Rouleur Conversations: Tour de France Vulcania – St-Gervais, moto madness & James Witts on his new book Riding with the Rocketmen

Rouleur editor Edward Pickering catches up with photojournalist James Startt for a look back over the middle week of the 2023 Tour de France. James was on a race moto the day that Tadej Pogačar was prevented from carrying through an attack by a photographer and TV moto blocking the way, and he shares his insights into a complex and nuanced subject.

Ed also talks to James Witts, Rouleur contributor and now the author of Riding with the Rocketmen: One Man's Journey on the Shoulders of Cycling Giants. James is an expert on sports science and he decided to apply what he's learned in the course of writing about WorldTour riders' performance to his own attempt in riding the Étape du Tour. It's an excellent, entertaining book, and please buy it from an independent bookseller if you can.

We're grateful to GCN+ for supporting Rouleur Conversations through the Tour de France. Subscribe to their excellent coverage of all things cycling and racing and get a 15 per cent discount by visiting www.gcn.eu/rouleur15.

Thanks also to BMC for supporting our Tour coverage. Their excellent Riders Digest podcast can be found by searching for Riders Digest wherever you get your pods, and we urge you to subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.