Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP

Ben O’Connor: Chasing Yellow & Calling It How It Is

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The Giro has finished for another year, which means all eyes are now shifting to the big one; Le Tour. We’re just under a month away from the Grand Depart, so who better to speak to than an Aussie legend that’s won stages in all three Grand Tours, nearly won the Vuelta last year, bagged himself the Silver medal at the World Champs, and narrowly missed the podium at the Tour back in 2021 - that’s right, it’s Perth’s own Ben O’Connor! 

Now in his 9th pro season, Ben’s just joined the Aussie team over at Greenedge. I wanted to know what it’s like for him finally signing for the only Australian World Tour team as an Aussie rider representing over in Europe. He’s a proud Western Australian, hailing from Subiaco over in Perth, and I wanted to know how he felt about the riding and racing scene over there; especially after they hosted the Aussie nationals over this year!

Ben’s career so far has seen him consistently improving year on year, and without doubt 2024 was the best season he’s had so far. He won himself a stage early on in the Vuelta - completing the Grand Tour set to go along with his stages in the 2020 Giro and 2021 Tour - led the race for 2 weeks and almost won the overall before being Roglified by a storming Slovenian on his way to his 4th victory at the Spanish race. On top of this, Ben finished 2nd at the World Champs - establishing himself as a real one-day contender after getting the better of the likes of Van Der Poel and Remco! 

Of course, a lot of you might know Ben best for his role in the ‘Tour de France: Unchained’ series over on Netflix. I wanted to find out more about what it was like racing the biggest race of the season with cameras in your face all day, and how he felt about the way the series portrayed him. 

As always, we end up talking about all sorts: Ben’s career so far, the highs, the lows, fatherhood, what Ben likes doing away from cycling, and more. I also wanted to chuck in some listener questions! That’s right, those of you that heard the call and sent in your questions for Ben’O get some airtime on this month’s pod. I love hearing your questions and pitching them to Ben, so make sure you listen to hear what he had to say!

I’ve loved watching Ben’s career and seeing him grow into a real Grand Tour contender. How could I not, he’s an Aussie - especially now he’s over on Greenedge rocking that fresh MAAP kit! It’s no secret that Ben’s number one goal this year is the Tour de France, so I had to ask him if he thinks Pogi can be beaten. What does Ben think? You’ll have to listen to find out…

Enjoy this ep, guys. Ben’s a great guest and I had a blast having a yarn with him about bikes, wine, Netflix, and heaps more. Good luck in France this July, Ben! Can’t wait to see you giving it to old mate Tadej! 

Cheers,

Mitch!

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The Race Communiqué: Del Toro Dominates, Giro Mayhem & MULLET JOINS THE MIC!

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You can also watch this episode over on my YouTube channel here!

 

Guys, the Giro is rolling along, and what a race it’s shaping up to be. Ahead of the final week of racing, it’s still all to play for. We’ve got the mega-talented young Isaac Del Toro holding onto the Maglia Rosa, bookies' favourite Primoz Roglič dropping out of contention, and a handful of riders poised to go all out to try and unseat UAE’s dominance before the finish in Rome.

Tom Southam’s been called up to bat for EF Education Easypost, so he’s cruising around Italy in the team car, and he’s already netted a pair of stage wins with Richard Carapaz and Kasper Asgreen! With Southam away, we’ve had a bit of a roster change for this month’s Race Communique; we’re joined by my old mate and fellow ex-professional, Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe sports director, the Flying Mullet himself - that’s right, it’s Shane Archbold. Shane’o joins me and Luke Durbridge - fresh off the back of the Tour of Hungary - to dissect the racing so far at the Giro and speculate what we might see in this last week of racing. 

