me to the Worlds.

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube, on the Life in the Peloton website, or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Merch

Talking Luft and Official LITP casquettes are back in stock. Shop now!

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Life in the Peloton’s Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show.

I grew up watching those highlights and the music became part of my childhood. When I set out to create Life in the Peloton I knew that theme song was what would set the scene and capture the essence of Life in the Peloton.

Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

Lael Wilcox - The best of the best in Ultra Endurance Cycling Sep 21, 2022

Rapha presents Life in the Peloton!

Lael Wilcox is an American Ultra-distance cyclist and one of the absolute legends of the discipline. She is the record holder for some of the sport’s most famous races, such as the 2,475 mile Tour Divide and the 4,400 mile Trans Am Bike Race (If you don’t fancy the math – that’s roughly 4000km and 7000km!) - and that's against both men and women.

...

Ultra-distance racing is an intriguing and new side of cycling that I have only started to discover in the last couple of years. Lael was the perfect person to explain and dive into the interesting ins and outs of this kind of racing.

Having originally taken up cycling to get to work, she found her way into long-distance riding by pure accident, and within a year was already competing in her first 400-mile (640km) event! Since taking on that first challenge in her native Alaska, Lael began travelling the world and competing in other Ultra events. In almost no time at all, she was breaking records.

Lael explained perfectly how the sport works, and the key differences between the types of events, either supported or self-supported.

We had a great laugh at some of the stories from Lael’s many adventures and we went into the details of how she manages her equipment, her preparation, and even what she prefers to listen to on those long nights alone on the bike.

I also wanted to know what makes Lael, and so many other women excel at Ultra-distance races. It was really interesting to hear her take on why women are so competitive and to hear her recount her excitement when she first started overtaking the men (passing them while they slept in hotels on the route, and then sleeping under a hedge for two hours to drop them all the next morning!)

This chat also came at a great time for me, as I was in my final preparations for my own long-distance adventure riding 1,250km from my home in Lancefield, just outside of Melbourne, to the Road World Championships in Wollongong in five days. (Stay tuned for my On the Road to the Worlds episode in 2 weeks time).

For now though, sit back, relax and enjoy this one. Lael was a fantastic person to chat all things Ultra-distance and more and I really enjoyed recording this one.

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

Check out more of Lael’s adventures:

Tour Divide – Rapha Gone Racing – https://www.rapha.cc/es/en/stories/lael-wilcox

Arizona Trail 2022 – https://youtu.be/4HOk0MmgFwE

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Merch

Talking Luft and Official LITP casquettes are back in stock. Shop now!

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Talking Luft at the Vuelta! Fred Wright, Daryl Impey, Luke Plapp & Luke Durbridge Sep 14, 2022

Rapha presents Talking Luft!

Well, the Vuelta a España has come to an end, but I managed to sneak in some time to get talking luft with the pros on race.

And I’ve got a fresh batch of Vuelta-themed questions as we chat the hilarious intricacies of the Vuelta and Grand Tour racing.

I caught up with Fred Wright, Daryl Impey, Luke Plapp and podcast favourite Luke Durbridge and asked them about cap style, racing in the rain vs. heat, their art of getting bottles from the car, grand tour saddle sores, some hilarious on-race scenarios and much more!

This was a great laugh as always and I hope you enjoy the listen as much as I did.

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Merch

Talking Luft and Official LITP casquettes are back in stock. Shop now!

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Inside La Vuelta a España 2022 - Fred Wright, Daryl Impey, Luke Durbridge & Luke Plapp Sep 07, 2022

Rapha presents Life in the Peloton!

The Vuelta a España is one of the 3 grand tours and it can slip under the radar after the hype of the Tour de France, but I can tell you first hand from a rider’s perspective it certainly is no easy feat.

It’s a notoriously tough old lap of Spain, raced in September towards the end of the season and known for its steep climbs and soaring temperatures. But in saying that, there are moments where the stress levels are lower than other grand tours and you can actually enjoy yourself. And that is why I loved it, it was my favourite race, behind Roubaix of course.

Naturally, I was keen to get some insight into this year’s Vuelta from the pros themselves – to hear about what looks to be one of the toughest Vuelta’s yet, how racing has changed from previous years and also how the battle for the points system is shaping racing this year.

I thought, what better way than to chat to all ends of the peloton. On the third rest day I spoke with Fred Wright, current UK professional with Bahrain-Victorious, riding his 4th Grand Tour at 23 years of age and in fantastic form.

Then I hear from long time pro, Daryl Impey in his 15th year pro, now racing with Israel Premier-Tech with 11 GTs under his belt.

And, of course, I had to speak to fan favourite Luke Durbridge, who is a GT veteran having ridden 13 GT’s in his 11 years pro with Bike Exchange-Jayco, but ironically this is his first Vuelta.

And finally, I wanted to hear from a newbie to grand tours, Luke Plapp. He’s current Australian Road Champion, 21 years of age and in his first year pro with Ineos Grenadiers, how is he finding the step into 21 day stage racing?

I tell you it was a laugh to hear their brutal honesty, especially being 2 weeks in and so close to the finish line.

Jump back into the world tour peloton with me for the last week of grand tour racing this season, I hope you enjoy the insight.

Stay tuned next week as I take Talking Luft on race with the pros at the Vuelta.

Cheers,

Mitch

Photo: Chris Auld

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Merch

Talking Luft and Official LITP casquettes are back in stock. Shop now!

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Talking Luft! with Holly Harris Aug 31, 2022

Rapha presents Talking Luft!

Holly Harris is an Australian Mountain Bike and Gravel racer, who I paired up with last week at the Reef to Reef MTB epic.

I thought, what better way to get to know her than going straight for the hard hittingTalking Luft questions – style, rituals, training, bikes, and of course, beverages.

Naturally, we chat all things MTB and I hear about her favourite MTB and gravel trails around Armadale, we discuss the step up to 29 inch rim mountain bikes from 26, first cycling kits, social rides vs. hour of power, hunting QOMs, cycling heroes and a whole lot more.

This was a good laugh, I hope you enjoy the chat.

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Merch

Talking Luft and Official LITP casquettes are back in stock. Shop now!

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

On Race at Reef to Reef MTB with Holly Harris Aug 24, 2022

Rapha presents Life in the Peloton!

It's no secret I'm a newbie on the MTB scene. Having raced on the road for 14 years I'm still finding my footing out on the trails. But I'm a firm believer that you learn by doing, and this year I have loved the challenge of getting out and competing in local events.

Over the weekend I took part in the Reef to Reef - a 4 day mountain bike stage race on the Tropical North East coast of Australia. It's one of the 3 'epic series' in Australia and I thought it would be a great challenge to tackle. But also a bit of fun to enter as part of a team.

I knew I needed someone with a little more experience than me, so I signed up for the mixed pairs event with 6 x Australian MTB & Gravel Champion Holly Harris.

I'd never raced with Holly before, or a four day MTB event for that matter, but that was all part of the fun and challenge - and I thought, whether we pull it off or not, it would be great to take you guys with us.

I wanted to capture the fantastic atmosphere of the 4 day event, give you guys a little bit of insight into the race and especially mixed pairs racing. But also to learn a little more about Holly, her career - getting so close to Commonwealth Games selection and how she tackles these events. I can tell you she taught me a thing or two!

I hope you enjoy the insight, as you'll hear it was a lot of fun with a bit of hard work in between.

Stay tuned next week for a special MTB edition of Talking Luft with Holly Harris!

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Merch

Talking Luft and Official LITP casquettes are back in stock. Shop now!

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Talking Luft! with Mark O’Brien Aug 17, 2022

Rapha presents Talking Luft!

I had Australian Mark O’Brien on the pod last week – ex-pro and now coach, giving all the insights on Strava and using it in training.

As you would have heard he’s fantastic to chat to, so I thought it would be great to sit down with him to talk a bit of cycling lifestyle this week on Talking Luft.

Over a cold Orval beer we chat all the good stuff – caps, beer, shaving your legs post career, wearing old pro kit vs. new wave kit, training loops around North Melbourne, beer v. wine, a war story of biting off more than you can chew in the Alps & much more.

This was a laugh, and I hope you enjoy the listen.

Stay tuned next week as I take you on-race at the 4 day, Reef to Reef MTB stage race up in Tropical North Queensland, Australia.

Until then.. cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Merch

Talking Luft casquettes are back! Shop now.

Get ready for next year’s cobbles with our Paris-Roubaix Cap. Jump over to our online shop to grab one.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Strava: Tool or Toy? - George Bennett, Jay Vine & Mark O’brien Aug 10, 2022

Rapha presents Life in the Peloton!

Strava, the social networking app that tracks physical activity, has become a phenomenon in the cycling world, with ‘taking Segments‘ and ‘giving Kudos‘ becoming part of everyday cycling chat.

Strava was something that I completely ignored as a professional. It didn’t exist when I was a young rider, and as I already uploaded my training for my coach and my team, and I raced people for a living, I just wasn’t interested in another way to be competitive or to measure my work.

This all changed when I retired, and I’ve found myself not only pretty active on Stravabut also really interested in how people use it.

For this episode, I thought I’d try to break right down what Strava is, how it works, how people use it and why. I wanted to understand it better and I also find out what the guys in the pro peloton currently think about it.

I started with my old mate Mark O’Brien who, post-career, has become a self-confessed ‘KOM hunter’ in Melbourne. Mark is also a coach and was great at breaking down the nuts and bolts of how it all works and why so many people enjoy using it.

I also spoke to two current professional cyclists, who I thought would have interesting point of views on Strava.

The first was Jay Vine. To me, Jay seems like a poster boy for the Strava generation. Even before he was a pro Jay had a reputation built on taking some pretty famous KOMs around Girona, and as he admits himself he has never known cycling without Strava being a part of it. Jay spoke about how he used Strava to help his career, how he now thinks about some of his famous KOMs and his current use of Strava in training.

For a different take, I also spoke to George Bennett. George has been a pro for twelve years, and he really comes from the old school of bike racing. He also, like myself, always considered race results to be the ‘real’ measure of ability and not just a time on an online leaderboard. But even George, it turns out, is a fan of Strava. I picked his brains about what he likes about it and what benefits he sees from using it alongside his training and life as a pro.

I enjoy using Strava these days and I know a lot of cyclists of all abilities do too. I found it fascinating to open my eyes up a bit more about it, and I hope you guys all get something from it too!

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Merch

The last of our T-shirt collab with Çois Cycling for the Tour de France are available online! Shop now exclusively at coiscycling.com

Talking Luft casquettes: The first release of our new Talking Luft cap has now sold out. Stay tuned for the next drop this week.

Get ready for next year’s cobbles with our Paris-Roubaix Cap. Jump over to our online shop to grab one.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Talking Luft! with Lizzy Banks Aug 03, 2022

Rapha presents Talking Luft!

Talking Luft is back for another week of cycling style, culture, rituals & bit of life off the bike.

Following on from my Tour de France Femmes episode last week, I sat down with a teammate of theirs, British rider for EF Education Tibco SVB, Lizzy Banks.

And this was one hilarious chat. As you’ll hear Lizzy was a laugh to chat to and had some fantastic stories to tell.

We chat caps, bucket hats, aero hair styles, kit style, rice vs. pasta, race breakfasts, the best of curries, best & worst moments in a race, unplugging on the bike and, a first for the podcast – a war story that ends in victory!

All that, plus a whole lot more.

This was a great laugh and I hope you enjoy the listen.

Stay tuned next week for my ‘Ultimate Strava’ episode as I unpack everything Strava with George Bennett, Mark O’Brien and Jay Vine.

Cheers,

Mitch

Photo: Ashley & Jered Gruber

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Merch

The last of our T-shirt collab with Çois Cycling for the Tour de France are available online! Shop now exclusively at coiscycling.com

Talking Luft casquettes: The first release of our new Talking Luft cap has now sold out. Stay tuned for the next drop in the coming weeks.

Loved the Roubaix stage at the tour? Get ready for next year’s cobbles with our Paris-Roubaix Cap. Jump over to our online shop to grab one.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Tour de France Femmes - Kathrin Hammes, Krista Doebel-Hickok & Letizia Borghesi Jul 27, 2022

Rapha presents Life in the Peloton!

Photo: Twila Muzzi

It’s finally time for the women to take on the Tour de France. It’s a huge deal that the Tour is finally back on the calendar for the women, and as I wasn’t able to be on-race, I thought what better way to get the inside word than talking to some of the participants from this year’s edition.

On the eve of the race, I was lucky enough to talk to three of the women competing for EF Education Tibco SBV, Kathrin Hammes from Germany, Krista Doebel-Hickok from the US, and the team’s Italian rider Letizia Borghesi.

I think the growth of racing on the women’s side of the sport is fantastic. It’s no secret that women’s cycling is playing catch up with the men’s in terms of the budgets and races. I spoke to Kathrin, Krista and Letizia about how they look back at the pioneering women who came before them and also how it feels to now be in a position to be a part of the growth of women’s professional cycling.

All three of them have interesting stories of how they came to the sport, and talking to them opened my eyes to the fact that until very recently female athletes didn’t really consider that there was a career to be made in cycling. I very much got the sense that passion is more than the profession and that is perhaps an interesting distinction that explains a few differences between the men’s and women’s pelotons.

Of course, we also delved a little deeper into the nuts and bolts of the Tour de France Femmes itself and along with looking at the details of the course, we also spoke about what the team is hoping for from the eight days of racing across France.

I found it a really insightful chat, and I wish all the women racing the best of luck for the Tour.

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Merch

The last of our T-shirt collab with Çois Cycling for the Tour de France are available online! Shop now exclusively at coiscycling.com

Talking Luft casquettes: The first release of our new Talking Luft cap has now sold out. Stay tuned for the next drop in the coming weeks.

Loved the Roubaix stage at the tour? Get ready for next year’s cobbles with our Paris-Roubaix Cap. Jump over to our online shop to grab one.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Talking Luft! at the Tour de France Jul 20, 2022

Rapha presents Talking Luft!

We had a special Tour de France episode last week, taking you backstage at the race, and this week we have a special Tour de France Talking Luft.

While speaking to several pros about the race I snuck in some cheeky Talking Luft questions, which were a bit of a curveball for a few of them but great fun hearing their answers.

This episode is packed full of riders at the race as I hear about cap style, favourite beverages, post race rituals, crosswinds v. mountains, race food, favourite riders, the best and worst parts of a race, how to wear kit, coffee, cheat meals & so much more.

I chat to: Mads Pedersen (Trek Segafredo), Marco Haller (Bora Hansgrohe), Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar), Nick Schultz (Team Bike Exchange), Pierre Rolland , Adam Yates (Team Ineos), Taco Van der Hoorn (Intermarché-Wanty), Connor Swift (Arkéa-Samsic), Michael Mørkøv (QuickStep Alpha-Vinyl), Mike Woods(Israel Premier-Tech), Toms Skujinš (Trek Segafredo), George Bennett (UAE Team Emirates), Neilson Powless (EF Education First) & John Degenkolb(Team DSM).

This was a good bit of fun to have with the riders and I hope you enjoy the listen.

And enjoy the final week of the men’s Tour de France! I’ve got a great Tour de France Femmes episode coming up next week.

Don’t forget to get your hands on one of our limited edition T-shirts in collaboration with Çois Cycling. Our Copenhagen to Paris: The Road Less Travelled T-shirt, the perfect momento of this year’s Tour. Shop exclusively at coiscycling.com.

Until next week..

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Merch

The last of our T-shirt collab with Çois Cycling for the Tour de France are still available! Shop now exclusively at coiscycling.com

Talking Luft casquettes: The first release of our new Talking Luft cap has now sold out. Stay tuned for the next drop in the coming weeks.

Loved the Roubaix stage at the tour? Get ready for next year’s cobbles with our Paris-Roubaix Cap. Jump over to our online shop to grab one.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Backstage at the Tour de France 2022 - Mitch Docker & the peloton Jul 13, 2022

Rapha presents Life in the Peloton!

The Tour de France is a beast! A beautiful beast. It is the biggest annual sporting event in the world. Cycling fan or not, everyone knows about the Tour de France.

When I was a professional it was obviously a marked goal for all the guys in the peloton. An achievement to simply get to the start line.
Although never having ridden the Tourmyself, the last couple of years I have been able to to visit the race from the inside – as a journalist with media eyes on.

Working with my old mates from The Cycling Podcast last year and over these first 7 days of the Tour de France 2022 I have been able to absorb the energy the Tour gives to everyone who is a part of it.
I wanted to try to take you, as listeners, backstage. To speak to as many different people around the start and finish lines as I could. To try to paint the whole picture for you – that, even if you’ve never been on the sidelines, allows you to understand why so many people want to flock to witness this race pass by.

But most of all, I wanted take you inside the red tape, into the paddock with the buses, on course at the start/finish line, up close and personal to chat to riders and staff to hear what their experiences are from day to day travelling on tour.

Join me as I make my way through the first week of the Tour de France 2022 – from the Grand Depart in Denmark, to the cobbles of Roubaix and then to the first mountain climbs of the race.

It’s an episode jam-packed with guests and I hope you feel like you’re right there at Le Tour with me!

Big thanks to all those who gave me their time and insight while on the busy race:

Gregory Rast (DS Trek Segafredo), Simon Geschke (Cofidis), Mat Hayman (Team BikeExchange), Luke Durbridge (Team BikeExchange), Nick Schultz (Team BikeExchange), Neil Stephens (DS UAE Team Emirates), Matti Breschel (DS EF Education First), Simon Clarke (Israel Premier Tech), Zak Dempster (Israel Premier Tech), Michael Rasmussen (Retired Pro), Bradley Wiggins (Retired Pro), Raj (Mechanic EF Education First), Chris Hamilton (Team DSM), Brett Lancaster(DS Team Ineos), Dylan Van Baarle (Team Ineos), Owain Doull (EF Education First), Bernie Eisel (Ex Pro/Commentator/DS), Michael Woods (Israel Premier Tech), Ben O’Connor (Team AG2R Citroen), Carlos Verona (Team Movistar), JJ (Mechanic EF Education First), Tom Cools (Çois Cycling), Matt Stephens (Commentator), Luka Mezgec (Team BikeExchange), Mads Pedersen (Trek Segafredo), Richard Spink (Physio Team BikeExchange), Michael Matthews (Team BikeExchange) & the amazing fans that I met along the way!

Stay tuned next week for an extra special Talking Luft, with the riders of the Tour de France.

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Merch

Our Tshirt collab with Çois Cycling for the Tour de France is now live! Shop exclusively at coiscycling.com

Our first release of our new Talking Luft cap has now sold out. Stay tuned for the next drop in the coming weeks.

Loved the Roubaix stage at the tour? Get ready for next year’s cobbles with our Paris-Roubaix Cap. Jump over to our online shop to grab one.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Talking Luft! with Steve Cummings Jul 06, 2022

Rapha presents Talking Luft!

I had the breakaway specialists on the podcast last week talking all the nitty gritty details about the theory of the breakaway. And this week I couldn't resist talking some luft with British former pro & breakaway master and current Sports Director for Team Ineos, Steve Cummings.

In case you’re not familiar with Steve, he raced professional for 14 years, winning stages in the Tour de France & Vuelta a España among many others successes and made a name for himself for getting in and succeeding in breakaways.

He’s a legend of a bloke as you’ll hear and we sit back and chat all the great Talking Luft topics.

We chat cap style, racing with no helmets, 500 quid bike finds, favourite races & riders, training loops & rituals, his DJ name and an epic war story in true Stevo style from the Tour de France. That and a whole lot more.

Enjoy this one guys!

And stay tuned over the next couple of days for the release of our exciting Tour de France inspired T-shirt with Çois Cycling. We hope you love it as much as we do! They will be available exclusively at coiscycling.com.

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

Check out Steve’s two Tour de France breakaway stage wins, 2015 here and 2016 here.

Check out Stevo’s most re-watchable race: Chris Froome taking the win at 2018 Giro d’Italia Stage 19

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Merch

We have an exciting new Tshirt collaboration with Çois Cycling coming up for the Tour de France. Stay tuned to our Instagram and website in the next days for the drop! You will be able to shop exclusively at coiscycling.com

SOLD OUT! Our first release of our new Talking Luft cap has now sold out. Stay tuned for the next drop in the coming months.

Paris-Roubaix Caps. Get your cap to wear at the Roubaix stage of the Tour de France now! Jump over to our online shop to grab one.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

The Breakaway Theory - Taco van der Hoorn, Steve Cummings, Tim Declercq & Ben Healy Jun 30, 2022

Rapha presents Life in the Peloton!

Have you ever wondered why riders attack off the front? Why do they form breakaways? Is it just for the TV cameras or is it actually a race-winning tactic?

The Tour de France is upon us and you’re almost guaranteed to see a daily breakaway.

It’s historically how a pro cycling race is run: the first 50km is riders attacking off the front – trying to form a breakaway, the breakaway goes, gets several minutes ahead, then the peloton chases them back for the final sprint.

But why go to all this effort? And is it really that straight forward?

Who controls how close the peloton gets? Is it the breakaway, or the peloton? Or even the team directors? And is it really that easy to just ride off the front of the peloton in the first place?

