Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP

The Race Communique - Episode 2

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by Rapha

It’s just me and my old mate Luke Durbridge this week, with Tom Southam out on the road at the Vuelta a Burgos, but we’ve got plenty to get through on this edition of The Race Communique.

It’s a bit of a tricky part of the year –  it has been a long season and the hype and glory of the biggest races have subsided following the TDF and the World’s, it’s the summer holiday month of August in Europe which lends itself well to lying around on the beach and relaxing, but there’s still plenty of races on the calendar and you need to keep your head switched on.

We recap the incredible ‘Super World’s’ with all the action from the road, track, and the spectacle of having all disciplines of cycling together in one giant festival. We really dig into the incredible World’s Road Race – epically long at over 270km, a 57-minute stoppage due to protesters, and the 48-plus corner circuit around the streets of downtown Glasgow with the atmosphere and the unbelievably high level of racing – there was a lot to unpack.

And we chat about the lead into the upcoming Vuelta a España, with a look at the course and some predictions about the types of epic battles we can expect when it hits the slopes of the Tourmalet and l’Angliru.

So, sit back and enjoy this insight into the pro peloton and the world’s biggest races on The Race Communique!

Cheers,

Mitch

 

Understanding Nutrition with Will Girling

 

It’s hard to find someone more knowledgeable about sports nutrition than Will Girling – he has been a nutritionist at all levels of the professional cycling world, from Continental to pro-Continental, up to World Tour level, and he’s been the nutritionist at EF Education-Easy Post for the past several years, where we first crossed paths. He also holds a Master of Sports Nutrition and is currently working towards a Doctorate – in short, he knows his stuff.

 

So while he knows top-level nutrition as well as anyone out there, what I mostly wanted to talk to Will about was how amateur and weekend warrior cyclists should approach their nutrition, to prepare for racing and maintain optimal nutrition in general, and how they should approach recovery nutrition - since they need to get themselves back to work on Monday morning following an event, rather than having time at home to recover like the pros. Will has some fascinating insights and learnings that he applies from the pro level back to the everyday cyclist (and athlete), as well as heaps of personal experience of his own preparing for and doing the ultra-distance bike-packing expeditions around Europe that he loves.

 

Turns out there’s a bit more to it than just carb-loading the day before the event, so sit back and enjoy the listen and I hope you get a few tips for your next race!

 

Cheers,

 

Mitch

 

Talking Luft! Tour de France History Edition

This week on Talking Luft we’re taking one last look back at the 2023 TDF, where I took my History of the Tour de France quiz to the masses! Or better put, to a whole bunch of current pros and DS’s that I managed to pull aside for a chat on the roadside of the Tour, to put them through their paces - including Caleb Ewan, Mat Hayman, Ian Stannard, Jai Hindley, Luke Durbridge, and Neilson Powless, among others.

It required a bit of specialist TDF knowledge, and a bit of historical insight, plus a few just for fun, like whose legs would you want in this year’s TDF, would you go full polka dot with the KOM jersey, which is the hardest of the Grand Tours, what does ASO stand for, and can you name the five winners of five or more Tours?

I’ve gotta say, some of the efforts were a bit woeful, and a couple were a little bit controversial, but we had plenty of laughs and I hope you enjoy listening along!

Cheers,

Mitch

Maghalie Rochette - The Cycle

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by Rapha

I’ve got something a bit different for you on the pod this week, but it’s a fascinating topic and one that has really gained traction in women’s sport over the past few years.

I’m chatting to Maghalie Rochette - she’s a Canadian cyclo cross rider and mountain biker, she came to the sport from a background in running and triathlon, and she also has her own successful podcast called Fever Talk. But what sets Maghalie apart is that she is known for talking openly about racing as a female and all the struggles that come along with that. On her pod she launched a super successful series where she goes into depth about the challenges for women racing during their menstrual cycle, and in doing so she has created a whole platform where people feel comfortable talking about this topic that was previously something of a taboo.

It’s so refreshing to hear how open she is about it, and fascinating to hear how she has used the science to figure out that not only is it something that does not have to hold you back, but it’s something that can actually make you stronger. We are so aware of the difference between men and women in the professional sense – the prize money, the racing, the equality and the wage gap, but it’s interesting to hear about the physiological differences. And it’s refreshing to hear Maghalie’s take, that racing as a female doesn’t necessarily mean it is harder – it just means it’s important to understand your body so that you can turn it into an advantage. 

It brings up some interesting questions that are relevant to both male and female athletes on how we can use science to understand our bodies better, and in the process learn how to get the most out of ourselves during training and racing, to learn to listen to your body, and how to find the balance between performance and wellbeing.

I hope you enjoy the listen!

Cheers,

Mitch

The Race Communique

I’m back with something brand new for you this week, the first of a new monthly series called The Race Communique.

