Podcasts about lidl trek

In a space dominated by gamified worlds and high-profile competition, one platform has quietly carved out its own lane—grounded in realism, driven by innovation, and growing on its own terms.In this episode of The Virtual Velo Podcast, co-hosts Emma Martin and Chris Schwenker sit down with Rouvy CEO Petr Samek for a rare, wide-ranging, unfiltered conversation about the platform's origins, its distinctive vision, and the bold decisions that continue to shape its path.Craving numbers? We ask Samek point-blank about subscriber counts, year-on-year growth, and whether an IPO is on the horizon. Curious about tech? We get into the bold decision to retrofit Zwift's Cog, Click, and Play hardware for virtual shifting, plus the Rouvy Route Creator that turns your GoPro footage into a user-generated rideable course.Money on your mind? Samek explains the logic behind Rouvy's price hike, the $6 million Pale Fire Capital injection, and how Lidl-Trek, Visma | Lease-a-Bike, IRONMAN, and LifeTime Grand Prix partnerships fit the long game.And because racing matters, we dig into FulGaz integration, amateur and elite cycling esports plans, and whether Rouvy will throw its hat back in the ring to host the UCI Cycling Esports World Championships…AGAIN!Realism, strategy, and big-picture vision—all straight from the source. Hit play and ride along.Don't miss out on the unique opportunity to delve even deeper into the intriguing topics discussed in this episode.ROUVY and Lidl-Trek Tech Partnership Could Change The Way Pro Cycling Teams Prep Races [Zommunique, Jan. 8, 2024]ROUVY Acquires FulGaz and Partners With IRONMAN [Zommunique, Jan. 21, 2025] Join us for a conversational ride as we lend a voice to the digital athlete and bridge the gap between athlete and avatar.Statements made by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the podcast, its hosts, or its partners. Listeners are encouraged to form their own opinions.

Johan Bruyneel, George Hincapie, and Spencer Martin break down how Simon Yates came from behind to claim a surprising overall win at the 2025 Giro d'Italia. They dive into exactly what happened between Carapaz and Del Toro on the decisive Colle delle Finestre, which resulted in the two highest-placed riders heading into Stage 20 being unable to work together to reel in Yates as he rode clear to conquer the same climb where he lost the race in 2018. Additionally, they go through a few of the non-GC highlights, including Lidl-Trek's incredible race, Wout van Aert's return to form, and much more. Tushy: Over 2 million butts love TUSHY. Get 10% off Tushy with the code THEMOVE10 at https://hellotushy.com/THEMOVE Saily - Get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily data plans! Use code THEMOVE at checkout. Download the Saily app or go to https://saily.com/themove . Pique: For a limited time, get 20% off for life plus a free Starter Kit (rechargeable frother and glass beaker) when you grab the Pu'er Bundle. With Pique's 90-day money-back guarantee, you've got nothing to lose. Try it now at https://www.piquelife.com/themove and feel the difference on your next ride. Ketone-IQ - No sugar. No artificial ingredients—just pure ketones in a convenient bottle. Save 30% OFF your subscription order. Go to https://ketone.com/themove to get yours! Ridge Wallet: Right now, Ridge is having their once-a-year Anniversary Sale. Get up to 40% Off at https://www.Ridge.com/THEMOVE. Just head to https://www.Ridge.com/THEMOVE to see their biggest sale of the year! After you purchase, they will ask you where you heard about them. PLEASE support our show and tell them our show sent you.

Hij is weer voorbij die mooie Giro. En wat hebben we genoten. Skitterende ritten, bizarre tactieken en een winnaar die zo wholesome is dat het bijna eng wordt. Deze Giro gaat de boeken in als die van het falen van UAE, het schitteren van Lidl Trek en de terugkeer van zowel Simon Yates als Wout van Aert. Del Toro komt nog eens terug om te winnen en dan zal hij deze fout niet nog eens maken. Carapaz zal nog wel een tijdje wakker liggen van deze kans en Simon Yates zal nog wel een paar weken dronken zijn. Heerlijke Giro, op naar de Tour...

Rachel Jary goes inside the Lidl-Trek team car on a chaotic breakaway day – she discovered Mads Pedersen's favourite fuel, tried to understand the politics of the peloton and there were moments where she feared she may never make it to the stage finish in Bormio. She also got an insight on the best gastronomy the Trentino region has to offer from some local riders, found out what makes Richard Carapaz a fan favourite and spoke to Sam Bennett about why the sprinters are absolutely dreading the final mountain stages coming up. Spoiler alert: it isn't much fun in the gruppetto.Follow Rachel on Instagram: @racheljaryFollow Chris on Instagram: @cmbreportsSupport Rouleur by subscribing: rouleur.cc/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Looking back at stages 10 - 15 of the Giro d'Italia 2025, this special episode of Sigma Sports Presents Matt Stephens Unplugged is another fantastic installment of his Rest Day Reflections mini series. After each stage of the Giro, Matt pops out of the TV studio to give us his raw reflections on how the race went that day. Expect wet and wild time trials, Lidl Trek dominance, the surprising demise of a race favourite, and (this being Matt Stephens); water polo cousins, goose attacks and a taxidermied fox to feature too! Contact us! podcast@sigmasports.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Koersklappers: Jonas Vergauwen, Bieke PurnelleDoor een hiaat in de planning moesten we twee wielerweken bespreken, maar Jonas en Bieke flitsten duchtig en volleerd mee door alle wielernieuws. Van Giro tot Burgos en van MvdP tot Brennan!Over Zuid-Amerika, politiek, de onkunde van de UAE, het topteam Lidl-Trek en een leuke Equadorees.Steun Radio Stelvio

🎩 ¡¡Bravo Carlos Verona!! Segunda victoria española en el Giro de Italia con la exhibición en solitario de Carlos Verona. Su segundo triunfo en su carrera deportiva, la sexta victoria para Lidl-Trek en este Giro de Italia. El día en el que Roglic ha pegado el petardazo y ha perdido minuto y medio para decir adiós al Giro. 📱 Síguenos en redes sociales: Twiter: @podcastLBC @albermg Instagram: @amarcosgallego YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZPuzTB6PXX363rL2CRju3w 🟢 Escúchanos en Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4FgUyioG97fwjEh5yXJETh?si=a0090831798c4d0d 📱 ¿Te gustaría anunciarte en este podcast?: https://advoices.com/la-bicicleta-podcast ⚠️ ¿Quieres ayudarnos? Puedes contribuir y convertirte en mecenas de La Bicicleta Podcast en Patreon. Desde 1,50€ al mes puedes ayudar a que sigamos aquí contigo cada día: https://patreon.com/LaBicicletaPodcast?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink 🚀 Únete al canal de Telegram: https://t.me/boost/LaBicicletaPodcast

No te pierdas el último episodio de 'A tumba abierta by BKOOL' con Marcos Bernat, Nacho Labarga y Manuel Novik. Analizamos todas las claves de una 15ª etapa marcada por la victoria inolvidable de Carlos Verona en Asiago. El madrileño del Lidl-Trek se impuso tras una larga escapada y emocionó con una dedicatoria especial para Giulio Ciccone. Del Toro sigue de rosa y mantiene el control de la general.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Week 2 van de Giro en alles is nog mogelijk. Del Toro is als een roze hoepel die overal soepeltjes doorheen rolt, Roglic de sluwe vos die zo economisch mogelijk de derde week probeert te bereiken en Ayuso is als de eenzame cowboy die Lucky Luuk ooit bezong. Ondertussen stelt Lidl Trek teleur met slechts vijf etappes en heeft Plapp een cursus acteren voor b coureurs genomen. Het parcours is niet al te uitdagend dus de echte verhoudingen weten we helaas pas volgende week. De etappes zelf leveren wel vrijwel elke dag spektakel op met veel Neerlands succes. Nu nog wat vuurwerk in het klassement en de bankzitters zijn helemaal content!

Johan Bruyneel and Spencer Martin discuss today's stage of the Giro d'Italia, which Lidl-Trek's Daan Hoole won over Ineos' Josh Tarling in a surprising upset. They break down how the changes in the GC classification, including Primož Roglič taking back a chunk of his losses from Sunday's Stage 9, Juan Ayuso pulling closer to his teammate Isaac del Toro's race lead, and how their UAE team will approach their jersey defense in the coming days before previewing tomorrow's Stage 11, a tricky stage with multiple tough climbs, predicting who will win, how the action will play out, and which riders present the best betting value.

Laurens en Stefan gaan verder. En Thomas is er weer. Want je kan tegenwoordig positief gaan op tongen, en dan vliegen we natuurlijk even de Spiritueel Leider in. Over de Plapp en Primoz, over Mads en van Aert. Wat een prachtige overwinning voor Wout - eentje voor de boeken!En hoe zat het ook alweer met de San Pellegrino klim? Je hoort 't allemaal in de Live Slow Ride Fast podcast!

Au premier tiers de cette 108e édition du Giro d'Italia, il est temps de faire un bilan de tout ce qu'il s'est passé et il y a énormément de choses à dire. Du départ en Albanie jusqu'à une 9e étape sublimissime sur les chemins blancs menant à Sienne, retour sur les 9 premières étapes du Giro.Primoz Roglic a-t-il perdu le Giro en cette 9e étape ? Qui de Juan Ayuso et Isaac Del Toro doit endosser le rôle de leader chez la Team UAE ? Qui d'autre peut espérer lutter avec les favoris ? Va-t-on retrouver le grand Wout Van Aert, renaît de ses cendres sur la Piazza Del Campo de Sienne ? Comment ne pas parler de Mads Pedersen, triple vainqueur d'étape et auteur d'un début de saison exceptionnel ? La force collective des Lidl Trek peut-elle titiller les UAE et autre Visma ?Et enfin, quid de nos Français ? Entre malchance, chutes, blessures et éventuelles victoires d'étape à venir ? Tout autant de débats qui vont animer l'équipe de Grand Plateau.Avec Yohan Bredow, Pierre Koestchet, François de la Taille et Jérôme Coppel.Production : Killian VeroveRéalisation : Julie Deroo

We zijn 9 etappes onderweg en de Lidl-Trek-trein én de Del Toro-trein, die zijn al lang en breed vertrokken. Vacek en Del Toro zijn nu al absolute must haves. Wout van Aert leeft weer en is Roglic wel goed genoeg? We bespreken de eerste volle week in de Giro en sluiten af met iets nieuws.

