It's here, it's finally here! The Tour de France is finally happening. Granted a few months late and a bit different to what we are used to but who's complaining?

Not us, and while they cannot be there in the flesh due to logistical and 'legal' reasons, James and Joe have put together a little alternative preview to the three-week lap of France highlighting the stages you better not miss, which riders you need to have posters on your wall of and why there should be a jersey for the best old rider, too!

There's also chat about the Swift RaceVox, a T-Mobile Giant TCR eBay bargain and why running could be a necessary evil for amateur cyclists.

*Sound issues* Please accept our apologies for the sound issues throughout the episode, we are really unsure what went wrong and Joe was unable to sort despite spending all day trying to fix it!

This episode was brought to you by bike insurance specialists Pedalsure. For more, visit www.pedalsure.com/cyclistmag for your bespoke deal today.

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The man, the myth, the chosen son. Cyclist spoke to the voice that has narrated many of the biggest moments in professional cycling over the past decade, Eurosport's Carlton Kirby.

A man who, quite frankly, divides opinion like no other cycling commentator. Like marmite, some love him and some absolutely hate him.

We caught up with Kirby to discuss almost everything from his humble beginnings alongside football's Jeff Stelling, dealing with online abuse and his iconic commentary partnership with the King, Sean Kelly.

It's a long one so sit back, pour yourself a glass of Côtes du Rhône and enjoy, we think this is a cracker!

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The aero bike is dead. Well, according to Specialized it is.

Earlier this week it launched its latest road racing bike, the Tarmac SL7, which not only hits the UCI weight limit of 6.8kg but is so fast in the wind tunnel, Specialized has decided to ditch its dedicated Venge aero bike.

That's right, we have got to the point where a lightweight race bike is just as fast as an out-and-out aero bike.

So this begs the question, is the aero bike dead?

James and Joe caught up with product manager of the new Tarmac SL7, Cameron Piper, to ask him about the end of aero and the other mass changes seen with the new Tarmac SL7, not least that new threaded bottom bracket!

James and Joe then mull over where road bikes are headed and what other bike trends could join aero in the bin.

James has a gripe about how bikes are not set up properly for the consumer while Joe praises Shimano Ultegra Di2 and laments a diesel 4x4 being promoted by a professional cycling team.

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Bike racing is literally weeks away from returning so to celebrate, we called up the world’s best domestique, Tim Declercq of Deceuninck-Quickstep - it’s official, he won a vote and everything.

We had lots to ask him and he had lots to say such as how nervous his all-conquering Classic team get before the start of the Tour of Flanders, how sprinters no longer cooperate with one another in the gruppetto and how he arranges for his wife Tracey to pick him up halfway through Paris-Roubaix so he doesn’t have to ride to the finish line.

Oh, and Tim has been spending his lockdown playing computer games and building cots for his newborn daughter, Marilou.

And since the turn of the year, James has spent more time riding, visiting and talking about Italian bike brand Pinarello than he has spent time with his own father.

Before lockdown, James jumped on a plane to the brand’s base in Treviso, northern Italy, for a tour of its factory conducted by the man himself, Fausto Pinarello.

He saw a collection of the most defining bike’s in Pinarello’s history for a feature that can be found on the Cyclist website while he also sat down for a long conversation with Fausto, the profile of which is in the latest issue Cyclist, on sale now.

James also rode and reviewed the Pinarello Dogma F12 Disk and is currently riding the Pinarello Grevil gravel bike. Honestly, if he was to go onto Mastermind, Pinarello would be his specialist subject.

So with all this knowledge, we talk through the brand’s humble beginnings in the early 1950s to being the bike that has taken 10 Grand Tours in just eight years.

Joe mentions the new Continental GP5000 clincher tyre in tan wall, you can read about that here - https://www.cyclist.co.uk/news/8437/continental-releases-tan-wall-version-of-the-gp5000-road-tyre

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Welcome back to Episode 5 of the Cyclist Magazine Podcast.

Since lockdown stopped bike racing back in March, it seems like every man, woman and their dog have turned their hand to Everesting, the slightly insidious challenge of riding hill repeats on an individual climb, in one continuous ride until you hit 8,848m of vertical elevation.

We called up former WorldTour pro turned YouTuber, author, Strava King of the Mountain getter and former Everesting world record holder Phil Gaimon to discuss how hard it actually is, what the perfect climb for an Everesting record attempt would look like and whether it is actually possible for us mere mortals.

James and Joe then discuss some of the hardest rides and sportives they have ever done (all of which are much, much harder than Everesting).

James discusses the time he retraced Stage 2 of the 1903 Tour de France, a 374km epic from Lyon to Marseille, while Joe talks about how riding the Paris-Roubaix Challenge left him with swollen fingers for a week.

Joe also mentions the Bergkonnig Vintage Festival in Switzerland. You can read more about that here - https://www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/6400/keeping-it-wool-at-the-bergk-nig-vintage-sportive

And if you want to read Joe's review of the Katusha Light rain jacket, that can be found here, too -https://www.cyclist.co.uk/reviews/8388/katusha-light-rain-jacket-review

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James and Joe return for Episode 4 of the Cyclist Magazine Podcast.

Tattoos are a mark of modern life so it comes of no surprise that the professional peloton is awash with them. From Peter Sagan’s Joker tattoo to the lyrics to Ed Sheeran’s ‘Perfect’ scribed across Nico Roche, we discuss the good, the bad and the ugly ink of cycling.

We even gave Trek-Segafredo domestique Koen de Kort a call about his tattoo collection and how it represents his life as a cyclist, too.

Cold meats, chewing gum, concrete flooring, industrial explosiveness, aperitifs. No, it’s not a dinner party around Mario Cippolini’s house, it's a brief list of some of the weird and wonderful things that have propped up professional cycling teams over the years.

We discuss the origins of the cycling team sponsor including one, rather sordid sponsor, that gave us the humble team bus.

We also kick off the show with our usual natter on things we like and don’t like.

For James, it’s the Rapha Pro Team shoes which he absolutely loves. Luckily, he also put digital pen to internet paper to review these knitted kicks, which can be read here - https://www.cyclist.co.uk/reviews/7764/rapha-pro-team-shoes-review

And for Joe, it’s buying second-hand jerseys from eBay, something he discussed at length here - https://www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/8325/forget-modernity-just-buy-your-cycling-jerseys-from-ebay

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Hello and welcome to Episode 3 of the Cyclist Magazine Podcast!

Last week, ESPN released its latest 30 for 30 documentary. A two-part, four-hour deep dive back into the life of cycling's answer to Lord Voldemort, Lance Armstrong.

Did we learn anything new? Was it any good? Who's Chad Mountain? Well, Joe and James have answers for all of these questions and more.

And in a world where three literally is a crowd, cycling for many of us is becoming lonelier than a Thomas de Gendt breakaway, so in this episode, we discuss tips on how to ride big distances with only a Mars bar and your wits for company. Ok, and a chaintool.

If you fancy watching the Lance documentary yourself, here's how - https://www.cyclist.co.uk/news/8255/how-to-watch-30-for-30-lance-armstrong-documentary


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Hello and welcome to Episode 3 of the Cyclist Magazine Podcast.

Last week, ESPN released its latest 30 for 30 documentary. A two-part, four-hour deep dive back into the life of cycling's answer to Lord Voldemort, Lance Armstrong.

Did we learn anything new? Was it any good? Who's Chad Mountain? Well, Joe and James have answers for all of these questions and more.

And in a world where three literally is a crowd, cycling for many of us is becoming lonelier than a Thomas de Gendt breakaway, so in this episode, we discuss tips on how to ride big distances with only a Mars bar and your wits for company. Ok, and a chaintool.

If you fancy watching the Lance documentary yourself, here's how - https://www.cyclist.co.uk/news/8255/how-to-watch-30-for-30-lance-armstrong-documentary


For more on the Cyclist Magazine Podcast - https://www.cyclist.co.uk/cyclistmagazinepodcast
Subscribe to Cyclist Magazine now - https://bit.ly/2W9VZ0t

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Hello and welcome to episode 1 of the Cyclist Magazine Podcast, we've been expecting you!

On today's episode, Joe and James discuss the Colle Fauniera. A giant mountain in the Italian Alps, it has long been forgotten by the Giro d'Italia but we think it should be near the top of every amateur's bucket list. It's also the home to every ambassador's favourite sweet treat.

They also chat about the great one, Eddy Merckx, but not so much about the man himself, rather his bike company that went from hero to zero.

Oh, and do forgive Joe's nerves for mistaking Jose Maria Jimenez's name for Juan Miguel Jimenez. Like you, we also don't know who Juan Miguel Jimenez is.

And QuickStep only managed five victories in 2011, not 11. How far that team has come!

For more on the Cyclist Magazine Podcast - https://www.cyclist.co.uk/cyclistmagazinepodcast
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Welcome to the brand new Cyclist Magazine Podcast, hosted by digital writer Joe Robinson and deputy editor James Spender! Every other Thursday, we'll discuss topics such as the wonderful world of bike technology at Paris-Roubaix, what bikes are impressing us at the moment, the truth behind carbon fibre technology, professional team sponsors from the past, and our favourite climbs, sportives and Gran Fondos from around the world.

Subscribe new on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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