 

The idea is to get back to our roots, since LITP has moved on from the pro peloton with me, I wanted to get back amongst the action and back to chatting about the World Tour. We’ll be unpacking the trends, the race results, all the news and happenings in the pro peloton – to try to get the lowdown for you, the listener.

 

Joining me on the pod each month will be one of two guys who need no introduction to this podcast – my friends Tom Southam, DS at EF Education-EasyPost, and Jayco-Alula’s Luke Durbridge. We’ll chat race results and analytics, in true LITP style – taking a deep dive into what life is like as a pro, and notable things that have happened at races, from the varied angles of DS, rider, and me – the guy on the outside of the peloton trying to get a glimpse back in to see what’s up and how things have changed.

 

For episode one, we’re talking all things Tour de France, unpacking the amazing Tour that we just witnessed, and looking ahead to the Worlds and other upcoming races. Hang in there for a cheeky quiz at the end, and most of all enjoy the listen to the first Race Communique!

 

Cheers,

 

Mitch 

History of the Tour, with François Thomazeau

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by Rapha

It’s nearing the end of the Tour de France for another year, and I have been in the box seat for the first two weeks of this phenomenon of an annual sporting event, following the Tour with The Cycling Podcast. Along the way, I had the chance to chat with an absolute expert in cycling history – François Thomazeau. His encyclopaedic knowledge of all facets of the Tour is extraordinary, and I am so excited to have him on the pod today walking us through the fascinating history of the Tour, from the earliest iterations of the race, up until this, the 120^th edition.

While we have all become so familiar with the modern Tour, it is an event that is steeped in so much history - over a hundred years of evolution, scandal, and drama - and the idea was to try and get a complete picture of the Tour, from how it came about, to the subtle nuances of the race, and how it has evolved over time. In my opinion, there is no one better in the world of cycling than François to answer all my questions.

We start with the origins of the event, from its inception as part of the early cycling newspaper, Le Vélo, with its epic, 300km long stages, 2 am start times, and famously ingrained methods of cheating, like jumping on the train or skipping whole sections of the course. And we chat about just how important the Tour de France is to the French people, who are bathed in TDF coverage from a young age to the point that July is synonymous with the Tour, and the race itself is a French symbol of fun, of childhood, and of long summer days.

We chat about the recovery of the Tour after its war-induced hiatus, and of the emergence of a new generation of post-war riders that redefined the sport, including the likes of Fausto Coppi – likened to a type of gold dust for the sport, with his forward-thinking methods and slick media appeal – and the beloved Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and later, Raymond Poulidor, and of course the arrival of the great man himself, Eddy Merckx, whose commanding hold on all classifications of the TDF earned him the nickname, The Cannibal.

It was fascinating to hear how this history has culminated in the version of the great race that we now know and love so much – how it became the show for television, how its riders started to emerge as household names, the evolution of the media in cycling, and how riders themselves have had to adapt, in order to succeed in the Tour de France.

I absolutely loved the chance to soak up so much of the history of the Tour de France and to get under the skin of this iconic race with François, and I hope you enjoy this little glimpse into the history of the Tour!

Cheers,

Mitch

Talking Luft! with Adam Blythe

Life in the Peloton is proudly supported by Rapha

 

This week on Talking Luft I’m chatting with an old friend and teammate of mine – he is a former UK national champ, he has ridden for some of the world’s biggest teams, and – I’m calling it – he's the new voice of cycling. I’m talking about Adam Blythe and I can’t wait to put him through the full Talking Luft treatment!

 

I have always admired his crafty racing style and his ability to read a bike race, and when the conditions got tough, he was someone I would always look for because you could bet, he would be reading the conditions and riding smart. It’s a result of having mastered the art of race craft early on, and his insights have really translated well to the commentary box. He's unapologetic about his approach, and about his love of picking apart a race and calling out even the biggest names in cycling when they’re guilty of making questionable tactical decisions – and I just love that about him and his race commentary.

 

He’s also renowned for his retro style and some of these TL questions that I have put to so many riders now are right up his alley, so I can’t wait to get stuck into it. I put a few of the more important Talking Luft themes to him – he’s gravel bike for life, loves plenty of Luft, has strong feelings on all matters of cycling style, and confirms once and for all that, like it or not, the short leg length trend is back in the pro peloton.

 

I hope you enjoy listening along as much as I enjoyed putting this one together!

 

Cheers,

 

Mitch

 

 

 

The Leadout Men

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by Rapha

Well, it is Tour time, and I´m taking this opportunity to look at one of the most fascinating technical aspects of pro racing – the art of the lead-out. And what better time to do it than right now, at the beginning of the Tour de France, so you can sit back and watch the adrenaline-charged sprint finishes, with a deeper understanding of the game of chess that is playing out on the road.

 

The idea of the designated lead-out man is something that has only really gained traction in the pro peloton in the modern era, and in that time, we have seen some incredibly talented lead-out riders, that put aside their own winning aspirations and built their careers on leading out others for the win. I spoke to some of the biggest names in the game – Mark Renshaw, Michael Morkov, Brett Lancaster, Koen de Kort, Roger Kluge, and Freddie Rodriguez. They have worked with some of the most successful sprinters of the modern era – Mark Cavendish, Robbie McEwen, Andre Greipel, and Alessandro Petacchi, to name just a few.

 

The depth of experience with the riders in this episode is exceptional, and I wanted to find out how they had become lead-out riders, what the evolution was like, from trying to win races themselves, to suddenly finding themselves leading out others for the win. It was interesting to hear about how quickly this change can happen and about the necessity of finding your niche in the peloton which is so important to the longevity of your career.

 

The lead out is a role where you don´t get the big accolades, and you don´t get to stand on the top step yourself, but you can get plenty of recognition and job satisfaction for playing an important role in winning big races, and that was something that really came across for all of these riders - how accepting your role in the team and leaning into it, can become even more satisfying than vying for smaller wins yourself.

 

I wanted to ask some big questions: when you find yourself in the lead with 200m to go, how tempting is it to go for the win yourself, and why does a sprinter even need a lead-out? There were some fascinating insights into the split-second decisions, the adrenaline rush, the importance of trusting your lead out, calculating risks, and learning to switch off your mind in order to get the job done, the sacrifices that are made when you ride in service of another rider that gets the glory of winning, and what is it like working with these typically very explosive personalities.

 

I had a lot of fun putting this episode together and I loved hearing about the intricacies of the lead-out, and I hope you get plenty out of it to take into your TDF watching this year!

 

Cheers,

 

Mitch

 

 

 

The Cadel Evans Story

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by Rapha

I have a special guest on the pod this week, making his debut appearance on Life in the Peloton. He´s no stranger to you all though, he is a fellow Victorian, a former mountain biker, road world champion, and Australia´s only ever Tour de France winner, I´m talking of course about the legend himself, Cadel Evans.

This was a great opportunity to really get back to the beginning of the Cadel Evans story and hear it in his own words. I was keen to hear all about his infamous upbringing in a remote Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory of Australia, and how he made his start as a mountain biker when his family moved back to Victoria when Cadel was primary school age. We chatted through his evolution from junior mountain biker to European-level mountain biker, before moving to road cycling in Europe, and eventually, as the history books show, going on to become a world champion, and the first-ever Australian to win the Tour de France, in 2011.

Along the way, he forged some incredible partnerships and made some powerful allies, with team directors, teammates, coaches and sponsors, many of whom are still loyal to Cadel and his brand today, showing the amount of mutual respect and trust that he built up within his inner circle throughout his career. Always something of an outlier among the professional cycling ranks, we chat about the ways in which he was a visionary rider and ahead of his time, and how so many of these habits that he had are now somewhat ingrained in the pro peloton (chamomile tea after dinner, and solo training rides, to name a couple.)

It was fascinating to hear Cadel´s take on the crossover between road cycling and mountain biking, and the ways in which MTB prepared him to become one of the best cyclists of his generation. I loved getting the chance to chat in depth with him about his relationship with the visionary Italian coach Aldo Sassi, which was instrumental in shaping him into the forward-thinking cyclist that he became.

One of the golden eras of modern cycling, it was great to hear in-depth about his time on the iconic teams Mapei, T-Mobile, Lotto, and BMC – where he started his campaign towards becoming an eventual Tour de France winner, and the years of missed opportunities and bad luck that ensued along his road to winning. And to take a deep dive into his World Championship win in Mendrisio in 2009, with all the drama and team politics that came along with that win.

Something of an enigma in the world of cycling, I loved this chance to hear the Cadel Evans story from the man himself and to clear up a few myths and legends that have circulated around him throughout his career (for example, was he really the highest ever tested V02 max at the AIS?)

It´s a story we are all familiar with, but I hope you enjoy learning a bit more about the Cadel Evans story - I really loved chatting with him and hearing his story in his own words.

Cheers,

Mitch

Talking Luft! With Alison Jackson

I just loved having Alison on Life in the Peloton so much last week, I decided to get her back for this episode of Talking Luft! I know you loved hearing all about her epic Paris Roubaix Femmes win this year, and how she became only the third-ever winner of the event. She has since been dubbed Miss Paris Roubaix (by me), for the commanding style in which she won.

Of course, we chat a bit more about that epic win, as well as dig into the really important questions in true TL style, plus I throw a few extra cobble-related questions Alison´s way. The big stuff, like rice or pasta (she´s introduced me to the idea of rice with maple syrup), world champ style (all rainbow, why not), I get some insight into some of her pre-race rituals and learn a few new Canadian terms that describe how she would choose to wear her hair in the pre-helmet golden days of cycling.

She´s a lover of bucket hats and coffee stops, a drinker of black coffee and cortados, and unsurprisingly, she will take racing over training any day. But don´t take my word for it, sit back and enjoy the listen and get to know more about the legend Alison Jackson, as she gets the full TL treatment!

Cheers,

Mitch