Laurens en Stefan gaan verder. En Thomas is er weer. Want je kan tegenwoordig positief gaan op tongen, en dan vliegen we natuurlijk even de Spiritueel Leider in. Over de Plapp en Primoz, over Mads en van Aert. Wat een prachtige overwinning voor Wout - eentje voor de boeken!En hoe zat het ook alweer met de San Pellegrino klim? Je hoort 't allemaal in de Live Slow Ride Fast podcast!

Johan Bruyneel and Spencer Martin break down the Giro's first uphill finish and GC test, which was won by Juan Ayuso over his UAE teammate Isaac del Toro, with Egan Bernal and Primož Roglič coming in a few seconds later. They discuss what this display of strength from Ayuso tells us about the battle for the GC and what RedBull-Bora-hansgrohe's plan should be now that they have the leader's jersey, before previewing Saturday's Stage 8, predicting who will win, how the action will play out, and which riders present the best betting value.  

Mads Pedersen er her, der og alle vegne i Giroen. Den danske superstjerne definerer lige nu hele den store grand tour. Som om det ikke var nok, kunne han også sætte sin underskrift på en ny kontrakt i denne uge. Han har kontrakt med LIDL-Trek fra nu og indtil... altid. Er det en god idé at binde sig til hinanden for altid? Danmark er endelig stemplet ind til VM i ishockey. Efter en sejr over Kasakhstan har vi kommentator Frederik Lindved med fra et feststemt Herning, hvor drømmen om en kvartfinale stadig lever. Nu gælder det en nem kamp mod Ungarn og så et opgør med arvefjenderne fra Norge. De mørke skyer trækker ind over Aalborg. I denne weekend kan AaB rykke ned, og selv hvis de overlever, er klubben ikke længere sit vanlige jeg. Det mener mangeårige AaB-fan Lasse Yde Hegnet, som fortæller om sin kærlighed til en klub, der med nye ejere ikke længere er totalt lokal. Vært: Emil Schiønning Medvært: Tina Müller Gæster: Brian Nygaard, Frederik Lindved og Lasse Yde Hegne

Johan Bruyneel and Spencer Martin break down Mads Pedersen's surprise stage win in Matera, which came after a difficult finale where his Lidl-Trek team impressively controlled the front group. They discuss how Pedersen's teammate Mathias Vacek put in a herculean effort to set him up for the win, and the GC jostling we saw on the final climb between UAE's impressive-looking team and Primož Roglič. Before they take off, they preview Thursday's Stage 6, a likely sprint stage before things get harder heading into the weekend. They predict who will win, how the action will play out, and which riders present the best betting value. Join Cycling: THEMOVE listeners get 30 days for free. The link to access that free trial is here: https://join.cc/themove

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP If there's one thing the Race Radio boys love more than a pun, a pint, or podcasting, it's the Giro d'Italia. The passion, the culture, and - of course - the racing; does it get any better?! It's a Giro special episode this month, and boy do these guys deliver. The Giro is generally regarded as the fan-favourite of all the grandys, and that's exactly what Harry & Stu are; super fans.  In true Giro fashion, the race has started with a bang over in Albania. We've already seen some amazing wins, some unfortunate early departures, and more excitement than you can shake an arancini at. The boys wrap up all the action so far, talk about some of the main characters of this year's race, and - as always - tell the stories  you won't hear anywhere else. The Giro is a race that Harry & Stu have spent a fair bit of time at over the years, so they've got some cracking stories to tell.  Here's what the boys had to say about this month's episode of Life In The Peloton's Race Radio: “We love ‘grand tour season' here at LITP's Race Radio, and in this week's ep we celebrate the grande partenza of the Giro d'Italia. We discuss the Lidl-Trek love-in, Josh Tarling's amorous post-stage antics, before lamenting the heartbreaking loss of Mikel Landa. There's a ‘tourism' section starring man of culture Tom Pidcock, and we reminisce about our own grand tourism at the Giro a few years back before pro cycling photographer Zac Williams sends us a voice note from the race. Finishing off with a review of two great races also on, Tro Bro Leon and the Vuelta Femenina, this show is amore infinito from start to finish!” I only started the Giro twice, and only reached the finish once, but I absolutely love it. It marks the start of Grand Tour season, and I love being able to follow the story of the race over nearly a whole month. The Giro is a race defined by the Tifosi - the fans - whether that's on the roadside, watching on the TV at home, or being pumped directly into your ears in this month's Race Radio.  Pull yourself a shot of espresso, pour yourself a crisp Italian lager, order a pizza; whatever you need to do to get into the Italian spirit - and enjoy this month's Race Radio.  Ciao, Mitch

Het was nipt, maar Mads Pedersen heeft zijn derde ritzege van deze Ronde van Italië gewonnen. Is dit de sterkste versie van de Deen die we ooit hebben gezien? Hij tekende ook nog eens een contract voor het leven bij zijn ploeg Lidl-Trek en hij is niet de eerste die zo'n lange verbintenis aangaat. Is dat een trend aan het worden? We bespreken het in de nieuwste aflevering van In Het Wiel, de wielerpodcast van AD Sportwereld. Vandaag met host Niek Goedvolk, co-host Roxane Knetemann en wielerverslaggever Daniël Dwarswaard.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Od zmede na albanskih cestah do povratka v kolesarsko Italijo. Giro d'Italia se je pričel v norem tempu. Tempu, ki ga kroji Mads Pedersen in ekipa Lidl Trek. Kaj lahko pričakujemo v naslednjih etapah ter kaj se je zgodilo v "uvodnih" petih? Kaj se je dogajalo na dan počitka? Prisluhni!Disko grupo poganja ⁠Nduranz⁠

If there's one thing we've learned over the first three days of the Giro d'Italia, it's never make a bet with Mads Pedersen. The Lidl-Trek rider is on fire, trimmers in hand. In today's episode, Caley, Jonny, and Kit break down the Giro's opening weekend, question the morality of one of a big newspaper, learn the fate of the Tro-Bro Leon pig, and introduce the Farce-O-Meter. 

Andiamo. We zijn onderweg. 3 weken lang koers in het mooiste land van Italië. Alhoewel we begonnen in Albanië en dat was een gemengd genoegen. Het stond niet rijen dik en het leek de Albanees niet al te veel te boeien. Gelukkig waren er voldoende geiten en honden om het interessant te maken. Werd er ook nog gekoerst? Oh jazeker. Lidl Trek doet er alles aan om ons ongelijk te bewijzen door de koers in handen te nemen en niet meer los te laten. Ook Roglic is uiteraard weer op de afspraak, zoals altijd wanneer het er om gaat. Arensman had toch weer last van het eerste etappe syndroom maar hield de schade beperkt. Rome is nog ver dus er is nog tijd zat om te genieten van al het moois dat Karsten en Jeroen ons te bieden hebben. Ciao tutti!

Johan Bruyneel and Spencer Martin break down Mads Pedersen's ride to win Stage 3 of the Giro and retake the race lead before diving into a few of the day's tactics, like Redbull-Bora-hansgrohe and Lidl-Trek sharing pacesetting duties, and how Lidl-Trek made it so difficult for any other teams to attack or disrupt their plan inside the difficult final 50 kilometers. They also preview Tuesday's Stage 4, and predict who they think will win, how the action will play out, and which riders present the best betting value.   Join Cycling: THEMOVE listeners get 30 days for free. The link to access that free trial is here: https://join.cc/themove Hims: Start your free online visit today at https://hims.com/themove for your personalized hair loss treatment options. Results vary. Based on studies of topical and oral minoxidil and finasteride. Prescription products require an online consultation with a healthcare provider who will determine if a prescription is appropriate. 

Mads Pedersen heeft opnieuw toegeslagen in de Giro. De Deen won de derde etappe en pakt daardoor ook de roze trui weer af van Primoz Roglic. Maar het werd zijn ploeg Lidl-Trek ook niet bepaald moeilijk gemaakt. Hoe kwam dat? En waarom is Bauke Mollema eigenlijk niet geselecteerd voor de Giro-ploeg van de rozetruidrager? Host Niek Goedvolk bespreekt het met co-host Roxane Knetemann en wielerverslaggever Daniël Dwarswaard in een nieuwe aflevering van de wielerpodcast In Het Wiel.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Johan Bruyneel and Spencer Martin break down Mads Pedersen and Lidl-Trek's impressive ride to win the opening stage of the Giro d'Italia, as well as unexpected early GC action behind, before previewing Stage 2, which serves up a short, explosive time trial that will feature both a battle of the stage win and the overall race lead. Listen in to see how the duo thinks the action will play out, who will come out on top, and which riders present the best betting value. Caldera Labs: Skincare doesn't have to be complicated—but it should be good. Upgrade your routine with Caldera Lab and see the difference for yourself. Go to https://www.CalderaLab.com/THEMOVE and use THEMOVE at checkout for 15% off your first order. Manukora: Now, it's easier than ever to try Manukora Honey. Head to https://MANUKORA.com/THEMOVE to save up to 31% plus $25 worth of free gifts with the Starter Kit, which comes with an MGO 850+ Manuka Honey jar, 5 honey travel sticks, a wooden spoon, and a guidebook! ● That's https://MANUKORA.com/THEMOVE to save 31% plus $25 worth of free gifts.

Dois gregários em solo espanhol para o RADIO dessa semana. Nicolas Sessler e Ana Lidia Borba trazem as principais notícias do ciclismo, impulsionadas pelo início da La Vuelta Feminina e pela expectativa pelo Giro d'Italia.

Er was dit weekend Nederlands wielersucces in de Vuelta bij de vrouwen en de Ronde van Turkije bij de mannen. Ellen van Dijk start maandag in de leiderstrui, nadat Lidl-Trek de ploegentijdrit won. Bij Visma waren ze minder blij met de Spaanse organisatie overigens. Wout Poels kende een goede voorbereiding op de Giro. Hij won de Ronde van Turkije. In de Wielerpodcast In het Wiel neemt wielerverslaggever Daniel Dwarswaard de week door met presentator Etienne Verhoeff.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the third and final episode of the Wahoo podcast takeover, Dominique Powers brings us into the heart of the women's pro peloton — through the voices of the riders themselves. Hear from Lidl-Trek's Lucinda Brand on the differences between racing cyclocross and road. Human Powered Health's Lily Williams shares what it's like to balance Olympic-level goals while being a dedicated teammate, and Letizia Borghesi on how racing with EF Education-Oatly has made her career as a pro even more meaningful.

At 198cms (or 6'5) there are only three riders in the World Tour that are taller than Daan Hoole. He plays a key role in Lidl-Trek's classics campaign on behalf of the resurgent Mads Pedersen. He joins the Odd Tandem in the immediate aftermath of Paris-Roubaix as he looks ahead to the first grand tour of the 2025 season - the Giro d'Italia. The Odd Tandem is a Shocked Giraffe production. This episode was presented by Bobby Julich and Jens Voigt and produced by Mark Payne. Our theme is provided by Taylor Phinney. To see the video version of this podcast head to the @OddTandem Youtube channel. You can also follow our social media handles by searching for @OddTandem on Twitter, Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. You can hear an ad-free version of this podcast and benefit from bonus content over on our Patreon page. Patreon.com/OddTandem.

Bringing stories to life from inside the women's pro peloton is just as important as the racing itself. In episode two of the Dominique Powers Wahoo podcast takeover, hear from the press officers at EF Education-Oatly, Human Powered Health, and Lidl-Trek and their takes on just how crucial the team's media departments are in the success of their programs overall.

Forhjulslir præsenteres i samarbejde med Continental Dæk Danmark. Foråret er endelig på vej, og det er tid til at skifte til sommerdæk – både på bilen og cyklen. Continental er igen leverandør til nogle af verdens bedste hold, heriblandt UAE med Tadej Pogacar og Mikkel Bjerg. Uanset om det gælder motorvejen eller bjergene, starter sikkerheden med dækket. Med Continental er du klar til forårets eventyr.  Dagen derpå – og hvilken dag det var. Mattias Skjelmose tog en gigantisk skalp i Amstel Gold Race, og derfor er dagens etape selvfølgelig optaget på Amager i en lille hyldest til den 24-årige amagerkaner. Vi dykker ned i søndagens taktiske thriller i Limburgs bakker, hvor verdensmesteren, den olympiske mester og en storslået dansker spillede hovedrollerne. Og vi får førstehåndsberetning fra Skjelmoses sportsdirektør i Lidl-Trek, Kim Andersen, som er med direkte fra Ardennerne og giver sit syn på finalen: Hvad sagde han til Mattias i de afgørende sekunder? Hvordan oplevede han løbet fra bilen? Og hvordan ser han og holdet på de kommende slag i Flèche Wallonne og Liège-Bastogne-Liège? Medvirkende: Per Bausager & Anders Mielke Interview: Kim Andersen Intro klip: Lidl-Trek & Sean Hardy

I denne episode af Bak Lane dykker vi ned i kroppen – og samspillet mellem krop og cykelsport. Min tidligere holdkammerat fra Team Fakta i 2001, Mikael Kyneb, gæster mikrofonen til en åbenhjertig snak om en professionel karriere præget af både sejre og skader. Kyneb nåede at hente tre professionelle sejre, inden skaderne satte en stopper for cykelkarrieren. I dag er han en af Danmarks mest respekterede kropsterapeuter, uddannet i Body SDS og med egen klinik. Derudover er han en vigtig del af Lidl-Trek-holdet, hvor han arbejder tæt sammen med de danske stjerner, Mads Pedersen og Mattias Skjelmose. Vi taler om overgangen fra aktiv væddeløber til behandler, samarbejdet med de danske WorldTour-profiler – og Kynebs egen passion for væddeløb, som stadig lever i bedste velgående. Vært: Lars Bak Bak Lane er en del af Forhjulslir Klippet af Anders Mielke Artwork: Kim Sivert

Tim Declercq in a Belgian professional cyclist on Lidl Trek and regarded as one of the best domestiques in pro cycling from the last 10 years.

Steven de Jongh is een naam die niet mocht ontbreken in onze ploegleider serie. Want naast het feit dat hij een renner in zijn stal heeft die een sollicitatie doet naar het whatsapprgoepje en het gegeven dat Lidl-Trek over misschien wel de leukste selectie van het peloton beschikt, is het ook gewoon een heel leuke vent met mooie verhalen uit het peloton. De ambities van zijn ploeg liegen er niet om. Eerste van de wereld worden en de Tour winnen. Dat dit niet over een nacht ijs gaat weten ze bij zowel de ploeg, als de sponsor. Er is dus een meerjarenplan en dat is precies waar wij bij De Rode Lantaarn alles over willen weten

