From the team behind Cyclist Magazine, this is a podcast for lovers of all things cycling, whether you’re a sucker for a sportive, a carbon fibre connoisseur or just Bernard Hinault’s biggest fan. Hosts James Spender and Emma Cole bring you in-depth conversations from within the world of cycling by the people that know it best, with new episodes every other Thursday. Guests have included the likes of Greg LeMond, Tyler Hamilton, Sean Kelly, Krishnan Guru-Murthy and more. Make sure to subscri ...
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This week Will and James are joined by ex-pro turned DS, Chris Lawless. At just 28 years old, Chris is the youngest directeur sportif in pro-cycling, but he's got a whole lot of experience. Cutting his teeth at Team Wiggins and JLT Condor, Chris went on to ride for Team Sky/Ineos, during which time he won the Tour de Yorkshire. As a no-nonsense rid…
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This week Will and James are joined by bike design visionary Dimitris Katsanis. Dimitris worked alongside Chris Boardman in the Secret Squirrel Club, creating the pioneering bikes and kit that helped Team GB dominate the 2012 London Games. Ever wondered where the term 'marginal gains' came from? Yep, Dimitris and his colleagues, whose work at the t…
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This week Will and James are joined by Ribble Rebellion crit rider, Matt Bostock. Matt cut his teeth racing track and road, but now pedals his trade in the crit racing scene. A twice national crit champ and multiple Tour series winner, Matt now races all over the globe. In this episode Matt discusses growing up on the Isle of Man with Mark Cavendis…
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This week, Robyn and Will are joined by Mikkel Honoré, Danish pro at WorldTour team EF Education-Easypost. Mikkel talks us through the differences between a team like EF and one like his previous team, Quick-Step; how a small (and decidedly flat) nation like Denmark has produced so many great cyclists; and his thoughts on Pogacar, the Tour, the imp…
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This week James and Will are joined by Carlton Kirby, Eurosport's voice of the Tour de France. In this episode, Carlton looks ahead to the Tour de France 2024, and talks us through the course, all the crucial stages, the likely turning points and the surprise heroes. We discuss the inside track on Cavendish's chances of beating the Merckx record; w…
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This week Will and James are joined by the founder and owner of Factor Bikes, Rob Gitelis. Rob is originally from Miami but moved to Taiwan more than twenty years ago to start building bikes. Originally he ran a factory which built bikes for brands such as Cervélo, Scott and Canyon, but in 2015 he decided to go it alone with the purchase of Factor …
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This week James and Will are joined by gravel pro, Danni Shrosbree. Danni became British gravel national champ in 2022, then in 2023 raced to a storming fourth place on her debut at Unbound Gravel, arguably the world’s hardest gravel race - 200 unsupported miles (320km) across the Kansas prairies. Danni tells us why this was one of the most chaotic…
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Will and James are joined by Ford RideLondon-Essex race director Kevin Nash ahead of this year's event, which takes place on May 26th 2024. Kevin discusses the challenges designing the route, from circumventing weddings to dealing with litter; explains how to deal with peloton physics and the human racing psyche; and divests the secrets of managing…
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This week, Pete and James are joined by Channel 4 news presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy for a rambling (but hopefully rewarding) episode that runs from bikes to elections. We talk about Krishnan's charity bike ride, the Duchenne Dash - London to Paris in 24hrs; his fair weather approach to cycling; his time on Strictly Come Dancing; the role of AI in…
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103. Ex-pro Scott Sunderland on 90s cycling, Classics, Cancellara, breaking stuff and RideLondon
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This week, Will and James talk to ex-pro, team ds and race director Scott Sunderland. Today, Sunderland is race director for the RideLondon Classique and Tour of Flanders among others, but during the 1990s and 2000s he rode professionally for TVM, Lotto and GAN before taking on sports director roles at Team CSC and Cervélo Test Team. Here, Sunderla…
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This week James is joined by BBC Radio 2's DJ Spoony, current host of The Good Grove and owner of a dj'ing palmares as long as your arm, from pirate radio at London Underground to Kiss to the BBC to playing out in Ibiza and Ayia Napa. But somewhere along the way DJ Spoony also got really into cycling. And football. And golf. And Strictly Come Danci…
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Maurice Burton joins Will and James for this week's show. Burton became Britain's first black cycling champion in 1974, and by 1975 was on his way to a stellar career racing track and Six-Day events on the Continent. Here he tells Will and James about his early days living in a butchers shop with a man who never washed, trading bikes or cars, compe…
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This week Will and James are joined by Shane Williams, Welsh rugby union legend, Ospreys star winger, RFB Player of the Year and MBE. After nearly 20 years at the top of his sport, Shane retired in 2015 and quickly (like within a week) took up Ironman. From there, Shane's love of cycling only grew, and today he not only rides bikes and competes in …
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This week James and Will talk to Daniel Troia, who cycled coast-to-coast across America (and back) with no food or money, then made a film about it: We Are All In This Together. With only basic camping gear and his trusty Surly tourer, Daniel begged and borrowed his way across the States in the hope of answering the question of the age: as a societ…
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Joining James and Will this week is David Kinjah, Kenyan former pro cyclist who was the first black African to ride for a European team, competed at World Championships and Commonweath Games, founded the Safari Simbaz Cycling Trust and mentored many young African cyclists including one Christopher Clive Froome. Kinjah talks us through his journey i…
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On the latest episode of the podcast, James and Emma are joined by Maria Leijerstam, a British adventurer and world record holder. In 2013 Maria became the first person to cycle to the South Pole from the edge of the continent. This epic, and rather dangerous, journey took her ten days 14 hours and 56 minutes. We caught up with Maria to hear all ab…
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To start 2024 off with a bang, James and Emma are joined by not one but two guests. First up is Mark Sutton, editor of Cycling Electric and all-round cycling industry news specialist who explains the current state of the cycling industry, looking at the past few turbulent years and what the future might hold. Mark shares his views on the industry l…
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This week James and Emma are joined by Simon Mottram, the founder of cycling clothing company Rapha. You might have heard of it. Mottram is the former corporate branding specialist and lifelong cycling fan who set up Rapha in 2004 at a time when the sport had yet to experience the explosion of interest in Britain. You could say, he made cycling coo…
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This week Will and James are joined by Adam Hansen, ex-pro and president of the professional riders union. As a rider, Hansen completed a record 20 consecutive Grand Tours, riding as a super-domestique first for Mark Cavendish and then for the bulk of his career with André Griepel. Hansen is also an incredible polymath, making his own carbon shoes …
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James is joined by ex-Team Sky sports nutritionist, Nigel Mitchell. Nigel has been a top clinical sports nutritionist for more than 25 years, with nearly a decade spent helping Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome win Grand Tours, followed by work with Team GB sailors, skiers and triathletes and more WorldTour cycling teams. In this episode, Nigel disc…
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This week Robyn and James are joined by ultra-cyclist Leigh Timmis, the fastest man across Europe, pedalling 6,330km from Cabo do Roca in Portugal to Ufa, Russia in just 16 days, 10 hours and 45 minutes. Leigh also held the record for the furthest distance cycled in seven days - 3,589km - and has also ridden around the world. Only that one took a b…
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This week Will and James are joined by Alex Dowsett, six-time British National TT champ, twice Giro d'Italia stage winner and one-time Hour record holder. And he did this all while competing with haemophilia. Now retired, Alex has just released his autobiography, Bloody Minded (Bloomsbury), a candid account that pulls no punches, either when assess…
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For this week’s episode, Emma and Will are joined by the formidable Anna Shackley who rides for SD Worx and, who at just 22 years old, has had a glittering summer. Often the domestique, Shackley has her own set of decent results. Highlights include a win in the under-23 race at the British National Championships (5th overall), third place in the un…
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Joining Will and Emma this week is former pro road racer Christian Meier. The 38-year-old, who rode for Garmin-Chipotle and GreenEdge, recently took up trail running and this year won one of the world's biggest races in France. In this episode Meier discusses falling out with cycling, finding a new sport his ambitions in running. Meier is also one …
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This week Emma and Robyn are joined by World Champion track cyclist Neah Evans. Most recently Evans won the Madison at the World Championships in Glasgow alongside teammate Elinor Barker. She also boasts five Commonwealth Games medals, an Olympic silver medal, and has held national, European and world titles, over a number of track events. Coming t…
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This week we’re joined by ex-professional cyclist turned philosopher-author, James Hibbard, to chat about his book, The Art of Cycling: Philosophy, meaning, and a life on two wheels. It’s a sort of memoir-cum-meditation – a bit like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance – taking the form of a cycling road trip interspliced with tales of James’s…
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Robyn and Will are joined this week by Yanto Barker, former pro cyclist and founder and CEO of cycling clothing brand Le Col. Barker talks to Cyclist about his racing career, retiring twice, starting Le Col and how he got London's coveted Richmond Park Strava KoM. He also discusses ending the sponsorship of the Le Col-Wahoo team and the current sta…
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Emma and Will are joined by cycling influencer and ultra cyclist Liam Yates. Social media has taken over the world, and Liam is all too aware of this, with his sizeable and growing 20k + Instagram following. He talks about how social media has impacted his life, why he posts what he does, and how he finds a balance among it all. He also chats about…
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This week James is joined by Cyclist's very own editor (and his boss), Pete Muir, to interview cycling legend Greg LeMond. LeMond is a great story teller, so this is a long episode, but trust us it's worth the time to hear Greg talk candidly about getting shot and nearly dying, losing contracts, not getting paid, winning it all anyway then finding …
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James is flying solo on the podcast this week, luckily he's with the great Carlton Kirby. The Eurosport and GCN commentator talks his new book 'Sticky Bottle', the new era of commentary, making mistakes and his predictions for this year's Tour de France. Our chat begins at 4m33s. _________ Science in Sports’ energy supplements, including SiS’s GO I…
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This week Robyn and Will are joined by commentator, podcaster and author Ned Boulting, to discuss his new book '1923: The Mystery of Lot 212 and a Tour de France Obsession'. After being alerted to an old film reel from the Tour de France being sold at auction in 2020, Ned set off on a journey to find out all about it including the race, the riders,…
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This week Emma and James are joined by Lizzie Deignan, arguably Britain's most successful female cyclist since Beryl Burton... whom Lizzie just happened to grow up nearby to. Now riding for Trek-Segafredo, Lizzie's palmares includes World Champ stripes, the Tour of Flanders, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Women's Tour, Strade Bianche and of course the f…
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Joining Emma and Will this week is Jenny Graham, the Scottish endurance cyclist who cycled around the world unsupported in 2018, finishing in 124 days and 11 hours, a record that still stands. With her book 'Coffee First, Then The World — One Woman’s Record-Breaking Pedal Around the Planet' out now, she chats about the challenges of writing it and …
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Elisabetta Borgia is the WorldTour's first full-time team psychologist, supporting both the men and women at Trek-Segafredo. She knows the ins and outs of each rider, helping them develop emotional literacy and become their very best. In this week’s episode, Borgia joins Emma and James to discuss how cyclists can harness the power of self-talk, the…
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From how to be a better descender, to how mentally testing cycling really is and the impact of social media platforms like Strava on elite cyclists, this week Emma and Will chat to sports psychologist Dr. Josie Perry about all things mental and cycling. Dr. Perry works with elite and amateur athletes, helping them tune into their mental wellbeing t…
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Joining Emma and Robyn this week is Orla Chennaoui, lead presenter of Eurosport’s cycling coverage. Chennaoui has become synonymous with cycling, but it wasn’t always the case. She talks us through how she came to work in the sport, her favourite cycling rivalry and the growth of women’s cycling. She also shares her hidden talent (spoiler, it’s a g…
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Emma and Robyn are joined by 1984 Tour de France polka dot jersey winner Pippa York, formerly known as Robert Millar, who is now working in journalism and human rights. York, who transitioned after her retirement in 1995 and came back into public life in 2017, discusses highlights from her racing career, the 1985 ‘Stolen Vuelta’, and the current cy…
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Will Butler-Adams joined legendary folding bike manufacturer Brompton Bicycles aged 28 after a meeting with the chairman on a coach, he became managing director/CEO five years later in 2008 and is still running the still-growing show 15 years on. In Anthony's final episode on the podcast, he and James sit down with Butler-Adams to discuss innovatio…
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For a young black rider competing in the embers of the American Civil War, Major Taylor had the toughest of rides. He was abused by crowds, threatened with lynchings and beaten unconscious by other riders. Yet by the end of the 1890s America and the world of cycling had its first black champion, the man they called the Whirlwind. Here to tell the s…
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Mani Arthur founded Black Cyclists Network - or BCN - in London in 2018. BCN started as grassroots cycling club with the aim of bringing together cyclists of colour, but in the five years since it has turned into a movement with members all over the globe. Here Mani talks about his path from football into cycling (and just what his mates made of hi…
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This week Anthony and James are joined by Specialized's concept engineer, Chris D'Aluisio, who might as well be called Specialized's in-house Willy Wonka. That's because two decades with the Big S and more bike-designing years besides has seen Chris create some of the most brilliant, iconic rides in the world, from numerous Specialized Tarmacs to s…
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In 2016, Emily Chappell was the first woman across the line in the Transcontinental Race, covering some 4000km and 50,000m of climbing in 13 days, 10 hours and 28 minutes. It was only the second time the former bike courier had entered, her first endeavour ending in hospital after she was forced to retire with chest pains. Since then all manner of …
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Alan Murchison is a Michelin-Starred chef. He's also a nutrition coach and cook to some of the world's top cyclists. But like all things in life, success is hard-won, and you can't just expect to keep it once you've got it. In this episode, Alan - aka The Performance Chef - tells Anthony and James what it takes to get to the top, and discusses the …
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Anthony and James are joined by author and sports journalist Jeremy Wilson, whose book Beryl Burton: In search of Britain's Greatest Athlete, won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2022. Jeremy regales us with tales of Beryl Burton's incredible 30 year career, from being spied on by Soviet agents to meeting Eddy Merckx at Tom Simpson's …
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Anthony and James are joined by ultra-distance cyclist Lael Wilcox, winner of the Trans Am Bike Race, Baja Divide record setter, Tour Divide record setter, Navad runner up and founder of Lael Rides Alaska Women's Scholarship. Charlotte's BMX Freestyle gold medal-winning run: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTBXNV40XIs This episode is supported by H…
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Anthony and James are joined by Charlotte Worthington, Great Britain and the World's first women's Olympic BMX Freestyle gold medallist, and the first woman to land a 360-backflip in competition (check out the link below). Charlotte tells us about her rise to fame, from talented scooter kid to chef to World beating BMX athlete, and explains how to …
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Anthony and James are joined by Dr Latt Mansor, one sports sciences leading lights and lead researcher in the field of ketones. There is no such thing as a daft question when it comes to ride fuelling, metabolism and keytones, which is good because James and Anthony ask them all, and Dr Latt is only too obliging. Interview starts at 6mins 50secs Th…
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Anthony and James are joined by Mikel Delagrange and Salim Kipkemboi. Mikel is the founder of the Amani Project, which is bringing together initiatives aimed at enhancing inclusivity in cycling and creating opportunities for riders based in Africa; Salim is a 23-year-old rising Kenyan star who rides for Team Amani, and who this year took on the UCI…
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In 2003, Ned Boulting made the switch from darts and football to covering the Tour de France, and since then he's become the voice of Le Tour, alongside David Millar. Here Ned looks back over two decades at the carnival, from doorstepping Floyd Landis to why Mark Cavendish should have (maybe) been at this year's Tour. Ned is also back touring his o…
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Jack Thompson is an Australian UltraCyclist who rides incredible distances, climbs incredible heights and raises incredible amounts of money. As inspirational cyclists go, he's up there, and he's doing it all to shine a light on mental health issues. And because he quite likes riding a bike. Interview starts at 3min 52secs For more on the Cyclist M…
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