There’s so much more to breakaways than meets the eye, and I was keen to dive into this essential part of racing with some of the true specialists in the peloton.

In this episode I speak to two masters of the breakaway: Dutchman Taco van der Hoorn (Team Intermarché Wanty Gobert) – the modern-day breakaway artist, and Steve Cummings (DS at Team Ineos Grenadiers) – the British breakaway Veteran, (who won two Tour de France stages from the break) to hear their perspective on the art of the breakaway.

I also chat to Neo-Pro Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) for a newcomer’s perspective on pro peloton breakaways.

And finally, I couldn’t forget the other side of a breakaway – the chase. I speak to arguably the best controller of breakaways in this generation, Belgian Tim Declercq (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl), or The Tractor, as he’s known.

All these guys had a different take on the art of the breakaway, but one thing’s for sure – they are breakaway specialists.

I absolutely loved this chat & hope you gain as much insight as I did into what’s really happening in the minds of the riders racing full gas to get away from the peloton.

I hope you also enjoy hearing from special guest, Sam Bewley who helps me introduce the episode.

Stay tuned next week for Talking Luft with Steve Cummings and be sure to tune in to The Cycling Podcast next week as I cover the Tour de France with them daily.

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

Check out Taco’s win from the breakaway at Bink Bank Tour here and the Giro d’Italia here.

Check out Steve’s two Tour de France breakaway stage wins, 2015 here and 2016 here.

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Merch

We have an exciting new Tshirt collaboration with Çois Cycling coming up for the Tour de France. Stay tuned to our socials for the drop next week!

SOLD OUT! Our first release of our new Talking Luft cap has now sold out. Stay tuned for the next drop in the coming months.

Paris-Roubaix Caps. Get your cap to wear at the Roubaix stage of the Tour de France now! Jump over to our online shop to grab one.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Subscribe

Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.

Talking Luft! with Simon Gerrans.S3.E12 Jun 22, 2022

Rapha presents Talking Luft!

This week I’ve got Aussie former professional cyclist, and commentator Simon Gerrans on Talking Luft – brother to Andy Gerrans, Pro team Osteopath, who I had on the podcast last week talking about life as a staff member on a World Tour team.

For those not familiar with Simon, he had a hugely successful 14 year career – winning stages in all 3 Grand Tours as well as wearing the Yellow Jersey at the Tour de France and taking out multiple one day classics such a Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Milan-San Remo.

Simon’s no stranger to the podcast, I had him on for an in-depth chat about his career way back in 2017, when he was in his 13th year pro. Head back and listen to that to hear more about Simon.

But for now, we’re Talking Luft.

We chat caps & where Luft originated from. We get into the serious stuff like shaving legs post retirement, old team kit, Gravel bikes, the atmosphere at Amstel Gold Race, cyclocross racers, Fassa Bortolo kit, a Vuelta war story, the epic 2006 Tour de France and so much more!

Gerro’s so easy to chat to, and always has a great story to tell. I hope you love the listen as much as I did.

Stay tuned next week for an episode dedicated to the art of breakaway – the Breakaway Theory with Taco Van der Hoorn, Steve Cummings, Ben Healy and Tim DeClercq.

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

In case you missed my previous episode with Simon Gerrans – Making of a Champion, back in 2017 you can listen here:

https://lifeinthepeloton.com/2017/01/31/simon-gerrans-making-of-a-champion/

Or search on your favourite podcast app.

…

Check out Simon’s most re-watchable race:

Stage 11 – 2006 Tour de France:

https://youtu.be/7thnSqvd9CY

. . .

Episode breakdown:

0:00min to 1:25mins – Snippet from last week’s episode with Andy Gerrans – Behind the scenes: Working in a Pro Cycling Team

1:25 to 3:15min – Intro

3:15min to end – Talking Luft with Simon Gerrans

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Merch

NEW! Get your hands on our fresh new Talking Luft cap. The last of our first release are still available in our shop.

Paris-Roubaix Caps are back in stock. Get your cap collection growing – jump over to our online shop to grab one now.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

Subscribe

Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.

Andrew Gerrans - Behind the Scenes: Working in a Pro Cycling Team Jun 15, 2022

Rapha presents Life in the Peloton!

Have you ever wondered how you get a job on a Pro Cycling Team as a staff member? Or who the people are who work behind the scenes? What qualifications do they have? What is a Soigneur compared to a Physiotherapist or to an Osteopath?

Well I sat down with Andrew Gerrans, or Andy as I know him, the brother to well-known retired pro cyclist Simon Gerrans.

Andy is a veteran in the cycling world, not as a cyclist, but as an Osteopath.

He’s worked in pro teams for more than 10 years, and like all the other staff, can be a jack of all trades at times, moulding into the routine and getting the job done, often outside of his trained skill set, on the rigorous day to day grind of World Tour racing.

But his path into the World Tour wasn’t as straight forward as you might think and I was keen to hear how he eventually came to work in cycling & ask him about keeping a job in the sport and the day to day life of a pro team staff member.

After a few brief periods trying a job in cycling while studying Osteo in 2005, Andy decided to take the more ‘traditional pathway’ for a university graduate and set up his own practice in his hometown of Mansfield in country Victoria, Australia.

In 2013, realising he was looking for more, he sold his practice and took off on a soul-searching backpacking trip around the world. While visiting his brother, Simon, in Europe in June, he was asked to put his Osteo skills to good use and help him prepare for the upcoming Tour de France. It turned out GreenEdge was also looking for a therapist to join them for the month of July. And then in August… And September. And soon Andy’s solo trip was cut short.

Andy is now working with Israel Premier Tech after a long stint at GreenEdge and has not only made a life for himself as a World Tour Osteopath living in Europe but, very much like his older brother, an impressive reputation within the world we call top level cycling.

I knew it would be great to have Andy on the podcast to give some perspective into what it’s like working for a World Tour team, & hear the ins and outs of finding (& keeping) a job in the sport. It was great hearing his insight into just how differing and dynamic the staff roles are.

I hope you enjoy the chat.

Stay tuned next week for Talking Luft with Simon Gerrans!

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

Episode breakdown:

0:00min to 3:48mins – Intro

3:48 to 27:25min – Andy’s path into working in the World Tour

27:25 to 49:45min – Finding a job on a cycling team, the day to day & working with pro athletes

49:45min to end – Outro

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Merch

NEW! Our fresh new Talking Luft caps will be going live on our shop tomorrow, Thursday 16th June.

12:00 pm CEST Madrid, ES

11:00 am BST London, UK

20:00 pm AEST Melbourne, AUS

6:00 am EDT New York, USA

Paris-Roubaix Caps are back in stock. Get your cap collection growing – jump over to our online shop to grab one now.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

Subscribe

Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.

Talking Luft! with Cory Williams. S3.E11 Jun 08, 2022

Rapha presents Talking Luft!

I've got US crit racer & co-founder of L39ion of LA, Cory Williams, back on the pod for the good stuff - talking style, talking culture, talking all the best bits about riding & racing.

Casquette or no casquette? How does he wear his kit? Arm warmers & leg warmers? Gloves or no gloves? Speedsuit or jersey?

We chat all-day pre-race breakfasts, coffee orders, cheat meals, his favourite rider of all time & he throws his worst roommate under the bus.

Plus we reminisce on some iconic kits from the Cipollini days, iPod Shuffles, hanging out on race & so much more!

This was a fun chat, and I loved hearing more about Cory.

I hope you guys enjoy the listen!

And the news is out.. our fresh new Talking Luft caps will be going live next week. Subscribe to our mailing list to be the first in the know. And jump across to our Instagram for a sneak peek.

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

Episode breakdown:

0:00 to 3:00min - Intro

3:00 to 23:40min - Talking Luft with Cory Williams

23:40 to end - Outro

. . .

Keep up with Cory on Instagram @nationsnumber1beast

Find out more about L39ION of LA at l39ionla.com or on Instagram @l39ion.la

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Merch

NEW! Our fresh new Talking Luft caps will be going live next week. Subscribe to our mailing list to be the first in the know. And jump across to our Instagram for a sneak peek.

Paris-Roubaix Caps are back & available to shop. Get your cap collection growing – jump over to our online shop to grab one now.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

Subscribe

Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.

Cory Williams - L39ION of LA & changing the US cycling scene Jun 01, 2022

Rapha presents Life in the Peloton!

This week I’ve got a really cool guest for you on the pod, American Cory Williams. Hailing from South Central L.A. (and weighing in at 65 kilos…). Cory is a hugely successful racer and regular winner on the U.S. criterium scene, as well as a founder of the L39ION of Los Angeles racing team.

Growing up in a cycling-mad family (their father, Calman, competed internationally for Belize) Cory and his two brothers, Justin and CJ, spent their youth racing up to four criteriums a week in California.

The brothers soon recognised that traditional cycling races and media weren’t hitting the mark with an audience who were used to following faster-paced US sports like NFL & NBA. So, instead of just trying to follow the traditional pathways of cycling over in Europe, they set about trying to make the changes they wanted to see in their home country.

Starting off by strapping a Go-Pro to Cory’s helmet, and filming from inside action-packed criterium races, the brothers soon built a huge following online while also winning big on the road.

Since then, things have taken off, the brothers have been dominating the US crit scene, and L39ION of LA has grown to be one of the most popular teams on the planet. The team has one of the coolest kits and most unique vibes out there, and in 2021 through the ‘Into the Lion’s Den’ crit in Sacramento – started to get involved in organising events.

If you haven’t seen Cory’s videos, they are well worth checking out at nationsnumber1beast on YouTube – they are fun to watch, have some great insight and of course, they are filled with characters you’ll love to follow.

I had a great chat with Cory about his journey, from the early days of being an outsider – putting his lycra shorts on to go training after school in South Central LA, through his love of film and racing, to breaking down how his team dominate in the races they ride. We also spoke about his current plans to try to create a new race series in the US, as well as his famed love for Zwift.

I hope you enjoy the insight!

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

Episode breakdown:

0:00min to 2:45 – Intro to episode

2:45min to 5:53 – Cory’s path into cycling

5:53min to 29:43 – L39ION of LA & the US racing scene

29:43 to 31:55 – Talking Zwift, training in LA & the ethos of the team

31:55 to end – Outro

. . .

Keep up with Cory on Instagram @nationsnumber1beast

Find out more about L39ION of LA at l39ionla.com or on Instagram @l39ion.la

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Merch

Paris-Roubaix Caps are back & available to shop. Get your cap collection growing – jump over to our online shop to grab one now.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

Subscribe

Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.

Talking Luft! with Esteban Chaves.S3.E10 May 25, 2022

Rapha presents Talking Luft!

