This episode is brought to you by the Insta360 GO 3S action camera

This week, James and Will are joined by ex-pro Levi Leipheimer. Levi turned pro in 1997 and in 2000 hit the big time with US Postal, riding as a teammate of Lance Armstrong. Stints at Rabobank, Astana and Radioshack followed, during which time he won the Tour de Suisse, three Tours of California, the Dauphine and two stages of the Vuelta a España, finishing second in Spain in 2008. His last contract at QuickStep in 2012 was cut short after Levi admitted to doping during his career, his admittance of guilt and subsequent testimony playing a role in the take down of Lance Armstrong. Today Levi is open about this part of his past, and here he speaks candidly about doping, both his feelings at the time and his feelings on the subject now, both in the context of US Postal and the early 2000s and the cycling now.

Today, Levi heads up the event he founded some 16 years ago, Levi's Gran Fondo amateur race and its pro-race sibling, The Growler. As the US calendar shrinks, the 220km Growler is said to be 'the hardest one-day race in North America', and the only race broadcast live in the States, this year via YouTube. Levi talks us through the importance of the Growler to the US domestic scene, from the $156,000 prize purse that helps fund poorly paid pros, to the platform it offers young talent.

Interview begins at 8:13

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This episode is brought to you by Insta360, the 360-degree filming action camera specialists. Insta360 has now launched two GO 3S cycling bundles: a Cycling Multiview bundle that captures all angles plus a Cycling POV bundle for a great point of view. Check out the all-new, road-cycling-perfect Insta360 GO 3S here and don't forget to use the code Cyclist at the checkout for a free Insta360 GO 3S carry case, plus for a limited time there's also 15% off.

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

This episode is brought to you by the Insta360 GO 3S action camera

This week, James and Will are joined by the superest of super domestiques, Welshman Luke Rowe. As road captain at Ineos Grenediers (nee Team Sky), Rowe helped win countless Grand Tours over more than a decade at the British team. However complications from a crash forced Rowe to retire last season, and here he talks about how that decision played out, and about reconstructing his life after pro-riding.

In this episode, Luke also talks about the impact of team DS, Nico Portal's, untimely death at Sky; putting others' success ahead of his own; the dangers of cycling and crashing; getting stuck into his new role as directeur sportif at AG2R-La Mondiale; and writing his first book, Road Captain: My Life at the Heart of the Peloton, published by Penguin.

Interview begins at 7.25

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This episode is brought to you by Insta360, the 360-degree filming action camera specialists. Check out its latest the all-new, road-cycling-perfect Insta360 GO 3S here. And don't forget to use the code Cyclist at the checkout for a free Insta360 GO 3S carry case, plus for a limited time there's also 15% off.

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

This episode is brought to you by the Insta360 X5 action camera

This week, James is joined by none other than Bradley Wiggins and cricket legend Ian Botham, who on 15th and 16th September will be riding the Sir Bradley Wiggins Cycle Challenge for Beefy's Charity Foundation (sign up to ride here, more details below).

In this episode, Ian and Brad compare notes on 1980s cricket versus 2010s cycling (spoiler: there was more beer and misbehaviour in cricket), their experiences in the limelight, their greatest achievements, and how to deal with pressure, from the legendary 1981 Ashes to the 2012 Tour de France and Olympics.

Brad opens up about his time at Team Sky, tells us what he really thinks of the Dave Brailsford regime and the cycling media, and gives a candid account of his struggles on the bike and off it. Meanwhile, Ian recounts sharing changing room beers with the Aussies, why he was never into sledging, how to keep a cool head in the middle of a storm, and the long-term impact of his charity work.

Interview begins at 7.00

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This episode is brought to you by Insta360, the 360-degree filming action camera specialists. Check out its latest the all-new, road-cycling-perfect Insta360 X5 here. And don't forget to use the code Cyclist at the checkout for a free Insta360 X5 handlebar mount.

Beefy's Charity Foundation was founded by Ian Botham, and traces it roots back to 1985 and Ian's incredible 900-mile walk from John O'Groats to Land's End, which raised over £1million for research into leukemia. This year marks 40 years and countless millions more raised since that walk, so to celebrate - and to raise more money - Wiggo and Beefy will be riding from Portsmouth to Lord's Cricket Ground on 15th and 16th September and they invite you to come along too (see the link above, or go to beefysfoundation.org). Prices start from £150 to ride, or sign up to the whole shebang including hotels, a Q+A with Wiggo and Beefy at the end of day one and a sit down dinner with the guys in the Long Room at Lord's Cricket Ground on day two. All money raised will go to Blood Cancer UK, Breakthrough Type 1 (diabetes), Yorkshires Brain Tumour Charity and the Batten Disease Family Association CIO.

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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 episode is brought to you by the Insta360 X5 action camera

This week, Will and Robyn are joined by Welsh track cycling star, Emma Finucane. At just 21 years old, Emma was the first British woman to take three medals in a single Games - including team sprint gold - since track and field athlete Mary Rand in 1964.

In winning that gold at Paris 2024, her and teammates Sophie Capewell and Katy Marchant broke the world record not once but an astonishing three times, cementing Emma as the fastest woman in the world.

In this episode, Emma discusses feeling like an imposter despite being champion, body image in cycling, managing her emotions around winning and losing, and why crying before races has become one the secrets of her success. Plus Emma and Robyn get into a bit of Formula 1 chat, because why not - it's all going fast, isn't it.

Interview begins at 7.40

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This episode is brought to you by Insta360, the 360-degree filming action camera specialists. Check out its latest the all-new, road-cycling-perfect Insta360 X5 here. And don't forget to use the code Cyclist at the checkout for a free Insta360 X5 handlebar mount.

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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 Fran Millar, possibly the most influential woman in British cycling.

Today Fran is CEO at Rapha, but her long CV includes managing Geraint Thomas and Mark Cavendish; a decade at Team Sky/Ineos, in which she became 'head of winning behaviours'; operations director for Eliud Kipchoge’s sub-2hr marathon record; and then CEO at clothing brand Belstaff. She is also David Millar’s sister, but really that’s just a footnote to a fascinating career.

In this episode, Fran talks candidly about the problems at Rapha - and why they will solve them; life working alongside Dave Brailsford at Sky, including developing and propagating their famous winning mentality; what went wrong at Ineos Grenediers (and it’s not what you might think, also Pidcock is mentioned); what it's like having David Millar as a brother; and whether TNT’s new TV cycling deal is about to kill British cycling.

Interview begins at 15.05

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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.

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

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

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.

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

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.