Velo Podcast

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Tour de France Rest Day 2 Jul 15, 2024

Show notes

We’ve reached another rest day of the Tour de France, which means it’s time to look back on all the excitement from the second week, and ahead to the third and final week, all on the Velo Podcast.

Tadej Pogacar's dominance in the Pyrénées has been mind-blowing this past weekend as he took two mountain stages in a row. And the second week at the Tour has been fast and aggressive, with breakaways struggling to stay clear. UAE Team Emirates has shown impressive tactics and teamwork, while Visma-Lease a Bike has fought hard but struggled to match an untouchable Pogačar.

Host Hannah Knapp, Velo European Correspondent Andrew Hood, and former pro cyclist Bobby Julich take us through a full discussion of the latest from the Tour, including:

Can Pogačar play defense now that he has a comfortable lead?
Where Visma-Lease a Bike goes from here.
Remco Evenepoel’s excellent showing so far.
Can Primož Roglič ever win the Tour?
What to expect from the sprint stage on Tuesday.
A look ahead at the mountain stages.
Covid in the 2024 Tour de France.
A quick check in on the American riders, including Matteo Jorgenson.

Tour de France Rest Day Catch Up Jul 08, 2024

Show notes

Any pre-race fears of a boring Tour de France have been put to bed in the first week. We’ve reached the first rest day of the 2024 Tour, and it’s been non-stop excitement for nine stages.

We discuss it all in this rest day episode of the Velo Podcast. Velo social media manager Hannah Knapp hosts the discussion with Velo European correspondent Andrew Hood, who’s following the race on the ground in France, and Velo contributor and former pro cyclist Bobby Julich, who raced the Tour nine times and once finished in third place.

We kick things off with a discussion of the much talked about gravel stage, stage 9. Does this parcours have a place in grand tour racing? Then we discuss the GC standings. Pogačar is in first, but doesn’t have the margin he would hope after a week of attacking.

Then we shift to Mark Cavendish’s record setting 35th stage win, and Biniam Girmay’s excellent Tour, with two stage wins and the green jersey. On the flip side, Jasper Philipsen is having a frustrating Tour with second places and a relegation.

The show also covers the incredible Tour that small teams and French teams and riders have been having, and then looks ahead to the second week of racing and what everyone is excited to watch.

Tour de France 2024 Preview Jun 27, 2024

Show notes

It’s once again the most important time of the year for road cycling. On Saturday, the 111th Tour de France rolls out from Florence, Italy, and it’s time to get ready for the racing.

Velo Pod host Hannah Knapp is joined by former pro cyclist Bobby Julich and Velo European Correspondent Andrew Hood to discuss the upcoming 2024 Tour de France.

The discussion begins with the GC contenders and the excitement surrounding Tadej Pogacar who is fresh off a commanding Giro d’Italia victory and looking to complete the elusive Giro-Tour double. For all the hype of the “Big Four” of Pogacar, Vingegaard, Evenepoel, and Roglič does anyone else besides Pogi stand a chance at the yellow jersey after injury riddles seasons?

The conversation then moves on to the must watch stages, with a focus on the grueling hilly opening stage that features seven consecutive climbs, and the challenging mountain stages and the final stage time trial in Nice.

When the race finally wraps up, will Mark Cavendish leave as the sole owner of the Tour de France stage win record? He needs one more to best Eddy Merckx, but any win in the Tour de France is a tall order, especially at Cavendish’s age.

We also discuss the absence of American rider Sepp Kuss, the loyal lieutenant to Vingegaard and the reigning Vuelta champion, and the impact it will have on the race. Things then move on to a discussion about other American riders to watch, including Matteo Jorgensen and Nielson Powless. And of course there’s Sean Quinn representing in his brand new national champion’s jersey.

Finally, Hoody and Bobby fill us in on what has them excited for the 2024 Tour de France beyond the GC race, including top riders to watch.

Listen in wherever you stream podcasts for the full discussion, and tune in to Velo for Tour coverage all race long.

Velo Podcast - Unbound Gravel 2024 Jun 07, 2024

Show notes

Unbound Gravel reaches new heights each year in terms of racing quality and excitement. 2024 was no exception as the elite women finally got the staggered start time they wanted, resulting in a thrilling nine-up sprint. Meanwhile, the People's Champ Lachlan Morton went for a memorable victory in a men's race marked by negative racing.

Velo senior editor Betsy Welch was on the ground in Emporia, Kansas, along with social media manager Hannah Knapp. They're joined by Will Tracy for a discussion of the race, the drama, or lack thereof, the latest tech that leaked at the race, and our favorite story of the event, involving $198 beach cruisers.

VN Podcast, ep. 310: Why Ineos Owns the Giro d'Italia, the emotional gravity of the Moriah Wilson tragedy May 27, 2022

Show notes

This week's episode is sponsored by Whoop. This year, Whoop is providing rider data from the race, including heart rate data during the stages and sleep data after them. Hugh Carthy (EF Education-EastPost), for instance, only got 5.5 hours of sleep on the big transfer day from Hungary to Sicily, according to Whoop.

The Giro d'Italia is reaching its mountainous conclusion, and team Ineos looks primed to win the Maglia Rosa with Richard Carapaz. A victory would bring Ineos its fourth Giro win in five years. Why does the team and its "Froome train" strategy still work in Italy, while it falters in France and Spain? On today's episode we dive into this big question, and explore what a top Giro finish would mean for the three men in the hunt for the final podium: Carapaz, Jai Hindley, and Mikel Landa.

Then, the U.S. cycling scene is still reeling from the murder of gravel star Moriah Wilson. We discuss the gravity of this story, and why it now occupies its own tragic realm in the history of pro bike racing.

VN Podcast, ep. 309: Ashton Lambie's return to gravel May 20, 2022

Show notes

U.S. track cycling phenom Ashton Lambie has traded in the velodrome for dirt.

Lambie, 31, is embarking on his first full campaign in gravel and mountain-bike racing in 2022, and he's racing the Life Time Grand Prix events and other off-road races. Lambie shares his opinions with Ben Delaney on what it's like to return to 100-mile gravel events after spending years spinning circles around a velodrome. How does the four-minute effort of the individual pursuit compare to a daylong race? What are the biggest tech differences between an aero bike and a gravel rig?

Lambie takes us inside his experiences in this wide-ranging interview.

VN Podcast, ep. 308: Lawson Craddock, travels, and travails at the Giro d'Italia May 11, 2022

Show notes

The Giro d'Italia kicked off this year with three stages in Hungary, followed by a big travel day down to Sicily for a stout mountain stage up Mount Etna.

How does all this travel affect the racing?

Riders often say different things, depending on who they are speaking to — or whether it's on the record. This year, fitness wearable company Whoop is providing rider data from the race, including heart rate data during the stages and sleep data after them. Hugh Carthy (EF Education-EastPost), for instance, only got 5.5 hours of sleep on the big transfer day from Hungary to Sicily, according to Whoop.

U.S. national time trial champion Lawson Craddock is racing the Giro in support of Simon Yates, who won the time trial in Budapest. Andrew Hood spoke with Craddock about racing in Hungary for an Italian stage race, as well as his thoughts on the long road ahead at the Giro.

Host Ben Delaney chats with Hood from the press room on Mount Etna.

VN Podcast, ep 307: Key takeaways from BWR and Whiskey Off-Road to the Tour de Romandie May 04, 2022

Show notes

The racing was high-intensity and high-drama around the world last week, from Belgian Waffle Ride to the Tour de Romandie.

What did we learn from covering these races? Ben Delaney, Betsy Welch, and Daniel Benson talk through the hot spots.

Watching Lauren De Crescenzo win a stage by five minutes and the overall at the Tour of Gila while Mo Wilson won BWR by 25 minutes has us looking forward to a showdown between these two powerhouses at Unbound Gravel early next month. Speaking of Unbound, can anybody beat Keegan Swenson?

Daniel was in Switzerland for Romandie, where Aleksandr Vlasov executed a TT-to-road bike swap in the final time trial, and blew past jersey-wearer Rohan Dennis to capture the overall. Are these type of stages gimmicks or legitimate racing? Dan and Ben discuss.

And why was Ben hanging out of a car window at BWR? Tune in to this week's episode of the VeloNews Podcast.

VN Podcast, ep. 306: SBT GRVL's Amy Charity on independence, the UCI, and the sweet spot of gravel racing Apr 26, 2022

Show notes

Amy Charity is the driving force behind SBT GRVL, one of VeloNews' five Monuments of Gravel that exploded onto the scene in 2019 and now sells out its 3,000 spots within minutes.

SBT GRVL was invited to join the UCI's new Gravel World Series, but Charity declined.

On this episode of the VeloNews Podcast, Charity and host Ben Delaney discuss a variety of things, including the intersection of pro racing and recreational gravel riding, why she is happy to have SBT GRVL as an independent entity, the community of gravel race promoters, and that time she and Life Time vice president Kimo Seymour worked together racing at Unbound Gravel 200.

VN Podcast, ep. 305: Paris-Roubaix takeaways for the men, the women, and the gear Apr 20, 2022

Show notes

It was a hell of a weekend in France with Paris-Roubaix Femmes and Paris-Roubaix, and Ben Delaney and Jim Cotton discuss the highlights and lowlights of both the men's and women's races and the gear that was used to varying degrees of success.

What is your favorite type of Roubaix? A wet and muddy edition, or a dry and dusty version? Ben and Jim argue about that, too.

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