Talking Luft is back this week with the smiling assassin – Colombian Pro Cyclist Esteban Chaves, riding for EF Education First EasyPost.

I had him on the pod last week to hear his incredibly inspiring and tough story of how he got his start in the World Tour – coming back from a nasty crash – then eventually going on to win stages in the Giro and Vuelta and wearing leaders jerseys in both.

He's a seriously great guy and is loved both inside and out of the peloton for his inspiring character, his positive attitude and gratitude.

Plus he's also great for a laugh, and I absolutely knew he'd be awesome to get Talking some Luft with.

And he doesn’t disappoint. The guy’s got style!

How does he wear his cycling cap? ‘Pre-Race breakfast’ or normal breakfast? Favourite race food? How does he have his coffee? Favourite ever rider? Best & Worst part during a race? Where does he sit on the team bus?

And so much more!

This was a good bit of fun & I hope you enjoy hearing a little more about Chavito. I know I did.

Enjoy guys!

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

Episode breakdown:

0:00min to 1:05 – Snippet from my episode last week with Esteban Chaves – ‘The Power of Determination and Belief’

1:05min to 3:00 – Intro

3:00min to 29:10 – Talking Luft with Esteban

29:10 to end – Outro

. . .

Find out more about the Esteban Chaves Foundation at https://funchaves.org/en/

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Merch

Paris-Roubaix Caps are back & available to shop. Get your cap collection growing – jump over to our online shop to grab one now.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

Subscribe

Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.

Esteban Chaves - The Power of Determination & Belief May 18, 2022

Rapha presents Life in the Peloton!

Esteban Chaves was the first Colombian to win a monument at the Tour of Lombardy in 2016, he’s a podium finisher and multiple stage winner in both the Giro D'Italia and the Vuelta España.

Not only is he a hugely talented rider, but he’s an incredibly positive & inspiring guy. Off the bike, he runs the Esteban Chaves Foundation in Colombia, helping disadvantaged youth in his home country.

After eight years at GreenEdge, in 2022 he’s made the big change to join my team EF Education-EasyPost, and I thought what better time to reunite with him and chat about his incredible (& tough) story into the World Tour, the highs and lows of his career to date & his outlook through it all.

..(read more at lifeinthepeloton.com)..

He’s a hugely popular rider, both inside the peloton and out, and I know you’ll hear why in this episode. His positive attitude is infectious and he is a genuinely great guy to have a yarn with.

I hope you guys enjoy the chat and most of all his enthusiasm for cycling and life.

Stay tuned next week for our Talking Luft!

Cheers,
Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

Episode breakdown:

0:00min to 2:40 – Intro to the episode

2:40min to 29:45 – Esteban’s story – coming back from injury and entering the World Tour

29:45min to 36:00 – Esteban's Giro D'Italia stage wins & 2nd place on GC

36:00min to 41:23 – Staying with GreenEdge and moving to EF Education First-EasyPost in 2022

41:23min to end - Hearing about the Esteban Chaves Foundation

. . .

Find out more about the Esteban Chaves Foundation at https://funchaves.org/en/

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Merch

Paris-Roubaix Caps are back & available to shop. Get your cap collection growing – jump over to our online shop to grab one now.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

Subscribe

Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.

Talking Luft! with Joe Dombrowski. S3.E9 May 11, 2022

Rapha presents Talking Luft!

Arm warmers over or under sleeves? Gloves or no gloves? Glasses over or under helmet straps?

After our Giro episode last week I've got American pro, Joe Dombrowski back on the pod and this week we're Talking some Luft. 2.0 to be exact.

Talking Luft 2.0 is always a bit of fun, and I ask him questions about the little intricacies of style in the pro peloton.

We talk the evolution of aero jerseys, pasta in the morning, hidden snickers bars in your feed bag, biblical salt-passing folklore, coffee stop snacks and much more!

This was a good laugh and I hope you enjoy the listen.

Stay tuned next week for my episode with Esteban Chaves.

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

Episode breakdown:

0:00min to 1:38 – Snippet from last week’s episode 'For the Love of the Giro d'Italia' with Joe Dombrowski

1:38min to 4:00 – Talking Luft Intro

4:00min to 28:00 – Talking Luft 2.0 with Joe Dombrowski

28:00min to end – Outro

. . .

Listen to Joe's story coming up into the ranks of pro cycling from my series 'My Giro, My Team' at the Giro 2018:

My Giro, My Team Episode #3 - Joe Dombrowski

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Merch

Paris-Roubaix Caps are back for the classics! Jump over to our online shop to grab one now.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

Subscribe

Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.

Joe Dombrowski - For the love of the Giro d’Italia May 04, 2022

Rapha presents Life in the Peloton!

Photo: Cor Vos

It’s Giro time! This week I caught up with a former teammate of mine, Joe Dombrowski, as he finished off his preparations to head to Hungary to start his seventh Giro d’Italia. The Italian Grand Tour is a really special race to be a part of and Joe is a true Giro specialist. We rode the race as teammates in 2018, and it was obvious to me the affiliation this former winner of the U23 race has with all things Giro. We caught up on Joe’s own career and highlights from the race, as well as our impressions and thoughts on probably the most beautiful race of the season.

(read more at lifeinthepeloton.com)

With the Giro d’Italia kicking off this weekend, I thought it would be great to chat with a rider who has built his career on the Corsa Rosa. Joe Dombrowski is the archetypal Giro rider: he’s a former winner of the U23 or ‘Baby’ Giro, he’s built for the mountains, loves it when a stage goes uphill out of the neutral, and in 2021, after nearly ten years of trying, he finally became a stage winner there.

For Joe, it makes sense that the Italian Three-week Stage Race would always be a special event and form a key focal point of his racing career. As he points out though, “If the Tour is the Superbowl, then the Giro is college football”, and it’s true that making a career as a Giro specialist doesn’t come with the glory of doing the same thing at the Tour de France. But for the connoisseurs of the sport, the Giro is probably the stage race of the year.

We discussed what it meant for him to be able to win the U23 race as a young rider, and how he has carried that reputation into his career as a professional. He also took me through the highs of his stage win in 2021, as well as the lows that followed when he crashed out in the very next stage.

We delved into the aspects of the racing at the Giro that make it so unique, and so hard at the same time. We also managed a bit of a laugh at some of the many uniquely frustrating quirks that can happen outside of the racing there, which, trust me, can sometimes be the things that break you at this race.

The Giro is a race that really is everything for Joe, so I was really happy to get this pod in with him. It also reminded me of my own love-hate relationship with the Giro. It’s a beautiful race, and I’m really excited to follow this year’s edition… from a distance.

I hope that this pod wets a few appetites out there and gets you guys in the mood to follow along for the next three weeks.

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

Episode breakdown:

0:00min to 4:05 – Episode Intro

4:00min to 11:30 – Joe’s story & Baby Giro

11:30min to 21:48– What makes the Giro so beautiful but so hard

21:48min to 24:28 – Previewing the Giro 2022

24:38min to 33:57 – Joe’s Giro Stage win 2021 & the tactics of past Giros

33:57 to end – Changing teams & Joe’s ambitions for the upcoming Giro

. . .

Check out the highlights of Joe’s Giro 2021 stage win below:

https://youtu.be/oHxrvW2zuSM

2022 Giro d’Italia Route Map:

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Merch

Paris-Roubaix Caps are back for the classics! Jump over to our online shop to grab one now.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

Subscribe

Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.

Talking Luft! with Colin Strickland. S3.E8 Apr 27, 2022

Rapha presents Talking Luft!

If you loved last week’s episode with the king of gravel, Colin Strickland, you’re gonna love this week’s Talking Luft!

Colin is an American fixed-gear bike racer turned gravel racer, and as you would have heard last week, an all round awesome guy.

In his spare time he fixes up Diesel engines and has started his own garage renovating 1950s Spartan Travel trailers, even working with his coveralls thrown over his kit sometimes!

After hearing his story last week, I knew it would be a lot of fun to talk some luft with Colin.

And it didn’t disappoint.

We chat the lack of luft in the gravel scene, the early days racing in old pro kit & no shirts, an epic at Oregon gravel, the best of pros, bikes, coffee and spirits. And so much more!

It was just a great chat, with so many fun stories thrown in there. I know you’ll love the listen as much as I did recording.

Enjoy! And stay tuned next week for my episode with Columbian Pro cyclist at Team EF Education EasyPost Esteban Chaves.

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Or listen below:

Show Notes

Episode breakdown:

0:00min to 1:35 – Snippet from last week’s episode ‘Red Hook Master to Gravel legend’ Colin Strickland

1:35min to 3:45 – Talking Luft Intro

3:45min to 32:00 – Talking Luft with Colin Strickland

32:00min to end – Outro

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Merch

Paris-Roubaix Caps are back for the classics! Jump over to our online shop to grab one now.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

Subscribe

Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.

Colin Strickland - Red Hook Master to Gravel Legend Apr 21, 2022

Rapha presents Life in the Peloton!

Gravel racing scenes are taking off all around the world. It's something I've loved sinking my teeth into back here in Australia & as I begin to understand more about the scene I thought it'd be great to chat to someone who's been racing at the top end for a while now - American fixed-gear racer turned gravel legend, Colin Strickland.

Colin came into cycling late, and by somewhat of an unconventional path. He grew up on a farm in Texas, went to college and rode bikes purely for transportation. It wasn’t until his early 20s when he competed in (& won) his first ever race - an Alleycat fixed-gear race, that he was hooked on bike racing.

He’s a guy that blazes his own trail, and his career is evidence to that: taking him across almost all the cycling disciplines, in not necessarily the order you would think.

Colin first tried his hand at fixed-gear racing, went across and refined his craft with road racing, came back to seriously dominate Red Hook criteriums then made the jump across to cyclocross and gravel, making his mark on the US scene in the years to come.

In 2019 he took victory in the notorious Dirty Kanza ahead of a star-studded field, which earnt him a World Tour contract offer. True to his path, he declined and continued doing what he loves, racing these epic events supported by brands he admires.

Colin’s story was a breath of fresh air to the usual path into the sport & I especially enjoyed his perspective on the different racing scenes he’s been a part of.

In this episode we dive deeper into Red Hook racing & the scene in the late 2000s & we get into the ins and outs of gravel racing; the tech & the tactics out on the trail & what it takes to excel at these events.

Plus, I hear about his awesome new project renovating 1950s Spartan travel trailers, at his garage Wheelhouse. That and so much more!

You’ll hear he’s a great guy & I could have kept chatting for much longer.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Stay tuned next week for Talking Luft with Colin!

Cheers,

Mitch

. . .

This episode is sponsored by Restrap - Yorkshire based makers of top quality, handmade and sustainable bike packing accessories.

