Placeholder Podcast

On this week's Placeholders, Caley Fretz, Kit Nicholson, and Jonny Long discuss Tadej Pogačar's fueling at the 2023 Tour de France, Remco Evenepoel's floor needs, and more.Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.Also, we'd love to get your feedback on this show and our other shows. Share your thoughts at escapecollective.com/podcast-survey.

On this week's Placeholders, Jonny Long and Kit Nicholson join Caley Fretz to do a form check of the big contenders ahead of the Tour de France and field a few questions from members.Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.Also, we'd love to get your feedback on this show and our other shows. Share your thoughts at escapecollective.com/podcast-survey.

Dane Cash and Jonny Long join Caley Fretz on this week's Placeholders to discuss Unbound, Unchained, and the unmistakeable approach of the Tour de France as the Critérium du Dauphiné gets underway.Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.Also, we'd love to get your feedback on this show and our other shows. Share your thoughts at escapecollective.com/podcast-survey.

Jonny Long and Ronan Mc Laughlin join Caley Fretz to discuss Pogačar's Giro effort, time trialing as a specialty, and the recovery of Vingegaard and Van Aert, and Joe Lindsey pops in to discuss Olympic selection for the United States.Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

Kit Nicholson and Jonny Long join Caley Fretz on this week's Placeholders to discuss Pogačar's benevolent dominance, Vingegaard's tattoo, and more.Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

Kit Nicholson, Jonny Long, and Abby Mickey join Caley Fretz to discuss Decathlon's recent success, the Intergiro, transfers in the women's peloton, and more ...Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

On this week's Placeholders, Kit Nicholson and Jonny Long join Caley Fretz to talk Tadej Pogačar's Giro approach, Demi Vollering's Nike deal, and more.Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

On this week's podcast, the crew looks ahead to the Giro d'Italia, where Tadej Pogačar looks like the favorite on a course that should provide wire-to-wire excitement.Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/join to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

With Classics season in the rearview mirror, Kit Nicholson, Dane Cash, and Ronan Mc Laughlin join Caley Fretz on this week's Placeholders to ponder whether anything can or should be done to make it harder for riders to attack from so far out.

Jonny Long, Kit Nicholson, and Dane Cash join Caley Fretz to ponder whether the Ardennes Classics might merit some reevaluation, to discuss World Cup mountain bike racing and the NCL going on hiauts, and to look ahead to a clash between Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar.

Caley Fretz, Jonny Long, and Kit Nicholson talk through some of the side stories that came out of the last weekend of cobbled classics and wonder aloud what can be done to make the sport safer and less full of dumb people who want to throw things at bike racers. Plus, Iain Treloar interviews two confused deer mascots.

From a bar in Belgium straight to your ears: The Placeholders crew preview both of this weekend's Paris-Roubaix races, discuss the Arenberg chicane and the crashes in the Basque Country, and we hear from Emma Norsgaard on what Roubaix means and how to ride it. 

The Placeholders crew comes to you live from Kortrijk, Belgium, this week, where they tackle life's greatest questions (who's better, Boonen or Van der Poel?), debate the merits of goat-based cobble upkeep, and have some Weekly Pain with a real live member.

We're back with a special on-the-ground episode from Oudenaarde, the finish town of the Tour of Flanders. It's wet, it's cold, but we've found a bar and a fire and are ready to talk about a spectacular bike race (even if the last 50 km were slightly less spectacular). As always, for a deep run-through of the women's Flanders, don't miss Abby and the Wheel Talk crew early this week. 

This week's episode of Placeholders, recorded after a busy weekend of racing – but before Dwars door Vlaanderen ... – ponders which men's Classics team is best right now, riders skipping races to go to altitude, and whether the "Big Six" is really a thing.

Kit Nicholson and Dane Cash join Caley Fretz to discuss Mathieu van der Poel's longterm deal with Canyon and extension with Alpecin-Deceuninck, whether the pros should be friends, and what's coming up in the Spring Classics.

Dane Cash, Jonny Long, and Kit Nicholson join Caley Fretz on the Placeholders this week to discuss this generation of Americans after Matteo Jorgensen's Paris-Nice win, where things stand for the WorldTour sprinters, and what's on tap this coming weekend at Milan-San Remo.

