Podcasts about pro cycling

One weekend remains at a fantastic Giro d'Italia. We won't try to guess what happens, because that's impossible, and that's why the race is so good.Caley, Jonny, and Dane discuss the stories of the week, including Ayuso's bee sting, Carapaz's form, and Lance's toilet investment. Plus, we hear from Luis Lemus on the impact of Isaac del Toro on Mexican cycling. 

It's the last rest day of the Giro d'Italia, and two bits of GC news dominate conversation: Isaac Del Toro is officially UAE's leader now, and Primoz Roglič might pull out entirely. Caley, Jonny, and Kit are joined by Intern Nick to discuss Primoz Roglič's inevitable move to Israel-Premier Tech, Juan Ayuso's inevitable move to Movistar, and Del Toro's ability to put on a jacket. Plus much more besides, of course. 

Head to Escapecollective.com/member to sign up today.Welcome back to Spin Cycle, where no news is too big and no joke too small. We're about halfway through the Giro, and what a Giro it's been. Caley, Jonny, and Kit take a moment to appreciate a Grand Tour without Pogačar in it, and then look ahead to the next one he'll be in. The Tour de France finish in Paris has changed, and it's way harder. Can Pogi win it? Should the classics men get excited? Plus, a one-night stand could land you in doping jail. Beware! 

The Giro d'Italia's mini Strade Bianche had everything: A winner everybody can hear for, a precocious young talent, GC crashes, dust galore.In this episode of Spin Cycle, Caley, Jonny, and Kit break down a spectacular weekend of racing, look back at some of our favorite Grand Tours stages of the modern era, downsize Big Jim to Medium Sized Jim, and wonder how UAE will handle yet another leadership question. 

Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano break down the dramatic ninth stage and the rest of the key points from the first "week" of the 2025 Giro d'Italia.

Primoz Roglič showed the Giro how to hang off a race director's car on Thursday and Mads Pedersen probably had to go on a boat even though he fell down. The Giro is going to Giro, always. Caley, Jonny, and Kit jump on to chat through the last few days of racing and concrete reporting that Total Energies and Ineos are about to become a new chemical romance. Plus, some kind words for the Giro TV crew and Mathias Vacek, who is so good it's actually quite scary. 

Cannondale are changing the endurance game, Are Campagnolo relevant again and Chris rides Zwift for the first time

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. 

The Giro d'Italia is upon us! Chris Marshall Bell rings in from Albania with the answers to cycling's biggest questions - whose legs are good? Who will be taking it day by day? We've got everything you need to know about the year's first Grand Tour. Plus, there's been a massive shakeup at GreenEdge. Longtime director Matt White is out. What are we hearing? 

Welcome back to Spin Cycle. In this episode, Caley, Jonny, and Kit give Astana the props they've been yearning for (almost as valuable as UCI points). Then, a look at the youngsters of Romandie, a cluster of a TTT at the Vuelta, and a trip in the sad Visma Van. Plus, Joe Laverick joins to discuss the Traka and how gravel has become a meme. 

In the arc of a life – especially one as rich and eventful as Greg LeMond's - certain stories get lost to the grander narrative. But in 1987, the bigger story was still unwritten. That year – soon after he'd won his first Tour de France, in the prime of his career – Greg LeMond was shot, and almost died.A Grand Tour champion, violence, drugs, intrigue, rehabilitation, and redemption: this is that story.We're running this first episode across our network, but future episodes will only be found on the Rabbit Holes channel. Subscribe to Rabbit Holes on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Production and sound design by Will and Stuart at Redbricks Media. Music from EpidemicSound. Thanks to Chris Marshall-Bell.Escape Collective is an entirely independent and member-funded publication, and this content is only possible through the support of our members. To subscribe, go to www.escapecollective.com/join.

Marketing, activate! Red Bull's "groundbreaking" new feature is just a sprint point, but what does the company's increasing involvement in pro cycling mean going forward? That question is far more interesting. Caley, Dane, and Intern Nick are back to discuss Red Bull's latest, whether prologues are good, and we hear from Lachlan Morton on his decision to race Unbound XL.  

Who would you want on your Tour de France tandem? Would Pogi and Almeida beat Vingegaard and Jorgenson? These are other important questions answered on this episode of Spin Cycle. Caley, Kit, and Dane run through Liège, Remco Evenepoel's very bad day, Ben Healy's breath of fresh air, and Demi Vollering's disappointing spring. Plus, Chris Froome retirement news and an appreciation for good kit, from Kit of course. 

Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano take a closer look at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, where there was more to break down than you might expect for a race won so convincingly.

Head to Escapecollective.com/member to sign up today.The best indicator for Fleche Wallonne victory seems to be whether or not you drink a podium beer at Amstel. Caley, Dane, Ronan, and Intern Nick break down the mid-week Classic, look ahead to Liege, discuss Uno-X's excellent new 7-11 kits, and wonder aloud where all the olds have gone. 

Head to Escapecollective.com/member to sign up today.Is Tadej Pogačar tired? Amstel Gold sure seemed to suggest it. Caley, Dane, and Intern Nick break down the weekend's racing, a crazy story about Lucho Herrera, the One Day Oscars, and lots more. Then, Joe Laverick joins to discuss a new take on road racing that looks like a lot like an old take on road racing. 

Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano break down all the action from the men's Amstel Gold Race.

Head to Escapecollective.com/member to sign up today.Time to pivot to the Ardennes! By the time you listen to this, Brabantse Pijl will be wrapped up, and with it the return of Remco Evenepoel to the pro peloton. Caley and Dane are joined by Iain Treloar to put a bow on the cobbled classics and look ahead to the hilly one-days coming up. Plus Iain brings news of a new scam on the Internet. 

In the first episode of an all-new three-part series, Dominique is joined by Rapha CEO Fran Millar for a deep dive into the vital role of sponsors in women's cycling — not just for supporting teams, but helping to propel the sport forward.

Caley, Ronan and Jonny come to you live from the Roubaix velodrome to break down the action and discuss the long-term narrative implications for what was a day out on the cobbles of northern France that will live long in the memory.

Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano break down all the action from the men's race at Paris-Roubaix.

The Spin Cycle crew talks Paris-Roubaix. Caley Fretz, Jonny Long, Dane Cash, Ronan Mc Laughlin, and Zac Williams discuss all the storylines and field a few member questions ahead of the big race in front of a live audience in Kortrijk, Belgium.

Head to Escapecollective.com/member to sign up today.Flanders is the best of bike racing, and Sunday did not disappoint. Caley, Jonny, and Dane sit down in Oudenaarde's old square to discuss Pogačar's villain arc, Kopecky's biceps, and how there was very little anybody could do about today's outcomes. 

Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano break down the action from the men's Tour of Flanders, where rivals threw everything at the pre-race favorite.

Pro cycling speeds have gotten faster and faster. But what role has tech played in that? One of the chief architects of that evolution has been the performance engineer Jean-Paul Ballard, and we sat down with him at the Immenstadt wind tunnel in Germany to discuss all the things that make riders faster and the things that don't. As well as the things that will make us faster in the future!  He's a fascinating person to speak to, so we hope you enjoy our conversation!

Head to Escapecollective.com/member to sign up today.The crew is back in Belgium! Caley, Jonny, Dane, and special guest Nick are on the streets of Ghent and focused on De Ronde, the Tour of Flanders coming on Sunday. They break down the two key protagonists and who might upset the apple cart, plus bring a healthy dose of Belgian flavor throughout. Then, a look a the shrinking podiums in mountain bike racing and what the racers are doing about it and what Visma should have done about the strawberry in their Mustard. 

Head to Escapecollective.com/member to sign up today.This week on Spin Cycle: Mathieu van der Poel got spit on, a Belgian rider got stuck in his hotel room, and Kit thinks Mads Pedersen is going to win Flanders. Plus the crew discuss E3, Gent-Wevelgem, Fabio Jakobsen's surgery, and extra team in the Ground Tours, and look ahead to Holy Week. 

Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano break down the men's Gent-Wevelgem and draw some conclusions from the other races after a very busy weekend.

Head to Escapecollective.com/member to sign up today.Tadej Pogačar is officially heading to Paris-Roubaix. What do we think? Can he win? Is it all a secret ploy to get Nils Politt across the line first? Probably not. Caley, Jonny, and Dane discuss the biggest news of the week (anything Pogačar does, obviously) and then question WTF was happening with all the crashes at Brugge de Panne, look into the extra wildcard teams that might be racing Grand Tours this season, and salute Caleb Ewan getting an early win in Ineos colors. Plus much more, of course. 

He's Ganna Poel up the Pog-gio! And other Milan-San Remo puns. How good was that weekend of bike racing? This week's Spin Cycle kicks off looking at Pogačar's team tactics in light of a behind-the-scenes video that dropped after the race. Things seemed to go mostly to plan, but did they? Then, why can't cycling have more races like MSR? How do you build proper launchpads? We have some ideas. Plus, Mads Pedersen's gut is not a place you want to be,  the UCI Track Champions League bit the dust, Marc Madiot thinks France is best, and Vingegaard is back riding again. 

Patrick and Benji recap the past week of the world of cycling and preview the full upcoming week of racingExclusive deals from our trusted partners

Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano break down Milan-San Remo, where Tadej Pogačar tried his darnedest to drop Mathieu van der Poel – to no avail.

Head to Escapecollective.com/member to sign up today.Two Milan-San Remos for the price of one? Sign us up. This week's Spin Cycle previews the best 15 minutes in bike racing, the finale of Milan-San Remo, and makes some guesses about the return of the women's MSR for the first time in 20 years. But first, we dive headlong into the UCI's hatred of nipples, some strange man management at Cofidis, the Tours de France coming back to the UK, and the potential for a new stage race in Colorado. 

Head to Escapecollective.com/member to sign up today.This week on Spin Cycle: Caley, Jonny, and Kit dive into Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico, discussing Sunday's dominant American duo, big boys who are good at climbing, and Ineos' new lease on life. Plus a bit of transfer speculation (Ayuso to Movistar anyone?) and the things on Patrick Lefevere's banned list. 

It's a double dose of bike racing analysis this week as Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano break down the action at Paris-Nice *and* Tirreno-Adriatico.

Spencer Martin of the Beyond the Peloton Newsletter and Andrew Vontz of the Choose the Hard Way Podcast/The Better Lab debate the issue of rider safety, including if true rider safety is even possible in pro cycling, before diving into the racing action at Paris-Nice, where defending champion Matteo Jorgenson has been shadow-boxing his Visma teammate, and what the racing at Tirreno-Adriatico can tell us about the upcoming Spring Classics.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Beyond the Peloton newsletter⁠'s Where to Watch Pro Cycling in 2025⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Choose the Hard Way Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Try The Better Lab today⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Head to Escapecollective.com/member to sign up today.We're in the thick of it. Paris-Nice, Tirreno-Adriatico, rain, snow, riders warming hands on motorcycle exhaust manifolds, Jonas Vingegaard falling down. Caley, Jonny, and Dane break it all down on this week's Spin Cycle. Plus, is David Gaudu the baddie? 

Head to Escapecollective.com/member to sign up today.Ineos might get a co-sponsor? Yep. Reporter Chris Marshall Bell brings us an exclusive - TotalEnergies, which currently sponsors a French Pro Team, is in talks with the British squad to come on as a co-title sponsor. Negotiations have been ongoing for months, and while not confirmed, it could mean TotalEnergies invests 10 to 15 million euros into Ineos. Read about it here. Then, of course, we have to dive into Strade Bianche. How did Tadej Pogačar's expensive watch fare in his crash? Does Caley have some news about Pogi's Roubaix participation? (Yes). Finally, the crew discuss Bradley Wiggin's comments on Dave Brailsford, the Saudi PIF and its sponsorship of the Giro d'Italia, and the latest on how to watch pro cycling (or not, as it were) in the UK. 

Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano break down Strade Bianche, which featured some dramatic moments and a more intriguing battle than we might have expected ...

Tadej Pogačar is going to Roubaix? Maybe for real this time? We can only dream. On this Strade Bianche Eve, the Spin Cycle crew cheers the news that the Tour de France Femmes may be headed to Yorkshire and discusses how Mathieu van der Poel toyed with the peloton before taking a moment to thoroughly enjoy Peter Sagan dancing on TV. Plus, everything you need to know ahead of Saturday's Strade Bianche and a look at the two stage races, Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico, kicking off this week. 

How the Race was Won returns with a breakdown of the Omloop (Het) Nieuwsblad. Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano talk tactics, surprises, blunders, and more in the first podcast of the season ... which is a lot more than a podcast this year. You can still listen to the show here on the podcast feed if you prefer, but How the Race was Won is now broadcasting live on video after all the big races. To get the full show, head on over to the Escape Collective YouTube channel.

Welcome back to Spin Cycle! We kick things off by diving headfirst into the opening weekend of the classics: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne.First up, Omloop. What a weird day of racing, especially from the women's peloton. How and why did FDJ and SD Worx let the break get 15 minutes? It was a game of chicken where everyone ended up as a chicken. In the men's race, the surprise came in the finale as small groups came back together, which they don't usually do, resulting in a bigger bunch sprint than we've seen in years. At least a lovely old lady got her Arnaud de Lie moment. At Kuurne, Kaden Groves got a yellow card and Jasper Philipsen was fastest. Is Caley's Jonathan Milan draft pick already looking foolish? At Tour du Rwanda, the final stage was cancelled due to bad conditions. Not a great sign ahead of the planned World Championships later this year.Finally, we like to end the show on a high note, so last up is the news that the 2027 Tour de France might start in the UK. Jonny is ecstatic. 

This week's Spin Cycle podcast opens with the news that Rabobank is returning as a sponsor for Visma-Lease a Bike, like a salmon returning a once-polluted river. Rabobank's history in the sport is long and somewhat sordid, and their departure due to doping scandals felt final. Well, now they're back. What does that mean? Then Caley, Jonny, and Dane preview the upcoming Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne races, analyzing route changes, potential contenders like Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock, and the "Omloop curse." We touch on UAE's classics team and possible favorites for the races. Finally, we head into corrections corner. 

It's a massive Spin Cycle show this week because we have something special: our 2025 Men's Pro Cycling Draft! Your favorite Spin Cycle podders, plus one member standing in for all the rest of you, pick their teams for the coming season. The first part of the show is your standard fare - discussion of the two best GC riders in the world and how they fared at their respective early-season stage races, plus an unfortunate trip to Crash Courtyard, where Chris Froome is waiting. 

Johan Bruyneel and Spencer Martin break down the early-season stage racing over the past few days, including the implications of Tadej Pogačar's dominance at the UAE Tour while his teammates João Almedia and Jan Christen dropped Jonas Vingegaard and Primož Roglič at the Volta ao Algarve and the all-out racing at the Ruta del Sol, before getting into why we are seeing so many race incidents and dangerous courses and how it could give a Saudi Arabia-backed One Cycling an opening to take control of the sport. Become a WEDŪ Member today to unlock premium content, including select brand discounts (along with a free pass to Spencer's BTP Newsletter) and special Q&A access with THEMOVE hosts (link: https://access.wedu.team/).  OneSkin: OneSkin is the world's first skin longevity company, keeping your skin looking and acting younger for longer. Get started today with 15% off using code THEMOVE at https://oneskin.co

Head to Escapecollective.com/member to sign up today.Today on Spin Cycle: Caley, Jonny, and Dane dive into the Algarve Poop Show, alternative race endings, and the curious case of Mou. Then, we head back to Ratcliffe Row with the help of a very handy compass.

The #1 thing you can do to support this podcast is to subscribe to the Choose the Hard Way substack. Just go to substack and search for ‘Choose the Hard Way' or go to  https://alwaysthehardway.substack.com/ and hit subscribe today.  That's where Andrew Vontz writes about bikes, zen and life + shares his reflections on conversations with guests on the Choose the Hard Way podcast and more.  ‪@Harry-Sweeny‬ rides for the EF Education-Easy Post World Tour team in the biggest races in pro cycling and his YouTube channel tells the story of his life as a pro cyclist, semi-pro chef and adventurer. ‪Harry also shares about his journey with level 1 autism and how it led him to discover the importance of taking 10 minutes a day to do nothing in order to unlock higher levels of performance during critical moments in races.  Find Harry on YouTube and Instagram: https://www.youtube.com/@Harry-Sweeny www.instagram.com/harry.sweeny Over $1 trillion in crypto transactions have been trusted to Blockchain.com and I'm excited to welcome them as the new title sponsor of Choose the Hard Way. Blockchain.com is your trusted platform for buying, selling and holding crypto, no matter your experience level. Create your free wallet and get up to 10% in annual rewards by putting your crypto to work. When you crypto, crypto with Blockchain.com. Palm Tree Pod Co is my production and marketing partner of choice because they do exceptional work that lets me focus on the part of podcasting I love the most, interviewing amazing guests. When you're ready to start a pod or take your pod to the next level, work with Palm Tree Pod Co. Find them at www.palmtreepodco.com. Follow @hardwaypod on Instagram to get a look behind the scenes at what goes into the Choose the Hard Way podcast and substack and more. 

The Spanish Strade Bianche, Clásica Jaén, needs a premium Sunday time slot. The race has only been around since 2022 but is already one of our favourites, and a rider favourite too. This week on the show, Caley, Kit, and Jonny discuss how to create new races properly, how not to set up a sprint (maybe no speed bumps), and Geraint Thomas' unsurprising announcement that this will be his last season. Plus, Alejandro Valverde's refusal to stop racing. And lots more, of course. 

This week, Caley, Dane, and Jonny discuss Netflix Unchained's cancellation, the troubles of Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS sports empire, and sprinters going head-to-head in the Middle East. Did Unchained work? Is Jim Ratcliffe bad at sports? He is in legal disputes, has pulled sponsorships, and cut jobs. The INEOS group was downgraded due to high debt. Things are bad. What's up at the Tour of Oman, where jerseys are being zipped and others unzipped? Finally, we discuss the UAE Tour, which will feature top sprinters. Tadej Pogačar will be there too. Excitement brims. 

Ok, ok, Pogačar is probably not going to Paris-Roubaix. But what if he is? WHAT IF?! Wouldn't it be glorious? This week's Spin Cycle tackles this cobbled hypothetical, discusses the use of time trial helmets in road race, and has a look at how the sprinters are doing so far this season. Plus lots more, of course.