Use the discount code PELO10 for 10% off your order.

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

Photos of Colin at that first Alleycat race that got him hooked on bikes:

And the bike frame he won:

Find out more about Colin at his website.

Check out his new project, renovating 1950s Spartan travel trailers at Wheelhouse.

. . .

Episode breakdown:

0:00min to 4:00 – Episode Intro

4:00min to 23:42 – Colin's story & Red Hook racing

23:42min to 43:20 – Gravel racing: tech, tactics, the racing scene

43:20min to 45:35 - Colin's new project - Wheelhouse

45:35min to 1:02:25 - Turning down a Pro contract and working with Meteor x Allied

1:02:25 to end – Outro

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Merch

Paris-Roubaix Caps are back for the classics! Jump over to our online shop to grab one now.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

Subscribe

Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.

Talking Luft! 3.0 with Luke Durbridge. S3. E7 Apr 13, 2022

Rapha presents Talking Luft!

Luke (Durbo) Durbridge has been on Talking Luft before – both 1.0 and 2.0, so this week it’s Talking Luft 3.0 – and I had something a little different lined up for him.

It’s Cobbled Classics time, he’s up in Holland getting ready for Paris-Roubaix & I thought I’d test his knowledge on the race & a whole lot more.

Can he name 5 Paris–Roubaix cobbled sectors?

Does he know how many metres the Roubaix velodrome is?

Who was best known in the peloton for the cut-off casquette?

Most importantly, I ask him questions about the history of cap style, bikes & beers, plus I throw him some scenarios that aren’t too far from what might happen out on a training ride.

It's another week of laughs, because let’s be honest, I really just could chat to him all day. If you haven’t listened to our Classics episode from last week, it’s the perfect warm up for Paris-Roubaix this weekend.

For now, enjoy this bit of fun, something completely different to our usual Talking Luft. How do you score against Durbo?

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

Episode breakdown:

0:00min to 2:00 – Snippet from last week’s ‘Talking Cobbled Classics‘ episode with Luke Durbridge

2:00min to 4:00 – Intro to Talking Luft 3.0

4:00min to 29:50 – Talking Luft 3.0 – The Quiz – with Luke Durbridge

29:50 to end – Outro

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Merch

Paris-Roubaix Caps are back for the classics! Jump over to our online shop to grab one now.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

Subscribe

Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.

Luke Durbridge - Talking Cobbled Classics 2022 Apr 07, 2022

Rapha presents Life in the Peloton!

Photo: Zac Williams

Christmas is here. And by that I mean: it’s Cobbled Classics’ season.

If you’ve listened to the podcast you’ll have heard me bang on about the cobbled classics, Belgium, and especially the brutally beautiful Paris-Roubaix. It’s no secret that these races were a passion of mine throughout my career and being on the other side of the fence hasn’t changed that one bit.

Every year I have loved catching up with my good mate Luke (Durbo) Durbridge, from Team Bike-Exchange, on the podcast mid-classics to debrief the races that have been, preview the coming classics & generally chat about Belgium during this racing period. This year was no different, except that I’m back in Australia & more keen than ever to hear about racing from someone inside the peloton.

I caught up with Durbo the day after Tour of Flanders, and he recounts the less than ideal travel schedule that a lot of riders embark upon the night of a brutal 270km.

We take a look back at the Spring classics, from Milan-San Remo through to Tour of Flanders. We chat about the amazing crowds lining the cobbles to the incredible speed of the bunch, and talk some massive power numbers that are being put out in these races.

We then answer your listener questions – from after race parties to cobble-specific equipment, to the ‘Spring Classics Rider’, to recon & recovery between races and what the single thing is that will win or lose you the bike race.

I could chat all day about the classics, especially with Durbo. This was a good laugh & great insight into the new level of racing up there in Flanders.

Enjoy the listen and stay tuned for a special Talking Luft 3.0 with Durbo next week.

I want to dedicate this episode to Richard Moore. A huge loss in the cycling and journalism community. Will miss you mate.

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

Episode breakdown:

0:00min to 2:00 – Episode Intro

2:00min to 15:45 – Durbo Flanders & San Remo recap

15:45min to 31:32 – Changes in the speed of racing, power outputs in the peloton & crowd at Tour of Flanders

31:32 min to 55:50 – Listener questions; After parties, equipment, nutrition, recon & recovery & more..

55:50 to end - Outro

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Merch

Paris-Roubaix Caps are back for the classics! Jump over to our online shop to grab one.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

Subscribe

Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.

Talking Luft! with Alec Briggs. S3.E6 Mar 30, 2022

Rapha presents Talking Luft!

I’m Talking Luft with the legend from London, Alec Briggs.

Alec grew up in SE London and has raced track, cross, MTB, road and made his way to fixed-gear racing in Red Hook Criteriums, or 'Moto GP on bikes’ as he was first introduced to it.

He’s hugely passionate about cycling & getting people involved in the scene. As well as being a super talented rider himself, Alec went on to start his own team, Tekkerz CC, as a place to support young guns coming into the sport. Make sure you head back and listen to last week’s episode to hear all about it!

I knew he would be a great guy to have on the podcast to not only hear his story but also to Talk some Luft.

So this episode we jump into all the usual questions, how does he wear his casquette? Luft or no luft? He shares his favourite ‘training’ loop that’s a little more exciting than most, his favourite ever bike, we agree to disagree about the AG2R kit & he tells a war story that ends in triumph at a Red Hook Criterium. Plus a whole lot more!

This was a lot of fun and I know you’ll love hearing more from Alec. Enjoy guys!

And stay tuned next week as it’s time for some cobbled classics chat with Luke Durbridge.

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Find show notes and more at the Life in the Peloton website.

Show Notes

Episode breakdown:

0:00min to 1:20 – Snippet from last week’s episode – Alec Briggs’

1:20min to 4:45 – Episode Intro

4:30min to 33:20 – Talking Luft with Alec Briggs

33:20min to end – Outro

. . .

Check out Alec’s Most Re-watchable race – Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2015 – where Ian Stannard outlasts a breakaway with 3 Etixx-Quick-step riders.

Watch the final 20km here:

https://youtu.be/RW2DoqVnxYU

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Merch

Paris-Roubaix Caps are back for the classics! Jump over to our online shop to grab one in time for that Sunday in Hell!

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

Subscribe

Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.

Alec Briggs - Tekkerz CC, Red Hook Criteriums & growing up racing London Mar 23, 2022

Rapha presents Life in the Peloton!

One of the great things about looking at cycling from a new perspective this season has been coming across people who are making their mark outside of World Tour racing, and are doing things their own way. Alec Briggs may not be the most well known name in the cycling world, but the Londoner is a truly great cycling personality and is one of the most passionate guests I’ve had on the pod.

As well as being a hugely talented cyclist himself, Alec is the founder of Tekkerz C.C. (if you don’t know you’ll have to have a listen to find out what that all stands for), and his unique outlook has made him a real name to look out for in the sport in 2022.

I have been waiting to chat to Alec for quite a while as I love what he does, from the way that he promotes his team, to the philosophy that he’s created it with.

... Read the full synopsis on lifeinthepeloton.com

Enjoy guys!

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & Subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

(or listen below)

Show Notes

Episode breakdown:

0:00min to 2:30 – Episode Intro

2:30min to 17:30 – London Racing Scene & Herne Hill Velodrome

17:30min to 29:05 – Alec’s transition to Cross & Red Hook Crits

29:05min to 40:20 – Tekkerz CC

40:20min to 47:55 – Tekkerz kit

47:55min to end – Alec turns the mic on me & outro

. . .

Follow what the Tekkerz CC team is up to on their Instagram & check out the Tekkerz CC website to buy some of their awesome merch.

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen to our short spin off series Talking Luft presented by Rapha – much like DVD Extras, every second week.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Merch

LITP x ÇOIS Cycling: Find the last sizes of the Road Worlds Collection at coiscycling.com. Snapbacks have now been restocked. Shop now!

LITP Cycling Caps: Jump over to our online shop to grab one.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

Subscribe

Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.

Talking Luft! with Brendan Johnston. S3.E5 Mar 16, 2022

Rapha presents Talking Luft!

Talking Luft is back for another week & following on from my first on-race episode at the MTB epic Otway Odyssey, I’ve got a MTB-themed Talking Luft, with local Aussie legend Brendan Johnston, also known as Trekky (who won the Otway Odyssey!).

Brendan is a huge name on the Aussie Mountain Bike scene. He’s Australia’s most successful MTB marathon rider, consistently taking the top step of the podium. But he not only races MTB -he also crosses over to other cycling disciplines – racing at the highest level on the Aussie road scene, having won the prestigious Melbourne-Warnambool and placing in the Australian National Road Championships – all this while working normal hours running his own business!

He’s a great guy and has overcome a lot to get to where he is today. I learn about his journey overcoming cancer at the age of 17 when his cycling career was just taking flight. It changed the path of his life but he never lost his love of cycling.

He’s a lover of all forms of cycling and I knew it would be fun to sit him down to Talk some Luft – MTB style.

I loved getting into the ins & outs of the mountain bike scene – we chat Peaks on Helmets, bikes, Bar ends, an epic MTB World Cup from 2013 & a whole lot more.

Enjoy guys!

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & Subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

(or listen below)

Show Notes

Episode breakdown:

0:00min to 2:08 – Snippet from last week’s episode – On-Race at Otway Odyssey

2:08min to 4:30 – Episode Intro

4:30min to 24:58 – Brendan’s Career

24:58min to end – Talking Luft with Brendan Johnston

. . .

Brendan’s Most Re-watchable race – The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup 2013 Albstadt. Watch highlights here:

https://www.redbull.com/au-en/videos/uci-albstadt-2013-highlight-programme

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen to our short spin off series Talking Luft presented by Rapha – much like DVD Extras, every second week.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Merch

LITP x ÇOIS Cycling: Find the last sizes of the Road Worlds Collection at coiscycling.com. Snapbacks have now been restocked. Shop now!

LITP Cycling Caps: Jump over to our online shop to grab one.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

Subscribe

Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.

My Opening Weekend at Otway Odyssey - On-Race Diary. E5.S7 Mar 09, 2022

Rapha presents Life in the Peloton!

My "Opening Weekend" of racing looked a little different this year. I swapped out the brutal cobbles of Belgium for the beautiful, yet unforgiving trails of the Otway Ranges in Victoria - swapping my classics bike for my Mountain Bike and Gravel Bike.

It was my first race of the year, and one hell of a baptism by fire into the MTB/Gravel racing scene; a 100km marathon MTB Race backed up by a 100km Gravel Race. It wasn't quite Belgium but it was for sure on another level of epic (that I was very underprepared for!) Join me for a bit of fun as I take you on the road at my Opening Weekend - Otway Odyssey 2022.

