The Cycling Podcast

Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie return to discuss the latest racing and news in professional cycling - this week with top TNT commentator Rob Hatch.   We discuss an intense weekend of racing, with a pair of key appetizers before the Tour of Flanders: E3 Harelbeke and Gent-Wevelgem. The two semi-Classics saw Mathieu van der Poel and Mads Pedersen in superlative form, so who, besides Tadej Pogačar,...

Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie return to discuss the latest racing and news in professional cycling - this week in the company of former CSC, Sky and GreenEDGE communications maestro Brian Nygaard.  After our Arrivée episode at the weekend, we discuss one or two talking points that we missed in the immediate wake of Sanremo - and the hot breaking news that Tadej Pogačar will ride Paris-Roubaix. ...

Arrivée is The Cycling Podcast’s quick-fire race analysis show offering a first take on the biggest races. Join Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie as they discuss their first impressions of the opening Monument of the spring, the longest one-day race on the World Tour calendar, Milan-Sanremo. Who will triumph on the Via Roma and how did they do it? Sponsored by Laka The Cycling Podcast’s coverage of...

Rose Manley and Jo Rowsell cast their eye over one of the most hotly anticipated races of the year, Milano-Sanremo Donne. The last time the race was staged for women was 20 years ago, leaving plenty of intrigue over how it would be approached by this current crop of riders. This season’s battle of SD Worx versus Demi Vollering was expected to continue into this race. The Dutch team boasted both Wo...

Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie return to discuss the latest racing and news in professional cycling - this week in the company of Tudor Pro Cycling ace Larry Warbasse aka ‘The Motown Maestro’.  Fresh(ish) from finishing Tirreno-Adriatico, Larry delivers his verdicts from The Race of the Two Seas. Who, if anyone, was hot in the often frigid weather conditions? And who still has work to do ahead of...

With old grudges and new rivalries playing out on the gravel roads of Tuscany, Strade Bianche offered up plenty to talk about in this month’s episode of The Cycling Podcast Féminin. Rose Manley and Denny Gray are joined by cycling broadcaster Rebecca Charlton to discuss all the juicy details, plus they look ahead to the return of Milan-Sanremo with a mini-feature about the race’s predecessor, the...

Lionel Birnie, Rob Hatch and Brian Nygaard recap Strade Bianche, where Tadej Pogačar recovered from a crash, picked himself up from the adjacent field and still managed to see off a spirited challenge from Tom Pidcock. We ask whether Pidcock should have waited – and whether, indeed, waiting was what he did – and discuss what the rest of the peloton can do to stop Pogačar when he’s in such irrepres...

Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie are back to review the latest news and racing in the world of procycling, assisted this week by ace commentator Rob Hatch.  ‘Opening Weekend’ may not have lived up to all the hype but both Omloop het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne did serve up some juicy talking points. Among the hottest topics in the Belgian media were Visma-Lease a Bike’s toils - and they’r...

It's the equivalent of Christmas Eve in Flanders, the night before Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the opening cobbled classic of the spring season. Join Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch as they preview the race and wonder who can stop Visma-Lease A Bike winning four in a row. There's a wistful meander down memory lane recalling past editions, an attempt to capture the elements that make Omloop such an eagerly-...

Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie are back to review the latest news and racing in the world of procycling, assisted this week by Tudor Pro Cycling stalwart Larry Warbasse aka ‘The Motown Maestro’. Tour de France rivals Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard both began their seasons last week - both with instant success. Pogačar’s GC win in the UAE Tour came thanks to stage victories in the two mountain...

 Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie welcome Brian Nygaard for his first podcast appearance of 2025, as we look ahead to another prominent Dane’s return to action this week.  Jonas Vingegaard starts his bid to topple Tadej Pogačar at the Volta ao Algarve in Portugal, after a year and particularly a Tour de France that left them wondering what, if anything, they could do to dethrone the Slovenian. We p...

In the February episode of The Cycling Podcast Féminin, Rose Manley, Orla Chennaoui and Jo Rowsell pick over the UAE Tour, a race which often offers up some key insight for the season ahead. Plus we look at some of the junior world champions of the past in our mini feature. There’s plenty to discuss from the UAE Tour, as Elisa Longo Borghini took a commanding overall victory while Lorena Wiebes we...

Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch return to recap all the latest stories and racing as the stars of the international peloton commence their 2025 campaigns. In Oman, there’s a battle royale between two Frenchmen and an Englishman – and, ultimately, the same final result as in another recent sporting contest. We also discuss an excellent week for Colombian riders, with Egan Bernal and Sant...

Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch are back to recap all the latest stories and racing as the season swings into action in Europe. A little further afield, in the Middle East, Tom Pidcock was enjoying a rip-roaring start to life with his new team, Q36.5 – and we assess to what extent the Briton's victory there could set the tone for his season. We also look at the main takeaways from the G...

That's a wrap for the Challenge Mallorca. Lionel Birnie heads to Palma for the final race in the series hoping for dry weather and an incident-free race. Then he reconvenes with Rob Hatch in a soggy, Sunday evening Sóller to recap the day. We hear from Michael Valgren of EF Education-Easy Post and Lotto sports director Dirk De Mol about the cancellation of Saturday's race. And Lionel and Rob take...

The fourth race in the Challenge Mallorca series was cancelled because of crashes on the opening circuit. But that doesn't stop Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch talking Balearics for twenty five minutes or so. We discuss the safety issues and the impact of the cancellation on the race. Then we ask whether the Vuelta a España could return to the island of Mallorca for the first time since 1991*, and pon...

In this third part of our series from the Challenge Mallorca, Lionel Birnie heads to the Col de Sóller to watch the race, then returns to catch up with Rob Hatch. They discuss the greatest grand tour rider Mallorca has produced and look ahead to the final two events in the series. Sponsored by Sports Tours International The Cycling Podcast is proudly sponsored by Sports Tours International. Whethe...

The second race in the Challenge Mallorca series takes Lionel Birnie to the south east of the island and a glorious beach. But what is Ciro Scognamiglio's verdict? We hear from man of the match George Radcliffe, Lionel predicts the winner (because of course he does) and we discuss the impact of tourism on the island. Sponsored by Sports Tours International The Cycling Podcast is proudly sponsored...

Lionel Birnie is in Mallorca for the five-day Challenge Mallorca, a stage race that's not a stage race. In this opening episode of KM0, recorded at the Trofeo Calvià, Lionel and Rob Hatch discuss the history of the race and Lionel sees two very different sides to the island.  The series title – Never Mind The Balearics, This Is The Cycling Podcast – is inspired by the classic 1977 Sex Pistols punk...

Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch return to reflect on the Tour Down Under, where the climb up Willunga Hill once again proved decisive and some familiar faces from previous editions shone. To Daniel’s delight, the trio also look ahead to this weekend's cyclocross world championships in France, where Mathieu van der Poel is aiming for his seventh rainbow jersey. Health-permitting, Thibau...

We’re back! In the first episode of The Cycling Podcast Féminin of 2025, Rose Manley, Denny Gray and Jo Rowsell are looking ahead to what promises to be an enticing road season. We offer up our 'bold predictions' (thanks Denny!) for the coming months, sparking arguments galore as we work out which count as downright ‘fanciful’ and which are seemingly probable. Potential Grand Tour victors, Anna va...

Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch return to ring in the new season, which commenced this week with the Tour Down Under. After two stages and two emphatic wins for Redbull-Bora-hansgrohe’s “Flying Wombat” Sam Welsford, we look ahead to the weekend’s decisive stages.  There’s also a postscript to last week’s discussions about both the future of the sport and its business model - and also wh...

After a Christmas and New Year break, The Cycling Podcast returns with the now traditional early-season speculation episode. With suggestions from some familiar voices, Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch  look at some of the stories and trends we think may shape the 2025 professional cycling season. Episode sponsors AG1 If you want to take ownership of your health, try AG1 and get a FREE o...

The final Grand Tour of the season rolled out from Portugal in searing temperatures and with question marks over several of the contenders. We were there to witness and report on all of it, with Fran Reyes bringing his sultry presence to week one, Richard Abraham dropping in for week two and Rob Hatch helping to bring the ship in to Madrid. Once again, there were talking points, adventures and lau...

Journey back to the height of summer and the Grand Départ in Florence with our Tour de France team of Mitch Docker, Richard Abraham and Graham Willgoss. They were there to witness Tadej Pogačar’s domination, a record-breaking 35th stage win for Mark Cavendish, and a historic trio of stage wins for green jersey winner Biniam Girmay. They also endured the horror of ‘the kebab shop hotel’, soaked up...