Ronan Mc Laughlin, Jonny Long, and Kit Nicholson join Caley Fretz on this week's Placeholders to discuss new helmets and new helmet regulations, Tadej Pogačar's talent, and hookless rims.The crew also gives the BikeGrid game a go.

This week on the Placeholders, Dane Cash, Abby Mickey, and Kit Nicholson join Caley Fretz to ponder whether anyone will remember Visma's Opening Weekend results if they can't win a Monument, who is the best sprinter right now, and whether team mechanics can disguise themselves as riders to get into races.

Jonny Long and Dane Cash join Caley Fretz on the Placeholders this week for a form check as early-season racing ramps up. The crew also circles the Plugge hole (Erzen's version) and makes some knee-jerk predictions ahead of Opening Weekend.

Jonny Long, Kit Nicholson, and Dane Cash join Caley Fretz on this week Placeholders to cover all of the big news as racing is heating up around the world from Oman to Colombia.

Ronan Mc Laughlin, Jonny Long, and Kit Nicholson join Caley Fretz to discuss the rumors of a potential (and large) investment in bike racing from a Saudi Arabian firm as well as the news of the UCI banning a pedal and Zdeněk Štybar's retirement.

Abby Mickey, Dane Cash, and Ronan Mc Laughlin join Caley Fretz to talk Red Bull, MyWhoosh, Ekoi, and more ...

Dane Cash, Jonny Long, and Kit Nicholson join Caley Fretz on this week's Placeholders to talk about where the Ineos Grenadiers find themselves in 2024, the latest from the 'cross scene, and whether pro cycling should have a draft.

Jonny Long, Abby Mickey, and Dane Cash join Caley Fretz on this week's episode of the Placeholders to discuss the latest in the apparently unending stream of transfer chatter involving Bora and Visma, salads, what we can expect from Sarah Gigante, and so much more. Plus, members will get to hear another installment of the Placeholders After Dark ...

Jonny Long, Kit Nicholson, and Dane Cash join Caley Fretz to take the inside line into Plugge corner and continue the ongoing conversation about Mathieu van der Poel's cyclocross form, among other things.You'll also hear the first Weekly Pain of 2024, while Escape Collective members will get another edition of the Placeholders After Dark.

This week on the show: Red Bull's buy-in at Bora-Hansgrohe, Mathieu van der Poel's spit, Ronan's beard, and our New Year's resolutions for professional cycling.To get access to the members-only Escape After Dark segment of this podcast, sign up here.

Jonny Long hosts the final Placeholders episode of the year, a quiz showdown with Iain Treloar, Kit Nicholson, and Ronan Mc Laughlin. Who will emerge as the end-of-year champion? Listen to find out ...

On this week's Placeholders, Abby Mickey, Jonny Long, Kit Nicholson, and Iain Treloar cover the uncertainty surrounding where up-and-comer Cian Uijtdebroeks will be riding next year as well as comparing Classics and discussing Belgian cycling awards.

Ronan Mc Laughlin, Kit Nicholson, Dane Cash, and Joe Lindsey all join Caley Fretz on this week's Placeholders to talk Campagnolo, the media landscape, swords, milk, and more.

On this week's Placeholders, Dane Cash, Kit Nicholson, and Abby Mickey join Caley Fretz to bid farewell to AG2R's iconic brown shorts, discuss some late-breaking transfer stories, analyze the Rigoberto Urán telenovela, and more.

Jonny Long, Kit Nicholson, and Ronan Mc Laughlin join Caley Fretz on this week's Placeholders to talk about the changes behind the scenes at the Ineos Grenadiers, potential calendar challenges, and, of course, super blood worms.

News dropped on Wednesday that GCN+ and the GCN app will be shuttered in December. We have thoughts. We have emotions. Caley Fretz, Joe Lindsey, and Cosmo Catalano got together to talk through it. 

This week on the show: Jonny's adventures in Asia, Geraint Thomas getting on the beers, and some doping news out of Spain. Unfortunately, the GCN+ news broke after we recorded this episode. We have a special episode on the topic coming tomorrow. 

Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano join Caley Fretz on this week's Placeholders to discuss Tadej Pogačar's recent comments about his calendar and how he plans to keep targeting races beyond just the Tour de France. Plus, we get a cyclocross update and then the podcast debuts the first ever member showdown in the Weekly Pain segment.

The Placeholders crew talks Wout van Aert's GC chances, league talks, Saudi money, Quintana's return, and gravel at the Tour de France.

On this week's Placeholders, Dane Cash and Kit Nicholson join Caley Fretz to discuss Sepp Kuss's victory parade in Durango, the Tour route unveiling, gravel, and more ...

This week's episode dives into Pippo Pozzato's dreams to rebuild Italian cycling, taking cues from Flanders Classics. Plus Ronan, Kit, and Caley discuss an interesting (and TT-heavy) Giro d'Italia route, the young Brit who beat Remco Evenepoel in a big time trial, and, of course, a bit of Jumbo-Visma news.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Iain Treloar and Jonny Long join Caley Fretz to talk about the Jumbo-Visma merger that ultimately did not happen, the Ineos Grenadiers, Gravel Worlds, and Thibaut Pinot's retirement. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonny Long, Kit Nicholson, and Ronan Mc Laughlin join Caley Fretz to discuss the latest in the Jumbo-Visma Soudal-QuickStep potential merger saga, Alex Dowsett's new book, and more... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonny Long, Ronan Mc Laughlin, and Dane Cash join Caley Fretz to talk about what Jonny calls the "British equivalent of crit beef," Mauro Schmid's travel plans, and, of course, the reports of a possible Jumbo-Visma Soudal-QuickStep merger. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonny Long, Kit Nicholson, and Ronan Mc Laughlin join Caley Fretz to discuss their final impressions of the 2023 Vuelta a España and Jumbo-Visma's dominance, some chatter around Mark Cavendish racing on, and more. Plus, the crew dives into a Sepp Kuss-related Weekly Pain competition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonny Long, Abby Mickey, and Dane Cash join Caley Fretz in the immediate aftermath of stage 18 of the Vuelta a España, where Jumbo-Visma seemed to decide to back Sepp Kuss in red after several days of drama. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emergency pod! Stage 17 of the Vuelta a Espana was a banger, but not because of any of the performances. No, it was the intra-squad squabbling of Jumbo-Visma that caught our eye. Let's discuss.Warning, if you haven't seen the stage this pod is ONE BIG SPOILER.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonny Long, Ronan Mc Laughlin, and Kit Nicholson join Caley Fretz on this week's Placeholders to discuss those bottles we see at the finish line, watches on the podium, Jumbo-Visma's approach to the Vuelta, GCN being for sale, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Placeholders crew debates Sepp Kuss's chances at the Vuelta a España and discusses the route of the Tour of Britain. Plus, the first ever Weekly Pain with three contenders battling for points. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kit Nicholson and Jonny Long join Caley Fretz on this week's Placeholders to discuss whether Remco Evenepoel is growing into patron status, a saddle height kerfuffle at DSM, and more.Plus, we hear from Tour de l'Avenir winner Isaac del Toro, and Dave Rome tells us more about a new wheel size. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Iain Treloar and Dane Cash join Caley Fretz on this week's Placeholders to discuss news out of the Rwandan cycling scene, the Tour de l'Avenir, Jumbo-Visma's recent doping positive, and more. Plus, this Weekly Pain quiz comes down to the wire ... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dane Cash and Kit Nicholson join Caley Fretz to discuss Mikel Landa, Fabio Jakobsen, and other big transfers, the MTB race start order kerfuffle at Worlds, and Richard Freeman.And of course, there's also another riveting edition of the Weekly Pain quiz. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Iain Treloar and Dane Cash join Caley Fretz to cover some of the key storylines from Glasgow "Super Worlds," including star turns from team bosses, Mathieu van der Poel's busy day in the road race, up-and-comers, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One final episode from the ground of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift with Abby and Matt (plus a cameo from a familiar voice or two).Plus, final audio diaries from Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek), Vittoria Guazzini (FDJ-Suez), Georgia Williams (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB), Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Human Powered Health), Ella Wyllie (Lifeplus Wahoo), Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step), and Jess Allen (Jayco-AlUla) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.