The Giro is known for being a pretty chaotic race, and the 2025 edition is no different. So far, we’ve seen some amazing stages, and the GC storyline has been incredible, too. From guys like Luke Plapp - the Plappinator - finally getting his hands in the air in Europe, Wout van Aert completing a monster comeback on the Strade Bianche gravel stage in dominant fashion, and unsung hero Daan Hoole taking some massive scalps in the stage 10 time trial. UAE are gripping the pink jersey pretty tightly, but guys like Simon Yates, Richard Carapaz, and our old mate Derek Gee are creeping up behind him, not to mention his own teammate Juan Ayuso waiting in the wings.

Sadly for Shane, his Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe team are having some pretty rotten luck. First, they lost Jai Hindley - a former Giro winner - in the first week to a crash on the wet, slippery roads of Naples. Then, Dani Martinez, last year’s runner-up, slipped out of the GC and hasn’t looked like his former self so far. Of course, they went into the race with the defending champion Primoz Roglič, whose GC bid looks to be over after a brutal day of racing over the Monte Grappa. It’s not all doom and gloom for Bora, though; young Italian super domestique Giulio Pellizzari has shown a hell of a lot of promise so far, and no doubt has a bright career ahead of him.

In this week’s PeloChat, Durbo shines the spotlight on XDS Astana and their ongoing hunt for UCI points to avoid being relegated at the end of the season. A change in tactics from the Kazakh team means they’re no longer racing for the win, which sounds absolutely crazy for a pro cycling team. Instead, they’re trying to stack the top 10 with riders to scrape together as many UCI points as they can. They’ve managed to claw themselves back up the team rankings and away from the relegation zone, putting other teams at risk and giving us fans a whole other narrative to follow this season.

Finally, we have a Giro-themed CommuniQuiz. I’m Quiz Master this week, and I’ll be testing Shane and Durbo’s knowledge on all things Giro d’Italia. Which former ‘Junior World Champion’ used to sell cleaning products, didn’t turn pro until 26, and then went and won the Giro?! You’ll have to listen to find out! 

Enjoy this month’s Communique, everybody. We’ll be back at the same time next month, just a week or so out from the start of the biggest bike race of the year: the Sibiu Cycling Tour over in Romania…only kidding; of course it’s the Tour de France! 

 

Cheers,

Mitch

 

The Race Communiqué is brought to you by TrainingPeaks! Track, plan, and train smarter—just like the pros. Get 20% off TrainingPeaks Premium now at http://www.trainingpeaks.com/litp

 

🎧 Timestamps:
00:00:00 – Intro
00:05:54 – Race Recap
00:32:11 – Pelo Chat
00:42:29 – Talking Tactics
00:47:03 – CommuniQuiz

Race Radio: Superfans at the Super Race: It’s Giro Time!

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

If there’s one thing the Race Radio boys love more than a pun, a pint, or podcasting, it’s the Giro d’Italia. The passion, the culture, and - of course - the racing; does it get any better?! It’s a Giro special episode this month, and boy do these guys deliver. The Giro is generally regarded as the fan-favourite of all the grandys, and that’s exactly what Harry & Stu are; super fans. 

In true Giro fashion, the race has started with a bang over in Albania. We’ve already seen some amazing wins, some unfortunate early departures, and more excitement than you can shake an arancini at. The boys wrap up all the action so far, talk about some of the main characters of this year’s race, and - as always - tell the stories  you won’t hear anywhere else. The Giro is a race that Harry & Stu have spent a fair bit of time at over the years, so they’ve got some cracking stories to tell. 

Here’s what the boys had to say about this month’s episode of Life In The Peloton’s Race Radio:

“We love ‘grand tour season’ here at LITP’s Race Radio, and in this week’s ep we celebrate the grande partenza of the Giro d’Italia. We discuss the Lidl-Trek love-in, Josh Tarling’s amorous post-stage antics, before lamenting the heartbreaking loss of Mikel Landa. There’s a ‘tourism’ section starring man of culture Tom Pidcock, and we reminisce about our own grand tourism at the Giro a few years back before pro cycling photographer Zac Williams sends us a voice note from the race. Finishing off with a review of two great races also on, Tro Bro Leon and the Vuelta Femenina, this show is amore infinito from start to finish!”

I only started the Giro twice, and only reached the finish once, but I absolutely love it. It marks the start of Grand Tour season, and I love being able to follow the story of the race over nearly a whole month. The Giro is a race defined by the Tifosi - the fans - whether that’s on the roadside, watching on the TV at home, or being pumped directly into your ears in this month’s Race Radio. 

Pull yourself a shot of espresso, pour yourself a crisp Italian lager, order a pizza; whatever you need to do to get into the Italian spirit - and enjoy this month’s Race Radio. 

Ciao,

Mitch

BONUS: Orica Greenedge’s ‘Class Of ‘14’: The Day We Won the Giro TTT

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Guys, the Giro is underway and that can only mean one thing; it’s time for me to wheel out that classic old LITP story of the time I rode the Team Time Trial at the 2014 Giro with the Greenedge boys and we only went and bloody won it!...What do you mean I bring it up every year?

Seriously, though, this is one of my favourite episodes we’ve ever made. I know some of you will have heard it before when it was first released during lockdown, but there’s a lot of new listeners in the Pelo now who may not have heard me catching up with Orica Greenedge’s ‘Class Of ‘14’ Giro squad who took the win in the opening TTT in Belfast at the 2014 Giro d’Italia.

This is a monster ep, with amazing stories from Svein ‘Sveino’ Tuft, ‘Cam-a-carzi’ Meyer, Michael ‘Bling’ Matthews, Michael ‘Heppy’ Hepburn, Pieter ‘Weendog’ Weening, Brett ‘Burt’ Lancaster, Matt ‘Whitey’ White, and - of course - my old mate Luke ‘Durbo’ Durbridge. What a line up?! 

I absolutely loved relistening to this, and reliving the memories from over 10 years ago. This was one of my best days on the bike, surrounded by an amazing group of guys who I’m still good mates with today. 

It’s the first rest day of the 2025 Giro today, so this should keep you excited before the racing kicks off again in Italy tomorrow. Sit back, relax, and enjoy; I hope you love it.

Cheers,

Mitch

From Breakaway King to GC Contender: Derek Gee Gears Up for the Giro

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Guys, the Giro is almost upon us! This weekend, the 3 week beast that I raced twice in my career kicks off over in Albania of all places. The start list is absolutely stacked, with the likes of Roglič, Ayuso, Bernal, and heaps more huge riders going toe to toe to try to take home one of the most iconic jerseys in cycling; the Maglia Rosa. 

One rider who’s going to throw his hat into the ring and have a crack at this year’s GC is the young Canadian talent Derek Gee - and I’m stoked to have him on this month’s pod to talk all things Giro, preview the race, and answer a few questions sent in by you guys! 

Derek’s been a pro on the road for just 3 years, After spending his early years racing on the track, he burst onto the scene at the 2023 Giro d’Italia where he finished 2nd on 4 stages and spent more time in the breakaway than he did in the peloton! I think I managed to make it into the breakaway at a grandy once in my whole career - it’s bloody hard - but Derek made it look easy, and absolutely ripped that race to pieces. Although he didn’t come home with a stage win, he sure made a name for himself and put himself up there as one of the most exciting racers to keep an eye on.

The year after, he made his debut at the big one; the Tour de France! Going into that race, Derek was looking to repeat his exploits from the ‘23 Giro and poach a few stages, and it was great to hear how this focus shifted to GC over the course of the race, leading to him finishing in the top 10 overall; an absolutely huge ride, that really proved he can do it all! 

Derek’s a cool guy. Born in Ottawa, I loved hearing about how inspired he was by the Canadian World Tour races the GP’s Quebec and Montreal, and how that led him down the path of professional racing, eventually coming over to Europe and joining Israel Premier Tech - the team he’ll be riding for until at least 2028! 

After chatting a bit about his career, and how he’s feeling ahead of the 2025 Giro that kicks off this weekend, we preview this year’s race and take a bit of a look at how Derek’s going to approach it. He’s been at the front of races for long enough now to be heading to the start as one of the favourites; so he’s definitely feeling the pressure! 

It’s been a while, but I wanted to bring you - the listeners - in on this interview, so we wrapped up by answering some of the questions you all sent in over the last week. Does Derek see other ex track stars like G and Wiggo as inspiration? What interval session does he use to get race ready? What’s his favourite Celine Dion Song? I ask Derek all these questions, and more, and he’s got some cracking answers. 

I loved chatting to Derek. As well as being a mega talent, he’s a really chilled out, humble guy and no doubt one of the most exciting racers in the pelo. I can’t wait to see him race the Giro - the most beautiful of all the Grand Tours - and reckon he’s a real Maglia Rosa contender. The Giro? More like the Gee-ro……..right?

Enjoy this ep, guys. Sit back, relax, grab yourself a limoncello and some gelato, and get excited for the Giro with me and Derek. 

Cheers!

Mitch

 

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BONUS: From the Peloton to the Page: The Story Behind the Stories

This is a cheeky bonus excerpt from the longer episode. To listen to the whole thing and future episodes become a member of The Pelo. You won't want to miss these exclusive chats dropping throughout the 2025 season!

This episode from the Chronicles is a sneak peek into how my Life in the Peloton  and Svein’s incredible 'We Will Never Be Here Again' books came to life.

In this special snippet, I’m joined by my mate (and co-author) Tom Southam as we dig into the early days of writing the book together—back when we were just two mates sitting down in Girona, recording hours of stories. It’s raw, honest, and a real behind-the-scenes look at how it all began.

Cheers!

Mitch

 

Race Radio: Ardennes Fever, EF Insights & Tales from Liège

Harry and Stu might come from opposite ends of the UK and sport very different hairstyles, but there’s one thing they share a passion for: The Old Lady. Not just any old lady – I’m talking about the fourth monument of the season, Liège–Bastogne–Liège. It’s the oldest of all the monuments, and marks the end of the Classics season – and that’s what this month’s episode of Race Radio is all about: the Ardennes classics. 

The boys are back with another banger of an episode to get you all hyped up for the Ardennes. These races are usually a bit forgotten about, lost in the shadow of Flanders and Roubaix. But, as always, Harry and Stu’s fan’s-eye perspective is oozing with enthusiasm that’ll get you pumped for these races. Harry’s back from the roadside of Flanders and Roubaix, and Stu’s gearing up to get himself out to Belgium for Liège. That’s what I love about these boys – they’re diehard fans that get out on the roadside and soak in the atmosphere at the races, and their passion is absolutely infectious.

Here’s what Harry had to say about this month’s episode of Life In The Peloton’s Race Radio:

‘This episode of LITP’s Race Radio is all about the Ardennes and it’s somewhat of an EF Education-Easypost special, with not one but two guests from the team on the show! 

First up is punchy young Irish climber Archie Ryan, swiftly followed by the team’s not-so-young and punchy DS (and LITP Communiqué regular) Tom Southam. 

The two tell us what makes these hilly races great, Tom remembers witnessing a live mugging during a recon ride in Liège while Archie dreams of a Ben & Jerry’s helmet sponsorship. Enjoy!’

My experience with the Ardennes as a rider is limited; in fact, of all the races, I only started Amstel Gold Race once – I was always more of a cobbles man. But, after listening to the boys yarn about these races, I am gee’d up for the Ardennes! 

I hope you all enjoy this one as much as I do.

Cheers,

Mitch

The Race Communiqué: Roubaix Mayhem, Solo Masterclasses & Durbo's First Quiz

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You can also watch this episode over on my YouTube channel here!

The chaos of the Cobbled Classics is over for another season. From Omloop, through E3 and Wevelgem, Flanders, and then the big one - Paris Roubaix; these are the biggest and best races on the calendar for me, so I was super excited to sit down with Tom Southam and Luke Durbridge to break down this year’s edition of Paris Roubaix in this month’s Race Communique.

This year’s Roubaix was an absolute cracker; totally flat out from the gun. Even before Arenberg - where the race used to really kick off back in my day - the bunch was strung out and the real favourites were taking huge chunks out of each other. Tom, Luke, and I run through the riders that really made this race such an epic edition. Of course, it was dominated by Mathieu Van Der Poel on his way to his third victory in a row, but what about Pogačar?! His first go at Roubaix and he’s up there rubbing shoulders with the big boys, and I literally mean the big boys; he’s ten kilos lighter than most of these guys! Southam made a good point actually; is he going to be carrying some extra timber into the Ardennes that kick off next week?

Of course, we also had the women’s race the day before. That’s something I love about Roubaix; the men’s and women’s races being on different days means we get a whole weekend of Paris-Roubaix action! What a cool race, with absolute legend Pauline Ferrand-Prévot putting her immense off-road skills to use to become the first French rider to list that big cobblestone since Frédéric Guesdon in 1997. I absolutely loved to see the GOAT herself; Marianne Vos, riding in support of her Visma LAB team mate; for me, that’s what makes her a true champion.

Obviously, there’s been other races going on aside from the cobbled classics. We wanted to talk briefly about the Tour of the Basque country, and for good reason; after a few years in the wilderness, Caleb Ewan is winning at the highest level again. What a move that transfer to Ineos turned out to be! It’s so cool to see Caleb getting his hands in the air again, and I think it represents a real shift in mentality at Ineos - who have been looking a bit lost for a few seasons now. 

Southam was actually down in the Basque country in the car for EF Pro cycling - who knocked out a stage win with young Ben Healy - so he gives us a quick breakdown of the race in this week’s Talking Tactics. Healy’s win came after a ridiculous 57km solo move, so this month Tom’s talking about the art of the solo breakaway. We see these long range attacks sticking more and more these days; with everyone aero optimised and more and more data and information being fed to riders. Southam compared his view from the car to being behind a rider in a TT, and being able to feed him really accurate cues about the course ahead played a huge part in Healy’s win. 

Poor old Durbo got a bit cut off in this month’s Pelo Chat, so we rolled it in ahead of the Communi-Quiz! Durbo wanted to talk about race programmes, and how the teams decide who’s racing where. Of course, the Spring Classics is a savage block of racing; and plenty of riders don’t make it all the way to the end owing to sickness or injury, which creates plenty of headaches for team directors trying to pull together squads at short notice. 

As always, we wrapped up with the Communi-Quiz. Hosted by Durbo, it’s a Roubaix themed ‘Who Am I?’. I’ve won a stage and the overall at the Tour of Beijing and Paris Roubaix - who am I?.....you’ll have to listen to this month’s Race Communique to find out.

Well, guys, that’s the Cobbled Classics done and dusted. The Ardennes are about to kick off to round out a monster Spring of racing which can mean only one thing; the next time I sit down to talk to Southam and Durbo will be in May just before the first Grandy of the year; The Giro d’Italia. 

The Race Communiqué is brought to you by TrainingPeaks! Track, plan, and train smarter—just like the pros. Get 20% off TrainingPeaks Premium now at www.trainingpeaks.com/partners/life-in-the-peloton/.

Chapters

• 00:00:00 - Intro
• 00:07:34 - Race Recap
• 00:42:05 - Talking Tactics
• 00:51:10 - Pelo Chat
• 00:58:56 - Communi-Quiz: Who am I?

