The Cycling Podcast

The Cycling Podcast returns with another debrief from the latest round of early-season racing, this week focusing on the Volta Comunitat Valenciana and the Tour of Oman.
Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch discuss Remco Evenepoel’s most recent tour de force in Spain and Astana’s similarly fast start to the season, with Christian Scaroni winning in the Middle East. Scaroni also lays claim to one of the best nicknames in the pro peloton (clue in the episode title), but we learn that a new contender for that title may have emerged in Oman. 
It was a busy week on other fronts, with Jonas Vingegaard’s coach leaving Visma-Lease a Bike, Marc Soler dragged into a minor family drama in Spain, and news of a new Lance Armstrong biopic. All that and more in another feisty episode!  
EPISODE SPONSORS
Indeed
If you are looking to hire someone for your company, maybe the best way isn’t to search for a candidate but to match with Indeed. Go to indeed.com/cycle now to get a £100 sponsored job credit and get matched with the perfect candidate fast.
Bikmo
This episode of The Cycling Podcast is brought to you by Bikmo cycle insurance – because let's face it, things happen. Whether it's a crash landing, the heartbreak of a stolen bike, or the ultimate facepalm moment of reversing over your prized aero wheel, Bikmo has you covered. Flexible policies that you can cancel anytime, 50% off extra bikes in your household, protection for your kit, race entries, and even damage while travelling to your next epic ride – they've thought of it all. Protect your ride before it's too late – head to Bikmo.com to get covered.
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The Cycling Podcast is on Strava
The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

...SURPRISE! Gotcha. Yes the mini feature in this month's episode of The Cycling Podcast Féminin is all about two surprising wins from last season. We'll be hearing from reigning world champion Magdaleine Vallieres about her huge shock win last September and from podcast favourite Lotte Claes about the Omloop Het Niewsblad victory which upset all the big hitters last February.
Rose Manley, Denny Gray and Rebecca Charlton will also be covering the less surprising UAE Tour where Elisa Longo Borghini took the overall title for the third time and Lorena Wiebes claimed all three sprint stages. The less than thrilling racing does however give the team the chance to look more closely at superstar Wiebes. An athlete who makes a credible bid for the title of best sprinter that has ever been but is still so often overlooked by both media and fans.
You can hear more from world champion Magdaleine Vallieres in our forthcoming Friends Special, an exclusive for Friends of The Podcast subscribers. Hear about the 1,000km bikepacking trip that sparked her imagination as a nine-year-old in Quebec, her difficult transition into the elite ranks and her rise to claim the rainbow stripes.
Also on the agenda: nominative determinism jumpers, the mystery of the fan club president's notebook and the briefest of peeks at Denny's crystal balls.
Follow us on social media:
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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 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 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 Cycling Podcast is on Strava
The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

With the racing hotting up all over the pro cycling world, we return with the same Friebe-Birnie-Hatch trio as last week to review the latest action and talking points. 
The biggest news story of the week was ASO’s decision to hand Spanish outfit Caja Rural a Tour de France wild card at the expense of the Unibet Rose Rockets. We discuss to what extent Caja’s place on the startline in Barcelona is justified and the case for the opposition i.e. the Rockets.
One man who’ll certainly be heading to the Tour, barring accident, is Remco Evenepoel. His three wins in his first three outings for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe in Mallora augur well for the rest of season. Daniel’s question is: could Remco even be the man to ruin Tadej Pogačar’s Sanremo dream?
Another candidate for that role, of course, is Mathieu van der Poel. He won his eighth world cyclocross title at the weekend, which has us wondering about the Winter Olympics extending his career in the discipline.
EPISODE SPONSORS
Indeed
If you are looking to hire someone for your company, maybe the best way isn’t to search for a candidate but to match with Indeed. Go to indeed.com/cycle now to get a £100 sponsored job credit and get matched with the perfect candidate fast.
Bikmo
This episode of The Cycling Podcast is brought to you by Bikmo cycle insurance – because let's face it, things happen. Whether it's a crash landing, the heartbreak of a stolen bike, or the ultimate facepalm moment of reversing over your prized aero wheel, Bikmo has you covered. Flexible policies that you can cancel anytime, 50% off extra bikes in your household, protection for your kit, race entries, and even damage while travelling to your next epic ride – they've thought of it all. Protect your ride before it's too late – head to Bikmo.com to get covered.
Babbel
Learn a language the fun, easy way with intuitive 15-minute lessons you can do when you want. Choose from 14 languages including Spanish, French, Italian and German. Listeners can get up to 60% off for a limited time only at babbel.com/cycle
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 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 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 Cycling Podcast is on Strava
The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

