Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP

Alison Jackson - Miss Paris - Roubaix

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by Rapha

It is her first appearance on the pod, you might know her from her larger-than-life social media presence, or you might have watched her progress through the women´s peloton, but you´ll definitely know her as the Queen of Roubaix, after her triumphant victory there this year, and I´m super excited to be chatting to Alison Jackson this week.

I couldn´t wait to hear about her epic 2023 Paris – Roubaix win, where she won so impressively, and etched her name in the cycling history books by becoming only the third-ever female winner of the race. Her post-win finish line dance catapulted her from exalted winner to something of cycling legend, and she´s known as this big-energy person that comes across online (if you´re not currently a follower, do yourself a favour and go check out her Instagram and TikTok), where she just keeps it real and has such a fun vibe. But Roubaix really cemented her position in the pro peloton, and announced to the world that she´s an excellent tactical rider and a natural racer – you just don´t find yourself in that position at a race like that for any other reason.

I wanted to hear all about how Alison made the leap from Canada to Europe – a challenge all pro cyclists go through but with varied success. It was refreshing to hear Alison´s take on what it takes to be a pro, and how you get through those challenging early years where you´re missing home, you´re just not happy in Europe and to top it all off, you´re getting your head kicked in at races. It can set off a real downward spiral for many riders, but for Alison it was the racing that kept her Euro dreams alive - she just absolutely loves to race.

And finally, we had a bit of a chat about where female cycling is headed, and the immense changes it has gone through in recent years – the increase in tactics, professionalism, and support and the flow-on effect this is having on the dynamics of women’s racing.

As you can probably tell, this episode was a lot of fun to put together, and I hope you love listening to Alison´s story as much as I did.

Cheers,

Mitch

 

Life in the Peloton - The Goldfields Adventure

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by Rapha

I´m bringing you something a bit different for Life in the Peloton this week, I have been back on the road exploring and learning some of the fascinating history of the Victorian goldfields, by riding the historic Goldfields Track. By now, you´ve probably become used to my bike-packing adventures, but this time the trip was not just about tackling a challenging adventure and exploring my own backyard, but also learning some of the history of this country and how this thriving regional area came to be what it is.

This trip is one that has been on my bucket list since moving back to Australia last year – I had become so used to being surrounded by incredible history while living in Europe, but it has really occurred to me how much history there is right here in Australia as well. I wanted to explore the Aussie countryside, but to also give the trip some purpose. Not just to ride, but to tap into a bit of local history and learn the backstory of this country along the way - why do these little Victorian country towns exist, and what has made the area so famous?

So back in the summer, before the weather in Victoria turned bad, I grabbed my good mate Al Iacuone, someone who is well known on the pod, and we headed off from Mount Buninyong, in the direction of Bendigo. The Goldfields Track is an existing, point-to-point trail and one that is regularly ridden by mountain bike, that takes in some of Victoria´s most historic towns. It´s a 210-kilometre journey, generally tackled over two to four days. We´re doing it in a day.

The trip threw up a few surprises, but we had a lot of fun out there. The trails made for beautiful riding, and although it was much tougher than expected, being out on the road allowed us to absorb the history and stories of the land in a way we never could by sitting at home and reading in a book or on the internet. Of course, there´s value in that as well, but there´s just something about being out there and hearing the stories for yourself that makes the experience that much more special and it really gave our expedition an incredible sense of purpose and meaning. In short, I would highly recommend this trip to anyone that has been considering it or another one like it. I hope you enjoy the listen, learn a thing or two along the way, and as always, I hope it inspires you to get out on your own bike adventures!

Cheers,

Mitch

Talking Luft! With Jai Hindley

 

Well I know you loved his last appearance on the pod, my recent chat with Australia’s one and only Giro d’Italia winner, Jai Hindley, where we heard some epic stories about his early cycling career and his meteoric ascent to the top of the pro cycling ranks.

 

So he’s back today for the Talking Luft! treatment and I just couldn’t wait to put a few curly questions to him. Jai Hindley is a real Aussie gem in the European peloton. He has been riding and racing his bike since he was six years of age, all he has ever wanted to be is a pro cyclist and just loves everything about the sport. His love of the cycling eras of old made me really want to test out his knowledge and see if I could really put him to the limit.

 

We talked Giro ups and downs, and what it feels like to gain the confidence to know you can finish out a Grand Tour, and just get better and better. We talk casquette style, where I was a little surprised to find out it’s not really his thing. We went back in time to discuss the pre-helmet days of cycling in the early 90s, and some of the best kits and team rosters of all time. We chat race food, drinks of choice, what makes a good roommate on tour, and whether he is more of a bus or a team car kind of guy. He passes my name the bike test with flying colours, with some pretty impressive knowledge of cycling throughout all the eras. And of course, I just had to ask him the all-important question, if (and in Jai’s case, when) you do become world champion during your career, how are you going to wear that rainbow kit.

 

I loved chatting with Jai and finding out some of the lesser-known things about him for this episode of Talking Luft! and I hope you have a laugh and enjoy listening along. If you missed the Life in the Peloton episode, Jai Hindley – For the love of cycling, head back and take a listen!

 

Cheers,

 

Mitch

 

 

 

 

 

Talking Tech with Lachlan Morton

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by Rapha

It’s no secret that I’ve become a bit of a bike-packing devotee over the past few years, I just love everything about it – the challenge, seeing parts of the country that I’ve never seen before, meeting people along the way, experiencing some country Australiana, and just getting out on my bike and rediscovering what I really love about cycling. And I can see that this resonates with so many of you that love the adventure of bike packing as well (and if you’re yet to try it, I’ll say it again – it doesn’t need to be epic, or hard, just get out there and give it a go!)

Every time I post one of my bike-packing adventures, I’m inundated with questions and requests for recommendations on which gear to use. I totally get it, you want to be prepared when you hit that open road, where there are already so many unknowns and so many variables, and it’s natural to want to try to control that and limit the things that can go wrong (even though these can all be part of the fun).

I don’t claim to be an expert on bike packing, and like you guys, most of what I’ve learnt about gear, equipment, and planning, I’ve learnt on the fly, usually by reaching out to fellow cyclists and friends that I see out exploring by bike. One of the guys I’ve gone to for advice most often is, unsurprisingly, the bike-packing legend and my friend Lachie Morton. So, in putting this episode together, I knew exactly who I needed to reach out to for some tips of the trade. Lachie has embarked on more long-distance bike packing expeditions than anyone I know, and like me, he’s someone that has just learnt on the go, and he’s always happy to share his experiences and what works for him.

So I took your questions and put them to Lach, and I loved having the chance to sit down with him and pick his brain on all things bike-packing tech. This is in no way an exhaustive tech guide, just a fun chat about some of the things we love about bike-packing and the gear we like to take along with us to maximise the fun and enjoyment, and a chance to record it all in one spot for others to learn as well. I hope you get a few helpful tips during the listen!

 

Cheers,

Mitch

For the love of cycling - Jai Hindley

I’ve got a cracking episode for you this week, one I’ve been sitting on for a while and I am so excited to bring it to life. We needed to start at the very beginning with this one, because I know you want to hear as much as I do, the whole Jai Hindley story, and it’s such an epic one that you won’t want to miss a bit of it. I sat down with Jai earlier this year at TDU, because I just couldn’t miss the opportunity to record this episode in person.

 

He’s one of the great talents and great personalities of the pro peloton. He’s the Aussie kid made good, who grew up only ever wanting to become a pro cyclist. And at just 26 years of age, he has not only realised that dream but he’s also already become one of the greatest in our history. He is a true cycling purist, he loves everything about the sport - he loves vintage bikes, he was drawn to the Tour de France as a 6-year-old, there was really nothing else he ever wanted to do - he just loves cycling to the core. And this always comes across when you chat with Jai, his pure love of the sport. He loves the history of the sport and the classic era of cycling, and he was inspired by the Aussies in the European pro peloton in the early 2000s, which I loved chatting with him about. But most of all, he’s just a top bloke and his humble and unapologetic nature are a big part of what make him such a great champion.

 

We had an in-depth chat about how he got into cycling (as a 6-year-old no less), and we talked at length about his early time as an amateur racing in Italy. To say he has had an astronomical rise since then is, of course, an understatement. His breakthrough came when he won the Herald Sun Tour, followed by his infamous second spot in the 2020 Giro d’Italia, where he lost the pink to Tao Geoghegan Hart in heartbreaking fashion on the final stage (I’m sure I don’t need to remind you of that one). But most notably, last year, he came back to take an incredible Giro d'Italia victory, becoming the first Australian ever to do so, and only the second Australian ever to win a Grand Tour. Of course, I couldn’t interview Jai without also touching on the speculation and pressure that will accompany him into the Tour de France, where he’s learning to manage the expectations that inevitably now rest on his shoulders.

