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The Cycling Podcast

The Cycling Podcastthecyclingpodcast.com
The Cycling Podcast takes listeners to the heart of professional cycling with weekly episodes and daily coverage of the Grand Tours.

Join journalists Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie – and a few special guests along the way – as they podcast about the latest cycling news and the world of professional cycling.

Founded by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie in 2013, The Cycling Podcast is one of the longest-running independent sports podcasts.

To support The Cycling Podcast, subscribe as a Friend of the Podcast to join our community, listen to special episodes released throughout the year and access our archive stretching back to 2015. Subscribe at thecyclingpodcast.com
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Episodes

S14 Ep9: Air France

It’s another packed week of early-season racing, as we look back on the key action from the UAE, Andalusia and the Algarve last week – and ahead to Belgium’s Opening Weekend. Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch focus first on the Volta ao Algarve, where Paul Seixas cranked up the hype around his short and long-term future with a stunning stage win and top-three overall finish. The winner of that race overall was Juan Ayuso, now of Lidl-Trek and formerly UAE. The rider who some might argue...

Feb 26, 20261 hr 19 minSeason 14Ep. 9

S14 Ep8: The Bull and Crown

It’s been another frantic week in the world of pro cycling, with early season races in several parts of southern Europe and the Middle East. Tudor Pro Cycling’s Larry Warbasse, who began his season at the Tour of Oman, is back in the co-host’s seat with Daniel Friebe to review some of the key action and talking points. The most prestigious of the races starting this week, at least according to the UCI’s ranking system, is the UAE Tour. Many expected a revealing first head-to-head battle between ...

Feb 19, 20261 hr 17 minSeason 14Ep. 8

S14 Ep7: Operation Desert Fox

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 c...

Feb 12, 20261 hr 19 minSeason 14Ep. 7

S14 Ep6: Shock, honour!

...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 Nieuwsblad 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 Borgh...

Feb 12, 202654 minSeason 14Ep. 6

S14 Ep5: Green Card

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 th...

Feb 05, 20261 hr 13 minSeason 14Ep. 5

S14 Ep4: Australia Days

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...

Jan 29, 20261 hr 16 minSeason 14Ep. 4

S14 Ep3: Burn Baby Burn

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 ...

Jan 23, 20261 hr 14 minSeason 14Ep. 3

S14 Ep2: Crystal Balls Up

Gather around The Cycling Podcast Féminin crystal ball and try (and mostly likely fail) to take a look into the future of the 2026 road season. Yes it is that time of the year when we bring out our ‘bold’ predictions for the racing ahead. This time the team are taking safety in numbers as Rose Manley is joined by a bumper number of co-hosts in Denny Gray, Rebecca Charlton and Jo Rowsell. Who will be tipped for success in the Classics? Which rider might be headed for a Giro-Tour double? Who is lo...

Jan 23, 20261 hr 2 minSeason 14Ep. 2

S14 Ep1: The Speculation Episode 2026

The first regular episode of the year is traditionally our excuse to indulge in some rare speculation ahead of the coming season – and Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie are back to uphold the time-honoured ritual here. In addition to our hosts’ often leftfield prognostications, we hear what our international carousel of regular contributors is expecting from the next few months. Which one of our regular guests, for example, reckons that Primož Roglič won’t win a single race in 2026? Who reckons th...

Jan 15, 20261 hr 21 minSeason 14Ep. 1

S13 Ep159: KM0: A Trip To Maindy Flyers, Where It All Began For Geraint Thomas

This episode is KM0 is free for everyone to listen to thanks to the support and generosity of our Friends of the Podcast subscribers. You can get an annual subscription at thecyclingpodcast.com which will give you access to an archive of more than 330 special episodes released since 2015. The final stage of the 2025 Lloyds Tour of Britain marked the end of an era for British cycling. It was the final road race of Geraint Thomas's long career, taking the Welshman on roads he has ridden since he d...

Dec 29, 20251 hr 6 minSeason 13Ep. 159

S13 Ep158: The Juan That Got Away

In this episode of The Cycling Podcast, we continue to round up the biggest stories from the ‘Costa crawl’ of pre-season training camps, with our spotlight this week falling on Lidl-Trek and their new star signing Juan Ayuso. Before Dani Arribas reports back from Ayuso’s curious ‘welcome’ press conference in Spain, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie give their impressions on the newly unveiled 2026 Vuelta a España route. On paper it may be the hardest Grand Tour in recent memory. But will that make...

Dec 22, 20251 hr 18 minSeason 13Ep. 158

S13 Ep157: A Wonderful Quizmastime

You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout… would all be worthy advice for our co-hosts on this episode of The Cycling Podcast Féminin. Yes, quizmaster Rose Manley, defending champion Rebecca Charlton and perennial quiz loser Denny Gray are back for another humdinger of a quiz. Join in as they take on such rounds as Blankety Bonk, the Sound Round and the now infamous Cryptic Criterium. No genuine cycling knowledge required but an enjoyment of puns is advisable. Before all the ...

