Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast

This is the information you need, from Canadian riders, before the world championships.

Just ahead of the road cycling world championships in Montreal, four elite Canadian riders on the men’s squad spoke about what they’d face. All of them discussed what home-road advantage could mean.

Derek Gee-West says he had images of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal shaping his perception of the world championships, but as the days draw nearer to worlds, Gee-West is appreciating just how big the weeklong event is going to be.

Pier-André Côté is looking to balance the focus required for racing against the best in the world and enjoying a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with worlds in his home province.

Nickolas Zukowsky thinks it’s a different style of rider who can win the world championship road race compared with the type who wins the Montreal GP.

Michael Leonard knows the style of racing will be different from WorldTour events as second-tier riders step into leadership positions for their national teams.

Rider videos by Nick Iwanyshyn. https://nickiwanyshyn.format.com/

This episode is supported by Altitude Sports. [This collaboration is part of an advertising campaign managed by the agency Podpass for Altitude Sports.]

Save up to 20 per cent off on your first order with code CYCLINGMAGAZINE2026

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CHAPTERS

7:47 Derek Gee-West: Team Canada leadership and the scope of the world championships

12:36: Pier-André Côté: Balancing the business of racing with a special opportunity 

16:47 Nickolas Zukowsky: Hard to say who can win the worlds, which makes the racing exciting

21:59 Michael Leonard: ‘The best riders don’t necessarily have the best teams’
 

In this episode, world champion Magdeleine Vallières Mill looks back at her year in the rainbow jersey and ahead to defending it in Montreal. Her win in Kigali at the 2025 road world championships meant she was no longer an “incognito” rider, as she describes herself prior to that achievement. She went from playing the role of a key domestique to a leader, a position that doesn’t come naturally to her, but one she’s continuing to hone. She gives a glimpse as to how things might play out on the roads of Montérégie and Montreal this September.

Also, she talks about corn, her favourite, and is presented with a dad joke to go with her new helmet.

This episode is supported by Altitude Sports. [This collaboration is part of an advertising campaign managed by the agency Podpass for Altitude Sports.]

Save up to 20 per cent off on your first order with code CYCLINGMAGAZINE2026

Shop at Altitude Sports: https://bit.ly/altitude-cyclingmagazine2026

Valid on regular-priced items only. Limited-time offer. One use per customer. Cannot be combined with other promotions or membership discounts.

CHAPTERS

13:21 A custom helmet leads to a fantastic, or terrible, dad joke

20:26 Surprising aspects of being a world champion

24:29 A look at Canada’s elite women’s team for worlds in Montreal

26:34 The style of race that could benefit the Canadians

29:36 The part of the world championship route that Magdeleine Vallières Mill is looking forward to

In this episode, an expert aerodynamicist looks at the major improvements you can make using the latest in aero advancements to go faster on your bike. Ingmar Jungnickel was once on-staff at Specialized and is now the founder of AiRO, an app that a bike fitter can use to improve your on-bike aerodynamics. His approach to making gains is simple: go for the big improvements. That philosophy runs counter to the oft-cited “marginal gains” theory of going faster. Find out Jungnickel’s thinking behind those big gains. 

He also discusses the topic of chest fairings and/or bra doping that came to the fore at this year's Tour de France Femmes. He’s run the numbers, which take some of the stuffing out of the theory.

For all riders looking to improve their speed, Jungnickel has recommendations and approaches you can all explore. 

This episode is supported by Altitude Sports. [This collaboration is part of an advertising campaign managed by the agency Podpass for Altitude Sports.]

Save up to 20 per cent off on your first order with code CYCLINGMAGAZINE2026

Shop at Altitude Sports: https://bit.ly/altitude-cyclingmagazine2026

Valid on regular-priced items only. Limited-time offer. One use per customer. Cannot be combined with other promotions or membership discounts.

CHAPTERS

13:30 Bra doping and effectiveness of chest fairings

26:37 How trustworthy are bike manufacturers’ aero claims

33:53 Why it’s more effective to go after big gains instead of marginal gains

37:24 How the AiRO app works

42:07 Work on your form, not just your fitness

54:03 What equipment gives you the more significant aero gains

57:39 How to improve your aerodynamic form on-bike

In this episode, Canadian cycling legend Svein Tuft shares insights on staying fast and healthy approaching 50, his views on longevity and AI, and his latest adventures in FKTs and remote rides. He draws on his extensive experience in bikepacking and ultra-distance riding, offering insights into route planning and personal resilience. He also delves into his evolving relationship with technology and gear.

Plus, updates from the cycling world including concerns about bra doping at the Tour de France Femmes, highlights from Crankworx Whistler and a notable performance at the Commonwealth Games.

This episode is supported by Altitude Sports. [This collaboration is part of an advertising campaign managed by the agency Podpass for Altitude Sports.]

Save up to 20 per cent off on your first order with code CYCLINGMAGAZINE2026

Shop at Altitude Sports: https://bit.ly/altitude-cyclingmagazine2026

Valid on regular-priced items only. Limited-time offer. One use per customer. Cannot be combined with other promotions or membership discounts.

CHAPTERS

10:21 Svein Tuft Introduction and his Jumbo Wild 600 Route

16:55 Tips for Planning Big Bikepacking Routes

23:55 Honing the Critical Skill of Responding to Life-Threatening Situations on the Trail

29:00 Staying Fast and Healthy as 50 Approaches

36:33 True Longevity vs. Longevity Bro Bio-hacks

44:33 Svein Tuft’s Relationship with Gear: Past and Present

52:31 Getting Started in Bikepacking: Equipment Tips

Meaghan Hackinen has a habit of breaking ultra-distance cycling records. Recently, the Kelowna, B.C., rider set the women’s fastest known time for the iconic Tour Divide route. On this episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast, Hackinen shares her journey to setting new records in ultra-cycling, training strategies, gear choices and the importance of sleep and sobriety in performance. Check out her insights into managing long-distance rides and preparing for unpredictable conditions.

Also, editors Matthew Pioro and Matt Hansen discuss cross country nationals and the Tour de l’Abitibi. There’s up-and-coming talent to look out for.

This episode is supported by Altitude Sports. [This collaboration is part of an advertising campaign managed by the agency Podpass for Altitude Sports.]

Save up to 20 per cent off on your first order with code CYCLINGMAGAZINE2026

Shop at Altitude Sports: https://bit.ly/altitude-cyclingmagazine2026

Valid on regular-priced items only. Limited-time offer. One use per customer. Cannot be combined with other promotions or membership discounts.

Chapters

13:39 Meaghan Hackinen: Training for an ultra-distance ride like the Tour Divide

16:56 Getting started in ultra cycling: Tips for beginners

21:37 The importance of sleep in ultra-racing

31:11 What happens when you give your bike a name

37:07 Where a beginner should start with ultra-cycling gear

39:26 The impact of sobriety on performance

44:20 Safety tips for solo female travellers

The big 32-inch wheels are coming. They’ve already rolled through multi-stage mountain bike races, XC World Cups, gravel competitions and DH runs. For some, they provoke eye-rolls as the bike industry pursues yet another standard whether you want it or not. But you'll see more of them soon.

Geoff Kabush, mountain bike legend, underbiking advocate and long-time gear-head, has seen all this before. He started mountain biking on 26-inch wheels and experienced the rise (and growing pains) of 29ers. With 32s, he’s already been experimenting. In May 2025, he rode a custom-built hardtail with 32”-wheels near Fox’s office in North Carolina to explore bike geometry on the big hoops. He’s also worked with Sam Whittingham of Naked Bicycles based on B.C.’s Quadra Island, where Whittingham made a 32-inch-wheel gravel bike that Kabush is riding.

This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast features a look at the nuances of the new wheel size. Kabush talks about how geometry is evolving. “Butt clearance,” the room a rider’s rear end needs when their weight is back over the rear wheel, comes up. He also reveals how he can feel a bit of guilt when pushing test equipment to failure, especially with an emerging technology in which spares are in short supply. And Kabush has practical tire tips, too. Have a listen.

July 5, 2026 is a special date. It will mark 40 years since a Canadian, Coquitlam, B.C.’s Alex Stieda, went on an audacious breakaway and secured the yellow jersey. For a brief moment, Stieda led the Tour de France. He was the first Canadian as well as the first male North American to do so.

This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast features a close look at Stieda’s historic ride. The discussion starts with his early years in cycling. (“What? Were you bad at hockey?”) In 1980, he won the Tour de l’Abitibi. He took the bronze medal in individual pursuit at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Australia. Then it was on to the 1984 L.A. Olympics for track cycling.

By 1986, he had turned pro. That year, his team, the groundbreaking U.S. outfit 7-Eleven, got an invitation to the Tour de France. For the first official stage of the event, Stieda cooked up a plan that he kept mostly to himself. Find out, from the Canadian Cycling Hall of Famer himself, how it all went down.

Sometimes, a gravel champion of multiple nations simply finds himself without a floor pump. A few weeks ago, Benjamin Perry was in need of such a tool at Unbound Gravel, the premier gravel race on the calendar. Perry, who’s based in Gerona, wasn’t able to pack a pump for his North American trip. “Then, I was going around the hotel waiting for somebody to come out of a room who looked like a cyclist,” he said. “In Emporia around Unbound week, it's pretty easy to find somebody who has a floor pump, so it's not the end of the world.” Still, having to search for a pump to set his tires for a big event is quite the contrast to his days as a professional road racer, when his teams would take care of all the logistics and maintenance.

Elite gravel—it requires a lot of hustle. For the past three seasons, Perry has been making his way as a privateer racing on mixed surfaces. He’s had successes, including his 2025 Canadian gravel championship title. (He’s set to defend in a few days. He faces serious competition.) This year, he competed in the Catalan championships, and won, putting him in the strange situation of being a non-Catalan with that community’s champion’s jersey. He’s also had multiple top-10 finishes at major races this season. Yet sometimes, Perry has to scramble for parts.

This episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast features a deep dive into the world of elite gravel racing with Benjamin Perry. It's a lively chat as Perry brings his trademark humour to the topics of racing, equipment and fuelling. The pro also has top tips for anyone interested in racing the world’s toughest gravel events.

The former bassist of the Sex Pistols, long nails on race day and crosswinds all connect with Sidney Swierenga. Find out how in this episode of the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast.

In early May, Swierenga landed on the podium of the Grand Prix du Morbihan Femmes in France. While the second-place finish marked her first elite-level result, she’s no stranger to medals. In 2025, Swierenga was second overall at both the Redlands Bicycle Classic (one of her favourite races) and Tour of the Gila. She also won a stage and the GC of the Tour du Gévaudan Occitanie Femmes.

Those 2025 results caught the attention of the Liv AlUla Jayco Women's Continental Team, to which Swierenga signed for this season. In this episode, you can find out about what’s ahead for the rider and, you know, what Sid Vicious has to do with it.

Can you train mental durability?

“Yes, 100 per cent,” says Haley Smith.

The rider knows her stuff. She’s an Olympian who competed in cross country mountain biking. She’s a Commonwealth Games medallist and a two-time national  marathon mountain bike champion. Smith won the first Life Time Grand Prix series. Recently, she was fifth at the Traka 360 gravel race in Spain.

While Smith is a top-level rider, she’s also a PhD student in sports psychology. In her studies, cycling is front and centre. One of her papers even examined the spirit of gravel. In the interview, Smith discusses racing, her academic work, as well as mental strategies that can help you to be a better rider.

This season, Smith is on tour. Not a multi-stage event in this case, but a speaking tour that also includes group rides. It’s all part of her Competere project. Competere is aimed at helping more girls and women grow into passionate cyclists. Here’s the schedule: