On this week's episode James and Will are joined by author and journalist Chris Sidwells to discuss the history of pro cycling's Holy Week, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

We talk about the origins of the races, the working class heroes that rode in the early editions, the legends of the 60s and 70s, and how today's riders compare.

Chris is the nephew of British cycling legend Tom Simpson, who won the Tour of Flanders in 1961, so naturally we spoke about Simpson's career, life and tragic death on Mont Ventoux in 1967.

You can buy Chris's new book, Cycling Legends 04: Flandriens (as well as the others in the series) now from cyclinglegends.co.uk

Interview begins at 11:21.

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Did you know Cyclist is also stunning monthly print magazine?

Subscribe now at store.cyclist.co.uk/cycpod and get every issue for less than in the shops, delivered straight to your door.

And it's also a rather lovely website about everything road cycling and gravel. Check us out at cyclist.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, Robyn and James are joined by Connie Carpenter Phinney, who is 1984 became the first ever Olympic Women's Road Race gold medal winner.

Connie charts her career from 14 year-old winter Olympic speed skater to champion road cyclist, a sporting career which saw her win multiple national titles and dominate races such as the Coors Classic.

Married to fellow American cyclist Davis Phinney, mother to ex-pro Taylor Phinney and mother-in-law to reigning Tour de France Femmes champ, Kasia Niewiadoma (Taylor's wife), though Connie has long since retired she's still very close to cycling, and here contrasts her experiences competing in 1980s with life on two wheels now, from her near non-existent racing budget to building her own wheels, burning out after the Olympics and watching her son race, including witnessing the horror crash that nearly cost him his life.

An irrepressible spirit, Connie has no sporting regrets, and today puts her energy into the charity she founded after husband Davis was diagnosed with young onset Parkinson's. The Davis Phinney Foundation aims to raise awareness, money, and crucially to provide support and resources to those living with, and caring for, people with Parkinson's. Read more about the Davis Phinney Foundation here.

Interview begins at 11.46

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Did you know Cyclist is also stunning monthly print magazine?

Subscribe now at store.cyclist.co.uk/cycpod and get every issue for less than in the shops, delivered straight to your door.

And it's also a rather lovely website about everything road cycling and gravel. Check us out at cyclist.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Will and James are joined by Dr Aron D'Souza, president of the Enhanced Games. Billed as 'the ultimate demonstration of what the human body can do', the Enhanced Games seeks in part to answer that age old pub question, 'What if athletes were allowed to dope, how much better would they be?'

It's a divisive topic unlike any other in sport, but having secured funding - including from Donald Trump Jnr - D'Souza and his team are confident the first edition of the Enhanced Games will run within the next two years, and in so doing will change not just sport but humanity itself.

Unlike the Olympics, athletes will be directly paid to participate and bonussed to break records, and thus the edges of human limits will be smashed through. There'll be input from pharmaceutical companies, profits will be recycled into the research of newer drugs to push boundaries ever further, and the trickle down effect will be that one day, that drug you saw on TV that helped that 69 year old woman run a sub-10 second 100m will be available to you.

Is it madness or is this the future? Have a listen and make your own mind up.

Interview begins at 10.45

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Did you know Cyclist is also stunning monthly print magazine?

Subscribe now at store.cyclist.co.uk/cycpod and get every issue for less than in the shops, delivered straight to your door.

And it's also a rather lovely website about everything road cycling and gravel. Check us out at cyclist.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode James is joined by Phil Burt, former head of physiotherapy at British Cycling and Team Sky and the man who literally wrote the book on bike fit. They discuss micro adjusters and macro absorbers, how riders' needs and wants are changing, and the affect of indoor cycling on the body.

Phil also explains the theory behind shorter cranks, the advantages, and how Bradley Wiggins was already on 165mm cranks at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Interview starts at 10:38.

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This episode is brought to you by Trek's custom Project One programme, which offers

full custom paint, components and setup on every Trek bicycle.

Check out Trek.com to start designing your dream bike now.

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Did you know Cyclist is also stunning monthly print magazine?

Subscribe now at store.cyclist.co.uk/cycpod and get every issue for less than in the shops, delivered straight to your door.

And it's also a rather lovely website about everything road cycling and gravel. Check us out at cyclist.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode, James and Will are joined by Spanish ultra-cyclist and runner, Juan Dual. As a teenager, Juan was diagnosed with familial adenomatous polyposis, a rare form of cancer that attacks the digestive system, and in the decades since he’s had his stomach, colon, large intestine, rectum and gallbladder removed. And yet Juan continues to compete in some of the most gruelling ultra-events on the planet, including El Kilometro Cero, 920km from Madrid to Cape Finisterre in under 100 hours.

In this candid chat, Juan explains how he rides such huge distances despite not being able to feel hunger, absorb calories efficiently or control how often he needs to go to the toilet. He explains how he’s cheated death, how friends and family have picked him, and how surviving cancer and taking on ultra-endurance events has given him a whole new perspective on life that he’d love to share.

Interview starts at 8.56

Follow Juan on IG here, and check out his exploits with sponsor Vielo here

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This

episode is brought to you by Trek's custom Project One programme, which offers

full custom paint, components and setup on every Trek bicycle. Check out Trek.com to start designing your dream bike

now.

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Did

you know Cyclist is

also stunning monthly print magazine? Subscribe now at store.cyclist.co.uk/cycpod

and get every issue for less than in the shops, delivered straight to your

door. And it's also a rather lovely website about everything road cycling and

gravel. Check us out at cyclist.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, Robyn and Will are joined by ultra-cyclist Lael Wilcox, who set the world record for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe by bicycle in September 2024, cycling over 29,100km in 108 days, 12 hours and 12 minutes. Here Lael explains how to plan such a feat, the highs and lows of solitude on a bike, their fear, resilience and growth, and the unexpected emotional responses after achieving such a goal.

Interview starts at 13.36

------------------

This episode is brought to you by Trek's custom Project One programme, which offers full custom paint, components and setup on every Trek bicycle. Check out Trek.com to start designing your dream bike now.

------------------

Did you know Cyclist is also stunning monthly print magazine? Subscribe now at store.cyclist.co.uk/cycpod and get every issue for less than in the shops, delivered straight to your door. And it's also a rather lovely website about everything road cycling and gravel. Check us out at cyclist.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week James and Will are joined by Michael Crawley, doctor of anthropology, sub-2h 20min marathon runner and award-winning author. In this episode, we discuss Michael’s latest book, To the Limit, which explores the meaning of endurance – why we do it and what it means to us culturally – through the eyes of Mexican running tribes, fell runners and professional athletes.

We talk about the Enhanced Games – one man’s bid to an all drugs allowed ‘olympic games’; the pros and lamentable cons of sleep tracking and smartwatches; the culture of doping – or not – across the globe; the pitfalls of the biological passport anti-doping system; how community and spirit is just as important as altitude in creating great endurance athletes in places like Ethiopia; and voluptuous panic. You’ll have to listen to find out about that one.

To the Limit: The Meaning of Endurance from Mexico to the Himalayas by Michael Crawley is published by Bloomsbury and available here as well as all good bookshops.

Interview begins at 8.14

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Did you know Cyclist is also stunning monthly print magazine? Subscribe now at store.cyclist.co.uk/cycpod and get every issue for less than in the shops, delivered straight to your door. And it's also a rather lovely website about everything road cycling and gravel. Check us out at cyclist.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week James and Will are joined by Andy Schleck, Tour de France winner, brother to Frank and victim in the infamous chaingate affair, in which Alberto Contador rode past a stricken Schleck – the yellow jersey wearer having suffered a dropped chain – to snatch the 2010 Tour de France top step. Two years later, Schleck was retroactively awarded the win after Contador was banned for doping, but how does that sit with the 39-year-old Luxembourgish today?

In a wonderfully candid chat, Schleck explains his thoughts then and now, plus what it meant to race with his brother, his special bond with teammates forged off the road, the doping scene in the early 2000s, his stunning 2009 Tour and his bittersweet experience in 2011, the injuries that led to retirement, the personal crisis he faced once he hung up his wheels, and what he really thinks about Bjarne Riis, Johan Bruyneel, Chris Froome and, of course, Christmas.

Today, Andy Schleck runs several successful cycling shops in Luxembourg and is ambassador for the Kitzbüheler Radmarathon, a gruelling sportive that takes place in Austria in September 2025.

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Did you know Cyclist is also stunning monthly print magazine? Subscribe now at store.cyclist.co.uk/cycpod and get every issue for less than in the shops, delivered straight to your door. And it's also a rather lovely website about everything road cycling and gravel. Check us out at cyclist.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pitchforks at the ready. On this week's episode Will is joined by Cyclist's own Ewan Wilson and writer Felix Lowe to review the 2024 pro cycling season and look forward to what may come next.

Along the way we find out the lucky winners of some of Felix's annual alternative awards – which you can find in full in Cyclist magazine issue 159, out now – including 'The Manchester United Bin Fire Award'. No prizes for guessing the recipient of that one.

They also discuss whether Tadej Pogačar can repeat his historic 2024 season, what's going on with Ineos Grenadiers, the exciting status quo in the women's peloton, the future of the Tour de France's final stage and how to improve safety in races.

Discussion with Felix begins at 11:36.

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Did you know Cyclist is also stunning monthly print magazine? Subscribe now at store.cyclist.co.uk/cycpod and get every issue for less than in the shops, delivered straight to your door. And it's also a rather lovely website about everything road cycling and gravel. Check us out at cyclist.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Will is joined by two-time Olympic gold medallist and World Champion in three different disciplines Tom Pidcock. After a turbulent season that included highs at Amstel Gold Race and Paris 2024 as well as very public lows after falling out with Ineos Grenadiers management in October.

Will sat down with Pidcock in November to talk about his rapid rise to power and his rapid descending skills as well as what's on his agenda for 2025: full road focus or more mountain bike side quests?

Pidcock also discusses how the media – and Netflix – portrays him, his 'down year' and how things could've gone differently, plus his self-imposed pressure at the Olympics.

Finally he also speaks about Link My Ride, the business that he co-founded, which aims to help cyclists around the world organise group rides.

Interview begins at 8:42.

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Did you know Cyclist is also stunning monthly print magazine? Subscribe now at store.cyclist.co.uk/cycpod and get every issue for less than in the shops, delivered straight to your door. And it's also a rather lovely website about everything road cycling and gravel. Check us out at cyclist.co.uk

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.