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.
In this week's episode of Spin Cycle, Jonny Long breaks down his plan for the future of pro road cycling. National teams, a Classics Cup, a draft, and more. It's big, it's bold, it's almost certainly impossible, but it's a lot of fun to talk about. Plus, Thibau Nys and Mathieu van der Poel are going skiing, teams have to go to more races, and Tom Pidcock is a bit cheap.
Head to Escapecollective.com/member to sign up today. On this week's Spin Cycle: Carbon monoxide inhalation has been banned, a beef with another podcast (these two are related), cyclocross worlds happened, and Lenny Martinez may have made a mistake. Plus lots more besides.
We just want to watch cycling on TV for a reasonable price. Is that too much to ask? Caley, Jonny, and Dane kick off the show with a discussion of the new unfortunate and expensive reality for anybody trying to watch bike racing in the UK. How exactly do these rights work and what do major players like ASO think about it all? Should we start doing VPN affiliate links? Then, back to Pidcock Paddock, which is already filling with new silverware. Plus, Ritchey lost its rainbows and Rigoberto Uran s...
Is the pro cycling calendar an all-you-can-eat buffet? Jonny Long thinks so. Caley Fretz just wants to go to a normal restaurant, and will certainly avoid the bucket of shrimps. This week's episode kicks off with an update on the various new and interesting ways Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos have managed to trip over themselves. Then, Kit Nicholson provides the penultimate sincere cyclocross update of the year. Plus, Caley and Jonny have apologies to issue and there's Tour Down Under to discuss....
Sign up for Escape Collective today at escapecollective.com This week's Spin Cycle podcast kicks off with Caleb Ewan's transfer to Ineos Grenadiers after mysteriously disappearing from Jayco's website weeks ago. Then we discuss Danny Van Poppel's yellow card for blocking at the Tour Down Under, and consider whether the yellow card system adequately penalizes dangerous riding. New feed zone rules are in effect, will we see more hunger knocks? In other news, Mark Cavendish has posted a very detail...
Ronan, Kit, and Abby join Jonny to discuss Jonas Vingegaard's recent, slightly explosive comments that other teams are using carbon monoxide for performance gains (if only someone else had reported that could be a possibility ey, Ronan) while Visma-Lease a Bike also officially decommission its Control Van. Elsewhere, Abby talks us through a surprising women's edition of the Tour Down Under, while Matt is on the ground for us in Adelaide at both TDUs to set the scene for us. Finally, we react to ...
Sign up for Escape Collective today at escapecollective.com Welcome back to Spin Cycle, your twice-weekly dose of the biggest stories in cycling. Now on Fridays too! In this episode, we dive into the swirling rumors around the Tour de France potentially incorporating the iconic Montmartre climb into the final stage. Could this shake up the iconic Champs-Élysées sprint finish? Or would it just be window dressing? Next, Richard Plugge has responded to criticism of his One Cycling project. We disse...
Sign up for Escape Collective today at escapecollective.com Spin Cycle, now earlier in the week! This episode dives into the Australian Nationals, focusing on the win by Luke Durbridge and the strategic role of Luke Plapp. Caley, Jonny, and Kit examine the unusual situation surrounding Caleb Ewan's contract with Jayco Alula and what we hear is going on behind the scenes. Also on the docket: Upcoming races like the Tour Down Under, Jonas Vingegaard's potential participation in the World Champions...
This episode of Spin Cycle kicks off with a discussion of One Cycling , a controversial proposal to restructure professional cycling with financial backing from Saudi Arabia. The hosts and guest reporter Chris Marshall Bell debate the project, considering the perspectives of teams, fans, and race organizers like ASO. Then, Kit and Jonny provide cyclocross updates of varying earnestness. And finally, Ronan bats back some of the recent proposals to make cycling safer....
Tadej Pogačar wins Roubaix? Demi Vollering wins two Grand Tours? Aero bikes will come back with a Vengeance? (See what we did there?) The Spin Cycle crew sit down to make some bold predictions for 2025. Who will be most wrong?
The final Spin Cycle episode of 2024 is a Christmas-themed quiz! Big thanks to Spooky from our member discord for creating about half of it, and thanks to every single one of you for joining us throughout the year.
On this week's episode of Spin Cycle, Caley Fretz, Jonny Long, and Kit Nicholson discuss Eddy Merckx, cyclocross, the Giro start list, and the return of the milk wars.
On this week's Spin Cycle, we dive into the biggest milk-related controversy to hit cycling since Eddy Merckx hung up his wheels, plus: Tom Pidcock's unique sponsorship arrangement with Scott and Pinarello, and the implications for Ineos and Q36.5. David Gaudu's new look and philosophical approach to racing. Tadej Pogačar's 2025 race schedule, which includes a return to the Tour of Flanders and a possible Giro d'Italia appearance. Maxim Van Gils's transfer to Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe and the team...
Tom Pidcock is leaving INEOS Grenadiers at the end of the year, likely to join Q36.5. What does it mean for Pidcock, and what does it mean for his (potential) new team? Remco Evenepoel was injured in a crash with a mail truck and Jonny has invented a new quiz. Plus, Steve Cummings, a former INEOS rider and sports director, is joining Team Jayco AlUla. Cummings’ press release throws some fantastic shade, while his tactical acumen will be a valuable asset to Jayco AlUla and its leader, Ben O'Conno...
Jonny Long, Kit Nicholson, and Dane Cash break down all the news from the world of cycling, and then Dane, Caley Fretz, and Ronan Mc Laughlin tackle listener questions in a Thanksgiving-week mailbag.
This week on Spin Cycle: Caley, Jonny, and Ronan revisit the story of carbon monoxide use in the pro peloton, discussing Romain Bardet's ridiculously eloquent statements against its use for performance enhancement. The conversation then shifts to Red Bull's sponsorship of the Bora-Hansgrohe team and whether the team is poised to "level up" in the 2025 season after limited financial support from Red Bull in 2024. The hosts highlight the team’s recent hires, Dan Bigham and Johnny Wale, as potentia...
This is a members-only episode and will cut off about halfway on this free feed. To access members-only episodes, become a member today . If you're already a member, head over here to get the feed . In this special episode, Caley and Jonny are joined by reporter Chris Marshall Bell to take you behind the curtain and onto the cutting room floor of our recent Skyfall feature. We discuss the origins of the story, how it was reported, and dive further into some of its major topics, particularly the ...
From its incarnation as Team Sky in 2010, the team swiftly rose in the sport's ranks, winning seven Tours de France in eight years. But after billionaire Jim Ratcliffe purchased the team and rebranded it as the Ineos Grenadiers, its position atop the sport has eroded – slowly at first but with increasing speed. In just a few years, cycling's once-dominant stage racing team has transformed from an innovative powerhouse into a rudderless corporation, haemorrhaging talent and results despite its ma...
In this week's episode, Caley, Jonny, Kit, and Dane dissect Mark Cavendish's recent "retirement" from professional cycling and the unbroken kayfabe (the practice of pretending staged events are real) of his final "race." Then the crew explore the uncertain future of Astana, which faces potential relegation. The hosts discuss Astana's recent hiring of Alex Dowsett as their aero expert, noting a growing British influence within the team. This leads to speculation about whether Cavendish might join...
Is the cycling off-season ever really off? Even though road racing has been done for a while (except for Saitama, of course!), there's plenty to talk about. Tadej Pogačar's new contract with UAE is massive - €8 million a year until 2030, making him the highest-paid rider in the peloton. It's sparked a larger discussion about the economics of pro cycling and how teams are built around these superstar riders. Demi Vollering’s move from SD Works to FDJ is a big shakeup in the women’s peloton. It se...
Jonny Long, Kit Nicholson, and Dane Cash join Caley Fretz to break down the route of the 2025 Tours de France (men's and women's), and they also talk squirrels, rally car racing, and crypto in cycling.
This week on the Spin Cycle podcast, Caley, Jonny, and Kit kick off with an update on Tom Pidcock's dramatic transfer saga. It turns out he's going nowhere. Or is he? This whole situation adds to the growing narrative that INEOS is a difficult team to be on, as evidenced by Ethan Hayter's recent comments about the "weird environment." Despite the failed transfer, it sounds like there are a few other teams still interested in acquiring Pidcock, but it'll probably take a hefty buyout to pry him aw...
This episode of the Spin Cycle Podcast focuses on the latest developments in the Tom Pidcock saga. Caley, Jonny, and Kit discuss rumors of his potential move to Q36.5, a second-tier team. What are the implications of the move for Pidcock's career? Is there potential for Q36.5 to rise in the ranks of professional cycling with a billionaire backer and Doug Ryder at the helm? We dissect the media frenzy surrounding Pidcock's withdrawal from Il Lombardia and the lack of clear communication from Ineo...
This week on the Spin Cycle podcast, Caley, Kit, and Jonny discuss the UCI's proposed change to the 3K rule and the peloton's protest of the dangerous racing conditions at Tre Valli Varesine. Plus, discussion of Tadej Pogačar's first post-Worlds victory and subsequent hefting aloft of a giant mortadella. We then pivot to a discussion of Strava's beta "Athlete Intelligence" feature, sharing humorous examples of its feedback and debating its purpose. Luke Rowe's surprising transfer from Ineos Gren...
In this episode of the Spin Cycle podcast, Caley, Kit, Jonny, and Ronan focus on the recent UCI Road World Championships, discussing both the thrilling victories and the controversial incidents that unfolded in Zurich. We recap the men’s and women’s races, highlighting Tadej Pogačar’s extraordinary solo attack in the men’s race and exploring the Dutch women’s team’s unexpected loss, which stemmed from tactical errors. We break down the women's race, examining the unusual dynamic between the Dutc...
Jonny Long and Kit Nicholson join Caley Fretz to talk about Remco Evenepoel's breakfast and the up-and-comers at Worlds, with Abby Mickey making an appearance to discuss the Tashkent City women's team and Dane Cash joining to preview the road races in Zurich.
Welcome to the first episode of the Spin Cycle podcast, formerly Placeholders. This week on the show: - The Ineos pain train continues as extremely Ineos man Luke Rowe is apparently headed to... Decathlon. - Simon Yates is taking a pay cut - SRAM loves cables again - The UCI president is running for IOC president - And more...
Kit Nicholson, Dane Cash, and Ronan Mc Laughlin join Caley Fretz on this week's Placeholders for a Vuelta debrief, some kit discussion, Britain corner, and more.
Johnny Long and Ronan Mc Laughlin join Caley Fretz on this week's Placeholders to discuss the Vuelta, Remco Evenpoel, transfers, and more from around the cycling world.
