In 2016, Keagan Girdlestone was an 18 year old, super promising pro with Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka. The physiological watts/kilo indicators were there, as was his ability to produce results.  

Then he had a horrific racing accident with his own team car. Things were touch and go for days, and for a period of time, he actually died. 

The next couple years never really built  much racing momentum, and showed him it was time to truly heal. His career racing bikes had come to an end. 

But now, years later, he's going again! And wants to see how high he can go!

We speak to the man whose type of journey is normally associated with Hollywood movies, and he does NOT disappoint.

Strap in, we're goin deep.

Credit: The incredible music closing this episode and in Keagan's statement is "Uncovered" by Joseph William Morgan.

What would it take to go Pro these days? And what’s it like once you’re racing in Europe on the start of your journey?  What’s a typical day like? Harder than being on the tools?
 
Well you asked and we delivered! (Well, Aidan did). He brought in Hugh Harvey, from the World Tour Arkea BnB Hotels development squad. The young Pro from Sydney, Australia, told us about things like:

• HIs winning start in racing, unique pathway into pro cycling, and eventful first UCI race
• His track record of blowing his equipment to pieces    
• The differences between a junior European and Conti-World Tour teams
• Keys skills for European racing, when raw watts don’t help
• Advice for aspiring pro’s & what you’ve got to be able to cope with
• A day in the life & maintaining the love amidst the grind 
• The unexpected quality that comes with racing at the top level 

 
And of course we include a few other options on the menu:

• Aidan has a vent about Strava that actually turns into therapy
• The boys discuss their current riding, most brutal training sessions and those annoying riders who keep asking about your bike tech

So get it from the horse’s mouth, and giddy up!

So the highly coveted UCI Annual Half-Wheelin Awards* have been run and won, and weren’t we treated to a feast of celebrating the beauty of road cycling!?
 
Approved by the Half Wheelin’ ethics committee, categories were:

• Biggest Local Bunch Muppet
• Most "Fuck he’s Better than Bloody Good" 
• Never Thought We’d be Admiring Them! 
• Most Ferocious Shredding of a Race by One Team 
• Best Example of 2024 Racing Tactics by a Rider Not Named Pogacar
• Most Truly Beautiful Moment
• Most Ridiculous Mic Drop
• Weirdest Advertisement Promo by a Superstar
• Biggest Mens Rivalry Hurt Feelings
• Biggest Tech Pisstake
• Best Venn Diagram for Tires for Super Cool People

Coupled with some brilliant 2025 tech predictions, and an attempt to ease our anxiety about Julian Alaphillipe’s next phase, it was a huge night on the red carpet!
 
Tune in to find out who won what!
 
 *Awards proudly brought to you but the MAGA-Donald Trump Cycling Foundation 

Ok Half Wheelers, time to get real. 
 
The Slovenian "Year of the Pog" continued at the final monument on the calendar, where Tadej won his fourth Il Lombardia IN A ROW. Predictable, simple and seemingly with unfettered ease, his dominance has moved into a new phase, and reactively, so have his opposition. 
 
It's been the most dominant individual men’s season in history and everyone knows there's PLENTY more left in the tank. Other legends have had more wins than Pog’s 25, but no-one ever did it with so many minutes in hand across all types of races. So what’s to be done about this situation!? Co-host Aidan-the-early-adopter has already had enough, and he's a blue chip litmus test for cycling punter passion. And what of the mindset forming in even the very best of Pogi's competitors? Things are brewing.

This includes the UCI and ASO scrapping the Tour's redundant white jersey for the "Pog Prize"- awarded to the 1st loser after Pog crosses the line each race. We flesh out the details. 

Anointing co-host Ross “UCI God-for-a-week”, we call out opposition team tactics, and challenge them to accept reality. Do they actually see how different they gotta be?

Within this new world of men’s road racing, we also discuss one team and rider, who perhaps did stumble on a template for racing with honorable intent, and it might surprise you. 

The boys cover the ongoing decline of Ineos and it's handling of Pidcock, and while the British outfit famed for marginal gains, desperately need maximal ones, they've seemingly accepted where they're at in the big boys club. It remains to be seen if other teams follow suit, stop playing it safe, and embrace their ultimate job of truly competing.

Well the Worlds in Zurich have come and gone, and weren’t we all left scratching our heads. Of course in this Chinese Year of the Pog, TP did normal TP things, but what about Belgium and The Netherlands? Seemed like they did almost no things. The boys also square up on the race prominent Dutch women’s team for demonstrating their recent reputation of being a team of champions rather than a champion team, and how they not only confused themselves, and everyone watching, but even the winner of the race. And finally, the 2 standout Australian performances get a celebration, where winners are grinners, and we were always with 'em.
 
In case you weren’t sure, the absolute key requirement for Zwift racing is discussed, and it’s lets just say there’s not a lot wriggle room. And in a grand philanthropic gesture of societal generosity and community building, Half Wheelin also outlines local racing, for those considering it for the first time.

And what about your beliefs, biases and thinking on "doping suspicious" riders? Do you ever examine yourself? Tune in for a how-to-construct-your-attitude-to-the-inevitable-narrative-that-keeps-on-keeping-on. 

In a watershed moment, Aidan discloses his recent epiphany, that there’s actually a 5th monument in cycling. Yo! Did ya know that?! It’s only been around for 120 years so you can’t really blame him. Tends to be hidden by leaves anyway… The boys tell you how Pog will and won’t win. Take it from them.

Finally, some of the big home bike mechanic stuff ups are covered - from team half wheelers and hosts alike, but the best Scott could offer was a Tom Dumoulin inspired “lightening of the load” climbing scandal. So this is a call! Share with all the Half Wheelers, more of your DIY bike blunders! Extra points for crazy, radical, dangerous and funny.

Pull a turn ya dog!

It took us a while, such was his impact. 

But don't worry Half Wheelers, we'd never let you down. We just needed time to make sense of what his dazzling time in the peleton meant to us all. Yes Peter Sagan has finished with road cycling, and after an incredible career, with an incredible win rate, will return to his MTB roots and perhaps where his soul has always been. Rosco and Scotty cover his career, the key moments that captured them, and what it was about him, that made him so popular and impossible to take your eyes off.

The heir apparent is next, and Pog's recently released 2024 race schedule, was instructive as it was decisive. Doing the Giro and the Tour, but not the cobbled classics. Liège but not Amstel and Flèche earlier in the week. And his primary goal isn't the Giro or Tour, but the Worlds! What does this mean and what does it say about the Peter Pan of cycling?

Finally, to cap things off, Ross has a bit of personal news about a new opportunity to attract thousands of new Half Wheelers to our global movement. 

Allez! Allez!

Righto Half Wheelers! The boys are back casting their powerful observations, beginning with the recent Worlds in Glasgow and it's 50-turn city circuit of ridiculous attritional pain. MVDP is recognised, in the context of his victory and whole year, and of course, Wout gets a mention, with a "where to from here?" for the Belgian beast. There's a bit of forecasting for the undoubtedly entertaining upcoming women's road race, and have you seen who's on the GC contender list for the Vuelta!? My god, we're in for a race there. A couple of rider trades are discussed and once again, magnetic Quickstep principal,  Patrick LeFevre is in the news for his Moneyball approach to sprinters. Le Tour is well done and dusted, but what are your memories? The boys share a few of theirs, and ponder the question: What's most important for Pog? Got all that? Good. Your time to being dropped, starts...... now!

After a big Spring and Ardennes Classics season where Pog went ballistic only to be finally stopped by someone else bringing him down in a crash early in La Doyene, and Coolangatta Gold continued to add to his monument collection, the Half Wheelin' boys went back to altitude for a another training and preparation cycle. 

They wisely avoided the filthy weather of the Giro, but still watched closely on the tellie provided by their monastery-like, high mountain accommodation. Don't worry, they didn't miss a thing. G, Rog, Ben Healy, and of course, the amazing "Stage of Pinot" all get a thorough rinsing.  

As we all know, no one analyses it as good as Half Wheeler's, and Ross and Scott had been inundated with requests from the press for their thoughts on the recently released Tour de France: Unchained tv series. Bottom line? Don't fuck with Wout, drop the fake commentary overlay, and enjoy another brilliant look at the phenomenon that is Le Tour.

Finally, in deeply sad turn of events, the boys pay their respects to Bahrain Victorious rider Gino Mader, who tragically died while during the Tour de Suisse, while descending a mountain toward the end of the stage.  

Righto Half Wheelers! The part of the season we all love best, has just finished with the recently completed Paris-Roubaix. The boys take a look back at all of the races, with fleeting reference to Strada Bianche (how long ago was that?!). Roubaix, Ronde, De Panne, Dwars, Wevelgum and E3 are all given random and passionate coverage. Who were the heroes, and who stood out? Who did the stomping, how fast was Coolangatta Gold going, and what would Michael Jordan say to the peanut gallery watching Wout and Laporte? Heinrich Hausler's incredible career is recognised after the interesting timing of his retirement announcement. And finally the boys review Scotty's appearance on Mitch Docker's Life in the Peloton podcast and identify the crucial opportunity missed! So  hit the cobbles with speed, get best line you can, keep ya hands soft, and bloody well just get through! Here we go!



Link to Scotty on Life in the Peleton: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/life-in-the-peloton/id1078826997?i=1000608574374