Talking Luft is back after my first week back racing in Italy. It seemed only fitting to have my Italian teammate, and true Tuscan, Alberto Bettiol on the pod. If you haven’t checked out my On-road diary from that week over on The Cycling Podcast, you’ve gotta have a listen! I chat with almost everyone […]

Talking Luft with Alberto Bettiol. Ep 11.

Ever wondered what life is like as a professional cyclist?

Australian ex-professional cyclist Mitch Docker takes you inside the world of Professional Cycling. 
Bringing you the stories behind the individuals in the sport - from the pros in the peloton to staff behind the teams - to commentators & legends, plus training insights & debriefs on major races throughout the year. It’s all here!
Newly retired from the professional peloton, Mitch is exploring his new pelotons - all the pelotons that exist outside of the world tour - bringing you new stories from within the cycling community. 

His spin off series, Talking Luft - a bit like the DVD Extras - is where cycling style & culture takes centre stage. Talking cycling caps, bikes, kit, coffee stops, training loops and all the best things about riding a bike.
 
Listen to all episodes here weekly!
Find all our episodes, merch and more at lifeinthepeloton.com

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After dipping my toes into MTB Enduro on the pod a few weeks back, in this episode of Life in the Peloton I dive right in, at one of the best Enduro events in the world, the NZ MTB Rally.
The NZ MTB Rally is a six-day Enduro event that takes place around Nelson on the South Island of New Zealand. Nelson is the place to head to for a lot of the Kiwi Enduro riders, and each day promised some absolutely incredible trails, as well as amazing scenery (even if I didn’t have much time for that). 
As much as the NZ MTB Rally is a race - the overall feel was that the organisers had gone out of their way to fit as much of the best stuff they could into every day, so every competitor would get the most out of their experience.  
As is the format of Enduro racing each day was broken down into four to seven timed downhill stages, and the nights were a chance to kick back and catch up with everyone over a few beers.
For someone who was very new to the sport it really was a challenge to take part in an event like this. There is nothing quite like waking up and seeing you’ve yet another double black ++ trail ahead of you… but I really wanted to discover what it was about this intimidating area of the sport that makes it so addictive to the people who take part in it. 
While I was there, I spoke to a huge cast of riders and racers from all over the world, as well as many of the locals who know and love these trails, in order to get the best possible idea of what it was all about. 
After my lessons from Paul Van Der Ploeg back in Australia, and thanks again to some help on the road from Matt Fairbrother, I was able to not only enjoy the riding but also to become part of the community that makes the sport what it is. 
It is one thing to learn to ride some DH but to actually be a part of the event, taking the helicopter rides up the mountain, committing to dropping in (and trying to work out why downhill mountain bikers wear their helmets at dinner) was really a fantastic experience. 
If you’re curious about what these events are all about, or even if you just fancy following along on my journey way out of my element, then give this a listen. It opened my eyes and I hope that it’ll do the same for you - and maybe make sliding off the side of a mountain something you give a go for yourself! 
Cheers!
Mitch

NZ MTB Rally

Well, we are coming towards the end of an absolutely action-packed month of pro racing, which can mean only one thing; it’s time for another Race Communiqué!
As you all know by now, this is my chance to dive back into the pro peloton with current Jayco-Alula rider, and former teammate, Luke Durbridge and my former DS (and even teammate - way, way back in the day!) EF Education - Easypost D.S. Tom Southam. 
Both Tom and Luke have just arrived back from the Ardennes where they each had their own take to share about their experiences there. Luke can tell us what is like to race one of the most epic Flèche Walloons in recent history in freezing snow and ice, and Tom can tell us all about his struggles to get the heating just right while he was sat back in the comfort of the team car! In all seriousness, it was a crazy week of racing to wrap up the Classics and we had a great chat about the experiences at the Ardennes whilst wrapping up what we saw earlier in the month at the Cobbled Classics. 
As well as the racing chat we have our usual segments, with Luke putting his theory on the table that the days of the old-school feed zones are over for good, and Tom gives us a rare glimpse at one of the most important parts of some real race communiques: UCI fines, who is getting what and why - you may be surprised to hear what goes on back there! 
With the Giro only a few weeks away we also took some time to preview the upcoming action in Italy, as well as start to get ourselves ready for the Escape Collective's Fantasy Competition, which we will all be taking part in next month in the special Life in the Peloton league which you can of course join and take all three of us on whilst the race is going. 
Catching up with these guys is always so much fun, and even though I don’t miss the stress of getting rain jackets or feedbags in the races, I do I love hearing the insight as to how the peloton keeps evolving. 
Sit back, relax and enjoy. 
Cheers, 
Mitch

