Cyclist Magazine Podcast
Sports
About
From the team behind Cyclist Magazine, this is a podcast for lovers of all things cycling, whether you’re a sucker for a sportive, a carbon fibre connoisseur or just Bernard Hinault’s biggest fan. Host James Spender brings you in-depth conversations from within the world of cycling by the people that know it best, with new episodes every other Thursday. Guests have included the likes of Greg LeMond, Tyler Hamilton, Sean Kelly, Krishnan Guru-Murthy and more. Make sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts to listen first! Join us for the ride on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook . Check out our website at cyclist.co.uk</
Episodes
- 157. Rob Britton: Slave to the road turned gravel supremo
This week, James and Will are joined by ex-road pro turned gravel ace, Rob Britton. Born in Saskatchewan in Canada in 1984, Rob turned pro in 2010 with American team Bissell Pro Cycling and for the next 12 seasons raced at Continental leve…
- 156. Guy Martin: Getting kidnapped, land speed records and defying death on two wheels
This week, James is joined by Guy Martin, former British motorcycle racer, land speed record setter, part-time cyclist and reluctant TV presenter - he says he’d rather be known for his day job fixing trucks than as a TV personality. B…
- 155. George Hincapie: Paris-Roubaix, elbows out racing and his Modern Adventure
This week, James and Will chat to George Hincapie, the super-est of domestiques, double 'ard Classics man and erstwhile lieutenant to Lance Armstrong. George was born in Queens, New York City, on 29th June 1973, to cycling-mad Colombian da…
- 154. Harry Tanfield: Baptisms of fire, keeping the faith, and the Ribble Outliers
This week James and Will are joined by Harry Tanfield. Born and raised in Yorkshire, Harry started racing aged 10, and having caught teams' attention with strong performances at races like Junior Paris-Roubaix, he turned professional aged…
- 153. Aero mutinies and secret shorts with Castelli's Steve Smith
This week Will and James are joined by Castelli and Sportful’s global brand manager, Steve Smith. Steve grew up in Portland, USA, where he – like most of the city he says – worked for Nike for 10 years. But in 2000 he decided to make a bol…
- 152. Zoe Bäckstedt: Why I love Sundays in Hell
This week, Robyn and James are joined by WorldTour pro Zoe Bäckstedt. Born in 2004 in Pontyclun, Wales to British track champion Megan Hughes and Paris-Roubaix winner Magnus Bäckstedt, there were only two ways Zoe’s life (and sister Elynor…
- 151. UCI rules, design evolution, and why bikes are so expensive, with Pieter Potters
This week's guest is Pieter Potters, R&D manager at Belgian Cycling Factory, the group that owns Eddy Merckx Cycles and Ridley Bikes. For nearly six years Pieter has been at the centre of designing cutting edge road and gravel bikes, inclu…
- 150. Brian Smith: National champ, racing with Lance, saying no to EPO, and snakes in showers
This week, James and Will are joined by Scottish ex-pro turned team manager, commentator and pundit, Brian Smith. Brian cut his teeth in the 1980s at the school of cycling hardknocks, ACBB – Athletic Club de Boulogne-Billancourt – in Paris…
- 149. The legend of Eddy Merckx, with Lee Donaldson
This week, James is joined by Lee Donaldson, filmmaker and passionate cycling fan, to discuss his upcoming documentary 525: The Unstoppable Eddy Merckx. Lee describes 525 as having ‘the greatest cast of racing champions ever seen in a cycl…
- 148. Hunter Allen and the future of training and racing
This week James (and Will at the beginning) is joined by Hunter Allen, co-founder of Training Peaks, long-time elite level cycling coach to pros and US national teams, and the man who literally wrote the book on power meters back when torq…
- 147. David Millar: The Christmas special (sort of)
In this week's episode, Will and James are joined by David Millar, a man who needs no introduction, but just in case: David's career in cycling spans decorated rider (he was the first Brit to wear all three Grand Tour jerseys) to fallen he…
- 146. Dr Hutch: Tears, resilience, beauty and endurance
This week, James and Will are joined by Dr Hutch, the legendary British time-trial rider (second only to Beryl Burton in national wins) turned Cambridge-educated doctor turned journalist. Dr Hutch is a longstanding columnist in Cycling Wee…
- 145. Alistair Brownlee: triathlon legend, gravel racing demon and sportsmanship superstar
This week James and Will are joined by Alistair Brownlee, legendary triathlete turned Ironman champion turned gravel racing extraordinaire turned sports scientist turned... If there was a personification of the polymath endurance athlete,…
- 144. Emma Pooley: Tour de France winner, Oat to Joy author and pro-athlete sage
This week, Robyn and Will are joined by Emma Pooley, Tour de France women's winner in 2009 (or the Grande Boucle Féminine as it was then), Olympic medallist, UCI world time-trial winner, multiple national road and time-trial champion and t…
- 143. Why are the pros so fast, and how can we go faster? with Dr Xavier Disley
This week James is joined by Dr Xavier Disley, sports scientist, aerodynamicist, national masters track champion and founder of AeroCoach, a UK collective of coaches, scientists and engineers who are all obsessed with one thing: making cyc…
- 142. Magnus Cort: the Uno-X pro on Grand Tours, Classics and dyeing his moustache blue
This week, Robyn (and Will for the intro) is joined by Uno-X’s expert hotel reviewer and star racer, Magnus Cort. Winner of stages at all three Grand Tours, Magnus is now experiencing a new lease of life in the Classics with recent podiums…
- 141. Joe Friel: Train slow to race fast, and why Pogačar's such a beast
This week, James is joined by cycling coaching guru Joe Friel. Joe started coaching amateur and elite riders in the US in the 1980s, before becoming a household name in training in 1996 as author of The Cyclist's Training Bible , arguably…
- 140. Kasia Niewiadoma Phinney, Tour de France champ and Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto ace
This week, Robyn (and James, but just for the intro) is joined by Kasia Niewiadoma Phinney, winner of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes and all-round star rider at Canyon–SRAM zondacrypto. That is, Kasia can win stage races, one day races, Cl…
- 139. Tom Simpson: World Champ and Cycling Legend, with Chris Sidwells
This week, James is joined by cycling journalist and author Chris Sidwells, to explore the life and times of Britain's most storied rider, Tom Simpson, on the eve of Simpson's historic World Championships win, 60 years ago, almost to the d…
- 138. Ed Clancy: The truth behind breaking my shoulders for aero gains, and other stories
This week, James and Will are joined by three-time Olympic gold medallist Ed Clancy. At 16, Ed had been scouted by British Cycling’s Academy, where he came up with riders like Mark Cavendish and Geraint Thomas, and by 2008, aged 23, he’d w…
- 137. The Strange Tale of Charly Gaul, with Paul Maunder
This week James and Will (well, mostly James) are joined by author Paul Maunder, who discusses his book, Angel of the Mountains: The Strange Tale of Charly Gaul . Born in Luxembourg in 1932, Charly Gaul turned professional aged 20, quickly…
- 136. Kim Le Court, Monument winner, stage hunter and history maker
This week Robyn and Will are joined by Kim Le Court. The 29-year-old Mauritian turned pro in 2015, and now rides for Women's WorldTeam team AG Insurance-Soudal. In that time she's notched up a Giro d'Italia stage win, six national titles a…
- 135. Stephen Roche: the Triple Crown Champion
This week James and Will are joined by Stephen Roche, who in 1987 became only the second rider in history to win the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and World Championships in one season, aka the Triple Crown (pub fact: the other was Eddy Me…
- 134. Ned Boulting and the (last) Tour de France
This episode is brought to you by Laka Bike Insurance , the specialist bike insurers This week, Robyn and Will are joined by Ned Boulting. Having started out covering football on Sky Sports, Ned joined the ITV Sports team in 2001 and soon…
- 133. Levi Leipheimer: dark years, redemption and The Growler
This episode is brought to you by the Insta360 GO 3S action camera This week, James and Will are joined by ex-pro Levi Leipheimer. Levi turned pro in 1997 and in 2000 hit the big time with US Postal, riding as a teammate of Lance Armstrong…
- 132. Luke Rowe and his Life of Sky
This episode is brought to you by the Insta360 GO 3S action camera This week, James and Will are joined by the superest of super domestiques, Welshman Luke Rowe. As road captain at Ineos Grenediers (nee Team Sky), Rowe helped win countless…
- 131. Bradley Wiggins and Ian Botham in conversation, plus Beefy's Charity Foundation
This episode is brought to you by the Insta360 X5 action camera This week, James is joined by none other than Bradley Wiggins and cricket legend Ian Botham, who on 15th and 16th September will be riding the Sir Bradley Wiggins Cycle Challe…
- 130. Emma Finucane: gold medals, world records and the importance of crying
This episode is brought to you by the Insta360 X5 action camera This week, Will and Robyn are joined by Welsh track cycling star, Emma Finucane. At just 21 years old, Emma was the first British woman to take three medals in a single Games…
- 129. Ineos implosion and TNT TV turmoil with Rapha CEO Fran Millar
This week James and Will are Fran Millar, possibly the most influential woman in British cycling. Today Fran is CEO at Rapha, but her long CV includes managing Geraint Thomas and Mark Cavendish; a decade at Team Sky/Ineos, in which she bec…
- 128. Legends of Flanders, Roubaix and Tom Simpson with Chris Sidwells
On this week's episode James and Will are joined by author and journalist Chris Sidwells to discuss the history of pro cycling's Holy Week, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. We talk about the origins of the races, the working class h…
- 127. Risk, burnout and Olympic gold, with Connie Carpenter Phinney
In this week's episode, Robyn and James are joined by Connie Carpenter Phinney, who is 1984 became the first ever Olympic Women's Road Race gold medal winner. Connie charts her career from 14 year-old winter Olympic speed skater to champio…
- 126. The doping olympics: president of the Enhanced Games, Dr Aron D'Souza
This week Will and James are joined by Dr Aron D'Souza, president of the Enhanced Games. Billed as 'the ultimate demonstration of what the human body can do', the Enhanced Games seeks in part to answer that age old pub question, 'What if a…
- 125. Phil Burt, the king of bike fit
In this week's episode James is joined by Phil Burt, former head of physiotherapy at British Cycling and Team Sky and the man who literally wrote the book on bike fit . They discuss micro adjusters and macro absorbers, how riders' needs an…
- 124. The ultra-cyclist missing half his organs, Juan Dual
In this week’s episode, James and Will are joined by Spanish ultra-cyclist and runner, Juan Dual. As a teenager, Juan was diagnosed with familial adenomatous polyposis, a rare form of cancer that attacks the digestive system, and in the de…
- 123. Lael Wilcox: The fastest woman around the world by bike
In this week's episode, Robyn and Will are joined by ultra-cyclist Lael Wilcox, who set the world record for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe by bicycle in September 2024, cycling over 29,100km in 108 days, 12 hours and 12 minutes…
- 122. Why do we do it? Endurance, with Dr Michael Crawley
This week James and Will are joined by Michael Crawley, doctor of anthropology, sub-2h 20min marathon runner and award-winning author. In this episode, we discuss Michael’s latest book, To the Limit , which explores the meaning of enduranc…
- 121. Andy Schleck: Chaingate, Contador, Bruyneel, Froome, retiring demons and the brotherhood
This week James and Will are joined by Andy Schleck, Tour de France winner, brother to Frank and victim in the infamous chaingate affair, in which Alberto Contador rode past a stricken Schleck – the yellow jersey wearer having suffered a d…
