Home Roads

For all the wrong reasons, Shanaze Reade was once labelled a rockstar. In this episode of Home Roads, you'll hear she really is a star for all the right reasons. Born in Crewe to a white teenage mum and a black dad she hardly saw, Shanaze didn't let being a mixed race girl in a world dominated by white middle class boys stop her. She went on to compete at the very highest level, not just in her first discipline of BMX but also on the velodrome track too, and to great success. It took it's toll though, and in this interview recorded while coronavirus restrictions prevented us from riding together, she reveals how she overcame several challenges to come out of the other side as a winner, but also a happier, healthier woman.For more about the podcast, find seek out @HomeRoads on Instagram and Twitter. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/homeroads. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Starting in San Francisco in the mid-2000s as a loose group of fixie racers, MASH gained global attention by pushing their track bikes to the limits and filming their exploits in the way skaters had previously. With pro-cycling at the time obsessed with performance and tarnished by cheating, they were the antidote that reminded people just how fun riding and racing could be, pure and simple. It led to highly-desirable frame collaborations with Cinelli, a physical store on Sanchez Street and hundreds of thousands of followers around the World. For this episode, recorded remotely during the global pandemic lockdown, I caught up with founder Mike Martin and rider Chas Christiensen at their homes in California to hear the story of MASH. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Aussie Lachlan Morton and US National Champion Alex Howes have been friends since they raced each other as teenagers. Despite coming from different parts of the planet, they're now on the same pro team and based a few miles apart in Colorado, USA. Compared to life in lockdown for many of their teammates at EF Pro Cycling, they have it slightly easier as they're still able to head out into the Rockies and train at altitude - provided they don't encounter lightning or some of the big wildlife that shares their home roads, as you'll hear. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Rohan Dennis is the best men's time trialist in the World, having taken the famous rainbow jersey (or skinsuit) for the last two years. His ability against the clock is simply incredible, and as he showed in Yorkshire in 2019, that's even when the road ahead is far from flat. The same is true of his experience as a pro over the last couple of years too - it's been a bit of a bumpy ride. Sitting indoors on my Kickr turbo, Rohan chatted candidly to me from lockdown in his apartment in Girona in Catalonia about the highs and lows of his impressive career so far, and why his teenaged views on men in lycra meant it almost never happened. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ian Boswell (aka Boz) should probably still be racing his bike on the road at the age of 29, but a bad crash at Tirreno-Adriatico in 2019 forced him to rethink his future plans. Having criss-crossed the planet wearing the jerseys of famous teams like Sky and Katusha during his career, he jumped on his Kickr bike in the basement of his Vermont, USA home to chat to me about his hopes for getting back on the gravel, and why living as a top-level pro was very good preparation for life in lockdown See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tom Pidcock is the most exciting young cycling talent to emerge in the UK in the last couple of years, but really, it's in the mud and under the grey skies of continental Europe where he has impressed the most. Getting silver early in 2020 at the cyclocross world championships in Switzerland was the first time a Brit broke the stranglehold the Dutch and Belgians have had on the podium. Normally at this time of year, Flanders is home for Tom, but the pandemic sweeping the planet meant he headed back to the family house in Leeds in Yorkshire, where he spoke to me from the dining room turned pain cave. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Grayson Perry is one of Britain's best-known and most-recognisable artists, thanks to his flamboyant ceramics and penchant for wearing even more noticeable dresses. He loves cycling too, and when I approached him to go for a ride, he gave me two options - mountain biking in Epping Forest or a "mooch slowly around London a bit pissed on my Dutch bike; a kind of two-wheeled flâneur". I chose the latter, and it didn't disappoint. Contains swearing.Follow @homeroads on Instagram and Twitter for more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Yorkshire's Lizzie Deignan knows what it takes to become World Champion. When her surname was still Armitstead, she claimed the coveted rainbow jersey in Richmond, Virginia in 2015. In the couple of years afterwards, Lizzie was in unbeatable form, hoovering up wins in some of the biggest races on the women's calendar. Then, having settled down with husband Phil (also a pro-cyclist), she took 2018 out of the sport to become a mum. This year though, the Worlds are back in Britain for the first time in a generation, and being raced on the Yorkshire lanes Lizzie knows so well. We rode together on a loop out of Harrogate, that took in the finish where she aims to clinch the rainbow stripes again.Look for @HomeRoads on Instagram, Twitter and Strava for more information, images and the rides. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's exactly a decade since Cadel Evans became the first Australian to become World Champion on the roads around Mendrisio near the Swiss-Italian border. Prior to that, he'd had success racing - both on road and mountain bikes - but hadn't quite reached the highs he was obviously capable of. Soon after though, he also became the first Aussie to win the Tour de France, consigning to history the two times he'd been runner up. Since retiring, Cadel has made his home in Switzerland, and lives just a few kilometres away from where he pulled on the famous rainbow jersey. He took me for a ride around the route of his triumph, before we climbed over the border for lunch next to Lake Como.Look for @HomeRoads on Instagram, Twitter and Strava for more information, images and the rides. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Eight days on the road covering the 2019 Tour of Britain, condensed into one, slightly longer than normal, Home Roads episode. I front the tv coverage of the race, but this special podcast has a look behind the scenes, featuring some of the people who make it happen. You'll also hear many of the famous riders who compete, gaining an insight into the ups and downs of the often precarious life as a pro-cyclist - plus one who is undoubtedly the rising star of the sport. Includes interviews with Mathieu van der Poel, Matteo Trentin, Mikel Landa, Mark Cavendish, Mark Renshaw, Bernie Eisel, Steve Cummings, Alex Dowsett, Yanto Barker, Conor Dunne and many more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Phil Southerland thought he would be dead by now. Instead, his achievements in cycling are an inspiration to millions of others who live with diabetes. Diagnosed as a child with type 1, simply surviving was the original plan, but getting out and riding became his life. Being part of a team of diabetic riders that won the Race Across America was the springboard to Phil putting together a group of pros who all live and compete with the condition - Team Novo Nordisk. We headed out on the bikes from Phil's Atlanta home into the Georgia countryside, where a local dog - and not low blood sugar - was the biggest risk we faced. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Chip Hawkins has spent his whole life in America's Deep South, where he founded Wahoo. He is the first to admit that, for a lot of his adult life, he did very little exercise. That all changed in his thirties, and he went all in, but for a man obsessed with data, it was a frustrating experience. The devices on the market at the time were clunky at best, and often refused to talk to each other, so Chip set about solving the problems himself. In the process, he created Wahoo Fitness - which also happens to be the current sponsor of Home Roads. Despite running a half-marathon the next day, Chip took me on a leisurely, if chilly, roll around the backwoods north of Atlanta, GA where he lives, and where Wahoo is based, to tell me the whole story. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Luxembourg is a small place, and Bob Jungels is its biggest sports star. He is the national champion, so who better than to explore the country with. Bob divides his time between his base in Switzerland, and back home, on the outskirts of Luxembourg City, which is where I met him just before he headed to the Giro d'Italia. The ride almost didn't happen, due to my hurried packing and a couple of mechanicals, but eventually we managed to head off on a 100km loop (which you can find on my Strava feed). What was slightly daunting was Bob was in peak, pre-Grand Tour form, and already had one of the biggest engines in the pro peloton...Follow @homeroads on Instagram, Twitter & Strava. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome are both British winners of the Tour de France and both on the same team. This year, now their team sponsor has changed from Sky to Ineos, they both want to win it again - or at least they did. I recorded these interviews one day in May separately with each rider (and then cut them together) while we spun the legs on Wahoo Kickrs at the team house just outside Monaco. Their strict training schedules and the potential risk meant a ride out in the open wasn't on the cards. Unfortunately, a couple of weeks after the recording, Chris Froome crashed during the Critérium du Dauphiné, and the injuries meant he wouldn't compete in the 2019 Tour. Geraint will, and the conversations with both riders are - I hope you will find - still very interesting.Follow @HomeRoads on Instagram, Twitter and Strava. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This Jon Snow is one of Britain's best-known news anchors - and not the character from Game of Thrones as he has had to explain in recent years, and did once more for my benefit. As well as his extensive experience reporting from the field, interviewing Presidents, Prime Ministers and despots around the world, Jon also loves to cycle. I met him on a Monday morning at his North London home, for the short commute to the Channel 4 newsroom at the headquarters of news organisation ITN. The same building where I began my own journalistic career. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sir Bradley Wiggins is one of cycling's greats. The first Briton to win the Tour de France; the Hour Record holder; an Olympic champion in multiple disciplines. Since retiring though, you won't be surprised to hear he doesn't ride as much as he used to. In fact, while recording this, I didn't see him on a bike at all. So instead, we chatted as we travelled around Britain together for a theatre tour during the Autumn. Other well-known names crop up, like Sir Dave Brailsford, Mark Cavendish and Sean Yates. This, though, is quite different to other episodes, but then Brad is very different to every other cyclist.See more on Instagram and on Strava. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's often said that professional cycling is closer to its fans than any other sport. You can ride the same roads, you don't need to buy a ticket to watch and, as I found in Rotherham, the pros often train amongst us mere mortals. Like their dad before them, Dean and Russell Downing have been riding this chaingang since they were "knee-high to a grasshopper". The same goes for Ben Swift too and several other racers who joined me in a sizeable group, marauding through the South Yorkshire countryside. Rather than just hanging on though, I tried my best to make the ride just a bit more interesting when it reached a crescendo...See more on Instagram and find the route on Strava. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Kenton Cool is one of the World's most accomplished mountaineers. He has scaled Everest thirteen times (and may well have summited again by the time you hear this episode), as well as being the first to climb it and its neighbours Nuptse and Lhotse in one single prolonged expedition. As you'd imagine, he keeps incredibly fit, and road cycling forms a big part of his life. I caught up with the man now officially known as Dr Cool at his home in the Cotswolds for a ride in one of England's most beautiful areas.See more on Instagram and find the route on Strava. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's not easy to go from being at the top of your game, winning trophies, to starting again in a completely different world, but that's what Australian former pro Simon Gerrans is doing. Having left his homeland as a teenager to race in Europe, Simon went on triumph on some of the biggest stages. He called the likes of Monaco and Andorra home, but now it's in Clapham, South London with his wife and children. Why? So he can begin a new life in the world of international finance.See more on Instagram and find the route on Strava. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A few years back, Ned Boulting thought the leader in the Tour de France wore the yellow "jumper”. After that initial hiccup (it's the yellow jersey, of course), Ned became one of the faces of bike race coverage in the UK, and more recently, took the microphone to become the voice that commentates on the biggest one of all. He also heads out on the road with his one-man tours Bikeology and Tour de Ned, but for this episode, we rolled across London along a fascinating route that is a favourite of Ned’s.See more on Instagram and find the route on Strava. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Philippa York used to be Robert Millar, and he was one of Britain’s greatest cyclists. At the Tour de France he won the mountains classification, and did the same at the Giro d’Italia. He took stages at all three Grand Tours amongst many other big wins, but the whole time, he wanted to be someone else. Robert has now gone, after transitioning into Philippa - or Pippa, as she's also known. She’s now in her late 50s and, as I found when we headed towards the Dorset seaside from her pretty cottage, still loves riding a bike and climbing hills on it.See more on Instagram and find the route we took on Strava. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Rapha changed the look of cycling, and it’s Simon Mottram who created Rapha. Before, people rode bikes in garish outfits covered in sponsors, and Simon was one of them, even though he didn’t particularly like it. Not being a racer made him no less passionate about riding, so he set about coming up with a brand he would want to wear, believing others would too. With three children, one of whom was disabled, failure wasn’t an option. It’s been a long road, but Simon loves cycling as much as ever, and took me on a ride out of North London, onto his favourite loop in Hertfordshire, to tell me the whole Rapha story.Find the route on Strava and see more on Instagram. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Simon Warren has written the book on climbing by bike. In fact, he’s now written several, but it was his first one “100 Greatest Cycling Climbs” that broke the mould. Sitting at home, watching telly, Simon suddenly realised he wanted more out of life - and off he went, climbing hill after mountain, documenting each one, with his family in tow. For this episode, he took me on a naturally hilly ride around his fairly new Home Roads out of Sheffield.See more on Instagram and find the route on Strava. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

“Polar Explorer” sounds like a job title from the 19th century, but that’s what Ben Saunders is. Fortunately, he’s also a cyclist. In fact, he prefers to be thought of as an endurance athlete, and when you hear he’s walked more than 4300 miles at the Poles, it’s hard to argue. Ben lives and trains in the Richmond area of London, and we rode out into the Surrey Hills together, which is still fairly busy and totally at odds with the solitude he experiences on an expedition.Find the route on Strava and see more on Instagram. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Only Way is Essex is a tv show with a certain charm, at least to some, but to Alex Dowsett, the title is a motto to live by. Most other professional cyclists leave where they grew up to live and train in more predictable climates, but not Alex. Growing up with haemophilia (his blood doesn’t clot on its own) means his family is very close-knit, and despite living and racing all over the place, the county to the east of London remains home. Just before Alex switched professional teams, from Movistar to Katusha, we rode out of Chelmsford towards the Blue Egg cafe that he’s helped to make famous amongst cyclists.Find the route on Strava and see more on Instagram. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Nicolas Roche was born to ride. His family is steeped in racing, with his dad Stephen a two-time Grand Tour winner. Nico’s Mum is French, and so he spent a lot of time there, but here, he took me on a ride out of Dublin on the roads he loves the most. As we set off from Dundrum in the south of the Irish capital, and head for the Wicklow Hills, Nico talks about everything from choosing his nationality, competing for the biggest teams, struggles with weight and why you don't have to look like a hardman to race like one.Find the route on Strava and see more on Instagram. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dame Sarah Storey is one of Great Britain's greatest athletes, and amongst the World's most successful Paralympians, winning numerous titles in the pool, before switching to the bike and achieving the same results. While she was born with one of her hands deformed, she is competitive against whoever she races, disabled or not. As well as juggling being parents of two young children, Sarah and her husband Barney also run their women's team, Storey Racing. We headed out from her home in Cheshire to ride a short, sharp, strenuous loop in England's beautiful Peak District.Find the route on Strava and see more on Instagram. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

David Millar did it all in professional cycling, the good and the bad; winning races, wearing jerseys, failing drugs tests, and being arrested. Now retired, he lives with his young family in Girona in Catalonia, where many want independence from Spain. Never one to sit still, David has written about his experiences in two books, launched a clothing brand called Chapter 3 and made the film Time Trial about his life racing. British fans of the sport can also hear his opinions on tv coverage of big races. For our ride, we headed out of Girona toward the climb of Els Angels and the monastery at the top.Find the route on Strava and see more on Instagram. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Join me, Matt Barbet, as I ride with some of the most interesting people in cycling, and others who like to get out on the bike, on the roads they know best. It's not about the most majestic mountains, or the routes of famous races, but the rides we all enjoy - the ones that begin at home. And, it's when we're in the saddle, that the stories start to come out. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.