S8 Ep2: Ian Boswell on concussion and retirement

Join Richard Moore, Lionel Birnie and Daniel Friebe for a look at the week’s cycling news, including Bernie Eisel’s retirement and Bjarne Riis’s return to the World Tour as part of Team NTT’s management.

This episode features an extensive interview with Ian Boswell, the American who spent seven seasons in the World Tour with Team Sky and Katusha-Alpecin. Boswell has been forced to retire from racing at the age of just 28 because of a series of concussions suffered in crashes – the most recent and most serious being sustained during the Italian stage race Tirreno-Adriatico last March.

Boswell talks about the lasting after-effects of the crash, his determination to resume training against doctor’s orders, why he has had to bring the curtain down on his professional racing career and what he plans to do next. He also discusses the difficulty professional cycling has in developing an effective concussion protocol when races are fast moving and the riders want to rejoin the peloton as soon as they can.

We also reveal a new collaboration for 2020 with another excellent podcast… Tune in to find out more.

SPONSORS

Science In Sport: The Cycling Podcast is supported by Science In Sport. All our listeners can get 25% off SIS products at scienceinsport.com with the code SISCP25

Wattbike Atom: This episode is sponsored by the Wattbike Atom. If you want to take your winter training up a bit with an indoor bike that gets you connected easily to all the best training apps, check out wattbike.com. The Wattbike Atom is available from £76 per month.

Alzheimer’s Society: We are also sponsored by Alzheimer's Society, which helps support the 850,000 people in the UK who are living with dementia while working to find a cure. Alzheimer’s Society has a series of charity events for riders of all abilities in 2020 so check out Alzheimers.org.uk/cycle if you’re looking to set yourself a challenge.

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2020 FRIENDS OF THE PODCAST EPISODES SO FAR...

1. The Stage That Didn't End – Stage 19 of the 2019 Tour de France

2. The Cycling Podcast On Tour – The best bits from Belfast and Edinburgh

3. The Grand Tour Diaries Audiobook – Part one, 2019 Giro d'Italia

Bonus from the archive: The Rise and Demise of HTC-Highroad

Bonus from the archive: The Revenants

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