- 120. 2024 pro season review + 2025 predictions with Felix Lowe
Pitchforks at the ready. On this week's episode Will is joined by Cyclist's own Ewan Wilson and writer Felix Lowe to review the 2024 pro cycling season and look forward to what may come next. Along the way we find out the lucky winners of…
- 119. Tom Pidcock interview: 2025 focus, Olympic ups and downs, descending, and Link My Ride
This week Will is joined by two-time Olympic gold medallist and World Champion in three different disciplines Tom Pidcock. After a turbulent season that included highs at Amstel Gold Race and Paris 2024 as well as very public lows after fa…
- 118. Joanna Rowsell: Double Olympic gold track superstar
This week Robyn and Will are joined by track superstar Joanna Rowsell. Joanna was picked up in 2004 by British Cycling's Talent Team, which visited her school looking for new talent, and just four years later she won her first World Champi…
- 117. Fabian Cancellara: Classics king, Tudor Pro Cycling owner, patron of the peloton
This week James and Will are joined by Spartacus himself, Fabian Cancellara. Over a career spanning two decades, Cancellara established himself as arguably the greatest Classics rider and time-triallist of his generation, winning multiple…
- 116. Peter Sagan: Highs and lows of a triple World Champ
This week Will and James are joined by Peter Sagan. When Sagan burst onto the scene in the early 2010s he was heralded as the greatest talent of his generation, and so he proved to be. 121 professional victories later he'd notched up three…
- 115. Ned Boulting: The 2011 Tour de France, and other stories
This week James and Will are joined by Ned Boulting: commentator, pundit, author, stage performer, part-time comic and all-round superb raconteur. Ned talks about the 2011 season (the star of his new The Road Book 2011 almanac), from a kni…
- 114. Tadej Pogačar interview: How he won the Tour, Vingegaard, losing, winning again, and his work with PlumeStrong
This week James and Will are joined by none other than Tadej Pogačar, currently the greatest rider on the planet having this year triumphed - and decimated all-comers - at both the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France, a feat last achieved by…
- 113. Nico Roche: Pogacar, La Vuelta, son of Stephen Roche
This week, James and Will are joined by Nico Roche. Nico was a pro-rider from 2004-2021 during which time he won numerous races including two Vuelta a España stages. His long career saw spells at Team Sky, Saxobank and BMC, though as we le…
- 112. Chris Lawless: Team Sky Pro turned Saint Piran DS
This week Will and James are joined by ex-pro turned DS, Chris Lawless. At just 28 years old, Chris is the youngest directeur sportif in pro-cycling, but he's got a whole lot of experience. Cutting his teeth at Team Wiggins and JLT Condor,…
- 111. Secret Squirrel Club's Dimitris Katsanis
This week Will and James are joined by bike design visionary Dimitris Katsanis. Dimitris worked alongside Chris Boardman in the Secret Squirrel Club, creating the pioneering bikes and kit that helped Team GB dominate the 2012 London Games.…
- 110. Ribble Rebellion's Matt Bostock + Tour de France mega chat
This week Will and James are joined by Ribble Rebellion crit rider, Matt Bostock. Matt cut his teeth racing track and road, but now pedals his trade in the crit racing scene. A twice national crit champ and multiple Tour series winner, Mat…
- 109. Mikkel Honoré, pro cyclist at EF Education-Easypost
This week, Robyn and Will are joined by Mikkel Honoré, Danish pro at WorldTour team EF Education-Easypost. Mikkel talks us through the differences between a team like EF and one like his previous team, Quick-Step; how a small (and decidedl…
- 108. Carlton Kirby: Tour de France 2024 Special
This week James and Will are joined by Carlton Kirby, Eurosport's voice of the Tour de France. In this episode, Carlton looks ahead to the Tour de France 2024, and talks us through the course, all the crucial stages, the likely turning poi…