In this week’s episode of The Cycling Podcast, Daniel Friebe and Tudor Pro Cycling stalwart Larry Warbasse discuss some of the more intriguing and controversial news stories of the last few weeks. 

With most teams about to gather for their first pre-season training camps, some also face an uncertain future. The long-mooted Lotto-Intermarché merger still hasn’t been confirmed, raising questions about who will even be in the WorldTour in 2026. The UCI’s introduction of a promotion and relegation system was supposed to ensure that such matters were decided primarily on sporting merit. With the latest three-year cycle having just concluded, Daniel and Larry discuss whether the UCI needs to go back to the drawing board. 

We also discuss what was formerly Israel Premier Tech’s new identity, Marcel Kittel’s eye-catching recent comments about doping and why exactly the pro peloton has got so much faster since Covid.

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