Velo Podcast

Classics season is upon us, and the biggest stars of one-day racing are now in action, from Belgium to Italy. On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast we examine the action from Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kurrne-Brussels-Kuurne, and try to decipher what these races may tell us about the upcoming battles at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

Then, columnist Jason Gay of The Wall Street Journal comes on to discuss the Wout van Aert vs. Mathieu van der Poel rivalry, and why it may be one of the best rivalries in all of sports. Jason's recent WSJ column shed light on cycling's best rivalry, and compared it to Roger Federer vs. Raphael Nadal, Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird, and other great rivalries.

Plus, how can cycling best capitalize on Mathieu van der Poel vs. Wout van Aert? How might cycling screw up this highly valuable and interesting rivalry? Jason has some opinions on how the sport should — and shouldn't — go about promoting its biggest asset.

All that and more on this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast.

Mike Woods took on Trek-Segafredo this past weekend at the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes et du Var in France and almost won. On this week's episode we break down the early-season battle in France and discuss what it means for Woods and for Trek-Segafredo, which has started 2021 with a bang.

Then, we examine the UAE Tour and why Chris Froome's comeback to racing does not appear to be going well. Tadej Pogačar, Sepp Kuss, and other stars seem to be on form, while Froome is more than a few watts shy of where he needs to be.

Then, American Kiel Reijnen joins the podcast for a dispatch from the UAE Tour, where brutal winds and painful echelons have torn the race apart. Kiel offers his insight into what it's like to ride in an echelon, and why the effort provided by the UAE Tour is so important for classics racers like himself.

This week's podcast is sponsored by Flobikes.com, which is your broadcast home for the spring classics. Watch Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Gent-Wevelgem, the Tour of Flanders, and more races live and on demand in the U.S. and Canada. Subscribe today at www.flobikes.com/velonews.

It's Colombia week on velonews.com, and we have more than a dozen stories about Colombia's cycling culture and racing stars. On this week's episode of the VeloNews Podcast, we discuss Colombia's rise to the top of the WorldTour over the last decade.

Egan Bernal, Miguel Ángel López, and Iván Sosa are the latest stars to enter the WorldTour, and their success comes on the heels of Rigoberto Urán and Nairo Quintana. Before them, it was Santiago Botero and Victor Hugo Peña. And those men benefitted from Lucho Herrera and Fabio Parra, the so-called 'escarabajos.'

Then, author Matt Rendell joins the podcast to discuss his own research into Colombian cycling. Rendell has written multiple books on Colombian cycling, most recently 'Colombia es Pasion!: How Colombia's Young Racing Cyclists Came of Age.'

All that and more on this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast.

Two big storylines are dominating the pro cycling space this week, and on this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast we dive into both.

First: The UCI has enacted two unpopular rule changes for 2021, banning the 'super tuck' descending position, as well as the 'invisible aero bars' breakaway position. We delve into the decision and explore which of the positions will be harder for riders to give up (the latter).

Then, bike racing and the stars of the sport returned last week at the Etoile de Besseges race in France, which kicked off a month of pro racing in France. James Startt was at the race, and he will be attending the upcoming events in France. Startt offers his perspective on how the cancelation of global races could impact these small French events going forward.

Then, Lucinda Brand returns to the podcast to discuss her world championship ride at the recent cyclocross worlds in Belgium. Brand discusses her ambitions for the upcoming road season, and why she doesn't believe her CX worlds win will change much in her approach to pro cycling.

All that and more on this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast.

On this week's episode of the VeloNews Podcast Andrew Hood and Fred Dreier discuss the spate of race cancelations in Spain and Portugal due to COVID-19 and the impact they will have on the calendar. The best riders will now look to France and the Middle East for their early season fitness, which could have an impact on the upcoming battles on the cobblestones and at Paris-Nice.

Then, U.S. phenom Clara Honsinger joins the podcast to discuss her thrilling ride at the 2021 UCI cyclocross world championships, and her impressive first full season in Europe.

All that and more on this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast.

On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast we dive into two of the biggest stories swirling in the sport: Tom Dumoulin stepping away from pro cycling and NBC's decision to torpedo the Tour de France's U.S. cable television home, NBC Sports Network.

