The Cycling Podcast

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S14 Ep76: KM0: Ça Revient / It’s Coming Home | Episode 1: Barcelona Jul 03, 2026

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"I wouldn't have bet a single centime on no Frenchman winning the Tour for forty years."

So said Bernard Hinault, the owner of what he called an "unwanted record" as the fourth decade since his 1985 victory was about to expire last July. "We haven't got any chance…" Hinault added in the same interview. Kevin Vauquelin's plucky seventh place on GC notwithstanding, it seemed unfathomable after three weeks that the drought wouldn't extend to forty-one years in 2026, forty-two and so on at least until Tadej Pogačar either began an inexorable slide or retired.

Unfathomable is also the adjective many long-in-the-tooth observers would use for the eventuality of Paul Seixas winning the 2026 race at age 19. It would certainly be historic, not only because Seixas would bring the Tour "home" for the first time since Hinault in 1985, but also because he would be the youngest ever winner: to be precise, 49 days younger than Henri Cornet in the Tour's second edition, way back in 1904.

Improbable it certainly sounds, and logic would suggest the same — and yet this summer France expects. Hopes. To a certain extent believes. And will certainly get extremely excited if, even after the first skirmishes with the Pyrenees in week one, the boy from Beaujolais has not been Pogcinerated out of contention.

Having witnessed Seixas's definitive coming of age at the Tour of the Basque Country in April, over three weeks in July, Daniel Friebe will take up potentially the story of the summer at the Tour de France. Not necessarily by chronicling Seixas's every pedal stroke but by examining the question of how France got here — now approaching half a century into one of professional sport's most agonising and baffling droughts — and how, one day either soon or still too far into the future for comfort, deliverance can and will finally arrive.

The 2026 Tour begins its journey in Barcelona — as does our series, outside a curious hospital building in the heart of the Catalan capital which, twenty years ago, was somehow charged with shaping the future of professional cycling. In episode one, Daniel explains exactly what occurred, and also why and how it determined the destiny of Paul Seixas.

S14 Ep75: The XL Tour de France 2026 Preview | Part Three | Seixas, Remco, the sprinters et al Jul 02, 2026

Show notes

Join Lionel Birnie and Graham Willgoss as they complete a trilogy of episodes looking ahead to the 2026 Tour de France.

With the big battle between Pogačar and Vingegaard covered in part one, and the route dissected in part two, this time it's a chance to take a deeper look at some of the other storylines and riders who are set to animate the Tour de France.

From the much-anticipated debut of French sensation Paul Seixas, to the joint-leaders of the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team, Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz, who else will challenge for the podium and the other top places on GC?

We weigh up a deep field of fast finishers and ask who will be left standing when the sprinting game of musical chairs comes to a halt. There's a visit to Coorevits Corner, we hear from the Voice of Radio Tour, and ask which teams really need a good Tour de France.

Parts one and two of The XL Preview series are online now.
Daily coverage of the Tour de France starts on Saturday, July 4.

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S14 Ep74: The XL Tour de France 2026 Preview | Part Two | The Route | Barcelona > Paris Jul 01, 2026

Show notes

The 113th Tour de France starts in Barcelona on Saturday, and makes its way to Paris via the Pyrenees, Massif Central, Vosges, Jura and Alps.

In this episode, Lionel Birnie and Graham Willgoss take an in-depth look at the route, picking out some highlights along the way. There's also some French flavour from François Thomazeau, who has covered the Tour for the past four decades and writes the official tourist's guide for the race.

Join us for the journey when our daily episodes get underway after the opening team time trial on Saturday.

Part one of The XL Preview series is online now. Part three, covering all the other contenders to look out for, will be released soon.

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Our Tour de France preview series is sponsored by MyWhoosh.

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S14 Ep73: The XL Tour de France 2026 Preview | Part One | The Heavyweights | Pogačar v Vingegaard Jun 30, 2026

Show notes

Will it be Tadej Pogačar or Jonas Vingegaard? There's more to this year's Tour de France than these two, of course, but it's undeniable that the race for the maillot jaune will focus on the sport's two heavyweights (or should that be lightweights?)

The 2026 Tour de France starts here. There are just a few days to go until the Grand Départ in Barcelona and The Cycling Podcast kicks off a three-part preview of the greatest race in the world by weighing up the two outstanding riders – the champion, Tadej Pogačar and the challenger Jonas Vingegaard.

Join Lionel Birnie and Graham Willgoss as they find out about the two men who have dominated the Tour de France since 2020. Graham speaks to journalist Andy McGrath, author of Unstoppable, a biography of the Slovenian, about the man aiming to join the five-time winner's club. And Lionel talks to a man our listeners will be very familiar with, Brian Nygaard, who has followed Vingegaard's career from the beginning.

Part two and three of The XL Preview series will cover the route, and all the other contenders to look out for, and will be released soon.

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Our Tour de France preview series is sponsored by MyWhoosh.

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Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes.