The Race Communiqué - Episode 4

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Since retiring from the pro pelo, I’ve been itching to dip my toes into as many different cycling disciplines as possible. I raced on drop handlebars and skinny tyres for over a decade, now I want a heap of new challenges to tackle on the bike. 
I love getting out and exploring on my gravel bike, and I’ve tried my hand at some gravel races; but the bikes and bunch dynamics feel a little too similar to road racing sometimes. I want to get out of my comfort zone! 
Cross-country mountain biking was the natural next step. I started out by exploring my own backyard on the rowdy moto tracks in the Cobaws, then some races in Aussie events like Otway Odyssey, Reef to Reef, and Cape to Cape. Every time I got on the XC bike I felt like my skills were improving and I was growing more and more confident - the same feeling I had all those years ago when I first got into road cycling as a youngster. It was new, challenging, and I could feel the progression with every ride. My cross-country journey hit new heights at the end of last year as I took on the creme de la creme of XC MTB; the Cape Epic, alongside my good mate and fellow retired road racer, Ian Boswell. 
Despite completing one of the biggest mountain bike races on the planet, I still feel like there’s more to explore in the world of flat handlebars, chunky tyres, and suspension. I want to keep working on my skills and pushing myself in areas other than pure fitness. That’s why I’m diving headfirst into the world of Enduro.
Enduro is the perfect next step on my mountain biking journey; there’s some pedalling, sure, but it’s more about technique, skill, and balls! In Enduro racing it’s all about the downhill - only the descents are timed. Nobody gives a fuck how fast you can climb, you just need to get to the top so you can send the next trail. Riders race multiple stages throughout an event, and at the end the lowest cumulative time wins.
I started by chatting to Paul Van Der Ploeg. A great bloke, and a fantastic mentor to show me the ropes and teach me the basics, Paul and I headed out to Mount Macedon so he could critique my technique and give me some pointers. Paul has raced all sorts of bikes over the years, and even became a world champion himself in the Cross Country Eliminator in 2013, but was humble enough to strip it all back and teach this newbie some basics.
Next, I spoke to Matt Fairbrother. Only 20 years old and hailing from Christchurch in New Zealand, Matt is a ripping Enduro racer who made a name for himself by bikepacking his way between the races at the Enduro World Series - sometimes thousands of kilometres at a time! Matt and I had a chat on the road to the New Zealand MTB Rally; a brand new event that I’ll be taking on to help me better understand the world of enduro. Despite being almost half my age, Matt’s one of the most experienced riders out there and shared a lot of his wisdom with me on a road trip down the coast of the South Island from Christchurch to Nelson. When we arrived we had a couple of days to spare before the racing started, so Matt took me out to some of his favourite trails in Nelson City and Cable Bay to show me the race course so we could pre-ride, re-ride, and then free ride!
We also spoke about the tech side of enduro. I’ve not got much clue when it comes to tyre selection or suspension settings - so I spoke to Paul and Matt about the bikes to get some pointers. I even learnt that my bike’s got a mullet just like me! 
There’s so much for me to learn about all things mountain biking, but I’m loving being a beginner again and soaking it all in! Have a listen to me talking to some real experts as I send it into the world of enduro.
Cheers!
Mitch

What is Enduro? With Paul Van Der Ploeg and Matt Fairbrother

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We’re back this week with another Talking Luft Top Six. This week it’s the turn of special guest - and Monument winner, Matt Goss, who shares his Top Six Most Influential from Paris Roubaix! 
As those of you who caught the last edition will know, we’ve mixed things up with Talking Luft this year,  focusing on a single event each month, talking through the most influential, editions, teams, riders styles and stories from that race. 
It’s a lot of fun, and this week is a bit of a special edition for me. I get to discuss my most influential moments from my favourite race of all, Paris - Roubaix. Not only that, I get to do so with Gossy, a former teammate of mine - but perhaps more importantly, a former teammate of Roubaix greats like Fabian Cancellara and Stuart O’Grady at the mighty CSC team. 
Of course the dust is still settling on this year’s edition of Roubaix. Gossy and I couldn’t avoid spending a bit of time dissecting the race, and chatting about the changes that have happened even in the few years since we both left the peloton. 
There are so many influential moments at each Roubaix and it is itself such an influential race that one of the hardest parts of this show was actually narrowing things down to just six (…to be honest we did end up making it more of a top seven!), but being a couple of Aussies from the same generation there are some moments at Roubaix that neither of us could leave out. I’ll leave you to have a listen to what those moments were and why they were so influential to us. 
As always everyone should have a different top six - so let me know what you guys are thinking: does anyone else love Tafi throwing his cut off cap away? Which is your best Boonen moment? Is now a better Roubaix era than the 90’s!? 
Give it a listen, and enjoy! 
Mitch

Talking Luft Top 6's! Paris Roubaix Most Influential with Matt Goss

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In this week’s Life in the Peloton pod, I’m taking a dive into the topic of ketones.
Ketones arrived in the peloton just a few years ago, and to many people they are seen as a sort of wonder fuel, but to others they are still a grey area supplement.
To get stuck into the subject I was lucky enough to chat to Michael Brandt, the co-founder and CEO of H.V.M.N, the ketone partner for team Visma Lease A Bike.
Michael is a pretty handy athlete himself (with a 2:40 marathon time!), an all-round endurance sports nut and is one of the leading voices on the subject.
In a similar way to when electrolytes first became commonly used in sports drinks just a few decades ago, Michael believes that it is only a matter of time before ketones are seen and used in the same light.
As a pro rider I had previous experience using ketones at races and talking to Michael allowed me to finally be able to break down what the product really does and the science behind how and why they work.
Michael also helps tackle the questions around the perceived taboo around ketones and gives some interesting insight as to why he thinks this came about in the first place.
I also caught up with a good mate of mine George Bennett, who was fresh off the back of a very hard Volta Catalunya and was happy to chat about what ketone use is like for the guys inside the peloton.
Having been a professional for over a decade in some of the world’s biggest and best teams, George is perfectly placed to explain the way that the trends have changed in the bunch with ketone use in the past few years, and to recount his own experiences using the supplement.
It is an interesting subject, that needs more attention as we seek to understand what keeps the peloton improving and pushing the limits of performance.
Whether you know a little or a lot about ketones, it is definitely worth giving the pod a listen to see how they are being received and used in today’s professional peloton.
And if that is not enough, then as an added bonus, the team at HVMN have an offer for all Life in the Peloton listeners with a whopping 30% offer for orders when you use the code LIFEINTHEPELOTON with your order!
Cheers!
Mitch

Talking Luft with Alberto Bettiol. Ep 11.

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