In this episode Brad and Graham are joined by Andy Schleck, the man Brad most feared as he rode to Tour de France victory in 2012 and the closest rider he’s seen to Tadej Pogačar.

The Luxembourger was retrospectively handed the 2010 Tour de France title after Alberto Contador, the man who controversially beat him by 39 seconds that year, was found to have taken performance enhancing drugs.

That forms a major part of this fascinating chat, as Schleck admits it took a long time to accept his victory but rues the missed opportunity to celebrate it properly at the time.

But it is Schleck’s extraordinary ascent of one of the Tour’s most agonising climbs, the Col du Galibier, that centres the episode. In 2011, he used the Queen stage of the race, concluding up the Alpine pass, to launch one of the most memorable attacks in Tour history. It was an attempt so silly that even his teammates tried to persuade him to switch to a plan B.

Here he tells Bradley and Graham of his unwavering faith that his idea would work and how, when it did, the whole peloton lauded his effort as he closed in on the yellow jersey which he took the next day after another climb of the Galibier. Yet ultimately he couldn’t hold on, finishing 2nd overall after losing time on the penultimate stage, an individual Time Trial.

Brad also reminisces about his battles with Andy and the pair reveal the one time they both refused to continue riding, climbing together into the warmth of a car instead as snow poured down around them.

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Credits

Presented by⁠ Sir Bradley Wiggins⁠ and Graham Willgoss

Guest: Andy Schleck

Researcher: Luca Unwin

Production Manager: Ross Aitken

Social Video Producer: Rosie Mansfield

YouTube Editor: Théo Stöcklin

Produced and Edited by: Toby Gilles

Executive Producers: Faye Stewart, Ashley Unwin & Dominic de Terville

Recorded at: Podcast Room, London Bridge

Sir Bradley Wiggins' Café Aficionado is an Atomized Studios production

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The Champs Élysées, the iconic conclusion to the Tour de France since 1975, helped Sir Mark Cavendish, the race’s most decorated stage winner, make his name. Four of his 35 stage victories came there.

But one moment on the Champs Élysées remains the most memorable on a bike for both Cavendish and Bradley.

In this extraordinary episode, “Cav” joins his old mate Brad and Graham Wilgoss to delve into the final moments of the 2012 Tour de France when Brad, wearing yellow and on his way to overall victory, led out his teammate, wearing the rainbow World Champion jersey, for the final sprint to victory.

They reveal how the plan had been hatched in a hotel room five years earlier, and constantly remind each other of details the other had long forgotten - including the moment another sprint king found his way on to the team bus for a chat with the fastest man on a bike.

There are countless other little-known Champs Élysées stories too, as Sir Mark delves into the minutiae of how to win the unofficial “World Championship of Sprinters” and how the whole Tour felt a waste on the occasions he failed to do so.

And in probably the most poignant chat of the entire series so far, Brad and Cav open up on the depth of their friendship, how they have helped one another through their darkest moments and why their bond can never be broken.

You won’t want to miss this one.

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CAMS: Café Aficionado is sponsored by CAMS - helping thousands of cyclists get back on the roads. For more information visit the CAMS website

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Credits

Presented by⁠ Sir Bradley Wiggins⁠ and Graham Willgoss

Guest: Sir Mark Cavendish

Researcher: Luca Unwin

Production Manager: Ross Aitken

Social Video Producer: Rosie Mansfield

YouTube Editor: Théo Stöcklin

Produced and Edited by: Toby Gilles

Executive Producers: Faye Stewart, Ashley Unwin & Dominic de Terville

Recorded at: Outset Studio London Bridge

Sir Bradley Wiggins' Café Aficionado is an Atomized Studios production

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As the Tour's riders take their 2nd rest of 2025, Sir Bradley returns with his verdict on some of the week's huge stories, centred on his history and knowledge of the great race.

This episode, joined again by producer and sports commentator, Toby Gilles, Bradley reveals how there's not much rest on a rest day and how your planning for it can impact your GC chances.

He also discusses why cyclists' mentalities are different from other elite sportsmen and women, after the peloton refused to take advantage of Tadej Pogačar's misfortune when he fell on stage 11.

Bradley then talks injury recovery and the use of indoor trainers, following Jonas Abrahamsen's sensational stage victory just 29 days after breaking his collarbone, and nominates the young rider he believes will be the next first-time winner of the Tour.

