Velo Podcast

As we inch closer to July, the build-up to the Tour de France is taking center stage in the world of cycling.

EF Education First-Drapac's Alex Howes drops by the VeloNews world headquarters to talk Dauphiné vs. Suisse and to share his experiences with the highs and lows of Tour roster selection.

Andy Hood also brings us a dispatch from Movistar's media day as the Spanish WorldTour squad gears up for the Tour with its highly touted three-headed GC monster.

Peaking. It's that elusive target we all strive for — to be on our best form right when our target race comes around. We build plans for it, we follow six-week guides we find online, and yet too often we wake up the morning of our target race with flat legs.

Perhaps it's so elusive because peaking is both a science and an art. What we discovered over the course of this podcast is that the two don't seem to get along with one another. Some of that has to do with the fact that science lays out a very specific four-week plan for peaking, while the art says that it is very individual. Even among those who understand the science, it appears that what they do is different.

We are joined by Colby Pearce, hour record holder, an Olympian, a thinker, a tinkerer, and someone with massive amounts of experience as an athlete. He'll give us six key tips to preparing for a goal event.

It's pretty darn hard to get on a Tour de France team. Do results at the Dauphine or Tour de Suisse really matter?

We talk to some of the peloton's key directors to understand how they assemble their rosters. Plus, we hear from riders about this stressful process to get a spot on a coveted spot in the Grand Boucle.

Then, we bring on tech expert Dan Cavallari to talk about one of the wackiest stories we've seen in awhile: The aerodynamic leg gel that Lotto-Soudal used in the Dauphine's team time trial. What the heck?

This episode of the VeloNews podcast is sponsored by Feedback Sports.

If you're one of the many people who suffer from foot numbness while riding, you have come to the right place.

In this episode of the VeloNews Tech podcast, Dan Cavallari talks to Bontrager's Kyle Russ about feet. Why do they go numb? Are there some affordable ways to remedy the problem? Will new insoles make your old shoes better? We get the answers to make your rides more comfortable.

This episode is brought to you by Pro Bike Gear. With its new online saddle selector, you can find your next saddle with just a few clicks. Visit www.pro-bikegear.com and check out Pro’s newly expanded line of saddles.

Is Dirty Kanza "cycling's answer to Ironman?" Fred Dreier and Chris Case were out in Eastern Kansas this past weekend to find out.

We hear from Kaitie Keough, Ted King, and Rebecca Rusch about what makes this race so special (and damn hard). Fred also talks to lots of other riders out on the dirt who faced physical, emotional, and psychological challenges, coming out the other end transformed.

Plus, Chris did more than talk the talk — he rode and finished the 206-mile race. Listen to the second half of the show for his first-hand perspective on the race.

This episode of the VeloNews podcast and our coverage of Dirty Kanza is sponsored by 3T, manufacturer of the aerodynamic Exploro gravel bike. Learn all about the bike Chris rode: https://www.3t.bike/en/3t-bikes/exploro-2.html

If we had to summarize sports nutrition in one word it would probably be … controversial. Or maybe just confusing.

In this episode, we’ll discuss the difference between a ketogenic diet and a high-fat/low-carbohydrate diet, and why the latter may be the more important one to discuss.

Are there potential health benefits, outside of performance, of trying a ketogenic diet? We’ll take a look with help from our guest Dr. Timothy Noakes, who has been at the center of endurance science and sports nutrition research for decades.

Well, Chris Froome did it. He won his third grand tour in a row at the Giro d'Italia, waiting until the last possible moment to do it. Rivals crumbled, fans freaked out, and lots of people have opinions about his impressive victory. So let's try to make sense of it all.

To better understand things, we hear from our European correspondent Andrew Hood, who was on the ground at the Giro this year. He has audio from Chris Froome and Simon Yates's Canadian teammate Svein Tuft.

Finally, Chris Case comes on the show to talk about this weekend's big gravel race, Dirty Kanza 200 and why he put a narwhal on his bike.

What just happened? Chris Froome blew up the Giro d'Italia's GC in stage 19 Friday. Simon Yates is out of pink. Chris Froome is in it. And poor Tom Dumoulin is left chasing another Englishman.

We recap the action, hear from Froome at the post-stage press conference, and have some takes and analysis about Froome's performance. Was it his best ever? Was it believable? All that and more.

This episode of the VeloNews podcast is sponsored by Smith Optics, which outfitted us with the Session helmet and Attack Max sunglasses for the Epic Rides mountain bike series. Check out www.smithoptics.com for more.

We hear from Svein Tuft on what it's like to see his Aussie team grow up from its roots as upstart Orica squad to world-beaters as Mitchelton-Scott. Plus, we discuss Simon Yates's four-month ban for an asthma medication back in 2016 and whether that should color our opinion of his Giro dominance.

We also talk about the recent round of the Epic Rides mountain bike series in Grand Junction as well as Stephen Hyde's plans to try for an Olympic spot as an XC mountain biker. Finally, Fred's got a few hot takes after his week covering the Amgen Tour of California.

This week's VeloNews Podcast is sponsored by Fezzari, the bike company that brings a personalized experience to buying bikes online. With a 30-day "love it or return it" guarantee, you can shop with confidence and get the ride that's right for you. Check out www.fezzari.com to learn more.

After the stage 4 time trial propelled Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing) into the general classification lead at the Tour of California, stage 6 brought another big GC shakeup. Sky's Egan Bernal reclaimed the yellow jersey with a powerful move on the long climb to South Lake Tahoe, nabbing his second stage victory in the process.

We catch up on the big storylines from the day and hear from Bernal and his teammate Tao Geoghegan Hart after their impressive performances on the final big GC day of the race.

Over on the women's side in California, UnitedHealthcare's Katie Hall soared to a convincing victory in Lake Tahoe — and then shared her thoughts with the podcast on how it all went down.

And then there's the Giro. We talk about Monte Zoncolan and hear from Sky's Chris Froome as the Italian grand tour visits its hardest climb.