Velo Podcast

It has been a big week for American cyclists — Ben King won two stages at the Vuelta. Sepp Kuss, in his debut Vuelta, has been tearing up the climbs. And Ashton Lambie set a new world record in the individual pursuit, winning Pan-American Games gold. We talk to all three of those riders, plus we hear from European correspondent Andrew Hood who has been following the Vuelta. Spencer also has a quic...

We received so many questions after we published episode 51, "Polarizing your training, with Dr. Stephen Seiler," we decided to take an even closer look at the polarized model of endurance training, to help listeners execute such a model in their training. Our discussion includes: - Why cycling is an aerobic sport - What is meant by the two thresholds — LT1 and LT2 — and how to determine yours, bo...

Did you just tear up your list of Vuelta GC favorites? We did. Vincenzo Nibali, Richie Porte, and others are already off the back. We discuss how the race has unfolded so far and look back on the first mountaintop finish won by American Ben King. Also, there is sad news out of Ireland as yet another team is folding. Aqua Blue Sport made the unusual decision to cease operations immediately, putting...

Your drivetrain does a lot of work, and in order to do it well, a bike has to be designed with chain line in mind. What's that, you ask? That's exactly what we cover in this week's VeloNews tech podcast. VeloNews tech editor Dan Cavallari asks SRAM's chief system engineer for road drivetrains, Anthony Medaglia, how your drivetrain's chain line influences the way your bike is designed. Does chain l...

The Colorado Classic offered plenty of storylines over the past week. We hear from Travis McCabe on what the atmosphere has been like on a UnitedHealthcare team that could fold at the end of the season despite the team's dominance in Colorado. We also hear from Lauren Hall, for whom the Colorado Classic marked the final race of a long career. The podcast also looks ahead to the Vuelta a España. Th...

This spring we sat down with Sepp Kuss, the recent winner of the Tour of Utah, to discuss what it was like to go from domestic U.S. racing to the WorldTour in three short years. The theme that returns again and again is the struggle of jumping to the highest level and the need to persist when your first year is a grind. There's also some great advice about training, raising your level, and the val...

Sepp Kuss absolutely smashed the field at Tour of Utah. So is he America's next star climber? We hear from Dane Cash, who was covering the race this year and Chris Case, who did an in-depth sports science feature on climbing that featured Kuss (how prescient!). Then, Fred Dreier talks to another star climber, Katie Hall, who just announced she will race for super-team Boels-Dolmans in 2018. This e...

The science on recovery has changed significantly in recent years. Once it was almost purely focused on reducing delayed onset muscle soreness (or DOMS), now the science recognizes that inflammation and some discomfort are a necessary part of recovery, and the best recovery tools aid this process. The tools that seem to do this best are within the compression categories of recovery, including mass...

What is trail? No, not that dirt path you like to mountain bike on — we are talking about the often-misunderstood bike geometry measurement. In this episode of the VeloNews tech podcast, we speak to BMC Switzerland's head of engineering, Stefan Christ. He helps us better understand how trail affects a bike's handling. But more importantly, he explains why a variety of factors influence the way a b...

What is it like to finish the Tour de France on the Champs-Elysees? Fred Dreier is on the ground in Paris to hear from the riders. He speaks to (in the following order) Toms Skujins, Lawson Craddock, Rory Sutherland, Mathew Hayman, Andy Schleck, and Alexander Kristoff, who won stage 21. We also hear Geraint Thomas fans singing the Welsh national anthem to honor their first Tour champion. If you di...

There are few scientists who get Coach Connor more excited than our guest in this episode. Dr. Stephen Seiler has revolutionized our understanding of endurance training. (In fact, Coach Connor refers to him as the Jay-Z of physiology!) In this episode, we'll take a deep dive into the many theories he has brought to sport science and physiology. His three-zone model of training is built around two...

We saw something very unusual in Tour de France stage 17: Chris Froome got dropped. Big time. Is this the beginning of the end of his era? We discuss. And, we hear from Dave Brailsford after the summit finish. So who will win the race now? We talk about how yellow jersey wearer (and Froome's Sky teammate) Geraint Thomas is a breath of fresh, rugby-watching, beer-drinking air in the world of dull p...