(Read full blurb at lifeinthepeloton.com)

. . .

Show Notes

Episode breakdown:

0:00min to 2:25 – Episode Intro

2:25min to 2:42 – Day 1 - 100km MTB

2:42min to 39:00 – Day 2 - 100km Gravel

39:00min to end – Outro and next episode preview

. . .

Read more about Otway Odyssey:

https://otwayodyssey.rapidascent.com.au

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Listen

Listen & Subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

. . .

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen to our short spin off series Talking Luft presented by Rapha – much like DVD Extras, every second week.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

. . .

My Opening Weekend at Otway Odyssey - An On-Race Diary

When I finished my professional racing career last year, I knew there would still be an itch - a part of me that wanted that thrill of racing my bike. Even though racing at the highest level on the road was no longer for me, I just love riding and racing my bike too much to let it go completely.

Being back in Australia has allowed me to go back to the scene that I started in, and to discover some new forms of cycling that I had missed out on the first time around.

After getting involved and chatting to people here, I started to understand that the Otway Odyssey, held in the Otway Ranges south of Melbourne, was an event that I could not miss.

The Otway Odyssey is legendary for anyone who lives over here, and it is an amazing event. The first day is a 100km Marathon MTB race over the Otway ranges, starting and finishing in the Victorian town of Forrest. If that’s not enough then we had to back it up on the second day which was a 100 km gravel race in the same area.

The Otway Ranges are spectacular and there was some absolutely beautiful riding: but holy hell it was tough!

I went in unknowingly very under prepared, and I payed for it.

After being in the World Tour for over a decade I was in for a big shock to go well out of my comfort zone and step away form the luxury of team busses and a high group of staff dedicated to helping me go faster.

This was in fact my own "Opening Weekend" of racing: the start of my new adventure. It all came as a bit of a shock, and you can hear in the episode just how I got on (and how hard these things are!).

I also got the chance to meet a whole new crew of people, and be part of a new peloton (but this time it was me who was the total amateur). In the name of the pod, I threw the mic in there and started to document just what my new life in the peloton is going to be like..

I hope you enjoy coming along for the ride!

Cheers,

Mitch

. . .

Merch

LITP x ÇOIS Cycling: Find the last sizes of the Road Worlds Collection at coiscycling.com. Snapbacks have now been restocked. Shop now!

LITP Cycling Caps: Jump over to our online shop to grab one.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

Subscribe

Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.

Talking Luft! with George Hincapie. E4. S3 Mar 02, 2022

Rapha presents Talking Luft!

Talking Luft is back for another week of cycling culture chat. This week I’ve got none other than a legend of the sport, American ex-pro & super domestique, George Hincapie

I grew up watching George race – staying up late here in Australia to see the big hitters of Team US Postal light up the TV. George has always been a lover of the cobbled classics, and for this I was especially keen to get him on the podcast.

In this episode I asked George a few more than the usual Talking Luft questions – I couldn’t resist asking about his love for the classics & his 2001 classics season, which was arguably a breakthrough year for him, and I hear about his win at Gent-Wevelgem and a muddy Paris-Roubaix in which he finished 4th.

We then chat a bit of style on the bike - how he wears his casquette, racing with no helmet, his favourite training loop from his Girona days, a cautionary tale about waving when out of the saddle, his best and worst roommate on tour and a war story from a very cold Col du Galibier. Plus a whole lot more!

I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this chat, as you’ll hear he’s a great guy. I really hope you enjoy the listen.

Stay tuned next week for my first on-road diary of the season from ‘My Opening Weekend’ at the Otway Odyssey MTB & Gravel race.

For now, enjoy this episode with George.

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, or Spotify, Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

Episode breakdown:

0:00 to 1:30min – Snippet from last week’s Life in the Peloton episode with Cardiologist Dr. Andre La Gerche

1:40 to 3:45min – Episode Introduction

3:45 to 20:30min – George Hincapie Intro & Cobbled Classics chat

23:30 to 47:50 – Talking Luft with George Hincapie

47:50 to end – Outro & preview of next episode

. . .

Watch the full Gent-Wevelgem 2001, where George takes the win:

https://youtu.be/cQYSOxpebtU

.

Watch a muddy Paris-Roubaix 2001, where George takes 4th:

https://youtu.be/cRQtz-yI59E

.

Watch George’s ‘Most Re-watchable Race’: a muddy Paris Roubaix 2021:

Highlights below, or watch the full race on GCN

https://youtu.be/56UTneSPyr8 . . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen to our short spin off series Talking Luft presented by Rapha – much like DVD Extras, every second week.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Merch

LITP x ÇOIS Cycling: Find the last sizes of the Road Worlds Collection Tees and Snapbacks online at coiscycling.com !

LITP Cycling Caps: Jump over to our online shop to grab one.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

Subscribe

Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.

Dr Andre La Gerche - How Exercise Impacts the Heart E4.S7. Feb 23, 2022

Rapha presents Life the Peloton

Are the best pro cyclists simply born that way - if so, is it Mum or Dad whose genetics have the biggest impact? What would happen to riders if Grand Tours were six weeks long? Dr Andre La Gerche is a sports cardiologist whose work with top athletes - including many pro cyclists, gives us answers to these questions.

I talked to Dr La Gerche here in Melbourne for the latest episode of the pod and got to ask the important questions about the heart and performance, as well as, for good measure, clarifying his position on choosing training or beers (never both!)

... (Read full blurb at lifeinthepeloton.com)

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & Subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

Episode breakdown:

0:00min to 1:30 – Episode Intro

1:30min to 2:42 – Intro to Dr Andre La Gerche

2:42min to 51:20 – Episode with Dr. Andre La Gerche

51:20min to end – Outro and next episode preview

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen to our short spin off series Talking Luft presented by Rapha – much like DVD Extras, every second week.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Merch

LITP x ÇOIS Cycling: Find the last sizes of the Road Worlds Collection at coiscycling.com. Snapbacks have now been restocked. Shop now!

LITP Cycling Caps: Jump over to our online shop to grab one.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

Subscribe

Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.

Talking Luft! with Peta Mullens. S3.E3. Feb 16, 2022

Rapha presents Talking Luft!

Photo: Mason Hender

Talking Luft is back for another week of cycling style & lifestyle chat and learning a little bit extra about my guest from last week.

Last week on the podcast I had Peta Mullens, Australian champion in multiple bike disciplines, talking about her diverse career and following her passion through the ups and downs in the sport. It was a super inspiring chat and I loved hearing Peta's story as well as her new role at Team Roxsolt Liv SRAM.

This week with Peta we dive into a bit of fun with Talking Luft – we chat cap style & kit style – where she makes a damning confession about her personal kit collection, her favourite training loop, her favourite race on the road and trail, plus some incredible stories and a war story from her favourite enduro mountain bike race, Tour of East Timor.

If you loved her episode from last week you’ll love this one!

Enjoy and stay tuned for my episode next week with Cardiologist Andre LeGerche, where we talk heart adaptations in athletes, heart health with exercise and much more.

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen & subscribe to this series on Life in the Peloton at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

Watch Peta’s ‘Most Re-watchable Race’: The 2018 Elite Women Val di Sole MTB World Cup:

https://youtu.be/n1FsZQht5fc

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Episode breakdown:

0:00 to 3:00min – Snippet from Life in the Peloton Episode 3 with Peta Mullens

3:00 to 5:00 – Episode Intro

3:00 to 33:30 – Talking Luft with Peta Mullens

33:00 to end – Outro

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen to our short spin off series Talking Luft presented by Rapha – much like DVD Extras, every second week.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Merch

LITP x ÇOIS Cycling: Find the last sizes of the Road Worlds Collection at coiscycling.com. Snapbacks have now been restocked. Shop now!

LITP Cycling Caps: Jump over to our online shop to grab one.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

Subscribe

Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.

Peta Mullens - Letting Passion Lead. E3. S7. Feb 09, 2022

Peta Mullens is an Australian star of track and field – and anywhere else you can find to put a bike race on. From MTB to track to CX to road: if you can name the discipline then she’s probably won a national title in it. I spoke to Peta about her diverse career, making tough decisions to follow her gut, as well as her current role as an athlete and director of one of Australia’s most exciting teams, Roxsolt Liv SRAM.

Photo: Mason Henders

. . .

I have loved following the women’s racing across the Australian Summer of Cycling this year. From the Bay Crits at the start of January to the Santos Festival of Cycling which concluded a couple of weeks ago, the fantastic racing kept me glued to the TV over summer.

One of the standout teams has been Roxsolt Liv SRAM. After Nicole Frain won a memorable National Road Race title in Ballarat, the team followed up by helping their new National Champion onto the final podium at the Festival of Cycling in Adelaide, whilst placing two teammates inside the top ten.

For this episode, I spoke to one of the driving forces of this team whose own story in cycling is as unique as her presence is inspirational for the athletes around her.

Known simply as Mom by her teammates, Peta Mullens has been a national champion on the road, track, MTB and cyclo-cross. A well-respected figure in Australian cycling she has been a pro on the road and has represented Australia in multiple disciplines over the years in World Championships and the Commonwealth Games.

Peta is without doubt a natural athlete. Beginning her sporting career by going on twenty-plus kilometre runs with her dad after school, she switched to track cycling as a youngster and simply never looked back.

Her story is interesting to me because, as you’ll learn, she has always remained in control of her destiny on and off the bike, often refusing to bow down to pressure, despite people’s expectations. She explained to me what drove her to make decisions to step away from the sport at times, and how changing disciplines kept her passion alive.

These days she is a director and athlete at the Roxsolt team, where she leads by example on and off the road, and she isn’t ruling out trying to take the team all the way to the biggest races in the world.

It was great to chat to Peta, I found hers a fresh perspective on managing a cycling career & inspiring in her resilience and passion for the sport.

She was also good enough to explain to me what 'YOLO' means and why that underpins her and her team’s philosophy.

I hope you guys also enjoy her story and her take on life in the peloton.

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Loved this episode? Subscribe and listen to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, or on Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

Episode breakdown:

0:00min to 3:20 – Intro to Peta Mullens

3:20min to 32:20 – Peta's Story through cycling

32:20min to 1:00:20 – Roxsolt Liv SRAM and the future

1:00:20min to end – Outro and next episode preview

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen to our short spin off series Talking Luft presented by Rapha – much like DVD Extras, every second week.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Merch

LITP x ÇOIS Cycling: Find the last sizes of the Road Worlds Collection at coiscycling.com. Snapbacks have now been restocked. Shop now!

LITP Cycling Caps: Jump over to our online shop to grab one.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

Subscribe

Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.

