Velo Podcast

Pro bike racing is back, and on today's episode we go inside the Vuelta a Burgos and Strade Bianche with dispatches from Andrew Hood and James Startt. Then, our countdown to the Tour de France continues as we provide detailed and extra-nerdy analysis of Tour stages 11-21. We analyze every climb and every sprint to determine who will win the overall. Finally, we have an interview with American Leah...

In days of yore (just a few years ago, really), WorldTour team mechanics would spend hours, if not days, building wheels in preparation for big races. Now, most teams have equipment sponsors who send wheels pre-built. What's the benefit to the rider of having a pre-built wheel from one manufacturer? Jeff Schneider from Giant Gear joins tech editor Dan Cavallari on the show to talk about how Cadex...

In this special episode, co-host Bobby Julich becomes the hot-seat guest as Tejay van Garderen and Gus Morton pepper the Olympic medalist and Tour de France podium finisher about not only his career, but the decisions behind his actions, his regrets, and his most cherished moments. After watching ESPN's two-part LANCE documentary, van Garderen has questions for Julich about how the sport and socie...

We have a packed episode of The VeloNews Podcast this week, with interviews and segments that take you into pro cycling's return to racing. Andrew Hood is at the Vuelta a Burgos this week, which marks the first international pro men's race to be held since the coronavirus shutdown back in March. Andrew provides an on-the-ground account of what it's like to be inside a race during the pandemic, inc...

Gear and tech can often dictate the outcome of a stage, or the overall race, at the Tour de France. On this episode of the VeloNews Tech Podcast, European correspondent Andrew Hood joins tech editor Dan Cavallari to recount some of the most interesting and consequential tech moments of his tenure covering the Tour, which started in 1996.

How many athletes can you name that use one sport as cross-training for another? Probably a few, right? But can you name any athletes that participate in the very highest levels of professional competition in one sport as preparation for another sport? That is exactly what Ineos-Grenadier rider Cam Wurf is doing, using WorldTour racing as training for the Ironman world championships, which were re...

The clock is ticking to the start of the Tour de France, and we are taking a deep dive into various elements of the race over the next six episodes. We will examine the stages, the contenders, the storylines, and even the race's history between now and the race's start on August 29. On today's episode we take a broad look at the 2020 Tour de France route, and examine how it fits into the current t...

Dan Cavallari and Ben Delaney dive deep into the world of bicycle storage, all in an effort to save your long-suffering and sagging jersey pockets from further despair. From frame bags to integrated tool solutions that hide in head tubes and handlebars, we live in an era that offers a smorgasbord of clever storage options. Find out which ones are our favorites on this episode of the Tech Podcast.

In 1996, Bobby Julich thought his career was over - as it was just beginning to take off - because of a heart arrhythmia. Instead, George Hincapie introduced him to cardiologist Mike Lepp, he had a heart ablation procedure, and went on to have a very successful career. In the wake of the untimely death of young Belgian rider Niels De Vriendt (VDM), Mike joins Bobby and Gus Morton to talk about var...

It's official: Chris Froome is leaving Team Ineos to join Israel Start-Up Nation for 2021 and the foreseeable future. This blockbuster transfer is one of the biggest in pro cycling's recent history, and on this week's episode we examine every angle of the move. Andrew Hood and James Startt join the podcast to discuss the Froome news. What does Froome's decision mean for his legacy and the legacy o...

Jurgen Landrie has been wrenching on bikes for WorldTor teams for decades, so he has seen how much bikes have changed over the years. But just in the last five years, it seems like that evolution has accelerated. Landrie joins VeloNews tech editor Dan Cavallari on the VeloNews tech podcast to give us a sense of how and why bikes have evolved so rapidly in the last few years, and how mechanics at t...

Zwift has redefined indoor cycling. What started in 2014 with a 5km virtual track and a handful of users is now a global phenomenon. Just this weekend, for instance, Zwift had nearly 90,000 people sign up to ride one of the company's Virtual Tour de France social rides. On this episode of Put Your Socks On, Bobby and Gus speak with Zwift co-founder and CEO Eric Min about where they company came fr...

Organizers of gravel cycling's marquee event, the Dirty Kanza, recently announced their intention to change the race's name. The decision has come after months of turmoil for the event. In April a petition was circulated asking the race to change its name; the petition stated that the event's name represented a slur against the local indigenous population, the Kaw Nation. Then, in June, the event'...

