S9 Ep200: The Ghent Six
This week's episode comes from the Six Days of Ghent, which is back this week after a year's absence.  Richard Moore and Lionel Birnie report from a familiarly busy and raucous 't Kuipke on the opening night and speak to some of the star names, including Olympic Madison champion Michael Mørkøv and local favourite Iljo Keisse.  We also hear from Maikel Zijlaard, riding his first senior Ghent S...
1hr 13m Nov 18, 2021
1hr 13m
S9 Ep199: Explore | On the trail of Alfred the Great
For this episode of Explore one of our audio producers, Adam Bowie, takes over on the mic as he sets off to ride the King Alfred's Way in the south west of England. The 350-kilometre circular, mostly off-road, bikepacking route features a mix of gravel tracks, woodland trails, canal towpaths and rural lanes as it takes in parts of the Ridgeway, South Downs Way, Shipwrights Way and Sussex Borde...
1hr Nov 17, 2021
1hr
S9 Ep198: The Giro's slow striptease
In this episode Richard Moore, Lionel Birnie and Daniel Friebe discuss the final unveiling of the 2022 Giro d'Italia route. The Giro stages have been revealed bit by bit this time in batches, rather than chronologically. Has this robbed the Giro route of some of its mystery and majesty or does it not really matter? And what are the other terrible innovations in recent grand tour history? It's ...
1hr 20m Nov 11, 2021
1hr 20m
S9 Ep197: Explore | Mark Beaumont's GBDuro diary
In the latest episode of Explore we hear Mark Beaumont’s audio diary from GBDuro, the on- and off-road race the length of Britain, from Land's End to John o’ Groats. Amazingly this was Mark’s first ever organised race — though GBDuro is not a race in the traditional sense. Or perhaps it is? As well as being a test of endurance, it is an event that seeks to put cycle racing back in touch with ...
54m Nov 10, 2021
54m
S9 Ep196: Lizzy Banks joins...The Cycling Podcast Féminin
In this month's episode of The Cycling Podcast Féminin Orla Chennaoui and Richard Moore are joined by Lizzy Banks to discuss the British national championships and the Ronde van Drenthe, and we hear from Susanne Andersen who is leaving Team DSM to join Uno-X. We also look back on the first women's Paris-Roubaix and ahead to next year's inaugural Tour de France Femmes.  The Cycling Podcast Fém...
1hr 22m Nov 05, 2021
1hr 22m
S9 Ep195: Man of the Hour
In this week's episode Richard Moore, Lionel Birnie and Daniel Friebe discuss Alex Dowsett's Hour record attempt. Dowsett held the record back in 2015, before Bradley Wiggins broke it, and he aimed to win it back from the current holder Victor Campenaerts in Mexico this week. He fell just short but he won a lot of admirers for raising awareness of haemophilia, a condition he has overcome to r...
1hr 18m Nov 04, 2021
1hr 18m
S9 Ep194: Explore | Pavé, Pozzato and gravel
Explore returns for a mini series this month and in this opening episode we cover the pavé and gravel experiencing the old and new of road racing. The day before the women's Paris-Roubaix, Richard Moore and Lionel Birnie, joined by Simon Gill, sampled some of the sectors. Lionel once rode the full 260-kilometre Paris-Roubaix cyclo-sportive but Richard had never ridden on the cobblestones of no...
1hr 14m Nov 03, 2021
1hr 14m
S9 Ep193: The €18million question
In this episode, Lionel Birnie and Daniel Friebe discuss some of the latest stories from the world of professional cycling. After saving the team at the last minute a year ago, is this the end of the road for the Qhubeka-NextHash World Tour team? What’s behind the latest shake-up at Movistar, and does Tiesj Benoot really want out of Team DSM? And if he leaves, where might he end up? 
In part t...
1hr 21m Oct 28, 2021
1hr 21m
S9 Ep192: Trailer: Introducing Lionel Birnie
This is a trailer for a new episode available to Friends of the Podcast. The latest in our series featuring The Cycling Podcast's hosts features Lionel Birnie facing the questions from Orla Chennaoui. Lionel talks about his route into cycling journalism, from a childhood spent making football magazines to learning the ropes at his local newspaper. To sign up as a Friend of the Podcast go to t...
13m Oct 28, 2021
13m
S9 Ep191: Service Course | One hour, three minutes and 59 seconds in the life of...
In this episode of Service Course, Lizzy and Tom speak to two holders of prestigious cycling world records. First up is Ashton Lambie, who at the time of recording is the current holder of the individual pursuit world record, and the first person to go under four minutes in that event. Ashton talks about living in an RV, not wanting to ride for a road team, bench pressing over 300lbs, coffee, b...
1hr 25m Oct 22, 2021
1hr 25m
S9 Ep190: Life in the Peloton – The retirement episode
So, this is it, retirement. Or, to put it another way, the longest off-season of my life. I've ridden my final race and in a few short weeks I will be officially retired from the professional peloton. When I made the decision that this would be my final season as a rider, I wanted to prepare myself for what comes next. And so, over the course of the year, as my mindset has changed and I've got...
1hr 40m Oct 21, 2021
1hr 40m
S9 Ep189: The four days of Pozzato
Richard Moore has been in the Veneto region of northern Italy experiencing the rebirth of racing in an area that is rich in cycling heritage. Richard joins Lionel Birnie and Daniel Friebe to talk about the week's racing and riding. Filippo Pozzato, former Milan-Sanremo winner and Italian national champion, has created a new one-day race in his own image. The Giro del Veneto, first held in th...
1hr 14m Oct 18, 2021
1hr 14m
S9 Ep188: The 2022 Tour de France routes
The routes for the 2022 Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes were revealed in Paris so now the riders know what awaits them next July. The 109th edition of the men’s Tour will start on Friday, July 1 with a time trial in Copenhagen, followed by two stages in Denmark before a transfer back to France where the cobbles of the Hell of the North await. The serious climbing starts with La Super ...
1hr 4m Oct 15, 2021
1hr 4m
S9 Ep187: Podcast of the falling leaves
In the first of two episodes this week, Richard Moore and Daniel Friebe discuss Tadej Pogacar's victory at Il Lombardia, the fifth and final Monument of the season. There's also all the most recent cycling news, including Arnaud Demare's win at the end of a thrilling Paris-Tours, the latest transfers and the appointment of Marion Rousse as the director of the new Tour de France Femmes, which i...
54m Oct 11, 2021
54m
S9 Ep186: Women’s Tour 2021: Stage 6 – Haverhill to Felixstowe
That’s a wrap from the 2021 Women’s Tour. Join Rose Manley, Lionel Birnie and Lizzy Banks as they witness the conclusion of the final stage – the longest of the race – to Felixstowe. The sun was shining, the crowds were cheering and although there wasn’t a drop of rain in the air in the finishing straight the rainbow shone too. Elisa Balsamo, the recently-crowned world champion, finally grabb...
56m Oct 09, 2021
56m
S9 Ep185: Women’s Tour 2021: Stage 5 – Colchester to Clacton-on-Sea
Oh we do like to be beside the seaside… For the second day in a row the Women’s Tour finished beside the sea, this time in Clacton and for the second day in a row Lorena Wiebes won the stage. Join Rose Manley, Lionel Birnie and Lizzy Banks on the sea front as they recap the stage. We hear from Mark Cavendish, who stopped to watch the race yesterday and was at the finish today. Lizzy heads out...
51m Oct 08, 2021
51m
S9 Ep184: Women’s Tour 2021: Stage 4 – Shoeburyness to Southend-on-Sea
It’s another packed podcast from the Women’s Tour. Join Rose Manley, Lionel Birnie and Lizzy Banks at the famous Rossi’s ice cream parlour on the seafront in Southend-on-Sea as they recap stage four. The stage was won by Lorena Wiebes of Team DSM and we hear her finish line reaction and get the thoughts of sports director Albert Timmer. Lizzy checked out the course, we hear reaction from the ...
59m Oct 07, 2021
59m
S9 Ep183: Life in the Peloton – My last Sunday in Hell
So, this is it, my final race as a professional cyclist. When I announced I'd be retiring at the end of this season I didn't know what my last race would be, but then fate stepped in. Paris-Roubaix – a race I've truly loved over the years, was rescheduled from its usual April spot to an end-of-season Sunday in October. It seemed fitting to ride this brutal race to close my career. It's been qu...
1hr 28m Oct 07, 2021
1hr 28m
S9 Ep182: Women’s Tour 2021: Stage 3 – Atherstone time trial
The Women’s Tour had the first time trial stage in its eight-year history as the riders tackled a 16.6-kilometre circuit round Atherstone. But this was about as far from the traditional out-and-back British 10-mile time trial as you could get. Join Rose Manley, Lionel Birnie and Lizzy Banks in the New Swan in Atherstone as they recap a stage that has turned the race on its head – and possibly ...
47m Oct 06, 2021
47m
S9 Ep181: Women’s Tour 2021: Stage 2 – Walsall
Join Rose Manley, Lionel Birnie and Lizzy Banks as they recap stage two of the Women’s Tour, which tackled ten climbs on a tough circuit in grim weather. A break of 10 riders got clear to deny a second bunch sprint and at the finish we saw Amy Pieters of SD Worx win her fourth Women’s Tour stage, while Clara Copponi of France took the race lead from Marta Bastianelli. In this episode, we hear...
59m Oct 05, 2021
59m
S9 Ep180: Women’s Tour 2021: Stage 1 – Bicester to Banbury
Join Rose Manley, Lionel Birnie and Lizzy Banks as our nightly coverage of The Women’s Tour kicks off following the opening stage to Banbury. Hear from Sophie Wright, teammate of stage winner Marta Bastianelli, and Anna Christian, who launched one of the most persistent attacks of the opening stage. Plus there’s Lizzie Deignan, who lines up as defending champion and newly-crowned Paris-Roubai...
55m Oct 04, 2021
55m
S9 Ep179: Paris-Roubaix
In this feature length episode from Paris-Roubaix Richard Moore and Lionel Birnie take us on a journey from Compiègne to Roubaix via some of the famous cobbles. From Saturday's first ever women's race we report from the first sector of pavé and hear from riders including Audrey Cordon-Ragot, Marlen Reusser and Lisa Brennauer. From Sunday's men's race we hear from Mitch Docker, riding his last...
1hr 41m Oct 03, 2021
1hr 41m
S9 Ep178: Look back at worlds, forward to Roubaix
Orla Chennaoui, Rose Manley and Richard Moore look back at the world road race championships in Flanders and ahead to the first ever women's Paris-Roubaix. We hear from Elisa Longo Borghini, who led her Italian teammate Elisa Balsamo out to victory in Flanders, and from the British riders Lizzie Deignan and Anna Henderson. There are also interviews with two riders who were retiring after the ...
1hr 13m Sep 30, 2021
1hr 13m
S9 Ep177: End of the worlds
In this week's episode we dissect a thrilling men's road race at the world championships in Flanders: a race hailed by some as the greatest world championship road race in history, played out in front of a crowd estimated at a million. We hear from some of the riders who contributed to the drama and excitement: Belgium's Yves Lampaert, Neilson Powless of the USA, Tom Pidcock of Great Britain a...
1hr 24m Sep 28, 2021
1hr 24m
S9 Ep176: Service Course | Running up that hill
It's hill-climb season once again in the UK. In this episode Tom Whalley and Lizzy Banks discuss what could be the UK's steepest climb. Could it even be the steepest climb in the world? Simon Warren, author of 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs, and Ben Lowe, the creator of Veloviewer, talk us through their attempts to climb and measure the gradiant of Bamford Clough. Lizzy also speaks to Rebecca Rich...
1hr 11m Sep 24, 2021
1hr 11m
S9 Ep175: Life in the Peloton – Hannah Barnes
I’m back this week with one of the more experienced riders in the Women’s Pro Peloton, British rider Hannah Barnes. After turning pro with United Healthcare in 2014, Hannah has ridden for Canyon-SRAM for the past six seasons and is set to move on to the new Uno-X team next year. As a youngster she was multiple national champion across several cycling disciplines, and most recently won the Brit...
49m Sep 22, 2021
49m
S9 Ep174: The worlds get started
In the first of two episodes of The Cycling Podcast Féminin this month, Rose Manley, Orla Chennaoui and Richard Moore, in Bruges for the UCI world championships, look back on Monday's time trial, won by Ellen van Dijk, and ahead to the road race at the weekend. We hear from the time trial silver medallist Marlen Reusser as well as from Leah Thomas and Joss Lowden.  The Cycling Podcast Féminin...
1hr 9m Sep 21, 2021
1hr 9m
S9 Ep173: In Bruges
Richard Moore is in Bruges for the World Championship time trials and he checks in with Lionel Birnie to discuss Sunday's elite men's race. It was a neck-and-neck battle between defending champion Filippo Ganna and home favourite Wout van Aert. We hear from four-time world champion Tony Martin, who confirmed his intention to retire after this week's races, from Ireland's Marcus Christie, whos...
1hr 11m Sep 20, 2021
1hr 11m
S9 Ep172: Tour of Britain
In this episode of The Cycling Podcast, Richard Moore, Lionel Birnie and Daniel Friebe discuss the Tour of Britain, the European Championships and some of the latest transfers in the World Tour. Lionel reports back on his stint at the Tour of Britain, celebrates the Classic-esque quality of the Great Orme, and asks if there's a way to Wout van Aert-proof a week-long stage race. Plus we hear f...
1hr 8m Sep 14, 2021
1hr 8m
S9 Ep171: Service Course | The 1,000-kilometre sprint
In this episode Tom Whalley virtually heads off to Eurobike for a catch up with friends of the podcast, New Motion Labs, about the launch of their new Enduo chain. Lizzy Banks immerses herself in the world of ultra-endurance racing as she follows the riders at All Points North as they take on a 1,000-kilometre ride around the north of England. A weekend of dotwatching prefaced a nailbiting ru...
1hr 32m Sep 13, 2021
1hr 32m
S9 Ep170: Life in the Peloton – Niamh and Finn Fisher-Black
Life in the Peloton is back after the Vuelta a España and for this episode I spoke to two young Kiwi champions who are going to have very big futures. If you don't know the name Fisher-Black yet, I reckon you're going to hear it a lot in the coming months and years. Niamh and Finn Fisher-Black are brother and sister who are both racing at World Tour level. Niamh is 21 and in her first year wit...
47m Sep 08, 2021
47m
S9 Ep169: Kilometre 0 – The final diaries
In our final episode of Kilometre 0 from the Vuelta a España we hear for the last time from our three audio diarists, James Knox of Deceuninck-Quickstep, Pavel Sivakov of Ineos Grenadiers and Joan Bou of Euskaltel-Euskadi. While Sivakov finished the Vuelta in good shape, and able, he said, to carry on for another week, for Knox and Bou the final week was about survival. Bou crashed heavily an...
1hr 15m Sep 07, 2021
1hr 15m
S9 Ep168: Stage 21 | Padron - Santiago de Compostela | Vuelta a España 2021
The Vuelta a España completed its three week pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela with Primoz Roglic the winner, and The Cycling Podcast was there to witness it. The theme of this final episode from the Vuelta is pilgrims and we tell the story of the 2021 race in six parts, including the Movistar story – with an update on Miguel Angel Lopez's sensational withdrawal on the penultimate stage – R...
1hr 27m Sep 05, 2021
1hr 27m
S9 Ep167: Stage 20 | Sanxenxo - Mos | Vuelta a España 2021
The penultimate stage of the 2021 Vuelta a España served up a feast of exciting and dramatic racing and The Cycling Podcast was there to see it. In this episode we hear from two of the day's winners, Jack Haig and Gino Mader of the Bahrain Victorious team, while Patxi Vila and Enric Mas of Movistar reflect on the shocking withdrawal of a rider who started the day sitting third overall, "Superm...
45m Sep 04, 2021
45m
S9 Ep166: Stage 19 | Tapia - Monforte de Lemos | Vuelta a España 2021
There was another humdinger of a stage at the Vuelta a España and The Cycling Podcast was on the ground in Monforte de Lemos to speak to Lawson Craddock, who helped set up his teammate, Magnus Cort, for the win, as well as their sports director, Juanma Garate. We also hear from the second- and third-placed riders, Rui Oliveira and Quinn Simmons. And we consider the different plights and fortun...
1hr 2m Sep 03, 2021
1hr 2m
S9 Ep165: Anton Palzer and Ben Zwiehoff: Masters of reinvention
For two riders at the Vuelta a España the journey from Burgos to Santiago de Compostela represents something much bigger than a three-week Grand Tour. A year ago the Bora-Hansgrohe pair, Anton Palzer and Ben Zwiehoff, were both pro sportsmen but in completely different disciplines and indeed Palzer had never participated in a bike race. In this episode of Kilometre 0, we find out how they got...
30m Sep 03, 2021
30m
S9 Ep164: Stage 18 | Salas - Altu d’El Gamoniteiru | Vuelta a España 2021
The Vuelta a España tackled a new mountain, Alto d'El Gamoniteiru, at the end of stage 18 and Daniel Friebe and Richard Moore were at the summit to witness the riders coming across the line. In this episode we hear from Gino Mader, who had an important role looking after his team leader, Jack Haig, while also cementing his own position in the top ten on general classification. We hear from Hai...
50m Sep 02, 2021
50m
S9 Ep163: Stage 17 | Unquera - Lagos de Covadonga | Vuelta a España 2021
It was arguably the performance of his career. Primoz Roglic won the seventeenth stage of the Vuelta a España to take a commanding overall lead into the final few days of the Spanish tour, and The Cycling Podcast was roadside to witness it. We hear from some of the fans – from Spain and Slovenia – as well as the atmosphere of the roadside experience as Richard Moore and Daniel Friebe watch and...
48m Sep 01, 2021
48m
S9 Ep162: Stage 16 | Laredo - Santa Cruz de Bezana | Vuelta a España 2021
The Vuelta a España resumed after the second rest day in Cantabria in the north of Spain with a final stage for the sprinters, won by the man in the green jersey, Fabio Jakobsen. In tonight's episode we hear from Jakobsen's leadout man, Bert Van Lerberghe, and from Joe Dombrowski, whose team tried to distance Jakobsen on a climb. We look ahead to Wednesday's crucial stage to Lagos de Covadong...
55m Aug 31, 2021
55m
S9 Ep161: Kilometre 0 – The Sivakov diaries
In our latest episode of Kilometre 0 we hear about the second week of the Vuelta a España from two of our audio diarists, Pavel Sivakov of Ineos Grenadiers and Joan Bou of Euskaltel-Euskadi. Sivakov talks about getting his confidence back after the low of crashing out of the Giro d'Italia, while Bou tells us about how he is coping with his first grand tour and the longest race of his career.  ...
43m Aug 31, 2021
43m
S9 Ep160: The Press Conference | Rest Day 2 | Vuelta a España 2021
In The Cycling Podcast's first press conference episode of the Vuelta a España Daniel Friebe and Richard Moore answer listeners' questions, which ranged from Romain Bardet's English, Team Bike Exchange's woes, the possibility of a fourth grand tour in the Southern Hemisphere, podcasters' use of language and the recruitment process of our audio diarists. In this episode we also hear from Team D...
55m Aug 30, 2021
55m
S9 Ep159: Kilometre 0 – 206 beats per minute
In the latest episode of Kilometre 0 by The Cycling Podcast we hear from one of our audio diarists at the Vuelta a España, James Knox of Deceuninck-Quick-Step. James tells us about his rest day tumble, awkward Anglo-French relations with his roommate, Florian Sénéchal, and getting his heart rate up to 206 beats per minute, in his raw, insightful and entertaining account of the second week of t...
