The Bradley Wiggins Show by Eurosport

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The biggest upset in sporting history? Pogacar's stunning Tour win changes everything Sep 19, 2020

Show notes

Where do we start after one of the most remarkable days in Tour de France history?

Well, how about with Tadej Pogacar, the utterly brilliant 21-year-old who will be crowned Tour de France winner in Paris on Sunday after blowing Primoz Roglic out of the water on Saturday's Stage 20 time trial up La Planche des Belles Filles.

Was this the biggest upset in sport? Brad and Graham discuss what could be a true changing of the guard moment for cycling and reflect on Roglic's remarkable collapse as he fell apart in the penultimate stage.

How did Jumbo-Visma end up without the yellow jersey despite barely putting a foot wrong? Maybe because Pogacar is a talent who could be ushering in a very special 10 or 15 years, and maybe there was an element of complacency at play...

There's also a mention for Richie Porte after he clinched a place on the podium in the Tour de France which he missed the birth of his second child to race in.

And finally, Orla Chennaoui catches up with Mark Cavendish and revisits that incredible day in 2012 when Brad wore yellow into Paris and set up Cav to win the final sprint.

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Enough is enough: cycling must address its racism problem Sep 18, 2020

Show notes

The Tour de France takes a back seat today as Brad and Graham instead react to an interview Kevin Reza, the only black cyclist at the Tour, gave to Orla Chennaoui on Eurosport.

You can watch Reza discuss cycling's painful lack of response to the Black Lives Matter movement, and why he doesn't expect any "revolt from the peloton", here in an interview which Brad had to walk out on first time round because he found it so sad: https://bit.ly/3hE3gNm

To discuss cycling's problem with race, we invited Mani Arthur of the Black Cyclists Network back to the show. At a time when seemingly every other major sport has acknowledged Black Lives Matter, we look at why cycling has failed to do so, and the impact even a superficial gesture could have at a societal level.

We look at what to do next, and invite any riders in the peloton who feel strongly about this issue to get in touch. This is not something that we can, or should, let drop. Change has to come now.

You can follow the Black Cyclists Network on Twitter at @BCNTweet or on Instagram at @blackcyclistsnetwork

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Kwiatkowski a class act | Phenomenal Van Aert will win a Tour Sep 17, 2020

Show notes

The Ineos Grenadiers finally have something to be happy about with a maiden Grand Tour stage win for Poland's Michal Kwiatkowski ahead of teammate Richard Carapaz on the third and final day in the Alps.

Brad, who is again joined by Graham Willgoss, reacts to the Ineos celebrations and also gives a strong response to Jumbo-Visma boss Richard Plugge telling Eurosport's Orla Chennaoui he is '90-95%sure Primoz Roglic will win this Tour'.

But it is Wout van Aert who really excites Brad, and he believes the Belgian superstar can win a Tour de France title of his own who is a hot property in cycling that many teams would like to lure away.

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What's gone wrong at dysfunctional Ineos, and Jumbo deserve Tour victory Sep 16, 2020

Show notes

Brad is joined by Graham Willgoss at a different pub today to take in the drama of the Queen Stage as Miguel Angel Lopez climbed to a stunning victory on the Col de la Loze in the Alps.

Primoz Roglic finished second to extend his overall lead in the general classification, with third-place Tadej Pogacar settling for the polka dot jersey, and the guys believe it would be a deserved Tour triumph for Jumbo-Visma.

But it is the strange situation at Ineos which really gets Brad going as he reflects on the apparent dysfunction under Dave Brailsford this season. He believes they quite simply have too many chiefs at the moment, and clearly not all is well at the team.

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Victorious Kamna sets the standard for young riders | Pogacar can’t take yellow... Yet Sep 15, 2020

Show notes

Brad is joined by Brian Smith after Bora-Hansgrohe’s Lennard Kamna powered to victory on Stage 16.

They discuss the former junior world time trial champion’s decision to take a six-month break from the sport and his emergence as the standard bearer for other young riders.

Elsewhere, Smith sees a brutal Stage 17 summit finish on Col de la Loze as perfect for Egan Bernal to claim a stage win after his GC travails.

It is a stage that could see Tadej Pogačar attack but his lack of team support means the Slovenian national time trial champion would be ill-advised to make a play for yellow this early in the Tour, the pair agree.

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If this was football, Dave B could be out - and Orla speaks to Froome Sep 14, 2020

Show notes

On the second rest day, Brad and Graham discuss the GC picture and how if this was the high-pressure world of football management, Dave Brailsford might be facing some awkward questions over the performance of Ineos.

We also look ahead to the final week of the Tour, with Brad unsure whether Tadej Pogacar can maintain the stunning level of performance which has seen him move second on GC, 40 seconds behind leader Primoz Roglic.

And finally, Orla Chennaoui interviews Chris Froome at length about Tirreno-Adriatico, watching the Tour from afar and why it was the team's decision not to take him to France, even though Froome felt he "could have played a role."

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How the Yellow Jersey changed my life pt. 2: Armstrong, capitulation, and hitting rock bottom Sep 13, 2020

Show notes

Egan Bernal was the "big loser" on Stage 15 of the Tour de France as he lost over seven minutes to Primoz Roglic, dropping out of the top 10 on GC after cracking on the Grand Colombier.

Brad says it's now clear that Ineos made a mistake by not taking Geraint Thomas to the Tour and that Dave Brailsford's team have got things "horribly wrong" at the Tour this year, bringing an end to nearly a decade of dominance in cycling's biggest race.

Jumbo-Visma looked in incredible shape again with Wout van Aert setting a fearsome tempo on the final climb to continue his incredible Tour.

Racing ins and outs aside, we also have part two of how the Yellow Jersey changed my life, as Brad delves deep again, picking up the tale following his historic 2012 Tour de France win which we covered in last Friday's podcast.

Brad discusses what came after 2012, as he struggled to cope with fame and lost focus, resulting in what even he describes as an "embarrasing" Giro in 2013.

There are also reflections on the frustration of having to act almost as a spokesman for the sport after the Lance Armstrong revelations when all he wanted to do was focus on riding, and how Team Sky came to see him as an unreliable team member, not picking him for the Tour de France.

Brad describes how he had to hit "rock bottom to climb again" and reflects on how his own mental health issues manifested during a difficult time in his life.

It's another fascinating insight - please let us know what you think and rate and review us on your podcast platform of choice.

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Sagan battles back for green, Sunweb stormer lights up Tour Sep 12, 2020

Show notes

Brad is joined by Graham Willgoss at the pub to chew over Stage 14 of the Tour de France as the inspired Soren Kragh Andersen won his first stage to continue a brilliant week for Team Sunweb, while Primoz Roglic retained the race lead.

Peter Sagan has come back fighting since his relegation earlier in the Tour and Brad says he has ignited the race with his battling spirit. Will the battle for the green jersey go down to the wire? He thinks it will.

Brad believes the upcoming stages will suit Egan Bernal, so can he launch a famous recovery to overhaul Roglic and Jumbo-Visma? He thinks it is shaping up to be a vintage finale of the Tour.

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Time running out for Ineos but Bernal not done yet, while Brits dominate elsewhere Sep 11, 2020

Show notes

Brad is joined by Graham Willgoss to reflect on a classic Tour de France stage in the volcanic countryside which saw Romain Bardet and Guillaume Martin crash out of the top 10 after a day to forget for the host nation.

Time is now running out quickly for the Ineos Grenadiers, Brad believes, with Egan Bernal showing the first signs of cracking under pressure while Jumbo-Visma continue to look dominant. But Bernal is not out of it, and Brad picks out a few reasons why he should not be completely discounted just yet.

Elsewhere, Simon Yates and Geraint Thomas have been producing some promising performances at Tirreno-Adriatico in what could bode very well for the upcoming Giro d’Italia.

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Marc Hirschi breaks to claim Tour redemption, while the battle for the Green Jersey is far from over Sep 10, 2020

Show notes

Today Brad is all on his lonesome but that doesn't mean he's anything less than 100% committed when it comes to analysing another intriguing stage of the Tour de France. Stage 12 saw 22-year-old Marc Hirschi emerge victorious at the third attempt in this year's race.

For Brad Hirschi "rides with the confidence of someone who has been a professional for ten years" and he doesn't think the rising star is finished yet.

As well as Brad's musings on Hirschi's victory we also hear from Fabian Cancellara, who Brad calls one of the best time-trialists of his generation, as he spoke to Eurosport's Orla Chennaoui after the stage. At the age of 39 Cancellara has seen it all in cycling and he knows that there will be bad days ahead for his young team-mate. However, Thursday evening is not one of them and Cancellara was full of praise for the work his young colleague has put in as well as his positive attitude. As Cancellara says today Hirschi's "life has changed because he won a Tour de France stage during his first time competing in the race."

There's also just enough time to touch on Peter Sagan picking up a few points to narrow the gap in the race for the Green Jersey before Brad looks forward Stage 13 on Friday and he is predicting some fireworks in the GC.

And as a little bonus treat Orla caught up with another rising superstar, Great Britain's Tom Pidcock, after he won the baby Giro.

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