Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

The pro calendar is winding down for another year. The world champs are done, Lombardy’s  only a few days away, and plenty of riders are racking their bikes ready for a well earned off season. It’s not just the pros getting ready to crack open a few cold ones after a hard year on the road, Harry and Stu - better known as Life In The Peloton’s Race Radio presented by SHOKZ - are heading to Italy for their final race of 2027.

The Italian Classics that pepper the weeks before Il Lombardia are exactly that - classics. These are some of the oldest races around with deep, rich histories and die-hard, passionate fans; the Tifosi. Although they’re not the most well known races, they have an absolutely amazing atmosphere. I only raced a few of these in my career and, let me tell you, they’re bloody hard, but they were such a cool way to end a year of racing. 

Harry & Stu have been right there sipping espresso amongst the Nonnas at the Coppa Bernocchi and Tre Valli Varesine. Here’s what old mate Harry had to say about their time in Italia:

Harry: "Italy. Land of art and culture. Of fashion and elegance. Of endless carbs. Of cinema and polemica. Of pneumatic blondes and plastic surgeons. Of great cyclists and drug scandals. Of Mario Cipollini and Marco Pantani. 

We came for this exaggerated view, but what we got was a blissful few days bathing in the autumnal sun at two humble, beautiful one-day races in the lead up to Lombardia. As Giro winner Jai Hindley told us: ‘there’s just something in the air, mate’. Take us back.”

This episode is absolutely packed. If you’re a bike racing fan you have to get your ears around this. There’s interviews with some total legends like Jai Hindley, Michael Matthews, Alan Marangoni, and Charly Wegelius, Harry flexes his Italian skills, and the boys take us on an incredible tour around the iconic Madonna del Ghisallo chapel and museum - the ultimate pilgrimage destination for all cyclists.

The boys have finished their season with a bang with this one; the podcast equivalent of winning Lombardy. I do miss the races over in Europe, but having Harry and Stu get roadside this season to capture the atmosphere, tell the story of the race, and share the pure joy of watching bike races has made me feel like I’m right back there.

None of this would be possible without our good friends at SHOKZ, so get across to SHOKZ’s website, and enjoy a cheeky discount for being a LITP listener. 

One more Race Radio episode to go in 2027; their end of season awards show. I can’t wait to hear it. 

Cheers,

Mitch

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

The 2026 Montreal Road Race World Championship was the best race I’ve ever seen. I am actually a bit lost for words after watching that. With Pogačar out, we knew it was going to be exciting, but who could have predicted THAT?! 

A race like that deserves an emergency podcast, so I called up EF Education Easypost DS Tom Southam and Greenedge pro cyclist Luke Durbridge for this special episode of The Race Communiqué. 

In this episode, Luke, Tom, and I unpack everything that went down on the streets of Montreal. 270 kms with almost 4,000m of elevation was always going to be a brutal day out that left only the strongest riders fighting out for the win, and that’s exactly what we got. 

Endless attacks from Pidcocks, dramatic collapses from Evenepoel and Seixas, an incredible comeback from Pedersen, and a ridiculous show of strength from USA Jorgenson, Simmons, and - the eventual winner - Brandon McNulty; you could not look away from start to finish.

Guys, there are just so many stories from this race to list here. You’re gonna have to sit back, get yourself a big steaming bowl of Poutine, and relive this absolutely incredible race with us right here on the Race Communiqué

Cheers,

Mitch

The Race Communiqué is brought to you by TrainingPeaks! Track, plan, and train smarter - just like the pros.

Get 20% off TrainingPeaks Premium now at trainingpeaks.com/litp

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

I can’t believe the 2026 UCI World Championships kick off in just a few days! With Pogačar sidelined, the elite men’s race is set to be an epic showdown, and one of the most open worlds we’ve seen in years!

Of course, that means it’s time for me, Tom Southam, and Luke Durbridge to catch up, preview the race, and have a good old yarn on this month’s Race Communiqué. 

Over the weekend we had the GP Quebec and Montreal, which gave us a great look at who’s in shape ahead of Worlds and how the circuit in Montreal is going to be raced. Durbo was on the ground racing, getting chopped left, right, and centre and gives us some amazing insight into the chaos and tension in the bunch. 

We’ve shuffled the order around this month, so Durbo jumps straight into PeloChat! Durbs goes through the nuance of how to ride on the front of the bunch and protect your leaders, how to know when to get off the front and let someone else pull, and how a team can dictate a hard race by just riding smart. This is the kind of insight that 15 years in the peloton gets you - Luke really showing us why he’s had such a long and successful career as one of the most trusted teammates in the bunch. 

Southam’s Talking Tactics is all about the fantastic Vuelta we’ve just seen. Movistar turning their race around after a difficult first week to capitalise on Pogačar’s misfortune and roll out some real old-school Grand Tour tactics to take the red jersey all the way to the finish in Grenada was an epic spectacle, and Southam gives us all the inside gossip from the road. 

Before we get into the World Champs preview, I wanted to give the Vuelta a proper send-off and discuss the five most interesting points of the race. When will Pogi go back and try to win? Where will Roglič go from here? What does such a strong grandy mean for Wout van Aert’s world champs chances? 

The 2026 elite men’s world championships road race is just less than two weeks away. The Montreal circuit we saw raced on the weekend will be tackled 12 times, but who’s going to come away with the rainbow jersey? Evenepoel, Del Toro, Seixas, Pidcock, Van Der Poel, Van Aert, and more - with Pogačar sidelined, this is going to be one of the most open worlds we’ve seen in years. I can’t wait. 

Guys, if you know me, you know I love a cold one. I also love pro cycling, so I thought I’d combine my two passions for a bit of a laugh with the boys this month - the ‘Beer Bus’; combining our favourite beverages and pro cyclists. Fabian Cans-Of-Larger, anyone?

Durbo brings us home with a CommuniQuiz he’s cooked up all about win records in the races we’ve discussed in this episode! It’s a banger with some crazy surprising statistics, so play along at home and see how you do.

Guys, that’s all for this month’s Communiqué! I can’t believe the season’s coming to its conclusion! It feels like only yesterday the peloton was defrosting after their winter hibernation at Omloop, yet here we are barreling towards the end of another amazing season of bike racing.

Cheers, Mitch

The Race Communiqué is brought to you by TrainingPeaks! Track, plan, and train smarter - just like the pros. Get 20% off TrainingPeaks Premium now at trainingpeaks.com/litp

Listen to the Life In The Peloton Podcast 🔈 lifeinthepeloton.com/listen

Join Mitch's Mailing List ✉️ lifeinthepeloton.com/subscribe

Send Mitch a message 🗣️ lifeinthepeloton.com/contact

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

Every few years, a special rider comes along who does things a little bit differently. My guest on this month’s episode of Life In The Peloton is one of those riders: Dutch legend Taco Van Der Hoorn. 

Taco’s been a pro for almost a decade, and in that time he’s had some massive wins and more than his fair share of bad luck. From getting his hands in the air with a stage win at the Giro in 2021 to spending over 500 days out of racing with a nasty concussion, Taco’s lived through the beauty and brutality of the sport.

Earlier this year, I got to sit down with Taco and discuss not only racing, but what it means to be a pro cyclist, how he got to where he is today, and how his slightly different approach has given him such a long and fruitful career when, on paper at least, he doesn’t think he’d have a chance in the World Tour if he started riding today. 

From training in Colombia with his neighbour Annemiek van Vleuten to studying for a degree in human movement before he even became a professional, Taco’s career has seen him ride for some of the biggest teams in the peloton and carve out a niche as a guy who can punch well above his weight. 

Inspired by other free thinkers like Graham Obree and Jan Willem Van Schip, he recognised early on that there’s more to racing than just power numbers, and he’s used equipment, tactical nous, and determination to win some bloody big bike races and have a good time while he’s doing it. As he puts it, it’s about speed, not power.

Guys, get this episode on, make yourself comfortable, and listen to Taco’s tales from the Pelo. I loved chatting to him, and actually saw a lot of similarities in my own career and his, so this is well worth a listen.

Cheers,

Mitch

 

This episode is sponsored by SHOKZ. If you’re after the best sports headphones - be it for cycling, running, or even swimming - get across to SHOKZ’s website, and use the code LITP enjoy a cheeky discount for being a LITP listener -https://bit.ly/4skq7lK

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

When you think of steep, cobbled bergs you probably think of Belgium - so when Harry and Stu told me the UK had its own Flandrien berg, I knew I had to find out more. As luck would have it, this iconic Michaelgate climb played host to the first stage of this year’s Tour of Britain, so I dispatched my men-on-the-ground - better known as Life In The Peloton’s Race Radio presented by SHOKZ - to Lincoln to check it out.

Here’s what the best bald boy in the bike business Harry, had to say:

Harry: It only felt right that with stage one of this year’s Tour of Britain finishing up Lincoln’s iconic Michaelgate climb, Stu and I should head there to record our next episode of LITPRR. Camped out on the 16% cobbles, we were right at the heart of the UK domestic racing scene, and day one delivered a full-blown GC battle. What a place to watch a bike race! Cathedrals. Castles. A British winner. Quintessential stuff.

I only raced in the UK a few times in my career. I did the Tour of Britain and Tour de Yorkshire once each, the RideLondon classic four times, and that miserably wet World Champs in Harrogate in 2019. If there’s one thing I remember about racing in Britain - it is grippy as it gets. Hard roads, plenty of narrow lanes twisting and turning through the countryside, and downright shit weather most of the time. There are no easy Ks in the UK.

Hearing the boys soaking in the atmosphere in Lincoln really does take me back to proper Belgian racing; the cheering, the cowbells, and the faint sound of riders wincing as the cobbles and gradient start to bite. Oh man, I wish I was there with a cold one taking it all in. 

Guys, this is a real racing fan’s episode. Harry & Stu have netted some amazing interviews with some proper legends, and really captured what this race is all about. Of course, none of this would be possible without support from our presenting partner SHOKZ. If you’re after the best sports headphones - be it for cycling, running, or even swimming - get across to SHOKZ’s website, and enjoy a cheeky discount for being a LITP listener. 

The Race Radio boys have just one race trip left on their 2026 calendar; the Italian one day races that form the build up Lombardia in October and bring the curtain down on plenty of rider’s seasons. I can’t wait to hear what they cook up. 

Cheers,

Mitch

Get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily data plans! Use code PELOSURF at checkout. 

Download the Saily app or go to https://saily.com/pelosurf