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S14 Ep72: Life is Suisse Jun 26, 2026

Show notes

Donkeys beware, there’s enough chat about recent racing from Rose Manley and Lizzy Banks that they’re at risk of losing their hind legs.

Rose and Lizzy tackle some major talking points from the Tour de Suisse and beyond. Like how might Zoe Backstedt shape up against Lorena Wiebes in future? What might Kasia Niewiadoma’s rumoured transfer to Lidl-Trek mean for the Polish champion and for Canyon-SRAM? And who should Team UAE-ADQ pick for the Tour de France Femmes considering their huge roster of climbing talent?

Plus there’s a message for our listeners from co-host Rebecca Charlton after she made her cancer treatment public last week.

Also on the agenda: legless donkeys, Lizzy the richest-woman-that-never-was and how a poo could disrupt the Canyon-SRAM team camp.

S14 Ep71: Pogačar Gets On A Swiss Roll Jun 23, 2026

Show notes

With the Tour de France now just ten days away, the Tour de Suisse was one of the final competitive opportunities for riders to impress their team management and earn selection for La Grande Boucle.

Join Lionel Birnie and Graham Willgoss as they complete their own countdown to the 113th edition of the greatest race in the world.

After Jonas Vingegaard impressed at the Giro d'Italia, it was over to Tadej Pogačar to show what sort of condition he's in as he aims for a record-equalling fifth Tour title. In a shorter, but by no means less intense, edition of the Swiss stage race Pogačar left few people in any doubt that he's the number one favourite for the Tour.

Who else impressed in Switzerland, Slovenia and Belgium as the Tour beckoned? And which big name star will miss the race and what impact will that have on his team? We get deep into all that in our final episode of The Cycling Podcast's Attitude Camp.

Next week we complete our final preparations for the Tour de France with a bumper three-part preview, kicking off on Tuesday.

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S14 Ep70: Raging Bull Jun 16, 2026

Show notes

With the Tour de France just three weeks away, the mountain stages at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (aka the Dauphiné) was set to be a big test for two young riders who are set to make their debut appearances in La Grande Boucle.

Lionel Birnie and Graham Willgoss wrap up an enthralling week of racing in the French Alps as Mexico's young pretender Isaac Del Toro continued his development into one of the finest stage racers in the world. We know he'll be a huge help to his UAE Team Emirates leaders Tadej Pogačar at the Tour but might he be podium material in his own right?

Meanwhile, the French sensation Paul Seixas and his Decathlon team endured a setback – perhaps a timely reality check to temper the already sky-high expectations ahead of the Tour?

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S14 Ep69: Team Time Trial and Error Jun 10, 2026

Show notes

Who would have thought it possible to take such a deep dive into a team time trial stage? Join Lionel Birnie and Graham Willgoss as they recap the story of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes – the race formerly known as the Critérium du Dauphiné – so far.

After two entertaining wins from the breakaway to kick things off, the 'new' team time trial format finally captured the imagination, perhaps because it's a dress rehearsal for the opening stage of the Tour de France in Barcelona in a few weeks' time.

How did the teams stack up against each other? Which squads got it right and who still has work to do?

And, now they have reached the halfway mark, who is poised to seize the yellow jersey in the mountains?

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S14 Ep67: Stage 22 | The Final Q&A | (Men's) Giro d’Italia 2026 Jun 08, 2026

Show notes

Daniel Friebe and Michele Pelacci answer a final round of 2026 (Men's) Giro-related listeners questions.

2026 Girovagando selection:
You can buy this year’s Girovagando wine selection here: https://dvinecellars.com/products/cycling-podcast-giro-26.
The wines with corresponding stage numbers are as follows:
Stage 3: Mixtape Red, Georgiev & Milkov, Plovdiv (red)
Stage 4: Tenuta del Conte, Calabria Rosso, Calabria (red)
Stage 5: Vigneti del Vulture, Pipoli, Aglianico del Vulture, Basilicata (red)
Stage 10: Bianco 'il Terraio’ Paterna, Tuscany (white)
Stage 14: Les Crêtes Mon Blanc, Valle D’Aosta (white)
Stage 20: Braida Antica Blanc, Russolo, Friuli Venezia-Giulia (white)

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S14 Ep68: Stage 9 | Saluzzo - Saluzzo | Giro d’Italia Women 2026 Jun 07, 2026

Show notes

Could this really be the end? Join Rebecca Charlton and Lizzy Banks for one final instalment from the Giro d’Italia Women as the winner of the maglia rosa is finally decided on an explosive day.

We also hear from key names in that GC battle, Lidl Trek’s Isabella Holmgren and Canyon Sram’s Antonia Niedermaier, who was virtual leader on the road earlier in the stage.

And don’t forget to catch up on our whole race's worth of podcasts as The Cycling Podcast Féminin brings you daily coverage from the race.

Also on the agenda: Heart over legs, wonky helmet straps and, of course, cheese.

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Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month, plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes.

The 11.01 Cappuccino
Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am).

The Cycling Podcast is on Strava

The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

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