Dec 19, 20251 hr 13 minSeason 13Ep. 157

S13 Ep156: The Tadej Programme

In this week’s episode of The Cycling Podcast, Daniel Friebe is joined by fellow journalist Dani Arribas for a special bulletin from UAE Team Emirates’ December training camp. Before hearing Tadej Pogačar reveal his 2026 race programme in Benidorm, we find out more about a revamped and renamed team born in Barcelona, NSN Cycling Team. Their manager, Kjell Callström answers Daniel’s questions about their controversial old owner, Sylvan Adams, and his successors. Pogačar’s great unveiling told us ...

Dec 16, 20251 hr 23 minSeason 13Ep. 156

S13 Ep155: Wings of Change

In this week’s episode of The Cycling Podcast, Daniel Friebe is joined by fellow journalist Daniel Benson for a look at how RedBull-BORA-hansgrohe are gearing up for the 2026 season. After Remco Evenepoel’s arrival, the German team are under pressure to deliver on their long-standing ambition to join cycling’s ‘superteams’. This week their riders and goals for the new season were presented in Mallorca, with Daniel Benson among the reporters in attendance. He tells us what he heard and what he ma...

Dec 12, 20251 hr 17 minSeason 13Ep. 155

S13 Ep154: Bulgar Treat?

In this week’s episode of The Cycling Podcast, Daniel Friebe is joined by Brian Nygaard and Michele Pelacci as we run the rule over the men's 2026 Giro d’Italia just presented in Rome. The ‘Corsa Rosa’ will start from Eastern Europe for the second year in a row. After Albania this year, next May it’ll be Bulgaria’s turn to host Italy’s national tour - at a hefty price. In part three of the episode, we hear from Eurosport’s Bulgarian reporter Simeon Kichukov about what the Giro should expect from...

Dec 02, 20251 hr 21 minSeason 13Ep. 154

S13 Ep153: Context, What Context?

In this week’s episode of The Cycling Podcast, Daniel Friebe and Tudor Pro Cycling stalwart Larry Warbasse discuss some of the more intriguing and controversial news stories of the last few weeks. With most teams about to gather for their first pre-season training camps, some also face an uncertain future. The long-mooted Lotto-Intermarché merger still hasn’t been confirmed, raising questions about who will even be in the WorldTour in 2026. The UCI’s introduction of a promotion and relegation sy...

Nov 27, 20251 hr 12 minSeason 13Ep. 153

S13 Ep152: This Time for Africa

Oi you, loser! Or should that be winner? Yes on this month’s episode of The Cycling Podcast Féminin, we discuss our picks for the winners and losers of the season. Our very own losers Rose Manley, Denny Gray and Rebecca Charlton pick out a few notable performances – both for good and bad reasons – from a season that threw up a number of surprises. We ask who faired best and worst from the big transfer shake up which saw many big name riders find new teams and responsibilities. For our mini featu...

Nov 27, 202557 minSeason 13Ep. 152

S13 Ep151: Trapdoor - Inside the Astana Miracle

In this week’s episode of The Cycling Podcast, we revisit one of the most intriguing storylines of the late summer and autumn in the first instalment of a new KM0 series - Trapdoor - examining the fight to avoid relegation from the WorldTour. First up is Astana and their miraculous recovery from a dire position a year ago. Exactly how did the recruitment of a data scientist, new bikes, a bit of ‘Moneyball’ recruitment and a completely fresh approach to race planning revive a team that looked dea...

Nov 19, 20251 hr 3 minSeason 13Ep. 151

S13 Ep150: All White Now

In this week’s episode of The Cycling Podcast, we digress from the usual diet of weekly news and analysis for a check-in with a familiar voice and regular guest over the years, Matt White, who in recent weeks has joined the Movistar’s team staff after over a decade in senior management at Jayco-AlUla. White’s departure from the Australian trade team he had shaped for years was almost as much of a surprise as his professional ‘emigration’ to Spain, although he has lived close to Valencia for many...

Nov 14, 202542 minSeason 13Ep. 150

S13 Ep149: An end-of-season ramble

With the 2025 road racing season now firmly in the rear view mirror, join Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie for a freewheeling ramble through some of the big stories that have hit the headlines in the past couple of weeks. We start by discussing the fragile nature of survival at World Tour level with the news that the Australian team Jayco-Alula came within days of possibly folding, and the delays to confirmation that two Belgian teams, Lotto and Intermarché, intend to become one. Where does that ...

Nov 05, 20251 hr 12 minSeason 13Ep. 149

S13 Ep148: Pog, Larry, Avoid

The Cycling Podcast returns on Halloween for an end-of-season debrief and audience with the rider formerly known by his team-mates as ‘The Ghost’, Larry Wabasse - for reasons the Tudor Pro Cycling ace will explain. After a quick dip into the week’s headlines, including news of Oier Lazkano’s provisional suspension for biological passport anomalies, we open our mailbag and invite Larry to respond to your questions. From Madeira travel tips to the now familiar question of whether Tadej Pogačar is ...

Oct 31, 20251 hr 11 minSeason 13Ep. 148

S13 Ep147: Unwrapping the 2026 Tour de France

Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch, give their verdict on the parcours unveiled in Paris on Thursday morning. The ASO bigwigs have backloaded the course, apparently in the hope of maintaining a little more suspense this year. Will they succeed? Or, in trying to Pog-proof the Tour, have they merely underlined what an impossible task that is? EPISODE SPONSORS Join Cycling The app designed to get you to your cycling goals, whether you're new to structured training or seeking to take your ri...

Oct 23, 20251 hr 6 minSeason 13Ep. 147

S13 Ep146: SlovAlien

The Monument season ended at the weekend in time-honoured fashion, with il Lombardia, and its now traditional denouement of a Tadej Pogačar victory. What more can anyone say about Pogačar’s extraordinary domination? As ever, we at least try to dig out new superlatives, this week with Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and TNT’s voice of cycling, Rob Hatch. We’ve got other reflections from Lombardy, including on Quinn Simmons’ remarkable performance and Redbull-Bora-hansgrohe’s struggles. There’s also ...

Oct 14, 20251 hr 16 minSeason 13Ep. 146

S13 Ep145: Psych!

It’s a meeting of minds on this month’s episode of The Cycling Podcast Féminin as Rose Manley, Denny Gray and Rebecca Charlton take a closer look at sports psychology in light of World Mental Health Day. We hear from Dr Allie Wagener, sports psychologist at the Human Powered Health team about her work. Plus we hear from General Manager Ro de Jonckere and rider Ruth Edwards about the ongoing influence sports psychology has on the workings of the team both on and off the bike. The Cycling Podcast ...

Oct 10, 202553 minSeason 13Ep. 145

S13 Ep144: Seixas And We Know It

The autumn season rolled on with the European road race championships at the weekend - and report back from a men’s road race dominated in familiar fashion by Tadej Pogačar, but also lit up by a French teenager riding and starring on home roads, Paul Seixas. Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie are joined by the voice of Radio Tour, Seb Piquet, to analyse Pog’s latest masterclass and what’s next for Seixas. Before all of that, we also catch up on other news from the last week in pro cycling, includin...

Oct 07, 20251 hr 11 minSeason 13Ep. 144

S13 Ep143: Out of Africa

The inaugural UCI road World Championships on the continent of Africa took place in Rwanda last week. Dominated - again - by Tadej Pogačar, the men’s road race was widely dubbed ‘the hardest edition ever’, but was it really? Team USA’s Larry Warbasse joins Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie to give his verdict and general impressions from Kigali. We also solve the mystery of Nauru’s first ever World Championship entrant - who didn’t make it to the start-line. In addition, we pay tribute to two infl...

Oct 02, 20251 hr 18 minSeason 13Ep. 143

S13 Ep142: Arrivée | Men's World Championship Road Race 2025

Join Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie as they analyse the men's elite road race at the 2025 UCI World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda. No spoilers here in the episode notes. OUR SPONSORS, LLOYDS The Cycling Podcast is proudly supported by Lloyds. Last year, Lloyds began a multi-year partnership with British Cycling, which includes becoming title sponsors of the Lloyds Tour of Britain races for men and women. Lloyds also sponsors the Great Britain team and National Championships across a range of ...

Sep 28, 202552 minSeason 13Ep. 142

S13 Ep141: Arrivée | Women's World Championship Road Race 2025

Join Rose Manley and Rebecca Charlton as they analyse the 2025 women's UCI World Championship road race in Kigali, Rwanda. No spoilers here but stand by for an account of a stunning edition of the race for the rainbow jersey. OUR SPONSORS, LLOYDS The Cycling Podcast is proudly supported by Lloyds. Last year, Lloyds began a multi-year partnership with British Cycling, which includes becoming title sponsors of the Lloyds Tour of Britain races for men and women. Lloyds also sponsors the Great Brita...

Sep 28, 202535 minSeason 13Ep. 141

S13 Ep140: The Call of Kigali

The inaugural UCI road World Championships on the continent of Africa take place in Rwanda this week. The first few days of racing threw up one major surprise, the next few could yield more - and Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie & Brian Nygaard are on review & preview duty here. Remco Evenepoel‘s trouncing of Tadej Pogačar in the men‘s TT last Sunday confounded some tipsters but not the form book in that discipline. It‘ll be Pogačar, not Remco, defending his world title on Sunday - but did t...

Sep 25, 20251 hr 34 minSeason 13Ep. 140

S13 Ep139: Back To School

Listen up class! The Cycling Podcast Féminin has returned after our post Tour de France Femmes summer break and we have that back-to-school feeling. Rose Manley, Denny Gray and Rebecca Charlton tackle some enticing subjects after a number of contentious topics have arisen over recent weeks. We discuss weight loss in cycling, the disqualification of five teams at the Tour de Romandie, Lorena Wiebes’ continued domination and we look ahead to the World Championships in Rwanda. We broach the furore ...

Sep 18, 20251 hr 9 minSeason 13Ep. 139
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