With the first WorldTour race of the season, The Tour Down Under, already done and dusted, we review the action in Australia plus other early-season racing and talking points from the week in professional cycling. 
Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie are joined by Rob Hatch, who was on the ground to see Jay Vine take his second TDU overall victory. After his masterclass with Vine on the Corkscrew climb early in the week, Jhonatan Narváez’s crash threatened to derail UAE’s race. Happily for them, Vine couldn’t be shaken – not even by bushfires or a kangaroo running amok in the peloton. 
The other hot topic of the week was Jonas Vingegaard’s crash on a training ride near Málaga, amid suggestions that he was trying to shake off an amateur who wanted to tag along. We ask whether cycling fans have a “stalking” problem – or whether it’s the riders who need to change their attitude. 
EPISODE SPONSORS
Indeed
If you are looking to hire someone for your company, maybe the best way isn’t to search for a candidate but to match with Indeed. Go to indeed.com/cycle now to get a £100 sponsored job credit and get matched with the perfect candidate fast.
Bikmo
This episode of The Cycling Podcast is brought to you by Bikmo cycle insurance – because let's face it, things happen. Whether it's a crash landing, the heartbreak of a stolen bike, or the ultimate facepalm moment of reversing over your prized aero wheel, Bikmo has you covered. Flexible policies that you can cancel anytime, 50% off extra bikes in your household, protection for your kit, race entries, and even damage while travelling to your next epic ride – they've thought of it all. Protect your ride before it's too late – head to Bikmo.com to get covered.
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 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 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 Cycling Podcast is on Strava
The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

WorldTour racing is back with the Tour Down Under underway in Australia. The Cycling Podcast returns to recap the action from the first three stages and the latest news from the pro peloton.
Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie, and our very own in-house professional cyclist Larry Warbasse discuss UAE Team Emirates’ rip-roaring start to the year, as well as the predictions we didn't get from Larry last week. There is a detailed meditation on Larry’s 14-year search for the perfect training formula—and the peloton’s broader search for equilibrium in a sport that is increasingly data-obsessed, sometimes at the expense of mental and physical wellbeing.
Derek Gee-West certainly experienced his share of emotional turmoil while attempting to change teams last autumn. We hear from Lidl-Trek’s newest recruit on that saga and how close he thinks he can get to the likes of Pogačar and Vingegaard.
Artwork photograph: UAE Team Emirates XRG / ph. SPRINT
EPISODE SPONSORS
Indeed
If you are looking to hire someone for your company, maybe the best way isn’t to search for a candidate but to match with Indeed. Go to indeed.com/cycle now to get a £100 sponsored job credit and get matched with the perfect candidate fast.
Bikmo
This episode of The Cycling Podcast is brought to you by Bikmo cycle insurance – because let's face it, things happen. Whether it's a crash landing, the heartbreak of a stolen bike, or the ultimate facepalm moment of reversing over your prized aero wheel, Bikmo has you covered. Flexible policies that you can cancel anytime, 50% off extra bikes in your household, protection for your kit, race entries, and even damage while travelling to your next epic ride – they've thought of it all. Protect your ride before it's too late – head to Bikmo.com to get covered.
Saily
If you are travelling abroad and want to reduce or even eliminate roaming charges you need an eSim from Saily, brought to you by the creators of NordVPN. Get an exclusive 15% discount on your first Saily data plans! Use code cycling at checkout. Download Saily app or go to to https://saily.com/cycling
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 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 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 Cycling Podcast is on Strava
The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.