Domestique Cycling Podcast

In this episode of the Domestique Hotseat, Tim Declercq sits down with Aidan for a wide ranging conversation that moves well beyond watts and race results. Declercq talks about the shift from rider to coach, what modern cycling asks of young riders, and why safety and stress became harder to ignore as his career went on. They also get into the bigger picture: what new money is doing to the sport,...

The 2026 season hasn't even started properly, but we've already got drama. Wout van Aert crashed at the cyclo-cross race in Mol and fractured his ankle, requiring surgery. We break down the injury and discuss whether this disrupts his spring classics campaign. We also tackle the Remco Evenepoel rumour mill after he was spotted recon'ing the Tour of Flanders route with a team car. Is...

Relive the funniest, most insightful and most emotional moments with some of the best riders in the pro peloton. Thanks for listening throughout 2025, and we’ll see you next year. 00:00 Intro 01:25 Amanda Spratt 08:15 Michae Storer 12:15 Kim Cadzow 24:55 Finn Fisher-Black 34:13 Kim Le Court-Pienaar 44:06 Byron Munton 48:52 Wout Poels 53:55 Sarah Gigante 59:15 Niamh Fisher-Black 01:04:01 Bas Tietem...

To end the year, we decided to have some fun and do things a little bit differently. We rank every pro cycling team's 2025 season! We're looking back at the 2025 campaign and grading each WorldTour and ProTeam squad based on their roster strength and success in the biggest races. From the superteams stacked with Grand Tour contenders to the squads fighting for survival, we break down who...

Honoré reflects on the emotional highs of 2025, including Kasper Asgreen's crucial Giro stage win and the dramatic 20th stage on the Finestre, which ultimately didn’t deliver victory for teammate Richard Carapaz. Honoré also discusses what makes modern cycling compelling for fans, the return of team time trials, and why he believes moving the Giro to August would solve some of the race's...

This week's cycling news: the 2026 Vuelta a España reveals a brutal route with over 58'000 meters of climbing, Ineos Grenadiers announces the signing of Australian sprinter Sam Welsford and the launch of their racing academy, and the UCI moves forward with plans to change contract start dates from 1 January to November.  Bram and Ethan discuss the awkward optics of riders training in mis...

In this episode of the Domestique Hotseat, the conversation shifts from the peloton to the boardroom. Host Aidan sits down with EF Education - EasyPost founder and team boss Jonathan Vaughters for a wide ranging, sharply opinionated chat about what worked in 2025, what did not, and why the sport’s economic model is creaking under its own weight. Vaughters assesses EF’s 2025 with bluntness. The big...

It’s the final stretch of the season, but there’s no shortage of talking points. With teams deep into training camps and media days, the 2026 picture is starting to take shape, and in some cases, unravel. Bram is joined by Domestique editor Ethan to break down the fallout from Lidl-Trek’s media day, including mixed messaging around Mattias Skjelmose, Juan Ayuso, and Grand Tour leadership. There’s...

The World Champion has outlined plans to target the Ardennes Classics in 2026, after revealing how she has found the first few months since that defining moment in Kigali, Rwanda, back in September. She talks through the surreal reality of being world champion, from rainbow nails and custom Brooks shoes to a Cannondale that arrived at 10pm the night before her first race in the stripes.  Vallieres...

Do you want to win the signed Team Visma | Lease a Bike jersey? Drop your favourite Victor & Matteo vlog in the comments 👇 Aidan sits down with Tour de France stage winner and Visma | Lease a Bike workhorse Victor Campenaerts for a conversation about trading personal glory for the life of a super domestique in service of Jonas Vingegaard. He dives into the art of climbing as a domestique, the...

The 2026 Giro d’Italia route has finally been revealed and it’s every bit as dramatic as the rumours suggested. In this episode, Bram and Ethan walk through the full three-week parcours, from the flat opening along the Black Sea in Bulgaria to the brutal double punch of stages 19 and 20 in the Dolomites. The episode also explores how different contenders might approach the race. Would Vingegaard r...

Aidan sits down with Visma | Lease a Bike's American star Matteo Jorgenson for a wide ranging conversation about life inside the team that keeps trying to crack Tadej Pogačar. From creative Tour de France tactics and media made “tension” with UAE, to Wout van Aert’s emotional win in Paris, Jorgenson lifts the lid on what it is like to race the best rider he has ever seen. The American also lo...

Aidan sits down with Decathlon rider Rasmus Pedersen for a wide ranging conversation. The 23-year old reflects on the national championships that transformed the way he sees himself, the instinctive jump that won the race, and the long stretch of consistency that followed. There is an honest look at the European Championships too, where Rasmus rode in support of Jonas Vingegaard on a day when the...

Kittel looks back at a career built on raw power and precision. He explains why he never adopted the extreme low positions of other sprinters, how it felt to dominate the Champs Élysées, and why losing that finish still stings. “A big tradition is gone,” he said. “Paris smells different. Food, perfume, excitement.” The conversation moves far beyond sprinting. Kittel speaks candidly about the press...

This week on the Domestique Cycling Podcast, Bram and Ethan dive into everything happening in the world of cycling… even if it is the off-season. From Mathieu van der Poel’s Ironman tease to Greg LeMond talking tech at Rouleur Live, it’s been a surprisingly lively week. We break down the big headlines, including: Van der Poel and the 100k-like Ironman challenge Q36.5 becoming Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro...

At just 19, Cat Ferguson has already lived a full cycling life. From a childhood spent on Alpe d’Huez to a breakthrough season with Movistar she talks about growing up fast in the peloton, handling setbacks and whether she could beat Puck Pieterse in necking a pint. In the Domestique Hotseat, Ferguson reflects on skipping cyclocross for the first time, the mental strength it takes to survive the s...

We’re deep into the off-season — and that means one thing: transfer chaos! In this episode, Bram and Ethan dive into the biggest transfers ahead of the 2026 cycling season. From Red Bull’s signing of Remco Evenepoel to INEOS’ puzzling strategy and Decathlon’s surprise masterclass — we break down every major move, what it means for the teams, and who’s shaping up for success next year.

Cole Kessler might be one of the tallest riders in the peloton, but he’s quickly proving he’s more than a gentle giant. At 6’6”, the American national time trial champion joins Aidan to talk about late growth spurts, finding balance in a sport built on sacrifice, and why he believes the breakaway isn’t dead. From growing up as an undersized kid on the American football field to climbing the ranks...

From Pogačar’s dominance to del Toro’s breakout at the Giro, from Marlen Reusser’s evolution to Maëva Squiban's fearless Tour de France Femmes ride: this episode covers it all. Bram and Ethan sit down for a full-season recap of men’s and women’s racing, breaking down the highs, lows, and biggest surprises of the year. Expect strong opinions, bad predictions, and plenty of laughs as the Domest...

In this episode of The Domestique Hotseat, Bas Tietema opens up about storytelling, ambition and the rise of the Unibet Rose Rockets, cycling’s most unconventional team. From filming rides with friends to leading a pro squad chasing a Tour de France wildcard, Tietema shares how belief, creativity and community turned an idea into a movement. With Wout Poels and Dylan Groenewegen joining for 2025,...

After a season that took her from the high climbs of the Tour de France to the chaos of Worlds in Rwanda, The Domestique Hotseat sat down with Niamh Fisher-Black to talk leadership, learning curves, and what it means to grow up inside the peloton. At just 24, the New Zealander has already lived the full arc of a rider’s education. From her early jump to SD Worx to her new role as team leader at Li...

In this episode of the Domestique Cycling Podcast, Bram is joined by Domestique editor Ethan for a short preview of the season's last WorldTour race on European soil as they break down the parcours, where they expect Tadej Pogačar to go solo and who will attempt to follow him. Potentially standing in the Slovenian's way is Remco Evenepoel, who’s been closing the gap all autumn after stro...

On the back of a rollercoaster season, we sat down with Sarah Gigante for this episode of The Domestique Hotseat. At just 24, the Australian has already endured more setbacks than many face in a lifetime: from breaking both arms as a junior, to heart inflammation at Movistar, and most recently surgery for iliac artery endofibrosis. Gigante opens up about her unconventional path: an ATAR score of 9...

The 2025 European Road Championships head to the Drôme-Ardèche region in France, with a 202.5km course packed with relentless climbs. From the opening ascent out of Privas to repeated passages over the Saint-Romain-de-Lerps and the Val d’Enfer, this route will punish anyone not at their best. In this episode of the Domestique Cycling Podcast, Bram is joined by Domestique editor Ethan for a full pr...

On the eve of the World Championships in Rwanda, we sit down with Wout Poels for this episode of The Domestique Hotseat. Poels reflects on life inside the peloton: from the ‘controlled chaos’ of Kigali’s streets to his memories of Team Sky’s dominance, where he rode alongside Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas and Egan Bernal. He shares his thoughts on the rivalry between Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogač...