Beyond the Peloton Podcast

Spencer Martin of the Beyond the Peloton Newsletter & Andrew Vontz of the Choose the Hard Way Podcast go through a list of topics to kick off the 2024 season, including, but not limited to, Mathieu van der Poel's unprecedented dominance in Cyclocross, Andrew's theory about Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock emerging as GC threats in 2024, and Ineos' takeover of Manchester United and how it may diminish the program's cycling division. 

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Hit up Andrew (@vontz) on Twitter/X & Spencer (@spencersoward) on Threads with your questions, opinions, and anything else cycling-related.

Spencer Martin of the Beyond the Peloton Newsletter & Andrew Vontz of the Choose the Hard Way Podcast sit down with recent Paris-Tours winner Riley Sheehan to discuss his breakout 2023 season, which saw him rise from a US-based criterium racer to winning a major professional European race. They also talk about his newly signed three-year deal with the Israel-Premier Tech team, how his life has changed over the last few months, and his goals for the 2024 season and beyond.

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Listen to Andrew's Choose the Hard Way Podcast

Hit up Andrew (@vontz) & Spencer (@btpcycling) on Twitter/X with your questions, opinions, and anything else cycling-related.

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Spencer Martin of the Beyond the Peloton Newsletter & Andrew Vontz of the Choose the Hard Way Podcast break down the news that the fantastic GCN+ cycling-specific streaming service is being shut down in December and dive deep into the potential reasons for this sudden ending. They speculate on what platform, if any, will allow Americans to watch non-ASO races in the 2024 season, as well as touching on Wout van Aert's apparent plan to race the Giro d'Italia over the Tour de France in 2024 and Geraint Thomas' interesting off-season admissions. 

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Listen to Andrew's Choose the Hard Way Podcast

Hit up Andrew (@vontz) & Spencer (@btpcycling) on Twitter/X with your questions, opinions, and anything else cycling-related.

Spencer Martin of the Beyond the Peloton Newsletter & Andrew Vontz of the Choose the Hard Way Podcast go over the reports that Jumbo-Visma CEO Richard Plugge is leading a new cycling breakaway league and the rumors that Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, PIF, is providing financing. They break down how credible the reporting is around the deal, the implications for the sport the league would have if it actually came together, and why we've seen so many failed attempts at this in the past. 

At the end of the episode, they identify a few troubling trends around the US gravel racing scene and tie up a few loose ends around their BWR Kansas participation.

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Listen to Andrew's Choose the Hard Way Podcast

Hit up Andrew (@vontz) & Spencer (@btpcycling) on Twitter/X with your questions, opinions, and anything else cycling-related.

In a departure from the normal program, Spencer Martin of the Beyond the Peloton Newsletter & Andrew Vontz of the Choose the Hard Way Podcast discuss their experience racing at the recent BWR Kansas event (Wafer distance), what they learned about prepping for gravel events with vague course instructions, their gear setups and how they view the discipline after having competed at a high-level gravel event. 

BWR Kansas Wafer Strava File

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Listen to Andrew's Choose the Hard Way Podcast

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Spencer Martin of the Beyond the Peloton Newsletter & Andrew Vontz of the Choose the Hard Way Podcast sit down with Jumbo-Visma Managing Director/CEO Richard Plugge to discuss how he transformed the down-and-out Rabobank team into the modern winning machine that is Jumbo-Visma. They go through how he went from being the team's communication officer to owner/CEO in just six months, how the team slowly built a framework to identify and develop the sport's best young talent, the financial future of both his team and the sport, the team's decision to send both Jonas Vingegaard and Primož Roglič to the Vuelta a España and much, much more. 

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Listen to Andrew's Choose the Hard Way Podcast

Hit up Andrew (@vontz) & Spencer (@btpcycling) on Twitter/X with your questions, opinions, and anything else cycling-related.

Spencer Martin of the Beyond the Peloton Newsletter & Andrew Vontz of the Choose the Hard Way Podcast attempt to figure out what is going on behind the scenes after hearing the news that the Jumbo-Visma/Soudal-QuickStep merger has been called off and that Primož Roglič is headed to Bora-Hansgrohe for the 2024 season. They also give their predictions for the upcoming Il Lombardia race and Gravel World Championships, along with their continued preparation for the upcoming BWR Lawrence event.

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Listen to Andrew's Choose the Hard Way Podcast

Hit up Andrew (@vontz) & Spencer (@btpcycling) on Twitter/X with your questions, opinions, and anything else cycling-related.

After their special guest had to reschedule at the last minute, Spencer Martin of the Beyond the Peloton Newsletter & Andrew Vontz of the Choose the Hard Way Podcast discuss the rumors of a potential Jumbo-Visma/Soudal-QuickStep merger and give their final thoughts on Jumbo's recent podium sweep at the Vuelta a España before getting into the weeds on gravel racing/riding and their preparation for the upcoming BWR Lawrence event.

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Listen to Andrew's Choose the Hard Way Podcast

Hit up Andrew (@vontz) & Spencer (@btpcycling) on Twitter/X with your questions, opinions, and anything else cycling-related.

Spencer Martin of the Beyond the Peloton Newsletter & Andrew Vontz of the Choose the Hard Way Podcast break down the Jumbo-Visma intrateam drama that has emerged during the final week of the 2023 Vuelta a España, where they are well placed to win the race with Sepp Kuss and sweep the podium with superstar Jonas Vingegaard and Primož Roglič in second and third place overall.

The duo debate the pros and cons of the team's decision to allow their three leaders to battle it out instead of simply consolidating resources behind Kuss after the second rest day, and how the decisions have been fair, and unfair to different members of the team. They also speculate on where these three riders go from here and how the team will manage having three 2023 grand tour winners on the same roster in 2024.

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Listen to Andrew's Choose the Hard Way Podcast

Hit up Andrew (@vontz) & Spencer (@btpcycling) on Twitter with your questions, opinions, and anything else cycling related.

Spencer Martin of the Beyond the Peloton Newsletter & Andrew Vontz of the Choose the Hard Way Podcast break down the action so far at the Vuelta a España, and discuss Sepp Kuss surprisingly, and impressively, taking a commanding GC lead, before attempting to predict how the GC battle will play out through the upcoming difficult mountain stages in the Pyrenees.

Get in-depth race breakdowns with the BTP newsletter

Listen to Andrew's Choose the Hard Way Podcast

Hit up Andrew (@vontz) & Spencer (@btpcycling) on Twitter with your questions, opinions, and anything else cycling related.