Talking Luft! with Stuart O’Grady. S3. E2 Feb 02, 2022

Rapha presents Talking Luft!

Talking Luft is back for another week of chat about cycling style & culture, bikes, kits, coffee stops and all the best bits about riding a bike.

I had Aussie legend Stuey O’Grady on the podcast last week, and this week I hear a little bit more about him; about his style back in the day, his favourite race, training loops and all-time favourite bike.

He raced in the era of casquettes and no helmets and contested many a sprint finish helmet-less – and even admits that it’s mind boggling to imagine that was the done thing.

It’s always great hearing stories from the guys that raced back in the wild 80s & 90s – it’s no secret that’s my favourite era of bike racing – and Stuey had no shortage of stories to tell, with an epic war story from the Tour de France 1997.

If you haven’t listened to my episode with Stuey from last week, be sure to head back and check it out, there are some incredible stories from his iconic victories in the Tour de France, Olympics and Paris-Roubaix (couldn’t skip that one!). You’ll hear a little snippet in this episode.

But for now enjoy Talking Luft with Stuey. And stay tuned next week for my episode of LITP with Aussie Pro with Roxsolt Liv SRAM Peta Mullens.

Cheers,

Mitch

Listen

Listen to this series on Life in the Peloton at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher or your favourite pod app.

Show Notes

Episode breakdown:

0:00 to 1:40 – Snippet from LITP Episode 2 with Stuart O’grady

1:40 to 3:50 – Episode Introduction

3:50 to 25:00 – Talking Luft with Stuart O’Grady

25:00 to end – Outro

. . .

Stuey's 'Most Re-watchable race' - or most watched race (he admits he doesn't watch many.) The race that planted the scene when Stuey was a boy & that he has on video cassette: Paris Roubaix 1983

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpSjmv6C6Dc

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen to our short spin off series Talking Luft presented by Rapha – much like DVD Extras, every second week.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Merch

LITP x ÇOIS Cycling: Find the last sizes of the Road Worlds Collection at coiscycling.com. Snapbacks have now been restocked. Shop now!

LITP Cycling Caps: Jump over to our online shop to grab one.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

Subscribe

Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.

Stuart O’Grady - The Pioneer of the New Generation E2.S7. Jan 26, 2022

Rapha presents Life in the Peloton

Stuart O’Grady is an absolute legend of the sport: He’s a Roubaix winner, an Olympic Gold medallist, a trailblazer for Aussie pros in Europe, and now race director of Australia’s top cycling event, the Tour Down Under. In this episode, we go in-depth on all of this and more. It’s a fascinating insight into the career of one of the most accomplished people in cycling.

(Read detailed summary below)

. . .

It’s January, I’m in Australia; it’s Tour Down Under time.

As we all probably know, the World Tour peloton won’t be at the TDU this year, and I’m enjoying my first January in a long time not having to think about racing. However, I thought who better to bring on the pod than the legend himself, Adelaide’s Stuart O’Grady.

Stuey wasn’t just a huge inspiration, but for the generations of Australian riders who followed in his wheel tracks, he was a real pioneer.

Stuey went to his first Olympics as an eighteen year-old before turning pro with the French Gan team in the mid-nineties. In just a few years he went from being a risky signing for an almost entirely French team to a Tour de France stage winner and a mainstay of the team.

I kicked off the pod by asking about these early days and how his career on the road began. I also wanted to know what it was like coming full circle and ending up finishing his career in Australia’s own World Tour team, a project that would never have come to life without his successes in Europe.

We also go back to the track to get into his Gold medal ride in Athens, a crowning achievement for the six-time Olympian.

Of course, I couldn’t not discuss his win Paris Roubaix. Stuey tells how the day unfolded, from puncturing in the Areneberg forest to winning alone in the Roubaix velodrome.

These days he has a new career as the race director at the the Tour Down Under, and I used the opportunity to find out what the job of race director really entails, as well as ask a few questions about what the future looks like for this much loved race.

There is so much to ask Stuey that it was honestly hard to cram it all into the hour, but it was great to be able to learn so much from someone who was a huge inspiration for myself, and go into detail about those unforgettable wins - I got the feeling that he enjoyed the chance to reminisce too!

So here it is, I hope you guys enjoy this as much as we did: Stuart O’Grady - The Pioneer of the New Generation.

Stay tuned for Talking Luft with Stuey next week!

Cheers,

Mitch

Show Notes

0:00 to 4:20 – Intro

4:20min to 10:05 – Stuey intro & TDF Stage win 1998

10:05 to 18:20 – Racing as an Aussie in a French team

18:20min to 27:42 – Athens Olympics Madison Gold

27:42min to 43:30 – Paris Roubaix Win

44:50min to 53:33 – Finishing his career at Greenedge

53:33min to 1:00:00 – Retirement and transitioning out of Pro life

1hr to 1:10:10 – Tour Down Under

1:10:10 to end – Outro

. . .

• Tour de France Stage 5 win 1998: Watch the final kilometres of Stuey’s win at 37min in: https://youtu.be/cOnIphGlSPM?t=2255

• Watch Stuey’s interview with Phil Liggett pre a wet Paris Roubaix in 2001 at 4min: https://youtu.be/cRQtz-yI59E?t=193

• Athens Olympics: Watch the final 20 laps of Stuey’s Gold medal ride in the Madison with Graham Brown (in French): https://youtu.be/CueSvBqXIG4

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Check out episode sponsor Restrap – Yorkshire based makers of top quality, handmade and sustainable bike packing accessories. I used their bags on my bike packing trip riding the length of Sweden and can tell you I was blown away by the quality and functionality, every detail has been thought out. Whichever way you prefer to carry things on your bike, they’ll have a solution.

Use the discount code at checkout: PELOTON10 for 10% off your order. Shop now at restrap.com

. . .

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen to our short spin off series Talking Luft presented by Rapha – much like DVD Extras, every second week.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

. . .

Merch

LITP x ÇOIS Cycling: Find the last sizes of the Road Worlds Collection at coiscycling.com. Snapbacks have now been restocked. Shop now!
LITP Cycling Caps: Jump over to our online shop to grab one.
Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more...

Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

. . .

Subscribe

Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.

Talking Luft! with Allan (Alby) Iacuone. S3. E01. Jan 19, 2022

Rapha presents Talking Luft!

G’day everyone, Talking Luft is back for 2022!

But what is Talking Luft? Well, it’s really just a little extra chat I have with guests that I speak with on Life In the Peloton the previous week. A bit like the DVD Extras, it’s the break away series where I try to find out that little bit more about them and their cycling style. It's a little bit laidback and a lot of fun.

This season I've broken the episodes up into 4 topics: Style, Bikes, Culture & About You - with an exciting bunch of new questions for 2022.

On last week's episode “How not to train like a Pro," I spoke with my old coach, and returning guest, Kevin Poulton about entering a new era of my life - life after pro cycling - and how I go about training now while still keeping as much form as possible. Both Kev and I had already featured on Talking Luft, so I was searching for a new guest that would fit.

Meet local Melbourne cycling legend Allan ‘Alby’ Iacuone. He was previous Australian champion in 1994, rode professionally overseas many moons ago and has continued to hold his form while rejoining the rat race of normal life. He has mastered the 'How to not train like a pro' while continuing to hold pro form! The perfect guest.

Alby has a very likeable personality as you'll hear, he is currently the coordinator of the Rapha Cycling Club and is known around the Australian cycling scene as a real local legend - the perfect guy to talk some Luft with.

It was great recording at the Melbourne Rapha Clubhouse and I loved hearing Alby's stories.

Enjoy the first ep of 2022 and stay tuned next week for a great new episode of Life in the Peloton with Stuart O'Grady.

Cheers,

Mitch

Show Notes

Watch the highlights that we chat about for Alby's 'Most Rewatchable Race' - the Tour de France 1992 - Stage 13, it's epic!

https://youtu.be/JbDLVTMr0V4

. . .

This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.

. . .

Episode breakdown:

0:00 to 2.30 Snippet from LITP Episode 1- How Not to train like a Pro with Kevin Poulton

2:30 to 6:10 Introduction to Talking Luft presented by Rapha

6:10 to 19:55 Introducing Alby Iacuone

19:55 to 43:20 Talking Luft! with Alby

43:20 to end Outro

Listen

Listen to this series on at Spotify , Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher or your favourite pod app.

Keep in touch

Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com

Listen to our short spin off series Talking Luft presented by Rapha – much like DVD Extras, every second week.

Follow us on socials:

Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton

Twitter: @lifeinthepelo

Merch

LITP x ÇOIS Cycling: Find the last sizes of the Road Worlds Collection at coiscycling.com. Snapbacks have now been restocked. Shop now!

LITP Cycling Caps: Jump over to our online shop to grab one.

Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..

Theme Music

The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.

Subscribe

Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.

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Lachy Morton, you’re sure to have heard his name. He’s a teammate of mine on EF Education First and is the alternate racing king. I’ve had him on the podcast in the past, and I’ve finally got him back on talking some LUFT. We dive straight into cap style, which, of course, includes some gravel […]

Jonathan Vaughters – A Cycling Team Manager Aug 27, 2020

The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton (listen below or on The Cycling Podcast channel) It’s been a long time coming and this week on the pod I’ve got the Big Boss, my boss, EF Pro Team Manager Jonathan Vaughters or JV as he’s known. Becoming a World Tour Team Manager was never in […]

Talking Luft with Alberto Bettiol. Ep 11. Aug 20, 2020

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 […]

Back on the road: A diary of racing in a pandemic Aug 13, 2020

The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton (Listen below) We’re back on the road and racing again for 2020. First up is Italy for Strade Bianchi and Milan-San Remo. And I decided to take you guys with me! This is the first episode I’ve done as an on-road audio diary and I really enjoyed […]

Talking Luft! with Mike Woods. Ep 10. Aug 06, 2020

He’s a crowd favourite, and rightfully so. Mike Woods, or Woodsie, is a Canadian team mate of mine. He’s easy to chat to and always has a great story to tell. I’ve had him on the pod a couple of times before; post his epic La Vuelta stage win in 2018 and in the Giro […]

A return to racing + Strade Bianchi Mailbag, with Luke Durbridge Jul 30, 2020

The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton (scroll down to listen) After months of lockdown and a suspended season of racing it’s finally time to get back out on the road again! 2020 season: Round 2. It’s a mixture of excitement and nervousness amongst the pros as we head into racing with a few […]

Talking Luft! with Paul De Geyter. Ep 9. Jul 09, 2020

I had him on The Cycling Podcast last week, my old rider agent, Paul De Geyter, talking all things contract negotiation and managing some of the rider greats. Be sure to head over and listen to that one! He’s a great personality and this week I’ve got him Talking Luft, in a fun 10 min […]

