Ever wondered what life is like as a professional cyclist? Australian ex-professional cyclist Mitch Docker takes you inside the world of Professional Cycling. Bringing you the stories behind the individuals in the sport - from the pros in the peloton to staff behind the teams - to commentators & legends, plus training insights & debriefs on major races throughout the year. It’s all here! Newly retired from the professional peloton, Mitch is exploring his new pelotons - all the pelotons that exist outside of the world tour - bringing you new stories from within the cycling community. His spin off series, Talking Luft - a bit like the DVD Extras - is where cycling style & culture takes centre stage. Talking cycling caps, bikes, kit, coffee stops, training loops and all the best things about riding a bike. Listen to all episodes here weekly! Find all our episodes, merch and more at lifeinthepeloton.com
Episodes
Wednesday Feb 23, 2022
Wednesday Feb 23, 2022
Rapha presents Life the Peloton
Are the best pro cyclists simply born that way - if so, is it Mum or Dad whose genetics have the biggest impact? What would happen to riders if Grand Tours were six weeks long? Dr Andre La Gerche is a sports cardiologist whose work with top athletes - including many pro cyclists, gives us answers to these questions.
I talked to Dr La Gerche here in Melbourne for the latest episode of the pod and got to ask the important questions about the heart and performance, as well as, for good measure, clarifying his position on choosing training or beers (never both!)
... (Read full blurb at lifeinthepeloton.com)
Cheers,
Mitch
Listen
Listen & Subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.
Show Notes
Episode breakdown:
0:00min to 1:30 – Episode Intro
1:30min to 2:42 – Intro to Dr Andre La Gerche
2:42min to 51:20 – Episode with Dr. Andre La Gerche
51:20min to end – Outro and next episode preview
. . .
This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.
. . .
Keep in touch
Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com
Listen to our short spin off series Talking Luft presented by Rapha – much like DVD Extras, every second week.
Follow us on socials:
Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton
Twitter: @lifeinthepelo
Merch
LITP x ÇOIS Cycling: Find the last sizes of the Road Worlds Collection at coiscycling.com. Snapbacks have now been restocked. Shop now!
LITP Cycling Caps: Jump over to our online shop to grab one.
Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..
Theme Music
The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.
Subscribe
Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.
Wednesday Feb 16, 2022
Wednesday Feb 16, 2022
Rapha presents Talking Luft!
Photo: Mason Hender
Talking Luft is back for another week of cycling style & lifestyle chat and learning a little bit extra about my guest from last week.
Last week on the podcast I had Peta Mullens, Australian champion in multiple bike disciplines, talking about her diverse career and following her passion through the ups and downs in the sport. It was a super inspiring chat and I loved hearing Peta's story as well as her new role at Team Roxsolt Liv SRAM.
This week with Peta we dive into a bit of fun with Talking Luft – we chat cap style & kit style – where she makes a damning confession about her personal kit collection, her favourite training loop, her favourite race on the road and trail, plus some incredible stories and a war story from her favourite enduro mountain bike race, Tour of East Timor.
If you loved her episode from last week you’ll love this one!
Enjoy and stay tuned for my episode next week with Cardiologist Andre LeGerche, where we talk heart adaptations in athletes, heart health with exercise and much more.
Cheers,
Mitch
ListenListen & subscribe to this series on Life in the Peloton at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher or your favourite pod app.
Show NotesWatch Peta’s ‘Most Re-watchable Race’: The 2018 Elite Women Val di Sole MTB World Cup:
. . .
This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.
. . .
Episode breakdown:
0:00 to 3:00min – Snippet from Life in the Peloton Episode 3 with Peta Mullens
3:00 to 5:00 – Episode Intro
3:00 to 33:30 – Talking Luft with Peta Mullens
33:00 to end – Outro
Keep in touchFind all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com
Listen to our short spin off series Talking Luft presented by Rapha – much like DVD Extras, every second week.
Follow us on socials:
Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton
Twitter: @lifeinthepelo
MerchLITP x ÇOIS Cycling: Find the last sizes of the Road Worlds Collection at coiscycling.com. Snapbacks have now been restocked. Shop now!
LITP Cycling Caps: Jump over to our online shop to grab one.
Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..
Theme MusicThe theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.
SubscribeSign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.
Wednesday Feb 09, 2022
Wednesday Feb 09, 2022
Peta Mullens is an Australian star of track and field – and anywhere else you can find to put a bike race on. From MTB to track to CX to road: if you can name the discipline then she’s probably won a national title in it. I spoke to Peta about her diverse career, making tough decisions to follow her gut, as well as her current role as an athlete and director of one of Australia’s most exciting teams, Roxsolt Liv SRAM.
Photo: Mason Henders
. . .
I have loved following the women’s racing across the Australian Summer of Cycling this year. From the Bay Crits at the start of January to the Santos Festival of Cycling which concluded a couple of weeks ago, the fantastic racing kept me glued to the TV over summer.
One of the standout teams has been Roxsolt Liv SRAM. After Nicole Frain won a memorable National Road Race title in Ballarat, the team followed up by helping their new National Champion onto the final podium at the Festival of Cycling in Adelaide, whilst placing two teammates inside the top ten.
For this episode, I spoke to one of the driving forces of this team whose own story in cycling is as unique as her presence is inspirational for the athletes around her.
Known simply as Mom by her teammates, Peta Mullens has been a national champion on the road, track, MTB and cyclo-cross. A well-respected figure in Australian cycling she has been a pro on the road and has represented Australia in multiple disciplines over the years in World Championships and the Commonwealth Games.
Peta is without doubt a natural athlete. Beginning her sporting career by going on twenty-plus kilometre runs with her dad after school, she switched to track cycling as a youngster and simply never looked back.
Her story is interesting to me because, as you’ll learn, she has always remained in control of her destiny on and off the bike, often refusing to bow down to pressure, despite people’s expectations. She explained to me what drove her to make decisions to step away from the sport at times, and how changing disciplines kept her passion alive.
These days she is a director and athlete at the Roxsolt team, where she leads by example on and off the road, and she isn’t ruling out trying to take the team all the way to the biggest races in the world.
It was great to chat to Peta, I found hers a fresh perspective on managing a cycling career & inspiring in her resilience and passion for the sport.
She was also good enough to explain to me what 'YOLO' means and why that underpins her and her team’s philosophy.
I hope you guys also enjoy her story and her take on life in the peloton.
Cheers,
Mitch
ListenLoved this episode? Subscribe and listen to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.
Show NotesEpisode breakdown:
0:00min to 3:20 – Intro to Peta Mullens
3:20min to 32:20 – Peta's Story through cycling
32:20min to 1:00:20 – Roxsolt Liv SRAM and the future
1:00:20min to end – Outro and next episode preview
. . .
This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.
. . .
Keep in touchFind all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com
Listen to our short spin off series Talking Luft presented by Rapha – much like DVD Extras, every second week.
Follow us on socials:
Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton
Twitter: @lifeinthepelo
MerchLITP x ÇOIS Cycling: Find the last sizes of the Road Worlds Collection at coiscycling.com. Snapbacks have now been restocked. Shop now!
LITP Cycling Caps: Jump over to our online shop to grab one.
Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..
Theme MusicThe theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.
SubscribeSign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.
Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
Rapha presents Talking Luft!
Talking Luft is back for another week of chat about cycling style & culture, bikes, kits, coffee stops and all the best bits about riding a bike.
I had Aussie legend Stuey O’Grady on the podcast last week, and this week I hear a little bit more about him; about his style back in the day, his favourite race, training loops and all-time favourite bike.
He raced in the era of casquettes and no helmets and contested many a sprint finish helmet-less – and even admits that it’s mind boggling to imagine that was the done thing.
It’s always great hearing stories from the guys that raced back in the wild 80s & 90s – it’s no secret that’s my favourite era of bike racing – and Stuey had no shortage of stories to tell, with an epic war story from the Tour de France 1997.
If you haven’t listened to my episode with Stuey from last week, be sure to head back and check it out, there are some incredible stories from his iconic victories in the Tour de France, Olympics and Paris-Roubaix (couldn’t skip that one!). You’ll hear a little snippet in this episode.
But for now enjoy Talking Luft with Stuey. And stay tuned next week for my episode of LITP with Aussie Pro with Roxsolt Liv SRAM Peta Mullens.
Cheers,
Mitch
ListenListen to this series on Life in the Peloton at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher or your favourite pod app.
Show NotesEpisode breakdown:
0:00 to 1:40 – Snippet from LITP Episode 2 with Stuart O’grady
1:40 to 3:50 – Episode Introduction
3:50 to 25:00 – Talking Luft with Stuart O’Grady
25:00 to end – Outro
. . .
Stuey's 'Most Re-watchable race' - or most watched race (he admits he doesn't watch many.) The race that planted the scene when Stuey was a boy & that he has on video cassette: Paris Roubaix 1983
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpSjmv6C6Dc
. . .
This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.
Keep in touchFind all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com
Listen to our short spin off series Talking Luft presented by Rapha – much like DVD Extras, every second week.
Follow us on socials:
Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton
Twitter: @lifeinthepelo
MerchLITP x ÇOIS Cycling: Find the last sizes of the Road Worlds Collection at coiscycling.com. Snapbacks have now been restocked. Shop now!
LITP Cycling Caps: Jump over to our online shop to grab one.
Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..
Theme MusicThe theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.
SubscribeSign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.
Wednesday Jan 26, 2022
Wednesday Jan 26, 2022
Rapha presents Life in the Peloton
Stuart O’Grady is an absolute legend of the sport: He’s a Roubaix winner, an Olympic Gold medallist, a trailblazer for Aussie pros in Europe, and now race director of Australia’s top cycling event, the Tour Down Under. In this episode, we go in-depth on all of this and more. It’s a fascinating insight into the career of one of the most accomplished people in cycling.
(Read detailed summary below)
. . .
It’s January, I’m in Australia; it’s Tour Down Under time.
As we all probably know, the World Tour peloton won’t be at the TDU this year, and I’m enjoying my first January in a long time not having to think about racing. However, I thought who better to bring on the pod than the legend himself, Adelaide’s Stuart O’Grady.
Stuey wasn’t just a huge inspiration, but for the generations of Australian riders who followed in his wheel tracks, he was a real pioneer.
Stuey went to his first Olympics as an eighteen year-old before turning pro with the French Gan team in the mid-nineties. In just a few years he went from being a risky signing for an almost entirely French team to a Tour de France stage winner and a mainstay of the team.
I kicked off the pod by asking about these early days and how his career on the road began. I also wanted to know what it was like coming full circle and ending up finishing his career in Australia’s own World Tour team, a project that would never have come to life without his successes in Europe.
We also go back to the track to get into his Gold medal ride in Athens, a crowning achievement for the six-time Olympian.
Of course, I couldn’t not discuss his win Paris Roubaix. Stuey tells how the day unfolded, from puncturing in the Areneberg forest to winning alone in the Roubaix velodrome.
These days he has a new career as the race director at the the Tour Down Under, and I used the opportunity to find out what the job of race director really entails, as well as ask a few questions about what the future looks like for this much loved race.
There is so much to ask Stuey that it was honestly hard to cram it all into the hour, but it was great to be able to learn so much from someone who was a huge inspiration for myself, and go into detail about those unforgettable wins - I got the feeling that he enjoyed the chance to reminisce too!
So here it is, I hope you guys enjoy this as much as we did: Stuart O’Grady - The Pioneer of the New Generation.
Stay tuned for Talking Luft with Stuey next week!
Cheers,
Mitch
Show Notes
0:00 to 4:20 – Intro
4:20min to 10:05 – Stuey intro & TDF Stage win 1998
10:05 to 18:20 – Racing as an Aussie in a French team
18:20min to 27:42 – Athens Olympics Madison Gold
27:42min to 43:30 – Paris Roubaix Win
44:50min to 53:33 – Finishing his career at Greenedge
53:33min to 1:00:00 – Retirement and transitioning out of Pro life
1hr to 1:10:10 – Tour Down Under
1:10:10 to end – Outro
. . .
• Tour de France Stage 5 win 1998: Watch the final kilometres of Stuey’s win at 37min in: https://youtu.be/cOnIphGlSPM?t=2255
• Watch Stuey’s interview with Phil Liggett pre a wet Paris Roubaix in 2001 at 4min: https://youtu.be/cRQtz-yI59E?t=193
• Athens Olympics: Watch the final 20 laps of Stuey’s Gold medal ride in the Madison with Graham Brown (in French): https://youtu.be/CueSvBqXIG4
. . .
This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.
. . .
Check out episode sponsor Restrap – Yorkshire based makers of top quality, handmade and sustainable bike packing accessories. I used their bags on my bike packing trip riding the length of Sweden and can tell you I was blown away by the quality and functionality, every detail has been thought out. Whichever way you prefer to carry things on your bike, they’ll have a solution.
Use the discount code at checkout: PELOTON10 for 10% off your order. Shop now at restrap.com
. . .
Keep in touch
Find all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com
Listen to our short spin off series Talking Luft presented by Rapha – much like DVD Extras, every second week.
Follow us on socials:
Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton
Twitter: @lifeinthepelo
. . .
Merch
- LITP x ÇOIS Cycling: Find the last sizes of the Road Worlds Collection at coiscycling.com. Snapbacks have now been restocked. Shop now!
- LITP Cycling Caps: Jump over to our online shop to grab one.
- Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more...
Theme Music
The theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.
. . .
Subscribe
Sign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.
Wednesday Jan 19, 2022
Wednesday Jan 19, 2022
Rapha presents Talking Luft!
G’day everyone, Talking Luft is back for 2022!
But what is Talking Luft? Well, it’s really just a little extra chat I have with guests that I speak with on Life In the Peloton the previous week. A bit like the DVD Extras, it’s the break away series where I try to find out that little bit more about them and their cycling style. It's a little bit laidback and a lot of fun.
This season I've broken the episodes up into 4 topics: Style, Bikes, Culture & About You - with an exciting bunch of new questions for 2022.
On last week's episode “How not to train like a Pro," I spoke with my old coach, and returning guest, Kevin Poulton about entering a new era of my life - life after pro cycling - and how I go about training now while still keeping as much form as possible. Both Kev and I had already featured on Talking Luft, so I was searching for a new guest that would fit.
Meet local Melbourne cycling legend Allan ‘Alby’ Iacuone. He was previous Australian champion in 1994, rode professionally overseas many moons ago and has continued to hold his form while rejoining the rat race of normal life. He has mastered the 'How to not train like a pro' while continuing to hold pro form! The perfect guest.
Alby has a very likeable personality as you'll hear, he is currently the coordinator of the Rapha Cycling Club and is known around the Australian cycling scene as a real local legend - the perfect guy to talk some Luft with.
It was great recording at the Melbourne Rapha Clubhouse and I loved hearing Alby's stories.
Enjoy the first ep of 2022 and stay tuned next week for a great new episode of Life in the Peloton with Stuart O'Grady.
Cheers,
Mitch
Show Notes
Watch the highlights that we chat about for Alby's 'Most Rewatchable Race' - the Tour de France 1992 - Stage 13, it's epic!
https://youtu.be/JbDLVTMr0V4
. . .
This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.
. . .
Episode breakdown:
0:00 to 2.30 Snippet from LITP Episode 1- How Not to train like a Pro with Kevin Poulton
2:30 to 6:10 Introduction to Talking Luft presented by Rapha
6:10 to 19:55 Introducing Alby Iacuone
19:55 to 43:20 Talking Luft! with Alby
43:20 to end Outro
ListenListen to this series on at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher or your favourite pod app.
Keep in touchFind all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com
Listen to our short spin off series Talking Luft presented by Rapha – much like DVD Extras, every second week.
Follow us on socials:
Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton
Twitter: @lifeinthepelo
MerchLITP x ÇOIS Cycling: Find the last sizes of the Road Worlds Collection at coiscycling.com. Snapbacks have now been restocked. Shop now!
LITP Cycling Caps: Jump over to our online shop to grab one.
Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..
Theme MusicThe theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.
SubscribeSign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.
Wednesday Jan 12, 2022
Wednesday Jan 12, 2022
Photo: Theo Clarkes Rapha presents Life in the Peloton Well, here we are at the start of a New Year – and this is a big one. It’s the start of my life after professional road racing: it’s a new era for me, and of course for the pod! As you might also know by […]
Wednesday Nov 03, 2021
Wednesday Nov 03, 2021
It’s the final episode of Talking Luft for the year. And officially my final episode of Talking Luft as a professional cyclist. After so many of you asked how I wear my cycling cap, I thought I would get my good mate Luke Durbridge to flip the mic on me and ask all the usual […]
Thursday Oct 21, 2021
Thursday Oct 21, 2021
The Cycling Podcast presents Life in the Peloton It’s the final episode of the year on The Cycling Podcast, and my final episode as a pro as I pack up life in Europe and head into my retirement from cycling. This final year of professional racing for me has been a transitional phase in many […]
Thursday Oct 14, 2021
Thursday Oct 14, 2021
Talking Luft is back for another week and this time I’ve got Bert De Backer behind the mic, or Backsie as I like to call him. Bert is a Belgian Pro and good mate of mine who I first raced with back in the days of Skil-Shimano, and who also retired this year, riding his […]