Until then,

Cheers,

Mitch

Flanders Finished, the Roubaix Cobbles Await: Laurence Pithie’s Reckoning

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I don’t know about you guys, but I thought this year’s edition of the Tour of Flanders was an absolute classic. It had everything: drama, excitement, chaos, and - of course - a worthy winner. I couldn’t wait to catch up with our man on the ground, Laurence Pithie, to hear what happened between the barriers on the bergs of Flanders, and hear how he’s feeling ahead of the Queen of the classics; Roubaix.

Laurence went into Flanders after a pretty nasty crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen the Wednesday before. Fortunately, although he was a bit stiff and bruised, his legs came good and - after over 6 hours of brutal racing - he rolled home in an impressive 11th place. The TV cameras were pretty fixed on that leading group of Pog, Van Der Poel, Pedersen, and Van Aert for the last few hours of the race, so Pithie’s ride went a bit under the radar - but that’s one of the things I’ve loved most about getting these updates from him this season; hearing those stories the cameras miss.

Although he’s still only 22 years old, the way Laurence talks about these races shows just how experienced and mature as a rider he is. Hearing how he raced this year’s edition compared to last year, and the changes he made to his tactics even just over the course of this classics season, it’s easy to tell how professional he is; already a real seasoned pro.

Laurence isn’t racing Scheldeprijs - the midweek race between Flanders and Roubaix - so he actually made the decision to fly home for a few days of normality to reset before heading back to the cobbles for Paris Roubaix this Sunday. Flanders is such a huge event with so much build up, it can be pretty overwhelming - so breaking out the bubble for a few days should let Laurence reset and come back ready for all out war at Roubaix. I mean, just looking at the walls of fans on the roadside all the way around Flanders, I’d need a few days to get my hearing back, let alone my legs!

I have absolutely loved these regular phone calls with Pithie and really trying to understand what those 3 weeks on the road are like from the inside. It’s no secret that I absolutely love the Spring classics; the ins and outs, the crashes, the stories - I could talk about them all day. it’s not all about the podium riders - every single rider in these races is giving absolutely everything, and I think that’s why they mean so much to so many people; you’ve got 180 guys lining up ready to leave everything out there on the road. 

Of course, it’s not all over - the best is yet to come. This Sunday, the Queen of the Classics, the Hell of the North, my favourite race: Paris Roubaix. Last year Laurence bagged himself a classy 7th place, and he’s looking to better that this time around. I could hear the fear in his voice when he told me the weather forecast; after one of the warmest, driest Springs on record - the rain is coming…oh, man, a wet Roubaix! It’s the stuff of dreams…or nightmares. Whether the clouds break or not this weekend, I’ve got no doubt that Laurence is going to get to that iconic velodrome and round out a great Spring classics season with another pearler of a result. Who knows, he might even come home with a cobblestone of his own. 

Guys, thanks for following along on this Spring Classics mini series. I hope you’ve enjoyed these updates from Laurence and the rest of the Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe team as much as I have. In fact, Laurence has actually agreed to give me a call after Roubaix so we can wrap up this series and hear about what went down on the pavé - a cheeky bonus ep. for you all. 

Laurence; this is it now, mate, the big one. Go and get it. We’re all rooting for you. 

Cheers!

Mitch

 

Chapters

• 00:00:00 - Intro & Flanders Recap
• 00:03:25 - Laurence on Riding Flanders
• 00:08:00 - Strategy & Team Tactics at Flanders
• 00:12:10 - The Turning Point: Final Moves at Flanders
• 00:18:09 - Reflections on 11th Place
• 00:24:05 - Resetting for Roubaix
• 00:26:00 - The Allure (and Fear) of Paris-Roubaix
• 00:34:10 - Roubaix Recon & Equipment Talk

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Through the Chaos to the Cobbles: Riding Holy Week with Laurence Pithie

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This episode is sponsored by NordVPN - get an exclusive NordVPN discount + 4 extra months with Life in the Peloton: https://nordvpn.com/pelosurf 

After a big weekend of racing at E3 on Friday and Wevelgem on Sunday, I gave our man Laurence Pithie a call for another catch up to find out how his races went, and how he’s feeling about the big one this coming Sunday; The Tour of Flanders. 

First up, E3 Saxo Classic. Basically, a mini Tour of Flanders. Heaps of climbs including the Kwaremont, the Paterberg, and - Tom Boonen’s favourite - the Taaienberg. If you do well at this race, you go into Flanders the following weekend as one of the favourites. Laurence’s race didn’t go his way, after suffering from a puncture and not being able to get back in the fight - but that’s classics racing. 

After E3 comes Gent Wevelgem. A flatter race more suited to sprinters, but still featuring some savage cobbled ascents of climbs like the Kemmelberg. This was Pithie’s ‘breakout’ ride last Spring, where he got away with Van Der Poel and Pedersen and put his name on a lot of people’s radar as a real future star in these races. Again, it wasn’t the result Laurence came for, but he’s only 3 races into this classics campaign, and I reckon once he gets his tactical nous dialled back in, he’ll be right up there; he definitely has the legs for it. 

Talking to Laurence, I get the sense he’s a real fighter, and hearing the absolutely crazy numbers he’s putting out just to get up these brutal Flemish climbs without losing the wheel in front, I’m reminded once again just how hard the racing is these days. Despite being so young, he really knows his stuff about these races - he was rattling off the names to the climbs like a real seasoned Belgian. 

The races keep coming thick and fast, and today it’s time for Dwars door Vlaanderen. This is the last hit out before De Ronde, and it’s one of those races that, when I was a rider, I’d see as a chance to bag a little result for myself. It’s a lot shorter than the likes of Flanders or Roubaix at just 185km, and the start list is usually slightly reduced, with the bigger favourites resting up hard for Flanders. I reckon this is Laurence’s chance for a result; he’s got the legs, and he’s had a few races to get his eye back in, so I think he’ll come out swinging. In fact, by the time you listen to this ep, he might have already got his hands in the air! After Dwars door, Laurence and his boys are going to get some recon done for Flanders, then it’s time to rest up before Sunday’s 6 and a half hour battle. 

The thing about the Spring Classics is that it’s kind of like a mini Grand Tour. You’re up in Belgium for about 3 weeks with the same team around you, bouncing between all these races - it definitely has a real grand atmosphere. Towards the end of my chat with Laurence, I got a chance to have a quick chat with his roommate out there in Belgium; ‘The Wombat’ himself, Aussie sprinting legend Sam Welsford. Sam’s dropped into Bora’s classics squad for a few of the races, but also to bring some morale into the team. He’s a really laid back dude, and hearing his positive attitude and relaxed demeanor, I can imagine the positive impact he’ll have on the boys, some of whom have been racing out there for weeks now! 

Lastly, I gave my old mate Heinrich Haussler a call. Heino was a classics star in his own right when he was a pro, and now works as a DS for Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe. He gave me some great insight into how the classics have changed since he and I were riders just a few years ago; the nutrition, the tech, the schedule - it’s all come on leaps and bounds in such a short space of time, and made these races harder than ever. 

Laurence - go well today, buddy. Show them what you’re made of, and we’ll catch up after Flanders! 

Cheers,

Mitch

 

Chapters

• 00:00:00 - Pre-race Nerves at E3
• 00:05:39 - E3 Race Debrief
• 00:10:54 - The Toll of Classics Racing
• 00:15:32 - Reset for Gent-Wevelgem
• 00:18:06 - In the Mix at Gent-Wevelgem
• 00:22:47 - Goals for Dwars door Vlaanderen
• 00:25:07 - Recon and Knowledge of Flanders
• 00:29:43 - Sam Welsford Joins the Chat
• 00:33:37 - Heinrich Haussler on the Modern Classics
• 00:50:23 - Final Recon Before De Ronde

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