Paul De Geyter – Behind the scenes with a Rider Agent Jul 02, 2020

The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton (Scroll to the down to listen) Ever wondered how pro cycling contracts are negotiated and signed? Or why riders of certain nationalities only go to certain teams? This week on The Cycling Podcast I chat with my old Rider Agent, Paul De Geyter, who was the first […]

Talking Luft! with Jens Keukeleire. Ep 8. Jun 25, 2020

It’s another episode of my mini series of laid-back chats, Talking Luft, with Jens Keukeleire. I find out how Jensie wears his casquette, and that he’d go a Pantani Bandana if he could. Plus his Belgian training routes, weird breakfasts and Quarantine revelations. If you haven’t already, head over to The Cycling Podcast to listen […]

Jens Keukeleire – Growing up on the Cobbles Jun 18, 2020

The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton (Scroll to the down to listen) Cycling is a national sport in Belgium. It’s part of the culture, it’s in their blood. And as an Aussie I’ve always felt that Belgium is the heart of the cycling world. It’s the place that made me really fall in […]

Talking Luft! with Tom Southam. Ep. 7 Jun 11, 2020

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 […]

Tom Southam – All questions answered: Directeur Sportif Jun 04, 2020

The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton Ever wondered.. What does a day in the life as a Directeur Sportif (DS) of a cycling team looks like? What is it really like in the team car during a race? And what’s it like transitioning from rider to Directeur? Well, this week on the pod […]

Talking Luft! with Matt (Whitey) White. Ep 6. May 28, 2020

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 […]

Orica GreenEDGE – Our Giro d’Italia TTT Win 2014 May 21, 2020

The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton It’s the month of May, and it’s hard not to think about being in Italy at this time of year, and especially at one of the hardest yet one of the best races on the calendar, the Giro d’Italia. Any pro you speak to will tell you […]

Talking Luft! with Cam Meyer. Ep 5. May 14, 2020

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, […]

Cameron Meyer – The Master Tactician May 07, 2020

The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton He’s multiple time World Champion on the Track and has made his mark on the pro racing scene in his 12 years of also racing on the road. Cameron Meyer is a silent assassin in the Velodrome, a master tactician and someone I’ve always looked up to […]

Talking Luft! with Adam Hansen. Ep 4. Apr 30, 2020

I’ve delved into the depths of some pretty interesting topics like nutrition and motion analysis with Adam, and it’s certain he sure knows his stuff, so it was great to have more of a casual chat and hear about Adam himself both off and on the bike. How does he wear his cycling cap? What’s […]

Adam Hansen – Composites, Nutrition and Genius Hacks Apr 23, 2020

He’s one of the most interesting guys in the peloton and it’s become something of a tradition to have him on the pod every year. It’s our 3rd episode together so this time I decided to ask Adam 3 simple questions: What’s something he’s currently excited about? What’s something he’s no longer doing? What’s a […]

Talking Luft! with Ella Harris. Ep. 3 Apr 16, 2020

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. […]

Ella Harris – From Virtual World to World Tour Apr 09, 2020

While Zwift and indoor training are the buzzwords at the moment, I thought it was fitting to talk to a rider who knows Zwift a whole lot better than I do and had a really interesting way of becoming Pro. Ella Harris is a pro rider from New Zealand that came through the Zwift academy […]

Talking Luft! Ep. 2 with Kevin Poulton Apr 02, 2020

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 […]

Kevin Poulton – Training in the Modern Day Mar 26, 2020

Kevin Poulton is a coach who’s trained many in the professional peloton, including the likes of Caleb Ewan, Marcel Kittel and who also coached Mathew Hayman to his famous win at Roubaix in 2016. If you aren’t familiar with the story, Mat spent 6 weeks solely on the home trainer with a broken bone in […]

Talking Luft! with Luke Durbridge. Ep 1 Mar 19, 2020

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 […]

Luke Durbridge – Talking Classics 2020 Mar 12, 2020

Photo credit: Kramon. The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton. Luke Durbridge is back on the pod for our yearly chat about our favourite time of the year, the brutally beautiful cobbled classics. You don’t have to ask either of us twice to sit down and chat about this period, but seeing as I’m […]

Matt Keenan – A different path to the Tour de France Feb 27, 2020

While I was back in Aus over the summer, I got to sit down with many familiar faces of the peloton, including those who spend more time behind the scenes of the bike race. This week you’ll hear my chat with a man whose voice will be familiar to many cycling fans throughout the world, […]

Mini Episode – February Feb 12, 2020

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 […]

André Greipel – The Flag Bearer Feb 12, 2020

With the cycling world coming to Australia in January it meant I was able to catch up with a few mates in the peloton who were escaping European winter. One of those was the legend and all round great guy, Andre Greipel. He had mentioned to me a while ago that he was a listener […]

Jimmy Whelan – Learning the ropes Jan 29, 2020

Welcome to the first episode of the 2020 season and our first episode in collaboration with The Cycling Podcast family. We’re happy to be on board with The Cycling Podcast to bring you the same great poddie, with a few tweaks to make it truly music to your ears. In this episode, I catch up […]

The Announcement Jan 15, 2020

The new season is here, and that not only means some big races ahead, but also a whole new calendar of podcasts! We have had a big off season here at Life in the Peloton in the podcast world, and we are excited to be announcing for the 2020 season we will be collaborating with […]

Nathan Haas – Closing out the Season Oct 10, 2019

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 Sep 26, 2019

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 Sep 12, 2019

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 Sep 05, 2019

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 Aug 29, 2019

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 […]

Michael Freiberg – The Performance Mythbuster Aug 15, 2019

He’s a track World Champ, Comm Games Champ, Aus Road Champ, and an inventor in between that all – Michael Freiberg has sure had a diverse career. What I’ve come to find getting to know Michael is that his way of thinking is not like most. He’s inquisitive and curious and not afraid of testing […]

Svein Tuft – Sveino´s Journey Aug 01, 2019

Hiking up and talking in the high country in Andorra with the legend himself, Svein Tuft. I am always walking around and riding with Svein and listening to his stories of his journey so far, which you can call his life. He’s a Canadian that has had an extraordinary life, lots of adventuring, travelling and […]

Tour de France Preview with Luke Durbridge Jul 04, 2019

Photo: Kramon He’s given the roads of France a good workout over the years and is off to line up for his 6th Tour de France. I sat down with Luke to chat about the lead up and what it’s like out there in the month of July. We cover who the favourites are, the […]

JJ – Life as a Pro Mechanic Jun 20, 2019

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 […]

ALL FOR LOVE with ELLY WOODS Jun 06, 2019

It was great to sit down with Elly Woods, Mike Woods’s wife last week and discuss what life is like after packing up and shifting over to live and support Mike with his dream job, pro cycling in Europe. Personally, the support from my wife, Lydia, has been something that has allowed me to pursue […]

Robert Gesink – The Comeback King + A mid Giro review May 23, 2019

I was planning to sit down with Robert Gesink on the eve of the Giro to discuss his role going there to support his team mate, the big favourite, Primož Roglič . But unfortunately for Robert he had a nasty fall in Liege Bastogne Liege, where he suffered a broken collarbone and pelvis. This again has […]

Tao Geoghegan Hart – On the eve of the Giro May 09, 2019

With the Giro d’Italia upon us, I thought who better to talk to than the in-form Londoner, Tao Geoghegan Hart. Fresh from 2 stage wins last week at Tour of the Alps in Italy, he is arriving at the Giro for the second Grand Tour of his young career. It was fun discussing and dissecting […]

Coaching 101 with Ben Day and Luke Durbridge Apr 25, 2019

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 […]

Taylor Phinney Apr 11, 2019

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 […]

Uncle Rory’s Story Mar 28, 2019

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. […]

Talking Cobbled Classics with Luke Durbridge Mar 14, 2019

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. […]

Daryl Impey – The Show Must Go On Feb 28, 2019

It has been a cliche career of ups and downs for Daryl. From major crashes, to yellow jerseys, to false allegations, to stepping up from Domestique to leader. What we realised is that to be a professional of more than 10 years the journey is never going to be smooth sailing. That's what makes a successful pro, someone who can fight back and become stronger. And this is the case with Daryl, where the lows are very low, he has been able to reach some amazing highs on the other side. Have a listen to his story.

Talking Nutrition with Adam Hansen Feb 13, 2019

He's back on the Podcast. We had fun chatting last time, and after rolling along in the bunch together all these years discussing nutrition among many other things, I thought it was time to record and share his ideas. Not only do we discuss the diets around racing and training but we get into nutrition for performance vs nutrition for life.

Lachlan Morton – A Refreshed view of life on two wheels Jan 29, 2019

Lachlan Morton started out like every prodigy sporting star. Young, was a gun and never lacked motivation to say the least. He was following in his older also talented brother, Angus's footsteps. But once Gus decided to call it quits with cycling Lachy was left to his own device. Make his own mistakes and ultimately finding out if he really did love the world of cycling. He stepped away from the top end to find his literal own road, which now has enabled him to return to the WorldTour racing, riding and living the life in the peloton his way.

Mike Woods – Into the Woods Sep 19, 2018

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 Aug 23, 2018

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 Aug 07, 2018

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 Jun 20, 2018

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 May 29, 2018

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 May 27, 2018

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 May 22, 2018

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 May 18, 2018

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 May 15, 2018

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 May 09, 2018

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 Mar 16, 2018

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 Feb 04, 2018

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 Jan 17, 2018

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 Aug 31, 2017

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 May 26, 2017

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 Apr 08, 2017

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 Apr 02, 2017

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 Mar 23, 2017

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 Mar 05, 2017

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 Jan 31, 2017

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.

Graham Watson – Cycling from Behind the Lens Oct 29, 2016

After always seeing him wiz by on the back of a moto bike snapping away during a race, I had the opportunity to pin Graham Watson down here at the last race of the season. It may come as a surprise but most often than not we do not stay in the same hotels throughout the year, so when we were I took the opportunity to have a chat. And just as expected through out his colourful 37 years of taking photo's of the sport of cycling he has some fantastic insights to all the eras he's been though during his time in the Peloton. Its great to hear things about the world of cycling from someone who is right there with us on the road, yet shares a different view.

Nick Schultz – Making the jump Sep 18, 2016

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 Paris Roubaix 2016 May 24, 2016

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 2016 – Part#1 – The Night Before May 20, 2016

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.

Mature View of Alex Edmondson Apr 01, 2016

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.

Sam Bewley & The Prologue Mar 08, 2016

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 Feb 19, 2016

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 Feb 13, 2016

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 Feb 05, 2016

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 Jan 27, 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...

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