 

If you don’t know Jai too well, you’ll love getting to know him in this episode, where he is candid and utterly himself – a trait that cycling fans have come to know and love. I hope you enjoy the listen and getting to know this young Aussie legend as much as I enjoyed recording it!

 

Cheers,

 

Mitch

Talking Luft! with Ian Boswell

Rapha presents Talking Luft!

I recently took you on a journey through the absolute torture that was taking part in the beast that is Cape Epic. In case you missed it, it’s an hors categorie mountain biking event, across the challenging terrain of South Africa’s western cape, and it really pushed me to my limit.

I thought while I was there, I might as well get out the microphone and turn it on my friend and Cape Epic partner Ian Boswell, and give him the Talking Luft! treatment.

We had a nice little chat, spanning Bos’ early interactions with Lance Armstrong, his thoughts on achieving luft, hypothetical musings on whether it’s better to ride with or sans helmet, and whether he finds it important to keep shaving the legs post-retirement.

We did a bit of a deep dive on kit selection; how to select your kit post-pro career, which of the former pro kits and bikes are worth keeping, and if you had become world champion during your career, how would you wear your rainbow kit?

We took a look into Bos’ current Strava status (hint- it’s solid), favourite riders from the cycling history books, what his dream loop is, and his favourite pro race – which threw up a few surprises, and of course we delved into some of the trials and tribulations that we overcame at Cape Epic.

We had a bit of fun chatting in this episode, and I hope you enjoy listening along!

Cheers,

Mitch

Behind the Mirror Lens - with Scott Barrow

Behind the Mirror Lens - with Scott Barrow

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by Rapha

Have you ever wondered about what goes into the team behind the team, and what sort of support goes into helping professional athletes to get the best out of themselves? I have spoken to plenty of interesting people on the pod over the years that have helped to build the behind-the-scenes picture, mostly in the realm of physical support – osteos, soigneurs, and team directors.

They are all super crucial roles in the sport, but something that is often a bit underrated in cycling and in professional sport, is what goes into trying to train the psychological and not just the physical aspect.

Sometimes, people can write athletes off too early in their careers as being physically past their prime, when they are actually just facing mental demons, or are blocked in some way, and when they can overcome this, they have a lot more to give.

That is why I was keen to catch up with my friend, professional coach, and mentor Scott Barrow, to chat about how he gets behind the lens, find out what makes people tick, and get a glimpse into the psyche of the people he helps – and he helps people from all walks of life to get the best out of themselves and reach their potential.

I was at a crossroads in my own career when I first met Scott. He reached out to me when I was on the verge of leaving GreenEDGE, where I had been performing the role of domestique within the team for quite a few years. I knew that the impending change was going to require a lot from me mentally, to go from being a worker to needing to ride for myself and get results.  

Our paths crossed at just the right time, and by working with Scott, I was able to realign my career, and I went on to have another four years in the pro peloton, with EF Pro Cycling, where I was able to write a whole new chapter in my pro career to finish it off.

We had a great chat, covering topics like how pressure affects performance, how he helped me to realign things in my own career, and how he handles taking on the pressure of others, without becoming burdened.

I hope you enjoy the listen!

Cheers,

Mitch

Cape Epic - Mitch Docker and Ian Boswell

This week, I am taking you along on one of the most challenging weeks of my career, and by far the biggest challenge of my short mountain biking career, the Cape Epic - an eight-day team mountain biking event, across the challenging terrain of the Western Cape of South Africa. To give some context, it is an hors categorie event, and qualifying is necessary to take the start line. Get ready for a longer listen here – but it just had to be that way, to do justice to the absolute beast that is Cape Epic.  

I wanted to take the listener along on this journey, to give some insight into what this race is really like – and let me tell you – it is brutal in every way. The week threw a lot at us – heat, relentless terrain, river crossings, two days of torrential rain, and some seriously wet and slippery conditions. Combined with a serious case of Cape belly, which notoriously plagues this event, and it made for an incredibly difficult challenge, which I am still recovering from.

I lined up with my friend and fellow podcast host Ian Boswell, and we were really in it together, sharing the camper life, and all the ups and downs. Going in, we expected this to be like a stage race. Bos was looking forward to getting into the groove, with visions of hanging by the camp village and trading war stories.

Before the start, there was an electricity in the air that is hard to describe, and within hours of touching down in South Africa, I had bumped into a whole heap of people I know from different corners of the cycling world, all coming together in this far-flung destination to put ourselves to the ultimate test.

There were riders who had done this event before – my friends Al Iacuone and Wade Wallace were here trying to finish this race for the first time – on their third and final attempt. I caught up with last year’s winners Georg Egger and Lukas Baum for some insider tips, and we camped alongside Dave and Fran Millar, undertaking this event for the first time as a mixed team.

It was a war of attrition from the early planning stages right through until the finish line. By the end, we were in pieces, and my fatigue level was hovering down around the level that it would normally be at the end of a Grand Tour, to put things into perspective. Put simply, this was a lot harder than expected. But the sense of accomplishment is also massive and difficult to put into words, and one beer in after the finish, we were already talking about coming back next year. It was an incredible journey, and something we might only fully appreciate in hindsight.

I hope this properly conveys the brutality of this week – it might give you pause if you have considered doing this event yourself, or maybe it has made you even more determined to cross it off your bucket list, either way, enjoy the listen!

Cheers,

Mitch

 

 

Talking Luft! with Luke Durbridge.

Talking Luft! with Luke Durbridge

Rapha presents Talking Luft!

Well, he is back for the first time in 2023, because it just would not be a season of Talking Luft without checking in with my mate, the big fella, Luke Durbridge, back for version 4.0 on Talking Luft!

It is that time of year again, as we head up north and gear up for the start of the cobbled classics, and who better to check in with than Durbo, to get his unique perspective on the races that he loves and knows so well.

We have some curly questions lined up for him this time, some really tricky ones, as it turns out.

Like – would he prefer to win his beloved Bledisloe Cup, or take a solo victory, with plenty of time to enjoy the glory, on the final ascents of the fabled Tour of Flanders? Hint, this one is trickier than you think for this rugby-loving cyclist.

Can he recall the exact Spanish wines that he has critiqued so eloquently online?

And, most importantly, just what is up in Classics cycling fashion this year?

This one is full of laughs, maybe even a couple of tears, a few unexpected responses, and all of the great things we have come to expect from a chat on the pod with Durbo.

Sit back and enjoy this glimpse into the world of the cobbled classics, I hope you enjoy the listen!

 

Cheers,

Mitch

What is MTB? Featuring Ned Overend, Nino Schurter, Ian Boswell, Haley Batten & Lachlan Morton

 

If you´ve been following me over the latter part of my career, and especially over the past couple of years, you´ll have seen my progression from pure roadie to lover of gravel riding and, more recently, mountain biking. I´ve lined up in a couple of MTB races, but next week, I´ll face my biggest challenge yet, at the brutal South African MTB race, Cape Epic.

 

But before I head off to Cape Epic, I really wanted to learn a bit more about the history of mountain biking, and the evolution that it has gone through to get to where it is today. I wanted to educate myself, and any others out there listening, that are in the same boat as me – just starting out in the sport of mountain biking but with your head still mostly in the road game, to understand the sport from the bottom up. I wanted to start at the beginning, and I wanted to know what it was like to race the sport and learn the etiquette from the inside out.

 

So I turned to a few greats of the sport. For history and background, I spoke with Ned Overend, one of the early adaptors of the sport. We chatted about the backstory of MTB, and the early legends, the ones who developed the iconic bikes - The Klunkers - those beach cruisers adapted into makeshift mountain bikes, which they then started racing downhill.  

 

Next, I wanted to learn about the beauty of mountain biking racing, and that meant I needed to speak to the best of the best, and in my mind, that is the GOAT, Nino Schurter. Nino´s been part of the evolution of the sport from its inception, so what better way to find out how the sport has changed – the racing, the bike development, the course structure, all the technical stuff.

 

Next, I spoke to someone who started a bit later in the sport but has been really entrenched in the professional racing side of things and that´s Haley Batten, a rider who is now just coming to the forefront of mountain biking, and Haley really helped me to understand the nuances of the sport, the unwritten rules and the etiquette.

 

Lastly, I wanted to speak to someone who was a roadie but had transitioned to MTB, like me. Lachie Morton, having come from the road and transitioned to MTB, understands what it´s like for someone like me who is coming across from the road and trying to understand the sport.

 

I´ve developed a bit of a love for this sport, and I can´t wait to get stuck into the challenge of Cape Epic. It´s happening next week, and I´m heading there with my roadie partner Ian Boswell. We will document throughout the time in South Africa at Cape Epic and bring it to you after the event, but for now, sit back and enjoy learning a bit more about the beautiful sport of mountain biking.

 

Cheers,

 

Mitch

 

Show notes-

Intro with Ian Boswell – until 15´44

Ned Overend – 15´50

Nino Schurter – 43´30

Haley Batten – 1´08´30

Lachlan Morton – 1´25´20