Join host Craig Dalton and Trek Travel's Rich Snodsmith as they take you on an exhilarating journey through the heart of gravel cycling in Italy. In this episode of The Gravel Ride podcast, they share their recent experience at the Strade Bianche Gran Fondo trip organized by Trek Travel. With over three decades of friendship, these two avid cyclists reminisce about their chance meeting at the Lugano Cycling World Championships in 1996 and their shared passion for the sport. Throughout the episode, Rich and Craig discuss their incredible adventures, from vintage bikes at L'Eroica and witnessing the Strade Bianche professional bike race, to participating in the challenging 140-kilometer Gran Fondo alongside 7,000 other riders. They also share their encounters with pro cyclists and the camaraderie of the Trek Travel group. If you're looking for an immersive and unforgettable gravel cycling experience, this episode will inspire you to find dirt under your wheels and explore the breathtaking landscapes of Italy. Topics discussed: Introducing the Strade Bianche Gran Fondo trip with Trek Travel  Riding an international Gran Fondo  Experiencing the energy and spectacle of professional bike races  Meeting pro cyclists and gaining insights into the sport  Challenges and rewards of gravel riding in Italy  Stunning scenery, castles, and brick towns on the route  The supportive and well-organized nature of Trek Travel trips  Exciting plans for future cycling adventures Full Transcript: Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:00:03 to 00:00:33 Hello and welcome to the Gravelride podcast, where we go deep on the sport of gravel cycling through in depth interviews with product designers, event organizers and athletes who are pioneering the sport. I'm your host, Craig Dalton, a lifelong cyclist who discovered gravel cycling back in 2016 and made all the mistakes you don't need to make. I approach each episode as a beginner to unlock all the knowledge you need to become a great gravel cyclist. This week on the show, we welcome Rich Snodsmith from Trek Travel. Rich is one of my oldest cycling friends. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:00:33 to 00:01:00 We met over 30 years ago, actually, in Italy. As you'll hear from our story, Rich and I were recently in Siena in Italy for the Strada Bianchi Gran Fondo trip. With track travel, we were able to watch both the professional bike race as well as participate in a 140 kilometer mass start. Gran Fondo across the white roads, the white gravel roads of Siena. Fantastic trip. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:01:00 to 00:01:10 I can't wait for you to hear more of the details. With that said, let's jump right into the show. Hey, Rich, welcome to the show. Hey, Craig, good to see you. Thanks for having me on. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:01:10 to 00:01:36 Yeah, absolutely. You and I just shared a magical experience on the roads and trails of Italy, which is the purpose of you joining this call. But you, you and I have a rich history, no pun intended, of cycling experiences in Italy. That's right. We met randomly in 1996 at the Lugano Cycling World Championships and have stayed friends ever since. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:01:36 to 00:01:51 Yeah, fortunately I. I eventually moved to San Francisco a few years later. So we were able to ride together, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah, we were able to ride together for. Gosh, it's hard to believe it's three decades at this point, which is crazy to think about. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:01:51 to 00:02:14 My end of our Lugano story was I was working in Italy and my colleague, who we both know, Jeff Sanchez, said to me, going to go to the World Championships and oh, by the way, we have to go pick up Rich. He's going to be at the Duomo in Milan on the way. Pre cell phones, be there at 5:00. Don't be late. Yeah, exactly. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:02:14 to 00:02:34 So super fun to finally go back to Italy together. Obviously, we've been riding on the roads and trails of Marin county for a long time, but to finally have the stars align on this trip was fantastic. Yeah, it was great to get out there and do that again. We also saw another World Championships together in Richmond, Virginia. That's right, yeah. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:02:34 to 00:02:40 The thing for the World Championships, you've. Seen a few and we've got a future one. I Think in our plans, right? Oh, yeah. Montreal 2026. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:02:40 to 00:02:55 Let's go. There we go. See you there. So this, you put the idea of this trip in my mind probably December of last year. And the trip, to be specific, because I don't think we've mentioned it, although I probably mentioned it in the intro. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:02:55 to 00:03:09 Is the Strada Bianchi professional bike race trip with Trek Travel. Was it me that put it in your mind? I was asking you where you were going to go. I thought you. I thought you convinced me, but I was down as soon as you suggested it. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:03:11 to 00:03:52 It's interesting. Obviously, we're on a gravel cycling podcast and this is sort of a. A hybrid trip almost because we're road riding, but we're riding on the Strada Bianca, the white roads of Tuscany outside Siena. And for those listeners who are fans of both professional road racing and gravel cycling, I think Strada Bianchi is the race that gets us most excited because we see the coverage, we see the professional road riders riding on gravel, and the visuals are just awesome. And they're kind of like what we experience as gravel racers and riders routinely. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:03:52 to 00:04:19 But so cool to see all the pro bike teams go through and participate in the event. So I was super stoked, obviously. I'd been on a Trek Travel gravel tour in Girona a couple years prior, so I'd had that experience with Trek, but this is the first kind of pro bike race enabled tour that I'd ever been on. Yeah, I mean, it's really interesting to blend those things together. I mean, you being more of a gravel rider, me being more of a road rider. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:04:20 to 00:04:59 But the last few trips I've taken with Trek Travel have been gravel trips. You know, getting out there and trying new things, trying the Vermont trip, trying the Dolomites last year, this was just a really cool experience to put like my fandom of the road cycling and racing world along with this, like, almost instant classic. The race has only been around for 20 years and it's like, become a real fan favorite. Yeah, I was, I was looking up some of the history of the race and I didn't realize that it started out with Laroica, which is a. An event that many people have heard about where you ride vintage bikes on this course. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:04:59 to 00:05:18 And the professional bike race emerged. So the loraca started in 1997. In 2007 is when the professional bike race emerged. So it's interesting. And obviously being in that region and riding in that region, we saw signs of Loraka all over the place, right? Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:05:18 to 00:05:38 Yeah, we Even ate at the Laroica Cafe. That was incredible. Yeah, exactly. And I came home with a Loracha sweatshirt as well. And then the, the, the cool thing, and we probably failed to mention it at this point is there's the Gran Fondo the day after, after Strada Bianchi, which was awesome. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:05:38 to 00:05:59 So we actually get to go on a 140 kilometer rides. A ride on the similar roads as the professionals. Yeah, it's not the full men's road course, but it's pretty close to the women's road course and we cover all the last, you know, climbs, you know, that the. Both the men's and the women's race covered. That was really cool. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:05:59 to 00:06:21 Especially after seeing them finish the day before and then going out and riding those roads, seeing where Poga crashed and then, you know, doing that last 20k of climbs is just bananas, beautiful and hard. It was pretty rewarding that ride. I can't wait to get into that details a little bit more of the event later. I did. I'm. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:06:21 to 00:06:46 As I'm speaking, I misspoke because I have been to Europe once before around the Tour of Flanders and did the Tour of Flanders grandson do, which I noted. And in speaking to the Trek travel guides, you've got a series of awesome trips that month in Flanders of a similar vein. Right. You do have Perry Roubaix and. Or a Flanders trip. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:06:46 to 00:06:57 Yeah. You can choose the whole Holy Week, you could do both Flanders and Roubaix or you can break it into chunks and do one or the other. So it's. Yeah. If you're a pro race fan, that's a nice companion to Strat Bianca. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:06:57 to 00:07:10 The. The Flanders Roubaix ultimate weekend or ultimate week there. And then one of the highlights of the year, presumably for Trek travel is your Tour de France tours. For sure. We take over a couple hundred people there every year. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:07:11 to 00:07:19 We do usually do five or six trips through the Alps and the Pyrenees. It's. That's a pretty exciting one too, if you've never been to the Tour. For sure. Yeah. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:07:19 to 00:07:45 Well, let's talk through the trip a little bit that we participated in because I think it'll give people a flavor. I've talked about my, my experience with track in Girona and my general love of gravel travel. But more extensively, I love traveling by bike and having these experiences because it's just, it's just so much fun. So we start off the trip, it's a pretty quick trip relative to some others because in a five day timeline. Right. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:07:45 to 00:08:01 So we flew over. You'd Already been in Europe, but I flew over to Florence and met you the night before. And day one, we basically just get picked up by our guides and head on over to Siena, which is about an hour and a half away. Yep. And then the bikes. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:08:01 to 00:08:21 Yeah, straight onto the bikes. And the beauty of. The beauty of this trip and all the truck travel trips is they've got bikes already set up for you, so you send your measurements and if you want to ride your own saddles or pedals, you can, you're welcome to bring those, but they'll basically get it dialed. And that. That first day, I think we went for maybe an hour and a half shakeout ride just to see how the bike. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:08:21 to 00:08:31 30 miles. Yeah, yeah. And how many people were in our group. We had 19 with us and then three guides. Okay, so is that pretty typical on these pro bike? Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:08:31 to 00:08:46 Sort of. They tend to sell out. They're pretty popular. And guests will go back and forth between the Strada Bianca or. I think quite a few of the guests or folks that were on our trip had done the ultimate Holy Week trip before with Flanders and Roubaix and some had done the tour as well. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:08:46 to 00:09:03 Yeah. It was pretty fascinating talking to some of the men and women on our trip to learn just how many trips they had done with you guys. Yeah, it was neat to like show up and kind of already have the camaraderie of. A lot of the guests on that trip had been with Nick or Viba or Gio on previous trips. So they were. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:09:03 to 00:09:21 There was already sort of a built in fan base there. Yeah. And I suppose it's. I suppose it's the nature of this type of trip, but I felt like everybody in the crew was quite competent on the bike and there were some people who were faster than us, some people slower than us, but everybody was mostly faster. Yeah. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:09:21 to 00:09:25 There's an impressive riders on this trip. It was pretty, pretty great. Yeah. Yeah. And the. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:09:26 to 00:09:45 And the guides were equally impressive both, you know, across the week. Just getting to know them personally, seeing their fitness. A, but B. And more importantly, they're just understanding of all the sectors and the roads that we'd be riding and their, their love of Strada Bianchi. Yeah, the knowledge and passion for the race was definitely evident. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:09:45 to 00:09:57 It was pretty cool. Yeah. So we got a shakeout ride on the Monday or, sorry, on the first day of the trip. Yeah. And then the second day we went a bit longer and kind of got our first real look at some of the. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:09:57 to 00:10:19 The white roads. Yeah, we think it was a 50. It was a nice lead up to the Fondo because it was like a 30 mile day one, a 50 mile on day two, which was pretty challenging. It was, but not like back breaking. And then we went to the race to view the race viewing day, which was like a gentle 30 miles before the Fonda, which was kind of a nice way to structure the week. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:10:19 to 00:10:42 Yeah. When I think when I first looked at that mileage, I'm like, gosh, I'm going all the way to Italy. I just want to ride my ass off. But as, as it came down to it between like travel fatigue, it being earlier in the year, and the punchiness of those climbs we were experiencing on day two, like that was enough in sort of those first couple days. And I felt totally satisfied. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:10:42 to 00:10:56 Yeah, you can put in if you're doing the big options every day. You get 200 miles in, in four days, plus the race viewing. So it's, it's, I think it's a really well designed trip. It's, it is compact. But it's surprising how tired you can be after doing those four days. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:10:56 to 00:11:10 Yeah, yeah, a hundred percent. The elevation is pretty. Every day has a nice chunk of elevation gain. Yeah. And I think for, for us, like we don't have a ton of rolling hills around where we live, they said they tend to be more sustained. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:11:10 to 00:11:28 So it definitely felt different to me. I was feeling a little underprepared that, that 50 mile day, thinking, Gosh, we've got to do 90 plus in the Gran Fondo. It's going to be a long day out there. I'm not gonna lie. I don't think I said it during the trip, but I was a little worried after the first two days. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:11:28 to 00:11:39 I was grateful for the race watching like cool down day before the Fondo. It all worked out. But yeah, yeah, yeah. So we should, I mean, we should talk through a little bit. We'll get into race day next. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:11:39 to 00:12:05 But you know, basically every day after the ride, you just leave your bike and the team cleans it, takes care of it, puts it away. You've got really nothing to do but show up and eat and enjoy yourself in Siena. Yeah, take a nap, whatever you need. We, we stayed at a great hotel, the Hotel Athena, just right outside, like in Siena, but just outside the wall. So it was easy to walk like 10 minutes into town. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:12:06 to 00:12:24 Really, really great location. I mean, one of the best things about the Fondo day was waking up to a completely clean, like just power wash, power dried, chain lubed. It was like a brand new bike getting Ready to ride out to the start. It was pretty great. Clean bike is a fast bike, so I appreciate that. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:12:24 to 00:12:40 And shammy time's training time. That's right. But yeah, those guys work their butts off to keep those bikes in great shape every morning when you show up. Yeah, no doubt about that one. Sort of topography. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:12:40 to 00:12:50 Topography note. Siena is up on a hill. Yeah. And you know, that was like warm down. There's no warm down and there's no sort of. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:12:50 to 00:13:08 In the, in the early mornings when we were rolling out, we're going downhill for 5, 10 minutes no matter what. So it was quite cool on the road out in the rollout in March, for sure. We lucked out. We, the guides every day were saying, it's not usually like this. Like it was. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:13:08 to 00:13:18 We had like mid-60s during the day, every day. And it was. Fortunately we saw almost zero rain, which was great. Would have been tough to ride those roads in the mud. A hundred percent. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:13:18 to 00:13:38 And I think it just would have taken away from how much fun we had out on the course on the third day, which is. So we, we did ride maybe 15, 20K out to, I think sector number two on the women's and men's road course. Got to see the women come through, which is a lot of fun. Right, right on one of the. Those gravel roads. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:13:38 to 00:13:49 Cheer them on. We had ridden that road the day before and then we went to a cafe. Totally overwhelmed. This local cafe with 23 people needing locusts. Yeah. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:13:49 to 00:14:07 Yeah. I think ebay went in there and basically said, I will buy your entire rack of baked goods. And he just walked him outside and he's like, get the cappuccino machine going and keep them going until we say stop. Yeah, that was great. It was a nice break between the women's and the men's race. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:14:07 to 00:14:26 It was incredible to see, like the riders go through, but then you just see the apparatus of like all the, the sort of security cars, then all the team cars. And at a certain point, both of our videos, all you can see is dust. When you're on the gravel, when everybody's raging by in the team cars, it's like, there they go. And here come. Here comes the caravan, the follow caravan. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:14:26 to 00:14:40 It's pretty cool when the safety motorcycles come by and sort of just casually brush people a little bit further to the side of the road. Get, get closer to the curb, will you? Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was interesting. I mean, we didn't. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:14:40 to 00:14:53 We couldn't see much of the run up of the women's race, but there was Seemingly a fracture. Even at the point in which we started watching, I think there might have been a crash before the women's race. Pretty broken up outside of the main pack. Yeah, yeah. So it was cool. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:14:53 to 00:15:21 Yeah, they were going slow enough that you could kind of really see your, your favorite athletes cruise by, which is a lot of fun. And to your point, it is always cool seeing all the support the professional athletes get in the team cars. Yeah, it was interesting to see the breakaway. You know, in the men's race you had like a two or three minute breakaway. To see them go by first and then their car, their follow cars and then seeing the, the whole peloton and like UAE on the front clearly just ready to rip it. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:15:21 to 00:15:43 It was pretty cool. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And we should mention that the, the night before with this trip, we had the opportunity, right, to meet the Lidl track team and we got to go on the, the, the tour bus, as I would call it, the, you know, the big bus that the riders hang out in before and after the race. No photos. Yeah, I was really excited to do some photos. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:15:43 to 00:15:53 Yeah. And they said no photos, no photos. And, and then we saw the, you know, the, the mechanics van with all the bikes. Mobile service course. That was incredible. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:15:53 to 00:16:01 Like. Yeah. How many bikes, wheels, chain, chain sets, tires. It's just like a. Incredible organization to get that all set up. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:16:01 to 00:16:09 Yeah. And then it was cool meeting. We got to meet the women's team and some of the men's team members. Do you remember who we got to talk to? We talked to the whole women's team. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:16:09 to 00:16:28 They all kind of came out. We sort of had dinner that night with them in the hotel. So we got to talk to mostly Ena Tutenberg, the director, Retta Hansen, great domestique. And then Lizzie Danan was pretty, they were pretty engaging, pretty, pretty fun to see them all chatting up and answering questions from our group. And we got to met. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:16:28 to 00:16:39 It was a little bit different with the men. They kind of came and went. But we got to meet the previous year's second place finisher Tom Scoins. That was really interesting to talk to him about his race. I think you talked a bit to Quinn Simmons. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:16:40 to 00:16:53 So we got to meet like a little bit of the whole team there, which was really cool. Yeah, it was cool. And probably not giving away any secrets. Say they, they had a buffet that was separate from our meal. They had scales to weigh their food. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:16:53 to 00:17:10 They were quite a bit more disciplined than our 19 person group. Yeah, that was, I was surprised to see that as well. I was with my back to them. So they're weighing their food, really, as I'm. As I'm shoveling my pescatarian options in. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:17:12 to 00:17:39 Um, so then we going back to race day, we see the men in the same location, then we ride ourselves back to Siena that day. Um, and I think we were able to go back to that. Well, I know we were able to go back to the hotel and then make it into the piazza for the time that the women were going to be finishing, which was awesome. We couldn't have timed it better. Yeah, it was great to get back to the hotel, drop off the bikes, grab a quick shower, and then head over there. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:17:39 to 00:18:06 To watch the last, like, 20k and see him come into the finish line was super, super exciting. It's just such a beautiful, scenic place to finish a bike race. We'll get into. I mentioned that it's up at the top of a hill, so we'll talk about what it's like finishing there, but just you've got this square that's not that big, a great, beautiful clock tower. And the imagery is just stunning. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:18:06 to 00:18:24 When they come around the final corner, there's people up in their apartments cheering them on from around the corner. And then you see a rider emerge or a sprint emerge to a slight downhill to the finish line. It's just an incredible scene. Yeah, it's pretty iconic. Like, if you think about, like, that finish line, compared to. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:18:24 to 00:18:44 You could compare it to, like, the finish in Roubaix on the velodrome or the finish on the Champs Elysees in France. It's a super, super different way to finish a bike race up that steep, the Santa Catarina steep climb into the compos. Just really unique. And we were able to get, I mean, super close to the. To the women's finish. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:18:44 to 00:18:51 Yeah, it was. That was sort of shocking how few people were there. It's sort of a bummer. We were there for the women's race. We're just going to say that now. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:18:51 to 00:19:16 So we were excited to be so close and to see the podium ceremony afterwards. But you got some great shots of Demi Vollering winning. And then we were standing right where they all finish, and they're all kind of, like, bottlenecked into this little corner and their whole team is surrounding them and people are congratulating them, and they all just look destroyed, and you're just like, wow, how can you get this close to such amazing athletes? But it was. It was really, really cool. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:19:16 to 00:19:36 Yeah, super cool. And then so we watched the celebration as they got their trophy and sprayed the champagne. We're almost close enough to get hit with champagne. I feel like that was cool. And then the track team had secured a lunch spot right on the piazza in one of the restaurants with the massive flat screen tv. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:19:36 to 00:20:02 So we were able to roll over there, joined lunch that was already in progress and watch the men's race on TV for a few hours. Yeah, that was like a really cool setup to see the women's finish go stuff our faces and, and keep track of the race while we did it and then be able to run right back outside to see the men finish in the same way. I mean it was pretty remarkable. I think we like getting kind of itchy with about 15, 20k to go. We're like, you ready? Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:20:02 to 00:20:35 Let's get out there, stake out our spot along the finish line. It was awesome. You know, being in North American, we don't always get to watch these events live as they're unfolding. So just sort of feel the energy and watch on the TV obviously that the Tom Pickock Pagachar breakaway was happening and we were all, I think all eyes were on the television at the point where they've got this great shot of Tade ripping around this corner and just hitting the deck. And I didn't think he was going to get up. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:20:35 to 00:20:47 I don't know about you. It looked, and the first time I saw it, it looked like he really wailed his head and he rolled far into the grass. Got catapulted into the grass. Yeah, yeah. I was absolutely shocked he was able to get up. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:20:47 to 00:21:22 And then it was nice to see Tom Pickock do the gentlemanly thing and you know, he, yeah, kind of shook his head after the crash but you know, clearly just soft pedaled until today came back to him. It was, it's incredible when you're either in the restaurant or like on the square with the Jumbotrons and something like that happens and you hear the whole crowd gasp, you know, like that, that like collective gasp of a few thousand people right next to you is like pretty like wow, that just happened. Exactly. A shocking mid race events for sure. Yeah, totally. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:21:22 to 00:21:50 And then once it was back on, like you said, I think with, with, you know, 15k today attacked maybe with 18k to go. And by 15 or 10k we were like, we gotta get out there and get on the streets and get right by the finish line again to see this. Yeah, it was incredible to see him come over the line first all battered and bloodied and he had, was so full of Adrenaline. He didn't say much until he got into the interviewing room. It's like right before he was going to go get his trophy that it kind of hurts now. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:21:50 to 00:22:15 It's like he had so much adrenaline to attack and finish the race, but as soon as the race is done, he's like, oh, I'm really scratched up. Yeah, he was totally tore up. And then the other interesting thing for me at the finish line was that, you know, not a lot of people actually finish the race, which is. I mean, as a professional, I get it. Like, you do your job, and then you and I will talk about how hard it is to get to the finish and. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:22:15 to 00:22:25 And why, if. If you weren't required to get there, maybe you don't get there. So I think maybe only, like, 20, 25 riders finished. Does that feel right to you? That sounds about right. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:22:25 to 00:22:39 Once. Once you're out of contention, there's not a whole lot of reason to struggle through. It was. It was incredible to stand there and watch the finishes that come through that just covered in dust, sometimes dust and blood and just looking shattered. Uh, and, yeah, was a little scary. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:22:39 to 00:22:53 Thinking about what we were going to do the next morning didn't help the nerves. No. Real quick shout out to Tade. I thought it was so classy. When he was being interviewed after the finish, they're like, hey, you're the first world champion to. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:22:53 to 00:23:00 To win Strada Bianche. And he's like, no, Lada Kapeki won last year. She was the champion. I love. I love that. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:23:00 to 00:23:08 It was so great. It's just, like, such a classy guy and sort of respect for the sport and his fellow athletes. Pretty cool. Yeah. 100%. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:23:09 to 00:23:26 Well giddy with our. Our race day experience, we then kind of went off to dinner and back to the hotel and needed to get our heads around what 140km on that course was going to look like for us in the gran fondo with 7,000 of our closest friends. Yeah. I'm not gonna lie. I was a little nervous about that start. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:23:26 to 00:23:33 Just not. Not about the. Well, okay. Maybe a little bit about the distance and the elevation, but just. Yeah. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:23:33 to 00:23:48 Do you want to talk about what that was like? Yeah. Like a starting bell go off and 7,000 people take off. I know you've done, like, SBT and Unbound, so it's probably not that different, but the scale was pretty large. Yeah. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:23:48 to 00:24:02 Yeah. I think, you know, the guides did a really good job of one, previewing us some of the terrain we were going to be on. Yeah. They gave us a lot of confidence that the Trek van was going to be there. So we, we had multiple drop bag locations. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:24:02 to 00:24:31 We knew they were going to be there for us, that we didn't have to go to the mass, you know, rest stop areas, which was a super luxury. So we're on the Trek Checkpoint SLR bikes with 45C gravel tires on them. So, you know, pretty robust bicycle for this kind of event. When you compare to what a lot of people were riding. I think the professionals were still on 28 or 30s and full slicks. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:24:31 to 00:24:46 So interesting from an equipment perspective. And that'll come up, I think, in our conversation. But we get up at 6am we go down to breakfast. You and I are roommates. We go down to breakfast at like 6:01 and every single table is occupied. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:24:46 to 00:25:02 We're sort of fighting for space. This is clearly everybody's fueling up. There's, you know, dozens and dozens and dozens of people in the hotel who are going to go on the same journey we are. I think our rollout time from the hotel was 7:00am does that sound right? That sounds right. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:25:02 to 00:25:12 Yeah. Yeah. So we, we had to go down a hill. This detail wasn't clear in my mind morning of. But we had to ride somewhere to start the event. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:25:12 to 00:25:29 And of course, being in Siena, we had to ride downhill. And then right back then we, and then we rode back up to another part of town. And there were multiple different staging areas based on a color on your number plate. So we kind of fumbled around. Maybe there was five or five different colors out there. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:25:29 to 00:25:41 I think we were in the, the green sector and there's. There had to have been 1500 people in our sector alone. Yeah, it was. I think it was based on distance you were doing and maybe the speed you were going to ride. I'm not sure. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:25:41 to 00:26:10 Yeah, yeah, there could be something like if you're demonstrably a fast person, you're going to go in a different color than us. But, you know, we've been, we be in particular had mentioned, like, it's crazy town to begin with in this event. And I think in addition to 7,000 people being around you, we started with a massive downhill. Yeah, there were a lot of people going really fast. It was good advice. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:26:10 to 00:26:30 He was saying, you know, kind of keep your space and kind of stay to the right because people are going to want to pass on the left. And they were certainly doing that. So, yeah, I think we stayed together or within close proximity just to, you know, for the first. Like you said, the first Hour or so to navigate some of that. But once we hit that first section of dirt, I saw the. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:26:30 to 00:26:46 I saw the robot eyes go on, and you were gone. You're like, dirt. My comfort zone. I wasn't so comfortable with all these people flying around me. I remember at one point you and I were sort of casually riding maybe like three feet apart. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:26:46 to 00:27:07 Yeah. And someone just splits the middle. And I was like, okay, I guess we gotta ride closer if we're gonna discourage these people from dive bombing. And they were dive bombing left, right, and center, no matter what we did. Yeah, there was a lot of passing on the right, passing in weird places, and a lot of people just sinistra passing on the left. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:27:07 to 00:27:13 I'm on your left. I'm going hard. It was like. And. And my problem is I never internalized which one was right or left. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:27:13 to 00:27:22 So I would just kind of keep it a straight line whenever possible. Hold still. Yeah. So, yeah, there's. I mean, I think blissfully in terms of the amount of mileage we needed to cover. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:27:22 to 00:27:57 It was nice that there was, I don't know, call it 20k of riding on pavement to break things up a little bit before we hit the first dirt section. First dirt section was 2.1km long. Still pretty packed in terms of people being around, but definitely, like, I felt more personally in my comfort zone at that point. I knew that from an equipment perspective, with the 45C tires, I had a lot more control than a lot of the. My Italian compatriots who were riding 25s and 28s on their full arrow road bikes. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:27:57 to 00:28:16 There were a lot of flat tires in that first couple hours. Yeah, yeah, no doubt there was. There was some parallels with the unbound experience where it's just crazy and flat tires are happening all the time. That was the nice thing about the checkpoint. Like, the tires are, you know, a little bit bigger, but no, no one on the ride got a flat. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:28:16 to 00:28:30 And that's just really comfortable. Like in a ride like that where it's. It can be pretty challenging, both from a elevation perspective, but also just a terrain perspective, just getting bounced around a bit. It was, if I felt pretty. Pretty good at the end, surprisingly. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:28:30 to 00:28:48 Yeah. I think for. I think for. For people who haven't done a ton of gravel riding, it was a confidence inspiring choice to set them up that way because you could go in as someone who's ridden on the road a ton and ride that gravel and not feel like the bike was all over the place. Yeah. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:28:48 to 00:29:06 Totally sketchy. I mean, it's Totally stable under you. Yeah, I witnessed some sketchy, sketchy stuff out there with people and not nothing to do with their bikes handling talents. It was just equipment choice. They like literally could not stay on their line because of their tires being. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:29:06 to 00:29:29 So much smaller and rim brakes on some of those things. The descents, I mean there's. We talk about the climbs but like even some of the descents were, you know, somewhat challenging to navigate, especially with a group. It really kind of opened up once you made the turn to the, the longer part of the event. The, the full fondo and then it kind of really opened up for us like where there was riders but not nearly. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:29:30 to 00:29:51 Yeah, yeah, a hundred percent. And I think it's a good, it's a good point. On the descending it definitely was. You could definitely see the people who had either just confidence warranted or unwarranted or the right bike for the situation. Yeah, because I was, you know, there were definitely stutter bumps from all the riders out there. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:29:51 to 00:30:11 So you definitely got into situations where you were, you were getting a lot of feedback from the trail. Yeah, it's amazing to have ridden some of those roads in the first couple of days. I think they actually go through and they grade it before the race. Like they try to kind of smooth it out a little bit. But after, you know, two races go through with all the cars and all the riders, the conditions have changed in one day pretty significantly. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:30:11 to 00:30:23 It was pretty interesting. Yeah. Yeah. In total there's 10 different gravel sectors in this event over the 140km. I think there's 50km of gravel riding. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:30:23 to 00:30:43 So it was a nice mix of. Felt like more in a good way. Yeah, for me, for me I was just like, I was way more comfortable on the. Not way more comfortable, but I was having way more fun. Yeah, I think you alluded to like after the, after the two, first two gravel sections I would just hit one and be like, okay, it's on. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:30:43 to 00:31:07 And I was having, I was just having a blast. And yeah, some of these climbs, I mean they were 15, 18% grade, both up and down and a lot of. Them are in the last 20k. Yeah, that's for sure. I remember one, one sector I was just kind of talking to myself and having fun because most everybody speaks Italian and I didn't. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:31:07 to 00:31:35 So I remember at one point a writer just closed the door on the left hand side to another rider and I, I sort of jokingly said, but fairly loud, I guess that door is closed. And it turned out the guy was from the UK and He was just dying laughing because I think he was having the same experience with me. Like, nothing I said really landed with anybody. So it's hard to kind of. You just sort of make noise to make yourself aware and obviously ride as safely as possible. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:31:35 to 00:31:55 Yeah, it was, it was a super, like, challenging experience, but it was like. I don't know if you felt the same as super rewarding, especially like getting through that last 20k and hitting, you know, the Toll Fe climb, getting up the Santa Catarina, like, those are. Those are steep climbs. I don't talk about that experience that you had coming up. A couple of those. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:31:55 to 00:32:19 Yeah, for sure. I mean, those were later in the day. And we're talking 10 kilometer long sectors at this point, which was cool because the earlier ones were shorter, you know, as I mentioned, like 4k, 5k. So to get on the longer ones and then some of the. You were just looking at these beautiful gravel roads going through the Tuscan hillsides. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:32:19 to 00:32:34 Yeah, it was super cool. And we, we sort of hadn't mentioned in the previous days we'd seen castles and old brick towns and, like, we definitely had this. It was, it was a beautiful ride. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Even when you're suffering, at least you got something to look at. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:32:35 to 00:32:45 That's pretty. Exactly. And I didn't know enough about the route. Like, I didn't agonize over it. Like, you know, I might have done unbound to try to figure out, like, how am I going to survive this thing? Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:32:45 to 00:33:06 It was kind of more by the seat of our pants. And that, that one long climb up. I think it's the Tofe pass where we met Gio in the van. Like, that was more than I had expected because it was like, just felt like a long gravel grind. And it was interesting just experiencing that and seeing the fans on the side of the road encouraging you. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:33:06 to 00:33:21 And then you, you kind of crest out on the ridge line back onto the pavement. Yeah. And the van's there and you're just. Like, oh, great, thank goodness, just where you're supposed to be. And you could look back watching everybody coming up the hill. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:33:21 to 00:33:33 And it was so funny. So you, you hadn't arrived yet. We had gotten separated for a bit, and an Irish rider comes up with two friends. And he. And he's like, hey, do you guys have any tape? Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:33:33 to 00:33:44 Oh, yeah, yeah. Maybe you were there. Gio's like, well, what do you need tape for? And he's like, my, my look pedal. The entire back end of the pedal has fallen off. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:33:44 to 00:33:54 So basically he's got Zero purchase. Yeah. And he's like, my friends are tired of pushing me up these hills. Do you have any tape? And Gio's like, don't be ridiculous. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:33:54 to 00:34:06 Like, tape's not gonna do anything. How about breaking away? Yeah. How about we give you a set of pedals, a set of cleats, you just return them. Back in Siena, we're all going to the same place. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:34:06 to 00:34:12 Yeah. Yeah. Such a nice gesture. The guy sat there, put his cleats on, then ended up finishing the race. That was cool. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:34:12 to 00:34:34 Or the ride. Yeah. That's super cool. Gio also mentioned that Quinn Simmons, the professional rider from Lidl Trek, he had flatted out of the race the day before. And it turns out he showed up at the Trek van because he was riding the Gran Fondo with his mom and dad, and he had yet another flat, and Geo gave him a tube to kick him down the road. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:34:35 to 00:34:51 Mobile bike shop. Yeah. Gotta love it. And that. Once we got on that ridgeline, it was awesome because we did have a substantial amount of road riding ahead of us for a while, which I'm sure I could speak for both of us was a bit of a relief to just be able to cruise. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:34:51 to 00:35:00 It was a lot of downhilling at that point. We got into some good groups, and we were just. Just kind of motoring and putting some kilometers under our belt. And you can start to see the city. So you. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:35:00 to 00:35:12 You got your sight line for your finish. Yeah, it's pretty cool. And then I think we were in good spirits. We rolled up with a couple of our. Our trip mates along the way, which was fun to kind of ride with those guys. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:35:12 to 00:35:17 Roll up. Patrick and Perry. Exactly. Good guys. Very strong. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:35:17 to 00:35:23 Yeah. Roll up to that van. And we're like. They're like, great. You know, great you guys are here. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:35:23 to 00:35:34 Let's get you situated. What do you need? Let's get you some more food, et cetera. And then it kind of dawned on, I think, both of us that we knew how much elevation we were needing to have done. I think It's. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:35:34 to 00:35:45 Was it 7,000ft over the course of the day? Yeah. And we hadn't yet hit 5.5,000ft of. Climbing, and there wasn't much longer to go. Yeah, I'm like, there's a. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:35:45 to 00:36:07 There's a big disconnect here. I got a big problem because it seems like we don't have a lot of mileage, and we've got a lot of vertical feet to cover. So that was a little bit of a heady moment, but it was nice to like, have sort of had a reset, get some food, get a little more warm clothes on if we needed it, and then head off on those last sectors. It's like, yeah. That's why I knew I could make it. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:36:07 to 00:36:15 I knew it was going to be hard, but I was like, okay, I'm just going to kind of strap in. Let's go. Yeah. Yeah, we had that. I think both of us misunderstood. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:36:16 to 00:36:41 We had asked about this steep climb we had ridden two days before and how far up it was, and I think they were thinking about the dirt sector, and we were talking about this vicious road, and it was right after the rest stop. Yeah, it's right after the rest stop. Like, oh, there it is. It's right here. And this was like the type of climb, even fresh, you sort of think about doing the paper boy weave back and forth on the course. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:36:41 to 00:36:50 When you. You can see it from a half mile away, you're like, oh, no. Is that where we're going? Yeah. And then a couple more tough gravel climbs after that point. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:36:50 to 00:36:55 Yeah. Then we got into. Really. Yeah, it was. It was. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:36:55 to 00:37:05 Yeah. And it's funny, I mean, that very much felt like, to me, like the. The end of a big gravel event. Where, you know, you're like almost single tracky. Like, when you get up to the ridge, there was kind of. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:37:05 to 00:37:24 Yeah. Switch back, little single track, kind of super cool. I got some good pictures of you and Perry coming up there, and. And then we kind of. We get into some small towns and starts feeling like we're getting close to Siena because we'd ridden back into Siena a few times, cruising, riding with Patrick and a few other guys. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:37:24 to 00:37:42 And then we hit the climb into Siena, and. Holy God. I mean, this thing is, I don't know, maybe 16, 17% at the end. You kind of climb up the pavement just to soften your legs up a little bit. You go through one of the gates of Siena, one of the. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:37:42 to 00:38:13 From the wall of Siena, and then you. These big cobbles, and you're riding up this chute that you just see probably a quarter mile up ahead of you, and there's fans on the side of the road, there's riders struggling to get up. And it's just this epic scene that you have seen now from watching the pro bike race. You'd seen the riders go up it. And I just remember feeling like just very part of the cycling community and cycling world in Siena at that moment. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:38:13 to 00:38:26 Yeah, it was fun. There are a lot of friends and family for tons of those riders out there. So they Were still cheering people on late in the day. So it kind of felt like you were like wrapping up your own personal strada bianchi race. A lot of people shouting at you to keep, keep pushing. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:38:26 to 00:38:41 It was really fun to kind of come into the city like that. I had a little bit of a break in my story because I kind of crusted that climb. And then we came to an intersection and there was riders going both ways. And I took a left and I'm. And then I. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:38:41 to 00:38:48 I'm riding and like, this doesn't feel right. And I. I asked some riders, I'm like, is this the way to the finish? And they're. They were. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:38:48 to 00:38:57 It was English as a second language. They're like, no, this is the pasta party. I didn't hear, Jesus. Oh, Jesus. I went the wrong way. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:38:57 to 00:39:17 So I turned around and then rolled around the corner. And then you roll into the piazza. You got this, you know, the big clock tower. You go across the same finish line as the pros that we watched before. Just super cool conclusion to an amazing day out there. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:39:18 to 00:39:25 And you get your metal, your finisher metal. Got my meter. Yeah, exactly. The 10 years of the Gran Fondo. Yeah, that was pretty. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:39:25 to 00:39:33 That was a pretty nicely designed metal. I didn't realize it was the 10th anniversary. That was pretty cool. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then I think everybody. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:39:33 to 00:39:47 Everybody on the team finished. Yeah, on our crew, we had some doing the. The medium length one, some doing the long one, which we did. I think everybody, at minimum has some great stories to tell their friends when they went home. Yeah, it was. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:39:47 to 00:40:08 It was a big day, but it was definitely worth it. I think everybody. I think no one really said anything the night before, but I think a few people were a little bit nervous about it, but everybody was, like, super just stoked to arrive in the compo after the ride and just be like, that was amazing. Especially after watching the race the day before. Yeah, a hundred percent. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:40:08 to 00:40:19 Yeah. In hindsight, like, it was. It was a week that was packed with. Packed with things to do. There was a nice progression of the mileage. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:40:19 to 00:40:34 We didn't overcook my grits prior to the event, so I gave myself the best chance of having a good day out there. Yeah, it was hard and intimidating, which I loved. Right. But totally doable and. And certainly well supported along the way. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:40:34 to 00:40:49 Whether it was from the. The Gran Fondo organizers or Trek's additional support level. Like, it just felt like a great accomplishment and felt it couldn't be more satisfied with my trip to Italy. Yeah, I'm Glad to hear it. It was great to have you there. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:40:49 to 00:41:06 It was 30 years in the making, so, yeah, it wouldn't have been nearly as fun without you there, so. Exactly. Well, it was fun reminiscing a bit, as I'm sure we'll continue to do over the years. It's such a monumental trip we had. And thanks for coming on. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:41:06 to 00:41:42 Thanks for everything you guys do at Trek Travel, for sure. I think you're the third Trek travel person we've had over here. I've appreciated, as I've advocated to the audience, like, Trek's put a lot of energy into gravel tourism and gravel travel, and it's a great way to go see some of these communities you've read about. And particularly in the. For me, the European trips, just to experience the culture and have the guides with local knowledge has always been this, like, additional bit of je ne sais quoi about what that European experience is like. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:41:42 to 00:41:52 Yeah, there's a lot of great gravel over there. Yeah. Check us out, travel.com a good pitch. Lots of good trips in the States and in Europe, so. Yeah, exactly. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:41:52 to 00:42:03 And if you're interested in Strada Bianca, it is a trip that sells out. It's obviously in March every year. I think you can already sort of reserve a spot on Trek Travels website. It's getting close. Yeah. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:42:03 to 00:42:12 You can sort of put yourself on a wait list. Yeah. And there's still. I don't know if there's still room in the Holy Week trips to Flanders and Roubaix. Okay. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:42:12 to 00:42:19 That one goes fast. Like, we're pretty close to sold out for that one. You got to get in early. And same with the Tour. It's pretty well booked. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:42:19 to 00:42:42 Even the Tour de Familes, the Women's Tour de France, is nearly sold out for this year, which is really exciting. Amazing. And I can't wait for you to have some gravel race trips in the future as well. I think it would be a fun way of doing some of these events. People who aren't necessarily racing but want to go to somewhere like SBT or to Unbound or. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:42:42 to 00:42:53 I know you already have a trip to Bentonville, but it is kind of an interesting idea. I think you guys should play around with, connect the two. Yeah. Yeah. What would it be like to bring a group of people who just want to experience that. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:42:53 to 00:43:04 That area in a deeper way and have a little bit of extra support in some of these milestone gravel events? Yeah, for sure. I think Unbound would be an interesting one, for sure. Yeah. Cool. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:43:04 to 00:43:15 All right, well, I will let you go. Hopefully I even see you this weekend and we can do some riding and reminisce some more. Yeah. See you up in up in Marin. Sounds good. Rich Snodsmith (Guest) | 00:43:15 to 00:43:31 Take care, Craig. Good to see you. That's going to do it for this week's edition of the Gravel Ride Podcast. Big thanks to Rich for coming on the show. And a big thanks to Trek Travel for all the great gravel cycling experiences they offer around the world. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:43:31 to 00:44:13 Top notch organization that's dedicating a lot of time and energy into the gravel world. So if you're a fan of professional bike racing and want to have an experience like I did at Stradabianca, go check them out@trektravel.com obviously they've got the other spring classics and the Tour de France, both men and women, as options for you, but also a bunch of fantastic gravel trips to Bentonville, to Switzerland, to Vermont, to Girona, all over the world. So again, go hit them up@trektravel.com and let them know that the Gravel Ride podcast sent you. Until next time, here's to finding some dirt under your wheels. Craig Dalton (Host) | 00:44:27 to 00:44:27 SA.  

