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 t...
Mar 22, 2025•37 min•Season 13Ep. 20
Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie return to discuss the latest racing and news in professional cycling - this week in the company of Tudor Pro Cycling ace Larry Warbasse aka ‘The Motown Maestro’. Fresh(ish) from finishing Tirreno-Adriatico, Larry delivers his verdicts from The Race of the Two Seas. Who, if anyone, was hot in the often frigid weather conditions? And who still has work to do ahead of Milan-Sanremo on Saturday. Daniel spent the week on the other side of the Med at an even soggier Par...
Mar 17, 2025•1 hr 19 min•Season 13Ep. 19
With old grudges and new rivalries playing out on the gravel roads of Tuscany, Strade Bianche offered up plenty to talk about in this month’s episode of The Cycling Podcast Féminin. Rose Manley and Denny Gray are joined by cycling broadcaster Rebecca Charlton to discuss all the juicy details, plus they look ahead to the return of Milan-Sanremo with a mini-feature about the race’s predecessor, the Primavera Rosa. Ever since Demi Vollering's move to FDJ-Suez and Anna Van der Breggen announced her ...
Mar 14, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 13Ep. 18
Lionel Birnie, Rob Hatch and Brian Nygaard recap Strade Bianche, where Tadej Pogačar recovered from a crash, picked himself up from the adjacent field and still managed to see off a spirited challenge from Tom Pidcock. We ask whether Pidcock should have waited – and whether, indeed, waiting was what he did – and discuss what the rest of the peloton can do to stop Pogačar when he’s in such irrepressible mood. With the peloton split between two week-long stage races, Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriati...
Mar 10, 2025•1 hr•Season 13Ep. 17
Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie are back to review the latest news and racing in the world of procycling, assisted this week by ace commentator Rob Hatch. ‘Opening Weekend’ may not have lived up to all the hype but both Omloop het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne did serve up some juicy talking points. Among the hottest topics in the Belgian media were Visma-Lease a Bike’s toils - and they’re also on the agenda in this week’s ‘Coorevits Corner’, our weekly check-in with Flandrian cycling or...
Mar 04, 2025•1 hr 41 min•Season 13Ep. 16
It's the equivalent of Christmas Eve in Flanders, the night before Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the opening cobbled classic of the spring season. Join Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch as they preview the race and wonder who can stop Visma-Lease A Bike winning four in a row. There's a wistful meander down memory lane recalling past editions, an attempt to capture the elements that make Omloop such an eagerly-anticipated race, and a bit of light speculation ahead of Saturday's race. Sponsored by Sports Tours...
Feb 28, 2025•30 min•Season 13Ep. 15
Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie are back to review the latest news and racing in the world of procycling, assisted this week by Tudor Pro Cycling stalwart Larry Warbasse aka ‘The Motown Maestro’. Tour de France rivals Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard both began their seasons last week - both with instant success. Pogačar’s GC win in the UAE Tour came thanks to stage victories in the two mountain stages to Jebel Jais and Jebel Hafeet, while Vingegaard left it late with his final-day TT triumph ...
Feb 24, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Season 13Ep. 14
Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie welcome Brian Nygaard for his first podcast appearance of 2025, as we look ahead to another prominent Dane’s return to action this week. Jonas Vingegaard starts his bid to topple Tadej Pogačar at the Volta ao Algarve in Portugal, after a year and particularly a Tour de France that left them wondering what, if anything, they could do to dethrone the Slovenian. We ponder the question while also discussing what other impediments, besides his rivals, that Pog could en...
Feb 17, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 13Ep. 13
In the February episode of The Cycling Podcast Féminin, Rose Manley, Orla Chennaoui and Jo Rowsell pick over the UAE Tour, a race which often offers up some key insight for the season ahead. Plus we look at some of the junior world champions of the past in our mini feature. There’s plenty to discuss from the UAE Tour, as Elisa Longo Borghini took a commanding overall victory while Lorena Wiebes went almost unchallenged as she swept up all three sprint stages. Some other big favourites didn’t far...
Feb 14, 2025•57 min•Season 13Ep. 12
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...
Feb 12, 2025•1 hr 20 min•Season 13Ep. 11
Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch are back to recap all the latest stories and racing as the season swings into action in Europe. A little further afield, in the Middle East, Tom Pidcock was enjoying a rip-roaring start to life with his new team, Q36.5 – and we assess to what extent the Briton's victory there could set the tone for his season. We also look at the main takeaways from the GP Marseillaise, where teenage sensation Paul Seixas enjoyed a stunning debut for Décathlon-AG2R La M...
Feb 05, 2025•53 min•Season 13Ep. 10
That's a wrap for the Challenge Mallorca. Lionel Birnie heads to Palma for the final race in the series hoping for dry weather and an incident-free race. Then he reconvenes with Rob Hatch in a soggy, Sunday evening Sóller to recap the day. We hear from Michael Valgren of EF Education-Easy Post and Lotto sports director Dirk De Mol about the cancellation of Saturday's race. And Lionel and Rob take a detour to Palma's two famous velodromes – one old, one new. We play out with The Cycling Podcast's...
Feb 02, 2025•38 min•Season 13Ep. 9
The fourth race in the Challenge Mallorca series was cancelled because of crashes on the opening circuit. But that doesn't stop Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch talking Balearics for twenty five minutes or so. We discuss the safety issues and the impact of the cancellation on the race. Then we ask whether the Vuelta a España could return to the island of Mallorca for the first time since 1991*, and ponder whether innovative, alternative race formats might be the answer to the safety issues. *Correcti...
Feb 01, 2025•29 min•Season 13Ep. 8
In this third part of our series from the Challenge Mallorca, Lionel Birnie heads to the Col de Sóller to watch the race, then returns to catch up with Rob Hatch. They discuss the greatest grand tour rider Mallorca has produced and look ahead to the final two events in the series. Sponsored by Sports Tours International The Cycling Podcast is proudly sponsored by Sports Tours International. Whether you want to ride, or watch the best in the world in action, Sports Tours International can take yo...
Jan 31, 2025•35 min•Season 13Ep. 7
The second race in the Challenge Mallorca series takes Lionel Birnie to the south east of the island and a glorious beach. But what is Ciro Scognamiglio's verdict? We hear from man of the match George Radcliffe, Lionel predicts the winner (because of course he does) and we discuss the impact of tourism on the island. Sponsored by Sports Tours International The Cycling Podcast is proudly sponsored by Sports Tours International. Whether you want to ride, or watch the best in the world in action, S...
Jan 30, 2025•35 min•Season 13Ep. 6
Lionel Birnie is in Mallorca for the five-day Challenge Mallorca, a stage race that's not a stage race. In this opening episode of KM0, recorded at the Trofeo Calvià, Lionel and Rob Hatch discuss the history of the race and Lionel sees two very different sides to the island. The series title – Never Mind The Balearics, This Is The Cycling Podcast – is inspired by the classic 1977 Sex Pistols punk album of a similar name. Now it's over to Lionel and Rob for the Hipster's Tour Down Under... Sponso...
Jan 29, 2025•43 min•Season 13Ep. 5
Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch return to reflect on the Tour Down Under, where the climb up Willunga Hill once again proved decisive and some familiar faces from previous editions shone. To Daniel’s delight, the trio also look ahead to this weekend's cyclocross world championships in France, where Mathieu van der Poel is aiming for his seventh rainbow jersey. Health-permitting, Thibau Nys will be among MVDP’s challengers – and we hear from the precocious Belgian about his past, prese...
Jan 28, 2025•1 hr 18 min•Season 13Ep. 4
We’re back! In the first episode of The Cycling Podcast Féminin of 2025, Rose Manley, Denny Gray and Jo Rowsell are looking ahead to what promises to be an enticing road season. We offer up our 'bold predictions' (thanks Denny!) for the coming months, sparking arguments galore as we work out which count as downright ‘fanciful’ and which are seemingly probable. Potential Grand Tour victors, Anna van der Breggen’s return and winning opportunities for some young pretenders are all up for debate. Pl...
Jan 24, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 13Ep. 3
Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch return to ring in the new season, which commenced this week with the Tour Down Under. After two stages and two emphatic wins for Redbull-Bora-hansgrohe’s “Flying Wombat” Sam Welsford, we look ahead to the weekend’s decisive stages. There’s also a postscript to last week’s discussions about both the future of the sport and its business model - and also what 2025 has in store for INEOS Grenadiers. EPISODE SPONSOR Indeed If you are looking to hire someone ...
Jan 22, 2025•1 hr 25 min•Season 13Ep. 2
After a Christmas and New Year break, The Cycling Podcast returns with the now traditional early-season speculation episode. With suggestions from some familiar voices, Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch look at some of the stories and trends we think may shape the 2025 professional cycling season. Episode sponsors AG1 If you want to take ownership of your health, try AG1 and get a FREE one-year supply of Vitamin D AND five free AG1 travel packs with your first purchase. Go to drinkAG1.c...
Jan 16, 2025•1 hr 26 min•Season 13Ep. 1
The final Grand Tour of the season rolled out from Portugal in searing temperatures and with question marks over several of the contenders. We were there to witness and report on all of it, with Fran Reyes bringing his sultry presence to week one, Richard Abraham dropping in for week two and Rob Hatch helping to bring the ship in to Madrid. Once again, there were talking points, adventures and laughs aplenty. The Cycling Podcast presented by Shokz The Cycling Podcast is proudly brought to you by...
