CyclingTips Podcast

The 2018 Tour de France began on the island of Noirmoutier-En-L’Ïle and Neal Rogers gives a recap of all the action from the opening stage.

Special guest Rupert Guinness, who is covering his 30th Tour, joins our on-the-ground reporters Caley Fretz and Dave Everett to discuss the chaos of stage one. He also shares a fascinating story from when the Tour last visited Noirmoutier-En-L’Ïle in 1999.

Plus, we hear rider diaries from Ruth Winder and Skylar Schneider on the second stage of the Giro Rosa

Caley Fretz, James Huang, and Dave Everett discuss what they've seen and heard so far before the Grande Boucle starts on Saturday.

In nerd alert, they discuss a change in rider fits they've noticed and how riders are moving their saddles forward.

We hear from Ruth Winder (Sunweb) at the Giro Rosa, Toms Skujiņš (Trek-Segafredo) about his first Tour, and from EF Education-Drapac's Chief Vibe Officer Taylor Phinney.

Plus, Jonathan Vaughters speaks about the handling of Chris Froome's case

This week's episode kicks off with Neal and Caley discussing the UCI's abrupt dropping of Chris Froome's Salbutamol case.

Then it’s preview time. We outline the 2018 Tour de France route and explain which stages are the ones you will not want to miss. The favourites and possible contenders for the different Tour jerseys are also examined and, of course, the duo make their predictions on who will win this year's Grande Boucle.

This week's episode kicks off with a roundup of last weekend's national championships, which occurred across much of Europe and in North America, before diving into a new helmet test that attempts to rank popular helmets not by weight or aerodynamics but by how safe they are. Surprisingly, that's a novel concept. 

Finally, an interview with the author of a book about Greg LeMond's comeback from being shot while turkey hunting in 1987.

It's all tech, all the time this week. Caley Fretz and James Huang are joined by Dave Rome to run through the future of road drivetrains from all three major manufacturers, plus a look at players trying to break in like FSA and Rotor. 

Plus, plenty of hate for closed-off standards, 1x drivetrains that are dropping chains, and electronics that just won't work. No drivetrain company escapes our ire this week.

James Huang thinks you have enough bikes. Do you? For years we've believed in N+1, the equation that dictates that the correct number of bicycles to own is the number you currently own (N), plus one. But bikes are more versatile than ever, and that means maybe you don't need +1. Maybe N is enough. 

Plus, Neal Rogers and Caley Fretz break down the Criterium du Dauphine, including Team's Sky's dominant performance and Geraint Thomas' chances of riding for himself at the Tour de France.

The Dauphiné used as a final test for bikes and equipment before the Tour de France. So what have we seen? What does it mean? We run through the latest goodies from France.

Then we dig into the controversy that came out of Dirty Kanza last weekend.

eBikes are coming. In many places, they're already here. James Huang and Caley Fretz sit down with two experts in the field to run through the arguments for and against their use on- and off-road.

In this episode, Neal Rogers and Caley Fretz dissect the controversial stage 19 ride of Chris Froome, who has been accused of both being both "unbelievable" and a tactical mastermind. Which is it? 

The ride has been compared to Floyd Landis' escapade at the 2006 Tour de France. So we called up Floyd to find out what he thinks, and to help define exactly what "doing a Landis" might mean. 

Plus, a chat with Chad Haga, one of Tom Dumoulin's Giro lieutenants.

We're back to our regular weekly episodes, and that means a return to the Giro d'Italia. The big TT was Tuesday — how did things shake out? Was Simon Yates' final weakness actually weak? Neal and Caley break down the last week of the Italian grand tour. 

Plus, reports suggest Colombian phenom Egan Bernal will race the Tour de France. Is that a good idea? 

And finally, a Nerd Alert in which James Huang rides an old road bike to see just how far road bikes have come (or not come, as the case may be.

In this episode, Caley Fretz catches up with former pro Tim Johnson to break down the final stage of the Amgen Tour of California and analyze the top sprinters ahead of the Tour de France. 

Plus, a chat with Rally doctor Kelby Bethards about what it takes to keep his team moving and thoughts on form and ability from an introspective Lachlan Morton.