It cycling's Holy Week and Abby, Gracie, and Georgie have a lot to say about concussions, Lotte Kopecky, Lidl-Trek, and more. They also look ahead to Paris Roubaix Femmes where the world champion is yet again the top favorite to claim the crown.

Laurens, Stefan, Thomas en Jim gaan verder - de Heilige Week is tot een einde gekomen. Het gevoel van vreugde en leegte wisselt elkaar af in het Bajeskwartier in Amsterdam. De snelste editie van de Ronde van Vlaanderen heeft een korte samenvatting: Pogacar danste op de kasseien en kon met de handjes omhoog in Oudenaarde. In de Vlaamse heuvels vervaagde MVDP's droom van een vierde zege in De Ronde met een derde plaats. Pedersen volgde als tweede, WVA als vierde. Het orakelkwartet van de koers snijdt in een uur tijd allerhande zaken aan: de vluchters, de wind, het weer. Maar ook: het herpakken van Visma, het optreden van Lidl-Trek, het afmaken van UAE. Wat een zonovergoten, historische week ligt er achter ons. En hoe zat het nou met 45x Marco Haller? Je hoort het allemaal in weer een nieuwe aflevering van de Live Slow Ride Fast podcast.

Ahead of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, BikeRadar's George Scott speaks to Glen Leven, Team Support Manager for Lidl-Trek, to find out why the team is using gravel gearing for the Spring Classics.   This was an impromptu phone call following Mads Pedersen's win at Gent-Wevelgem, so the audio quality isn't quite up to our usual standard, but we still want to bring you this behind-the-scenes chat about the latest Classics tech developments.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I denne uge smed Tadej Pogacar Paris-Roubaix bomben. Den store verdensstjerne skal for første gang prøve kræfter med En forårsdag i helvede, som er et af de to monumenter, han mangler at vinde. Kasper Asgreen misser til gengæld alle forårsklassikerne, mens Magnus Cort for første gang skal prøve kræfter med Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Onsdagens Brugge-De Panne endte til gengæld i rent kaos med mange af de store sprinterkanoner i asfalten. Dermed får Mads P og Lidl-Trek det måske lidt lettere i søndagens Gent-Wevelgen, som vi kigger frem mod ligesom fredagens E3 Harelbeke, hvor Van der Poel og Van Aert blandt andet skal duellere. Veloropa Podcast præsenteres af Hello Fresh (brug koden Veloropa50 på hellofresh.dk) og elektronikkæden Power (avis.power.dk)

Rose Manley and Jo Rowsell cast their eye over one of the most hotly anticipated races of the year, Milano-Sanremo Donne. The last time the race was staged for women was 20 years ago, leaving plenty of intrigue over how it would be approached by this current crop of riders. This season's battle of SD Worx versus Demi Vollering was expected to continue into this race. The Dutch team boasted both World Champion Lotte Kopecky and super sprinter Lorena Wiebes in their line-up, making them the team to beat. However, former alumnus Vollering – now of FDJ Suez – got the better of them at Strade Bianche and looked to do it again on the famous climbs of the Cipressa and Poggio.  There were plenty of contenders for the inaugural Milano Sanremo Donne title elsewhere too. Trofeo Binda champion Elisa Balsamo heads up Lidl-Trek, Elisa Longo Borghini looks to make a big impression as Italian champion and Kasia Niewiadoma races for the first time since her Strade Bianche crash. Arrivée is The Cycling Podcast's quick-fire race analysis show offering a first take on the biggest races. Join Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie as they discuss their first impressions of the opening Monument of the spring, the longest one-day race on the World Tour calendar, Milan-Sanremo. Who will triumph on the Via Roma and how did they do it? Sponsored by Laka The Cycling Podcast's coverage of the spring Classics is supported by Laka. Laka offers specialist bike insurance that goes further than you think. It's powered by a collective of cyclists who all have each others' backs. They won't charge a fixed sum, instead, they calculate your monthly contributions – up to a maximum capped amount – based on the collective's claims. There's no excess so you won't be penalised when it comes to making a claim. Laka is back as a proud sponsor of The Cycling Podcast. Listeners can get their first 30 days free by signing up with the code TCP30 at laka.co/tcp  TRIBUTE TO RICHARD MOORE AT GENT-WEVELGEM Friend of the Podcast Charlotte Elton is raising money to pay tribute to our friend and co-founder Richard Moore at Gent-Wevelgem by painting his name on the road. She's crowdfunding to pay for the paint and any additional funds will be donated to Sir Chris Hoy's Tour de 4 charity. You can donate to the cause here. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it's after 11am). The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP G'day, everyone. We're well into March, and the Spring Classics are calling! We had an absolutely storming opening weekend, and Paris Nice has just wrapped up; which means we're in for a treat over the next few weeks as we get to enjoy four of the five monuments PLUS a whole heap of other amazing one day races.  One of the things I love about the races at this time of year is that most of them have both a men's and women's edition; so we get to enjoy twice as much racing over the cobbles and bergs of Belgium and Northern France! Now the boys over at Race Radio have cooked up a banging episode this month; they've bagged an interview with one of the most exciting riders in the women's pelo. A Danish superstar who's already got herself a stage win at the Tour de France, and is no doubt knocking on the door of a massive result this Spring after a move to Lidl Trek in the offie; it is, of course, Emma Norsgaard Bjerg.  Here's what the lads had to say about this month's ep: At LITP's Race Radio, we (Harry and Stu) love riders with big personalities, and in our opinion there's none bigger – and more fun – than Emma Norsgaard Bjerg.  We were delighted to have the Lidl-Trek pro from Denmark on the show this week. We talk about her epic Tour de France Femmes stage win in 2023, her love/hate relationship with the cobbled classics, ‘Playstation mode' training, peloton gossip, and more. Emma is a rare example of a pro cyclist unafraid to show their emotions and weaknesses, expose the difficulties of the sport as well as celebrate its good sides, and we hope that you all enjoy listening to her chat with us! Cheers, Harry and Stu. Guys, this is a great listen. Harry and Stu do a great job of getting Emma to really loosen up and be really open in her interview - I was honestly so impressed. They have a heap of fun, and I know who I'm going to be rooting for at the races this Spring. I hope you enjoy this month's Race Radio, and the Spring Classics to come! This episode is supported by our friends at JOIN. As a listener to the pod you can get a risk-free 1-month trial. Visit join.cc/litp to check it out and sign up. Cheers! Mitch   Chapters 00:00:00 – Introduction & Catch-up 00:05:00 – Guest Introduction: Emma Norsgaard 00:06:45 – Emma Joins the Show 00:08:40 – Tour de France Stage Win Recap 00:11:00 – Changing Teams and Motivation 00:18:00 – The Cobbled Classics 00:20:15 – Dream Wins and PlayStation Mode 00:25:20 – Emma's Podcast ‘The Gossip' 00:29:40 – Wrap-up with Emma 00:30:06 – Harry and Stu Reflect on the Interview 00:32:10 – Race Round-Up and Chat 00:37:00 – Weather Talk & Classic Racing Moments ----more---- The Life in the Peloton book is OUT NOW! Get your copy now exclusively at maap.cc! Can't wait for you to read it. Where do you sit in the PELO? Come and join the Life in the Peloton membership.

Welcome to ROADSIDE presented by Zwift!    In today's episode, Tom and Jet preview the first monument of the 2025 men's season, Milan San Remo. We discuss the rumoured Cipressa plot for Pogacar and the heavyweight combinations Alpecin and Lidl-Trek are bringing to the race. What about dark horses? Don't worry, we cover those too!   Zwift Mailbag: Send in your questions, hypotheticals, takes and everything in between to thepressroompodcast@gmail.com and we will read the best ones out in the next episode!   -  -    The Roadside Cycling Show is presented by Zwift Need a trainer? Try the all-new Zwift Ride - zwiftinc.sjv.io/55gL11 Head to https://www.zwift.com/ to start your free 14-day trial today. The Roadside Cycling Show is also supported by FE Sports, the home of premier cycling brands and products such as Wahoo, Pirelli, 100%, Campagnolo and more. Check out their range now - https://www.fesports.com.au/Shop/c_230/Products

Forhjulslir præsenteres i samarbejde med Continental Dæk Danmark. Foråret er endelig på vej, og det er tid til at skifte til sommerdæk – både på bilen og cyklen. Continental er igen leverandør til nogle af verdens bedste hold, heriblandt UAE med Tadej Pogacar og Mikkel Bjerg. Uanset om det gælder motorvejen eller bjergene, starter sikkerheden med dækket. Med Continental er du klar til forårets eventyr.  Strade Bianche 2025 blev både dramatisk og episk. Tadej Pogacar ankom - som ventet - solo ind på Piazza del Campo som kongen af de hvide toscanske grusveje for tredje gang i karrieren. På dagens etape af Forhjulslir puster vi støvet væk og dykker ned i det bedste momenter fra lørdagens Strade, Pogacar vs. Pidcock, styrtet, Cort & Valgren og hårdheden af den italienske grusklassiker.  Til sidst ser vi også frem mod denne uges etapeløb: Paris-Nice & Tirreno-Adriatico. Vi optager mandag formiddag - dagen efter førstedagen i Paris-Nice, hvor Tim Merlier vandt sikkert, Mads P og Lidl-Trek toget missede hinanden og Matteo Jorgenson spillede med musklerne.  Medvirkende: Per Bausager & Anders Mielke

Some of the Velo team is in the midst of gearing up for a field test, where we're testing all-road bikes and comparing them against a traditional racey road bike and a gravel bike. Between all the testing and riding we're doing, it's got us wondering what the heck is an all-road bike, anyway? Yeah, yeah, all-road bikes are supposed to bridge the gap between the race road bikes and the performance gravel bikes. They tend to offer more upright body positioning, handling that skews toward safe rather than agile, and often include some sort of feature that promises to dampen road vibrations. But where did the all-road name even come from? How did we lose the phrase 'endurance road bike' along the way? And perhaps most importantly, is a gravel bike the right bike if you're looking for an all-road bike? Along the way, we chat about Jim Cotton's excellent story on how breathing sensors are poised to blow up bike racing and why a breathing sensor is a much more reliable indicator of effort and output. We also dig into why Lidl-Trek raced on a SRAM gravel groupset at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. We dug in on this latest episode of the Velo Podcast, and we hope you enjoy digging in, too. See the latest in cycling on Velo: velo.outsideonline.com  

It's a geek-packed episode as senior tech editors Dave Rome and Ronan Mc Laughlin, plus Zach Edwards (Boulder Groupetto) discuss the week in tech.Ronan ponders the real highs and lows of Lidl-Trek experimenting with SRAM XPLR 1x13 drivetrains in road races. There's a skeptical point of view to integrated pressure sensors in tubeless wheels. And the geeks discuss the importance of Trail figures in geometry, and why it's oddly not provided by all brands – a topic Ronan was inspired to put into writing, too (coming soon).It had been a few weeks since the last PSA, and Dave has one related to common noises. And we've got a wrap of some fresh product news.As per usual, the episode ends with our Ask a Wrench segment that sees pro race mechanic Brad Copeland and Dave Rome answer a few member-submitted tech questions. It's something you'll need to logged into our member-feed of the podcast to hear.Time stamps:1:40 - Lidl-Trek using a 1x gravel groupset13:00 - Zipp playing with integrated pressure sensors21:10 - Where are all the trail figures and fork rakes?30:50 - PSA on easily solved bike noises31:10 - Continental's new Gran Prix TR tyre42:00 - OneUp's little pedal fumble43:30 - Industry9's new Hydra2 hub47:50 - Velocio's new high-riding hydration pack49:35 - Hammerhead Karoo gets its own “native extension” library plus a tangent on computers.58:30 - Ask a Wrench with Brad Copeland (members-only)1:00:00 - A further tip for comparing chain wear between riding disciplines (members-only)1:01:05 - Plugs and repairing tubeless tyres (members-only)1:06:10 - Speeding up the drying process of drip wax (members-only)1:10:00 - A complement for a previous answer - the advice worked (members-only)1:12:30 - Squealing Shimano brakes strike again (members-only)

Llevaba tiempo queriendo charlar con Aleix Espargaró. Un "loco del ciclismo", como él mismo se presenta, del que siempre he admirado su dedicación y total implicación en cada una de las facetas de su vida. Tras una extensa carrera como piloto de MotoGP, tras su retirada ha tenido la gran fortuna de vivir otro de sus sueños, el de fichar por un equipo profesional como Lidl-Trek. Gracias a Trek Bikes España por abrirnos las puertas de su tienda Trek Barcelona Sud ubicada en la Zona Franca para esta maravillosa charla, a todo su equipo por la acogida y por ponerlo todo tan fácil y a todos los que os acercasteis a vernos. 

Matt Stephens chats to Toms Skujiņš about his hugely impressive results in recent seasons, with the Lidl-Trek rider coming second at last year's Strade Bianche, and finishing 4th in the road race at the UCI World Championships in Zurich. The former Latvian national champ is suited to long and hard days in the saddle, and has high hopes for the 2025 season where he'll certainly be one to watch. Once the official potato ambassador of Latvia, there's no wonder he takes every opportunity to extol the virtues of the humble spud. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch return to recap all the latest stories and racing as the stars of the international peloton commence their 2025 campaigns. In Oman, there's a battle royale between two Frenchmen and an Englishman – and, ultimately, the same final result as in another recent sporting contest. We also discuss an excellent week for Colombian riders, with Egan Bernal and Santiago Buitrago both flying high. Finally, in the last part of the episode, we sink our teeth into the most controversial issue of the week - the exodus of top teams from the Étoile des Bessèges amid fears for riders' safety but also for the future of small races in the sport's heartlands. To bring a little perspective on that issue, we hear from Lidl-Trek's directeur sportif in Bessèges, Steven de Jongh.  EPISODE SPONSORS NordVPN Get NordVPN two-year plan + four months extra ➼ https://nordvpn.com/tcp It's risk-free with Nord's 30-day money-back guarantee. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it's after 11am). The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

In the first weekly show of 2025 Patrick Broe and Benji Naesen are live from Australia, they discuss the latest news in the world of cycling and go over the races Down Under.This show is sponsored by JOIN Cycling. Lanterne Rouge listeners can access JOIN Cycling with an exclusive risk free 30-day free trial period. Head over to our website for more information: https://join.cc/lanternerouge/Timestamps: 00:00 Intro01:20 Women's Santos Tour Down Under recap04:30 Villawood Crit recap09:20 Vingegaard announces his 2025 schedule12:37 Tom Pidcock skips Tour de France13:50 Lidl-Trek sprinters Grand Tour schedules16:13 UCI suspends DS and Team Manager24:35 Santos Tour Down Under Preview45:18 Outro Our merch has dropped! Custom designs painstakingly crafted by Louemans on t-shirts, mugs and hats with all your favourite catchphrases from the podcast. Check it out at ⁠⁠https://shop.lanternerouge.com⁠⁠If you enjoy LRCP please support us by subscribing and leaving us a like and comment! You can also send us a tip here https://ko-fi.com/lanternerougecyclingpodcast

Riejanne Markus is a Dutch WorldTour rider who is currently racing with Lidl-Trek. She went professional over a decade ago and has moved from strength to strength, nabbing three national titles and finishing second overall at last year's Vuelta a España. Riejanne sat down with Payson in Girona this week to talk about her decision to join Lidl-Trek after four years with Visma-Lease a Bike, growing up in an athletic family (her dad and younger sister are speed skaters, and her other sister, Femke, races for SD Worx), and why she's still a staunch defender of race radios. She also talks about the highly publicized defeat of the Dutch team at the road World Championship last year, and how she broke the news of her team transfer to longtime teammate Marianne Voss. Instagram: @theadventurestacheYouTube: Payson McElveen