Dec 26, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 12Ep. 138
Journey back to the height of summer and the Grand Départ in Florence with our Tour de France team of Mitch Docker, Richard Abraham and Graham Willgoss. They were there to witness Tadej Pogačar’s domination, a record-breaking 35th stage win for Mark Cavendish, and a historic trio of stage wins for green jersey winner Biniam Girmay. They also endured the horror of ‘the kebab shop hotel’, soaked up the sights, sounds and flavours of France, and almost ran out of gas before the Tour concluded in Ni...
Dec 25, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Season 12Ep. 137
Relive some of the highlights of the first Grand Tour of the season, the Giro d’Italia, with this compilation of some of our best moments from Italy in May. Daniel Friebe and Brian Nygaard were your guides, Tadej Pogačar the race winner and dominator. Along the way, an eclectic cast of characters also made memorable contributions - from Ciro Scognamiglio to Larry Warbasse, a professional truffle to Carlo Ancelotti’s childhood best friend. The Cycling Podcast presented by Shokz The Cycling Podcas...
Dec 24, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Season 12Ep. 136
It’s beginning to look a lot like… a bumper Christmas episode from The Cycling Podcast Féminin. In the true style of an old Christmas TV special, this episode has a bit of everything: chat, music, cameos from a few familiar voices and of course the feared and revered Christmas quiz. First up, Rose Manley, Denny Gray and Rebecca Charlton pull out their favourite moments from an exhilarating and sometimes contentious year of cycling. The hosts are spoilt for choice in a season which saw the closes...
Dec 20, 2024•1 hr 28 min•Season 12Ep. 135
For the penultimate instalment of our Review of 2024 series, we reprise and re-iterate on one of the most popular episodes of 2023, a long & very in-depth interview with Redbull-Bora-Hansgrohe Head Sports Director Rolf Aldag. The venue is again Mallorca, the occasion is again the team‘s first training camp of the winter, & once again posing the questions is Daniel Friebe. Last year, Aldag was looking ahead to Primoz Roglič‘s first season with the team - & precisely that is the main t...
Dec 17, 2024•1 hr 27 min•Season 12Ep. 134
On the eve of Time Magazine naming its ‘Person of the Year’ for 2024, we offer absolutely no surprises by naming Tadej Pogačar our man of the year just past. ‘Pog’ has been briefing the media on what to expect from him in 2025 - and Fran Reyes has been on the ground in Spain taking notes. In this episode, Fran tells Daniel Friebe and Richard Abraham what he’s heard from the Slovenian and some of those who either masterminded or assisted his all-conquering season. Before all of that, we also disc...
Dec 11, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Season 12Ep. 133
We get into the festive spirit with an ‘Advent’ episode celebrating not the impending arrival of a king of kings…but the emergence of several would-be stars in the world of professional cycling in 2024. Daniel Friebe is joined by award-winning commentator Rob Hatch and young Richard Abraham – plus there’s a début for ace ‘stato’ Cillian Kelly – as we review breakthrough seasons for the likes of Isaac del Toro, Oscar Onley and more. We also hear from Onley’s DSM Firmenich-PostNL directeur sportif...
Dec 05, 2024•1 hr 39 min•Season 12Ep. 132
The Cycling Podcast’s kicked off 2024 in time-honoured fashion with our Speculation Episode - a chance for us and illustrious voices in the world of procycling to foretell the story of the approaching season. Did we get everything or indeed anything right? Now, with the year drawing to a close, the three co-hosts for that first episode of the year - Daniel Friebe, Rob Hatch and Larry Warbasse - reconvene to reality-check what they and others said would happen in the season just gone. Who could s...
Nov 27, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Season 12Ep. 131
It’s a bumper transfer special on The Cycling Podcast Féminin this month. In what is proving to be one of the busiest and most significant transfer markets in recent memory, Rose Manley, Denny Gray and Orla Chennaoui discuss all the major moves. With so many of the peloton’s biggest champions making the switch, we pick out which transfers excite us and surprise us the most. We’ll be discussing the comebacks of former world champions Anna van der Breggen and Pauline Ferrand Prevot in detail as we...
Nov 25, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 12Ep. 130
We continue our review of the men’s 2024 professional season, this week focussing on the riders who have called time on their career in recent months and weeks. Daniel Friebe is joined by one still relatively new retiree, Joe Dombrowski, and a rider who is very much still an active member of the pro peloton, Larry Warbasse, as we reflect on the achievements and legacies of Mark Cavendish, Thomas De Gendt and others. The Cycling Podcast presented by Shokz The Cycling Podcast is proudly brought to...
Nov 21, 2024•1 hr 30 min•Season 12Ep. 129