Can dark fabrics keep you cool? It used to be standard practice to err on the side of light colors in hot weather, but with modern fabrics, it's entirely possible to stay cool and dry even if you're wearing black clothing. Of course, that comes with a caveat: The clothing needs to be designed specifically to keep you cool. Makes sense, right? Rob Pickels from Pearl Izumi joins VeloNews tech editor...

After being elected by her racing peers to serve on the athlete's commission for the UCI in 2015, Iris Slappendel quickly realized that there was no overarching structure of support for female riders. So, she created one. The Cyclists' Alliance was founded in 2017 to support female racers during and after their careers. The Cyclists' Alliance is a union funded by donations and subscriptions. Appro...

Bicycle racing is slowly returning amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and Austin's Driveway Series criterium events have been some of the first to come back. The Driveway held its first race since the shutdown on June 18, and then held another one on June 25. Why has the series returned, and what safety protocols is it following? On this week's episode we link up with series founder Andrew Willis to disc...

Tech guru Lennard Zinn joins VeloNews tech editor Dan Cavallari on this episode of the VeloNews Tech Podcast to explain the concept of moment of inertia, and why it matters when you ride your bike. Zinn walks us through the basic physics of the way weight moves on your bicycle, and why rotational weight can affect how quickly you get your bike up to speed. More importantly, Zinn gives us a general...

As racing returns to the real world with the Slovenian national championship, Bobby and Gus cover all the happenings in the Zwift community. Also, Gus's brother Lachlan Morton is an absolute madman! Gus gives his perspective on Lachlan Everesting not once but twice in one week to set the world record. Hear all about these stories and listen to an exclusive interview with director Steven de Jongh o...

Our reporting on the intersection of race and cycling continues this week with a conversation with Dr. Marlon Moncrieffe, a professor at Brighton University in the UK. A former elite track sprinter, Dr. Moncrieffe studies the history of minority ethnic groups in 20th century Britain. His 2018 book, 'Made in Britain: Uncovering the life-histories of Black-British Champions in Cycling' explores the...

Editorial director Ben Delaney and senior editor Betsy Welch needed a challenge — much like the rest of us craving races that have been halted during these strange times. Everesting? That seems a bit too intense for mere mortals, so Ben and Betsy settled on Project 14er instead, attempting to conquer 14,000 feet of elevation in a single ride. But with Lachlan Morton's troubles with official elevat...

Which is harder: racing for the win in the grand tours, or working as a firefighter? Listen to former top pro Tyler Farrar, who has done both. This week on Put Your Socks On, coach Bobby Julich is joined by special guest host Christian Vande Velde as Angus Morton is out in the field. Christian and Bobby talk with Tyler about his early career - from racing as a junior and pro domestically to going...

Our reporting on American cycling's lack of diversity continues this week, as we speak with five board members of the Major Taylor Iron Riders club. The club members are: Patrick Merosier, Natasha Merle, Chris Hasfal, Darrell Tucker, and club president Dereka Hendon-Barnes. MTIR is based in New York City and it is comprised largely of African American, Latino, and Caribbean American riders. The cl...

On this week's episode of the VeloNews Tech Podcast, tech editor Dan Cavallari talks with Velocio Apparel's CEO Brad Sheehan to get to the bottom of why packaging is such a big problem in the bike industry. The bicycle industry often touts itself as an eco-friendly alternative to automobiles, and it certainly is that. But in terms of packaging, sourcing materials, and landing products in a consume...

Road bikes, cyclocross bikes, mountain bikes, and motorbikes — Neff loves riding them all. On this episode, the multi-time world champ talks about the special Swiss cycling programs that helped propel her to the top. Bobby and Gus speak with Neff about her early days of competition (she won the first race she entered at age six), overcoming injuries, and her new series Jolanda Land on YouTube. Aft...

On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast we discuss the role that racial bias and racism play in our sport with Rahsaan Bahati and Allen Lim. Bahati and Lim are both veterans of the U.S. cycling scene, and they are both riders who came to the sport from minority communities. Bahati is black and grew up in Compton; Lim is a Chinese-American immigrant who grew up in Los Angeles. Both men chart...