40m Aug 30, 2021
40m
S9 Ep158: Stage 15 | Navalmoral de la Mata – El Barraco | Vuelta a España 2021
The Vuelta a España reached its second rest day but the much-anticipated sort out failed to materialise meaning that there’s a surprising wearer of the red jersey as the race goes into its final week. Richard Moore and Lionel Birnie check in with Daniel Friebe in Spain once again to recap stage 15, which saw a long pursuit match between eventual winner Rafal Majka and Steven Kruijswijk, who ch...
51m Aug 29, 2021
51m
S9 Ep157: Stage 14 | Don Benito – Pico Villuercas | Vuelta a España 2021
The first of two very challenging weekend stages was a bit of a stalemate as far as the race between the overall contenders was concerned but there was an intriguing battle for the stage win. RIchard Moore and Lionel Birnie check in with our man in Spain, Daniel Friebe, to recap stage 14, which was won by Romain Bardet. The Frenchman was arguably the most dangerous of the riders in the 18-man...
54m Aug 28, 2021
54m
S9 Ep156: Stage 13 | Belmez - Villanueva de la Serena | Vuelta a España 2021
It was back to work for the sprinters on stage 13 of the Vuelta a España and in The Cycling Podcast we discuss a lead-out that appeared to go wrong for Deceuninck-Quick-step before going spectacularly right, with Florian Sénéchal taking the win. Tom Pidcock tells us what happened to split the bunch in the closing stages, with Matteo Trentin and Bert Van Lerberghe describing how the sprint unfo...
52m Aug 27, 2021
52m
S9 Ep155: Kilometre 0 – Vuelta Skelter
Tim Moore's new book, Vuelta Skelter, sees him retrace the journey of the 1941 Vuelta a España in the wheel-marks of the winner, Julián Berrendero. Berrendero was a Republican who had spoken out against Franco. He spent 18 months in a concentration camp but was released in time to ride the 1941 Vuelta,  or "the tour of a nation reborn," as it was branded by Franco and his followers. Vuelta Sk...
38m Aug 27, 2021
38m
S9 Ep154: Stage 12 | Jaén – Córdoba | Vuelta a España 2021
It was another dynamic and surprising stage at the Vuelta a España and so Richard Moore and Lionel Birnie dial up The Cycling Podcast’s man in Spain Daniel Friebe to recap the action. Are we witnessing the Three Days of Magnus Cort? Away in the big break two days ago, caught in sight of the line yesterday, the Great Dane won a brilliant sprint finish in Córdoba after a brilliant lead-out from ...
53m Aug 26, 2021
53m
S9 Ep153: Kilometre 0 – Aru-vederci
When Fabio Aru won the 2015 Vuelta a España at age 25 it was easy to foresee the Sardinian assembling an extensive Grand Tour collection before he even reached his thirties. Instead, the trajectory of Aru’s career changed dramatically, so much so that he would not finish on the podium of a three-week race again. Not only that, but Aru decided before this year’s Tour of Spain that it would be h...
18m Aug 26, 2021
18m
S9 Ep152: Stage 11 | Antequera – Valdepeñas de Jaén | Vuelta a España 2021
It was déjà-vu – or should that be Dane ja vu? – at the Vuelta a España as the race reached Valdepeñas de Jaén and a very steep climb past the Andalucian whitewashed buildings to the finish. Lionel Birnie dials up Daniel Friebe in Spain and they initially ponder the Buffalo, Richard Moore’s whereabouts. Don’t worry, Richard joins us midway through. We recap a second stage win for Primoz Rogli...
52m Aug 25, 2021
52m
S9 Ep151: Stage 10 | Roquetas de Mar – Rincón de la Victoria | Vuelta a España 2021
It was another day when the Vuelta a España was turned on its head by a big break, which led to a change of leadership and a second stage win for one of the revelations of the first week. Richard Moore and Lionel Birnie dial up to speak to Daniel Friebe to discuss the tenth stage of the race. Daniel is on the south coast of Spain, the most southerly point of this year’s race, and Norway’s Odd ...
48m Aug 24, 2021
48m