First, we discuss the Dumoulin news with longtime Dutch cycling journalist Raymond Kerckhoffs of Wielerflits.nl. Kerckhoffs, who has covered Dumoulin for his entire pro cycling career, discusses the family tragedy that occurred just before Dumoulin announced his decision. Kerckhoffs also explains why he believes that Dumoulin's step away from cycling may be permanent.

Kerckhoffs also discusses his recent interview with Dutch sprinter Dylan Groenewegen, who opened up about the terrifying crash at the Tour of Poland that sent countryman Fabio Jakobsen to the hospital for weeks. Groenewegen was banned for causing the crash, and he has new perspective on how it went down.

Then, American journalist John Ourand of the SportsBusiness Journal joins the show to discuss the news that Comcast/NBC plans to shutter cable sports channel NBC Sports Network at the end of 2021. NBC Sports Network has been the U.S. television home of the Tour de France since 2012, and every year it broadcasts dozens of hours of Tour coverage to U.S. fans. Ourand explains why NBC is shuttering the channel, and whether or not the Tour will have a home for live television broadcast in the future.

All that and more on this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast.

It's Aussie Week on velonews.com and we have stories and interviews that take readers inside the Australian experience in pro cycling.

We're continuing that theme on this week's edition of The VeloNews Podcast, which is dedicated entirely to Australian cycling. We have an interview with Cadel Evans, who relives his Tour de France win from 2011.

We also hear from up-and-coming rider Lucy Kennedy, who explains how Australia's national federation — and its unorthodox training camp — contributed to her professional career.

Before that, Fred Dreier, Jim Cotton, and Andrew Hood discuss the importance of the Tour Down Under, and how the race's cancelation for 2021 could impact Australian cyclists. The guys also rank the top Australian cyclists of all time.

This week's episode is sponsored by Synchronicity Hemp Oil, which invites you to take 30% off your first order by going to synchronicityhempoil.com and using the code ADVANTAGE at checkout.

On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast we catch up with Geraint Thomas, the 2018 Tour de France winner.

Thomas shares his thoughts on the 2021 Tour route, and discusses Ineos Grenadiers' rivalry with Jumbo-Visma. He also takes us inside his disappointment after crashing out of the 2020 Giro d'Italia, and explains how he mentally recovered from the setback.

Before we hear from Geraint Thomas, Fred Dreier and Andrew Hood link up to discuss the early-season comments from Caleb Ewan, Jasper Stuyven, Lizzie Deignan, and teammates on Bora-Hansgrohe. Ewan opined on whether the peloton would welcome Dylan Groenewegen back with open arms after his suspension. Stuyven has ambitions to win a monument; Deignan has her sights set on Paris-Roubaix; Nibali is eyeing the Tokyo Olympics; and Bora-Hansgrohe must balance the ambitions of Pascal Ackermann and Peter Sagan.

All that and more on this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast.

The 2021 WorldTour season has yet to begin and already we have a major story to discuss on The VeloNews Podcast.

Earlier this week German team DSM revealed that its Swiss star Marc Hirschi was abruptly leaving the squad. The going story is that Hirschi — one of the breakout stars of the 2020 season — was bought out of his contract by another WorldTour team, likely UAE-Team Emirates. On today's episode we discuss the Hirschi news and explore the dynamic of riders breaking their contracts to shift teams.

Then, Chris Froome is in Southern California at the moment embarking on a training bloc and rehab session, in hopes that the extra work will help him thrive during the 2021 season. What's the story behind Froome's rehab, and how to Israel Start-Up Nation directors believe this will help Froome in the coming season?

Finally, we catch up with Ineos-Grenadiers workhorse Cameron Wurf. Wurf is one of the stars of the Ironman triathlon circuit as well as a top WorldTour rider. He returned to pro cycling in 2020 after seven seasons in pro triathlon, and he takes us inside his return to the peloton.

All that and more on this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast.

The end of 2020 is finally here, and on this week's podcast we look back at the riders and stories that defined a most bizarre year.

First up, we name our All-WorldTour team for 2020, comprised of the best riders for each eight spots on a grand tour team. Pogačar or Roglič? Wout or Mathieu? Annemiek van Vleuten or Anna van der Breggen? We argue and hash out each debate to come up with our list of top performers for the year.

Then, we explore our favorite stories of 2020 and look back at the reporting that brought these stories to life on velonews.com and in VeloNews magazine.

Thanks so much for listening to The VeloNews Podcast in 2020, and we can't wait to speak to you in 2021.