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Credits

Presented by⁠ ⁠⁠Sir Bradley Wiggins⁠⁠⁠ and Toby Gilles

Researcher: Luca Unwin

Production Manager: Ross Aitken

Social Video Producer: Rosie Mansfield

Produced and Edited by: Toby Gilles

Executive Producers: Faye Stewart, Ashley Unwin & Dominic de Terville

Sir Bradley Wiggins' Café Aficionado is an Atomized Studios production

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As the peloton takes a well-deserved rest day Bradley returns with his verdict on the Tour de France so far, centred, in Café Aficionado tradition, in the history of the race.

This episode, joined by his producer and sports commentator Toby Gilles, the 2012 winner discusses Tadej Pogačar's transformation into the "patron of the peloton" as he chases yellow and whether Jonas Vingegaard can mount a realistic challenge.

He also debates the merits of shorter Time Trials, the joys of riding on Bastille Day, and whether rising star Oscar Onley is the future that British cycling fans need.

Hit FOLLOW to make sure you never miss an episode and join the Café Aficionado community on social.

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Credits

Presented by⁠ ⁠Sir Bradley Wiggins⁠⁠ and Toby Gilles

Researcher: Luca Unwin

Production Manager: Ross Aitken

Social Video Producer: Rosie Mansfield

Produced and Edited by: Toby Gilles

Executive Producers: Faye Stewart, Ashley Unwin & Dominic de Terville

Sir Bradley Wiggins' Café Aficionado is an Atomized Studios production.

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Time trials have often been pivotal to the destination of the yellow jersey. On one occasion in 1989 it even determined it, when Greg LeMond won the race on the Champs Elysées thanks to a final stage TT. Some of these moments inspired a young Bradley to become an all-time great in the discipline.

In this episode Bradley moves into the guest chair alongside his son, up-and-coming rider and fellow TT specialist, Ben Wiggins, with Graham guiding them in an extraordinary look at the discipline and their shared history.

Ben shares deeply personal emotions around growing up with his intensely focused father while Bradley recalls some of the guilt he felt at missing key moments in his son’s life.

But perhaps the highs of 2012 were worth it. That year, Bradley put together an almost unrivalled time trial record in the history of the sport and he talks us through the agonising minutiae of what it took to become arguably his country’s biggest athlete during a home Olympic year.

There are other great TTs in Tour history for Bradley, Ben and Graham to discuss, Ben reveals why he thinks Tadej Pogačar has work to do to improve his TT record, and Graham launches a coup during the Ultimate Cyclist feature.

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Contact us: ⁠[email protected]⁠ 

Café Aficionado is sponsored by CAMS. For more information visit the CAMS website.

Fuel your moment with Applied Nutrition and use code SIRBRAD30 for 30% off your next order.

Credits

Presented by⁠ Sir Bradley Wiggins⁠ and Graham Willgoss

Guest: Ben Wiggins

Researcher: Luca Unwin

Production Manager: Ross Aitken

Social Video Producer: Rosie Mansfield

YouTube Editor: Théo Stöcklin

Produced and Edited by: Toby Gilles

Executive Producers: Faye Stewart, Ashley Unwin & Dominic de Terville

Recorded at: Podcast Room London Bridge

Sir Bradley Wiggins' Café Aficionado is an Atomized Studios production.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Café Aficionado’s daily series exploring how the past might help us predict the immediate future of the 2025 Tour de France continues, as Bradley and co-host Rosie look at Wednesday’s stage 5 - the first Time Trial of this year’s Tour.

Bradley expresses his admiration for Tadej Pogačar’s latest extraordinary milestone, discusses the riders’ planning for a short Time Trial, and reveals how much time some of the specialists might make up over the 33 flat km of Stage 5.

Hit FOLLOW to make sure you never miss an episode and join the Café Aficionado community on social.

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Contact us: ⁠[email protected]⁠ 

Credits

Presented by⁠ Sir Bradley Wiggins⁠ and Rosie Mansfield

Researcher: Luca Unwin

Production Manager: Ross Aitken

Social Video Producer: Rosie Mansfield

Produced and Edited by: Toby Gilles

Executive Producers: Faye Stewart, Ashley Unwin & Dominic de Terville

Sir Bradley Wiggins' Café Aficionado is an Atomized Studios production.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One of the all-time great climbers, Pippa York, who rode during the 80s and 90s as Robert Millar, was an inspiration to many a British rider. As a quiet Scot who shied from the limelight, she developed a fearsome reputation in the biggest races, winning three mountainous Tour de France stages and the King of the Mountains jersey in 1984.

In this episode, Pippa joins Bradley and Graham to discuss the mind games of climbing and her indelible link to today’s feature climb, the Col du Tourmalet. One of the most fearsome climbs in the infamous quartet known as cycling’s “Circle of Death,” two of Pippa’s stage wins at the Tour featured the Tourmalet. Here she discusses both, including one in 1989 where she gained revenge against Pedro Delgado, the rider who had taken advantage of a shocking set of circumstances to “steal” the Vuelta d’España title from her four years earlier.

Plus, Pippa and Bradley reflect, with huge emotion and affection, on their time together as coach and protégé, when a teenage Brad used to phone Pippa on her landline and cling to every morsel of information he could from one of his great inspirations.

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Contact us: ⁠[email protected]⁠ 

Café Aficionado is sponsored by CAMS, the UKs leading accident management company helping thousands of cyclists get back on the road.

Credits

Presented by⁠ Sir Bradley Wiggins⁠ and Graham Willgoss

Guest: Pippa York

Researcher: Luca Unwin

Production Manager: Ross Aitken

Social Video Producer: Rosie Mansfield

YouTube Editor: Theo Stocklin

Produced and Edited by: Toby Gilles

Executive Producers: Faye Stewart, Ashley Unwin & Dominic de Terville

Recorded at: Outset Studio London Bridge

Sir Bradley Wiggins' Café Aficionado is an Atomized Studios production.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Café Aficionado’s daily series exploring how the past might help us predict the immediate future of the 2025 Tour de France continues, as Bradley and co-host Rosie look at Monday’s stage 3 from Valenciennes to Dunkerque.

Bradley explains why a simple change in the wind direction might drastically impact how this plays out, delves in to his expectations for a true sprinters finish and explains why this, of all stages, has him feeling at home in Café Aficionado...

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Add your favourite cycle café stop to the ⁠Café Aficionado map

Contact us: ⁠[email protected]⁠ 

Credits

Presented by⁠ Sir Bradley Wiggins⁠ and Rosie Mansfield

Researcher: Luca Unwin

Production Manager: Ross Aitken

Social Video Producer: Rosie Mansfield

Produced and Edited by: Toby Gilles

Executive Producers: Faye Stewart, Ashley Unwin & Dominic de Terville

Sir Bradley Wiggins' Café Aficionado is an Atomized Studios production.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Café Aficionado’s daily series exploring how the past might help us predict the immediate future of the 2025 Tour de France continues, as Bradley and co-host Rosie look at Sunday’s stage 2 from Lauwin-Planque to Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Bradley talks us through his expectations for the longest stage of 2025,  the fuelling required for its punchy conclusion and reflects on why this year’s Grand Départ will have helped the riders feel part of the Tour from the off.

Hit FOLLOW to make sure you never miss an episode and join the Café Aficionado community on social.

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Add your favourite cycle café stop to the ⁠Café Aficionado map

Contact us: ⁠[email protected]⁠ 

Credits

Presented by⁠ Sir Bradley Wiggins⁠ and Rosie Mansfield

Researcher: Luca Unwin

Production Manager: Ross Aitken

Social Video Producer: Rosie Mansfield

Produced and Edited by: Toby Gilles

Executive Producers: Faye Stewart, Ashley Unwin & Dominic de Terville

Sir Bradley Wiggins' Café Aficionado is an Atomized Studios production.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The first of Café Aficionado's daily, mini episodes throughout the Tour de France, as Bradley and his new co-host Rosie use the past to explore what might happen during 2025, stage by stage.

Bradley delves into the specifics of the 1st stage of 2025, the emotions of being on the start line for the greatest race in the world, and gives his predictions for this year’s Tour.

Hit FOLLOW to make sure you never miss an episode and join the Café Aficionado community on social.

⁠⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠⁠TikTok⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠ | Strava

Add your favourite cycle café stop to the ⁠Café Aficionado map

Contact us: ⁠[email protected]⁠ 

Credits

Presented by⁠ Sir Bradley Wiggins⁠ and Rosie Mansfield

Researcher: Luca Unwin

Production Manager: Ross Aitken

Social Video Producer: Rosie Mansfield

Produced and Edited by: Toby Gilles

Executive Producers: Faye Stewart, Ashley Unwin & Dominic de Terville

Recorded at: Outset Studio London Bridge

Sir Bradley Wiggins' Café Aficionado is an Atomized Studios production.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices