Sigma Sports Unplugged with Matt Stephens

A brand new series of special episodes following Matt Stephens around the 2022 Tour de France. With the first stage in Copenhagen just around the corner, Matt shares his favourite moments of the Tour from days gone by and looks forward to what should be a sensational three weeks of racing. Matt chooses his Fantasy Tour de France team on air, and there are some real surprises in his selection. To j...

Matt Stephens joins us from behind the scenes of the Giro d’Italia 2022, in this the fourth and final podcast in this special series. Rarely has a Grand Tour left it so late to be decided, Jai Hindley can put the ghosts of 2020 to rest and the Australian can take home that Maglia Rosa for keeps. Matt reflects on the final six stages of this wonderful race picking out his highlights and key moments...

Episode three of Matt Stephens’ behind the scenes Giro d’Italia 2022 podcast series. With Biniam Girmay securing an historic victory on Stage 10, Matt and Ned Boulting reflect on the gravity of that victory as well as the Eritrean’s misfortune on the podium. We find out what the chaps are looking forward to seeing in the final week of this thrilling grand tour, with three more stages in the high m...

The second instalment of our Giro d’Italia special series, with Matt Stephens behind the scenes with Ned Boulting to discuss the drama of the race so far. Looking back at stages 4 to 9, there’s plenty to discuss - Cav’s emotional 300m sprint victory, Biniam Girmay’s incredible Giro debut, and the joys of the most unpredictable grand tour they’ve ever watched. Find out what the pair are looking for...

A new series of short catch-ups with Matt Stephens from the heart of the action at the 2022 Giro d’Italia. Recorded on rest day one, Matt looks back on stages one to three to reflect on Mark Cavendish’s emotional sprint victory. He also enjoys some Goulash, and finds out how the Giro came to Hungary from Stephen Roche. Matt tells us what he’s looking forward to in the coming stages and uses the te...

Matt Stephens and Fred Wright discuss that itching feeling to get back on the bike after a few days of rest, which might come as a surprise given the depth of effort Fred put into his Spring Classics season. Now with his sights firmly on the Tour de France, the Team Bahrain Victorious rider is so versatile that he has the luxury of picking and choosing whether he goes for it in a bunch sprint or a...

Matt Stephens chats with Tanja Erath about her life-changing Zwift Academy victory and her subsequent professional cycling career, which has led her to recently finishing her second Paris Roubaix. A fully qualified doctor, Tanja is seizing the opportunity to enjoy every moment of her racing career with EF Education-TIBCO-SVB, safe in the knowledge that returning to work as a medical doctor is just...

Matt Stephens joins Nico Roche in his hotel room for an up-close and personal chat about his recent retirement from the pro peloton and his plans for the future. With a fascinating insight into the differences between bike racing pre and post-Covid lockdowns, Nicolas reckons things will never be the same again. Having recently stepped out of his comfort zone to take part in Dancing With The Stars...

Matt Stephens enjoys the company of the 2021 Tour of Flanders champion, Kasper Asgreen, in this monumental episode. Knowing your strengths is a key attribute of any successful bike racer, but it's the execution that really matters, as Kasper recalls his tactical approach to winning the Ronde Van Vlaanderen last season. He also remembers the moment Patrick Lefevere really made him sweat - just befo...

Matt Stephens chats to Connor Swift about Steak Bakes, clothes horses, and premature celebrations. Listen to his captivating recollection of the moment he threw his hands in the air at Tro Bro Leon, 2021 only for it to go to a photo finish. The Arkéa–Samsic rider might have become British national champion at just 22 years of age but now, four years later, he really feels like he’s developing into...

Matt Stephens and Magnus Bäckstedt chat about his famous victory at Paris-Roubaix, in this fascinating Spring Classics themed episode. A formidable figure on the bike, the big Swede forged his powerful legs in the world of downhill skiing, and he explains to Matt how he had to make a tough decision as to which sport to dedicate himself to. It proved a good choice, as his Alessio–Bianchi teammates...

Matt Stephens and Marcel Kittel chat about his fantastic career as one of the best sprinters of the modern era. The former Etixx–Quick-Step and Katusha–Alpecin rider took an amazing 89 professional victories but is now enjoying his retirement by embarking on a number of personal projects. He discusses how becoming a father changed his trajectory overnight, and he has a lot to look forward to as he...

Matt Stephens learns how Jose Been is like you or me; she’s a cycling fan. But when her knowledge of the sport began to get noticed on social media, she was offered her first commentary gig by Eurosport then quickly became a household name in the Netherlands, commentating on almost every race broadcast. With a talent for fact retention, she often surprises herself with information buried deep in h...

Matt Stephens and Ben Healy discuss the benefits of growing as a rider in the Under-23 category before making the step to World Tour level. Ben’s career at the top level is in it’s fledgling stages with EF Education-Easypost, but he’s been putting out world-class performances for a number of years, notably winning the Irish National Championships in 2020 at the tender age of 19. Now, he’s setting...

Matt Stephens has an open and honest chat with Phil Gaimon about his admittedly stop-start professional cycling career, and how he never really got a fair shot at the races that suited him. Now carving out a creative path through riding with sponsorships within the world of cycling, Phil’s exciting new ventures can’t be considered a retirement. Having recently joined Jukebox cycling, a uniquely in...

Matt Stephens and Dan Bigham talk numbers in their fascinating conversation about aerodynamics, power, watt-saving measures and pies. The British Hour Record holder is a formidable engineer, who specialised in aerodynamics - Matt is keen to learn how this unique set of skills helped him to earn his current title, and of course, Dan knows exactly what he would need to do to break the World Hour Rec...

Matt Stephens learns how Joss Lowden bought a TT bike one Saturday, signed up for her first Time Trial on Sunday and set the course record on Monday. “Like a fish to water” doesn’t begin to describe the current Women's World Hour Record holder’s natural aptitude for bike racing. Now riding for Uno-X, the 2022 calendar looks incredibly exciting for Joss, but how will it compare to a Norwegian milit...

Matt Stephens chats with Cameron Mason about his impressive performance at the HSBC UK Cyclo-Cross National Championships, taking home the Under-23 title and coming second in the Elite category at the tender age of 21. Wise beyond his years, Cameron credits his early-career success to his passion and motivation to learn every time he turns up to an event. With strong opinions on the maximum value...

Matt Stephens is joined by not one, but two Downing brothers as Dean and Russ share their expertise in this training-focused podcast. Both having enjoyed illustrious racing careers, they now run the hugely successful Downing Cycling; coaching ambitious amateurs and top professional athletes alike. Matt is keen to learn how time-crunched riders can maximise their training time, what the most common...

Matt Stephens chats to Ashleigh Moolman Pasio about her wonderful career so far, and how the multiple National Road Race and Time Trial champion of South Africa took to ESports like a fish to water - winning the 2020 UCI Cycling ESports World Championship. She speaks passionately about training and racing on Zwift, and how the platform is great for building confidence in women getting into cycling...

Matt Stephens and OJ Borg embrace the tangents in this fun-filled meandering chat. The BBC Radio 2 DJ explains how turning Vegan caused him to lose his voice, how he doesn’t just buy Lego for his kids, and how seeing Rob Hayles naked really caught him off guard. In the Leicester quiz, OJ displays sound logical reasoning, while the Random Question Generator goes all ‘Desert Island Discs’ but withou...

Matt Stephens chats to Taylor Phinney about living the dream of riding whatever kind of bike he wants to, whenever he likes. How funemployment is equipping him with newly acquired and admittedly random skills. Plus we learn about his first love of football (soccer), and how a trip to the orthodontist helped him look like his childhood hero - if only for a short while. But when the Random Question...

Matt Stephens talks to Alex Howes about his new career trajectory, which includes coaching amateur riders and racing at World Tour level with EF Education-NIPPO - whether that’s on the road or at gravel events. He's got a lot of balls in the air, and Alex even juggled this podcast recording with the duty of feeding his baby. Now enjoying a mountain lifestyle in Nederland Colorado, Alex believes th...

Matt Stephens and Joe Dombrowski talk about the culture shocks experienced by American riders living in Europe, and how he’s happy to sacrifice a little convenience for the laid back pace of life in Nice. At the time of the interview, Joe was about to sign for Team Astana and recalled his hugely successful final season with UAE-Team Emirates - featuring a stage win at the Giro d’Italia, and recall...

Matt Stephens talks to Andre Greipel about how he came to the decision to retire when the buzz of victory started to wane, and how cycling will always be a huge part of his life, whether he has a number on his back or not. Nicknamed “The Gorilla” for his immense presence and power on the bike, Greipel sprinted to victory a massive 22 times at the Grand Tours. And perhaps just like the name suggest...