You expected to see a Team Sky rider wearing yellow this week, didn't you. But did you expect it would be Geraint Thomas? We didn't. So, Fred and Andy dig into who Welshman is, and why he's gotten so good. Fred talks to Team Sky coach Rod Ellingworth to learn more. But before that, we have to talk about another, less likable member of Team Sky, Gianni Moscon. He was kicked out of the Tour on Sunda...

It is Sky vs. Sky after 12 stages of racing in the Tour de France. Geraint Thomas is in yellow, but will he work for team leader Chris Froome? We discuss after three exciting stages in the Alps. Then we hear from Tom Dumoulin and his Sunweb team director Luke Roberts about how they plan to beat the two-headed monster that is Thomas and Froome. Plus, Ian Boswell checks in atop Alpe d'Huez to talk a...

The Tour de France peloton is chock full of brand-new aero bikes — what's behind these designs, and what do the riders like? In this episode of the VeloNews Tech podcast, tech editor Dan Cavallari talks to industry experts to get the skinny on what makes a good aero bike, and what’s next for the category. Are aero bikes and all-around bikes melding into a single category? If not, what’s stopping t...

Can you believe that crazy stage 9? We discuss the Tour's trip across the Roubaix cobblestones with insight on Richie Porte's crash, analysis of Chris Froome and Nairo Quintana's performances, and more details on what happened to Rigoberto Uran. We hear from BMC director Fabio Baldato as well as EF Education First-Drapac's Tom Scully on the ground in Roubaix.

Cycling can be a fickle sport. Coaches come and go; new, exciting, revolutionary ways of training take the sport by storm then grown stale; riders at the local training race who were once unbeatable age and fade from the front. Few things have permanence in this sport. But there’s been one thing that has stood the test of time, that seems to have been there since most of us attempted our first int...

This Sunday we'll see one of the weirdest spectacles in pro cycling: GC guys and skinny climbers trying to survive the Paris-Roubaix cobblestones. Does stage 9 make sense to include in a race like the Tour de France? We discuss. Plus, we hear from Dan Martin on his stage 6 win, talk to a few sport directors about the cobblestone chaos that is sure to ensue this weekend, and more. This episode of t...

Team time trials are boring, right? Wrong! The Tour de France's stage 3 TTT was an important part of the battle for the yellow jersey. We evaluate the Tour's GC standings after this pivotal day. Plus, we hear from Chris Froome about how he clawed back time in the overall to overcome his stage 1 losses. This episode of the VeloNews podcast is sponsored by Trek Bikes. Trek recently announced its Pro...

Coming to you from the Tour de France, Andrew Hood and Dane Cash have the rundown on the crazy lead-up to the season's big race, as well as its chaotic first stage. The guys talk to UCI president David Lappartient, Chris Froome's key Sky teammate Geraint Thomas, and American Tejay van Garderen. This episode is sponsored by Trek, which just unveiled the ultimate race bike. The new Madone combines t...

In episode 49, we’re talking all about the science of suffering--the science of training, fueling, and racing Dirty Kanza 200. Co-host Chris Case decided to take a second crack at the grueling 200-plus mile gravel race across the Flint Hills of Kansas. With the assistance of Coach Connor, Chris set out to transform himself, someone who loves the repeated anaerobic efforts of cyclocross, into someo...

The main event of the pro cycling season is fast approaching. With just three days left to the start of the 2018 Tour de France, it's a perfect time to take a closer look at the race. Can anyone dethrone four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome? Which of the sprinters will reign supreme? Will green jersey hopeful Peter Sagan find the route to his liking? We "recon" the route — and it's a goo...

As far as lead-ups to the Tour de France are concerned, 2018 has been one of the craziest. First, Tour organizer ASO bans Chris Froome from racing. Then, the UCI clears him of any wrongdoing in the Salbutamol case. So now he's back in! How did this all take place? What do anti-doping experts say? What do other pro teams think? And will Froome even win this race? We answer all those questions and m...

This is the second episode in our series on strategy and training for particular races. (See Episode 43 for part 1.) This episode is all about hilly road races and winning the GC at a stage race. Some of the themes we discuss include: - Is there ever a race where you truly don't need a sprint? - The difference between hilly and flat races, including which are usually more dynamic, and how to know...

In episode 100 of the show, we recap the action from U.S. Pro road nationals and then dive into Tour de France talk with VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hood. Roster announcements are coming hot and heavy this week as teams narrow down their selections for cycling's main event, and there are a few surprises worth discussing. Meanwhile, transfer rumors are beginning to fly, but are the quest...