The Packfiller: Cycling Culture & Comedy

The OG trio is back (mostly). Sam has survived his battle with a stump, David returns from the void, and Pat is running on patio-remodel spite. In Episode 535 of the Packfiller Podcast, we break down the absolute chaos of the opening days of the 2026 Tour de France. We analyze Visma's clinical Team Time Trial, Tadej Pogačar’s early flex in the Pyrenees, Mads Pedersen surviving the mountains, and t...

We are exactly four days away from the biggest cycling circus on earth crossing the start line in Barcelona, and the pro peloton is entering a state of absolute panic. This week on The Packfiller Podcast, the crew dives face-first into the 113th Tour de France. We break down the absolute madness of an opening day Team Time Trial, slap letter grades on the heavy GC favorites (Pogačar, Vingegaard, a...

The Tour de France is weeks away, and the peloton is in absolute chaos. Tadej Pogačar just put the entire WorldTour on notice with a historic, 67-year record-breaking onslaught at the Tour de Suisse. Meanwhile, Visma-Lease a Bike is structurally collapsing, Wout van Aert is officially out with an infection, and the UCI is handing out 500 CHF fines to Mathieu van der Poel for unzipping his speed su...

Welcome to Episode 532 of the longest-standing podcast on the sport of cycling. We are "The Packfiller"—think of us as a post-ride beer with several friends and one asshole. (Pat is definitely that asshole tonight). With Sam and David out for the evening, the OG three—Pat, Paul, and Jackson—hold down the studio to discuss the biological reality of getting a season-threatening injury from a hotel m...

Welcome to Episode 531 of the longest-standing podcast on the sport of cycling. We are "The Packfiller"—think of us as a post-ride beer with several friends and one asshole. (Pat is potentially that asshole). This week, four generations of riders sit down to dissect a massive week in the WorldTour and the absolute delusion of the local amateur scene. We break down Team Visma-Lease a Bike's flawles...

Welcome to Episode 530 of the longest-standing podcast in the sport of cycling. Think of us as a post-ride beer with several friends and one a hole. (Pat is potentially that a hole). The Waples brothers are still MIA, so the OG three—Pat, Paul, and Jackson—are holding down the studio to dissect a wild week in the peloton. We are breaking down the absolute peanut butter mud chaos at Unbound Gravel...

The Packfiller Empire has finally returned to the studio with a little Riverside dust in the lungs to show for it. Fresh off the 24 Hours of Riverside, the ensemble cast breaks down the absolute type-2 fun of mass-start mountain biking, Sam and David’s 5-person team title, and what’s next for Jackson "The Cyclist Without a Bike." Plus, Pat lays out the long, audacious road to the 2027 Master’s Nat...

Four days, four stages, an ungodly amount of wind, and a studio reeking of Neosporin and existential exhaustion. Welcome to Episode 528 of The Packfiller Podcast—the post-ride beer with several friends and one asshole. The complete Packfiller Empire has finally returned to the studio after surviving the region’s largest stage race, Wenatchee’s own Tour de Bloom. Tonight, the full panel—including a...

The Giro is in the mountains, the Tour de Bloom is days away, and the sport of cycling is officially bankrupting us all. Welcome to Episode 527. This week on The Packfiller, Pat, Paul, and Sam stare down the barrel of the Wenatchee Tour de Bloom stage race. With the young guns and the doctor absent, the Gen-X cynicism is running at an all-time high. We dive into the pre-race anxiety of facing down...

The Giro d'Italia is finally here, and The Packfiller crew is breaking down the chaotic Bulgarian Grande Partenza and Vingegaard's plan for the brutal final week! But first, we celebrate a massive local win from Jackson, get the gritty details of David's BWR San Diego sufferfest, and Pat reveals his final FTP numbers just one week out from the Tour de Bloom. Plus, we recap Tadej Pogačar's absolute...

Welcome to Episode 524 of the longest-standing podcast in cycling. Think of us as a post-ride beer with several friends and one asshole. (According to the internet this week, Pat is officially that asshole for explaining why local group-ride heroes can't hang with the women's pro peloton). This week on the Packfiller Podcast, the crew debriefs a brutal reality check at the local Twilight Crits bef...

The Hell of the North left the peloton wrecked, with cobbles so brutal your spine needs re-checked. They race through the trenches and suffer the pain—while I loudly complain if I ride in the rain. Welcome to Episode 523 of the longest-standing podcast in the sport of cycling. The Breakdown: This week, Pat is back from "The Forge" isolation camp in Lewiston, Idaho, 15 pounds lighter, pushing 300 W...

Broadcasting solo from a cramped dinette table in an Idaho RV bunker. This week on The Packfiller Podcast, we deal with a massive reality check: My AI coach hallucinated my FTP, so I fired it. We discuss the danger of chasing unrealistic numbers, the mental toll of the Lewiston "Forge" isolation camp, and the painful honesty of being an aging athlete. Plus, we head to the news desk to break down T...

It's Holy Week in cycling! We're breaking down the massive results from Gent-Wevelgem (In Flanders Fields) and E3 Saxo Classic as we build hype for the biggest race of the spring: The Tour of Flanders (De Ronde). Can anyone stop the dominance of Mathieu van der Poel now that Tadej Pogačar is back in the mix? Closer to home, Pat recap his dramatic "race" at Heaven of The South gravel, involving a s...

The sport of cycling is currently operating on a four-centimeter margin of error, and we are breaking it all down on a diet of tuna and spite. Welcome to Episode 520 of The Packfiller Podcast . This week, the crew sits down to dissect the absolute chaos of the Spring Classics. We analyze Tadej Pogačar hitting the deck and still managing to drop a 900-watt nuclear attack on the Poggio, and we celeb...

Once upon a time, while the young whippersnappers were apparently out drinking horrid green beer, the elders of the cycling village got together to discuss how things were "back in ze day", whilst enjoying proper pints (thanks Big Barn), and reminiscing about the days of wool and casquettes. Oh, and they've got plenty to say about these Strava Punks too! Now get offa our digital lawns!

This frames the episode as a reality check. We analyze Pogačar’s dominance and then immediately present the contrasting reality of an everyday cyclist. Tadej Pogačar just executed an 80km solo alien abduction of Strade Bianche, and the entire professional peloton is currently existential. But while UAE Team Emirates is rewriting the history books, over here in the Packfiller bunker, we are just tr...

Opening Weekend wasn't just a race—it was a demolition derby. From shattered clavicles to lost teeth, the Belgian cobbles have left the peloton with a massive "Butcher’s Bill." Tonight, Pat is joined by the dream team: Sam Waples (Biomechanics) and Dr. David Waples (Medical) to break down the trauma, the resilience, and the science of "cold-weather" crashes. In this episode: The Breakaway : Why do...

Is it time to pay the "Dad Tax"? The full Pack is away this week, so the Bulger Bloodline is taking over the studio. It's just Pat and Jackson for a special episode exploring the generational gap in cycling—from 90s retrogrouch habits to the high-tech, aero-obsessed modern peloton. Oh, and we both want new helmets.

Is local bike racing getting too expensive to survive? The "OG Three" (Pat, Paul, and Jackson) are in the studio to debate the rising cost of entry fees, including a staggering $340 price tag for local stage races. Plus, we break down the creation of local "Superteams" and whether they help or hurt the scene. In the WorldTour, Remco Evenepoel puts the hammer down on Isaac Del Toro at the UAE Tour,...

The band is back together! After a week away, Pat returns from the stage to the mic to lead the full Pack through a chaotic week of training, or not training...

Don't stalk pro riders. Don't join too big of a team. Don't, whatever you do, play trivia with The Packfiller!!! (mind the static) Sign up for more at Packfiller.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Don't blame Pat. It was the other guys!! We're also getting excited to ride outside (apparently not on fat bikes, though). Sign up for more at Packfiller.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Was it a compliment, or wasn't it? You get to decide. The whole gang is here, and insanity shall ensue. Sign up for more at Packfiller.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Waples free, which of course means a structured and thoughtful evening sipping beverages and calmly discussing the benefits of, well, being Waples free! Sign up for more at Packfiller.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.