Cycling Odysseys: Recent Episodes
Cycling Odysseys
This Cycling Odysseys Podcast is an attempt to go back to when Cycling was King, the most popular sport in Europe. This was accomplished in the first half of the 20th Century by newspapers and journalists who created vivid narrative accounts of the epic races and transformed the sport's greatest champions into legends. This podcast will try to channel cycling's epic and romantic traditions which seem to have been marginalized or lost in recent decades.
"Yes, yes, in much the same way how some now think the Giro-Tour double is back to being impossible or at least shall never be done again because of the steep competition, so some thought Liege-Bastogne-Liege would never again be won on La Redoute. Ah! But surely no reasonable limits can bound Titans when they Clash in the Second Golden Age of Cycling."
"There was no way to lay back in the armchair at ease, most viewing must have been bolt upright with every muscle tensed. It was a beautiful moment where the primal senses and instincts of Man were fused with modern gamesmanship and technology in the heat of a cunning competition that was as epic as any quest or gladiatorial melee of forgotten yore. (An Author’s Note: Why, O! Why, can’t such stakes ever be felt at Average Amstel?). "
"It had not been seen for a generation, but finally in this Autumnal edition it commenced once more: a muddy Roubaix. There are very few sporting events guaranteed to be compelling drama and griping viewing, but a muddy Paris-Roubaix, a proper Sunday in Hell, is one of them."
"To peel back the deeper dramatic narrative layers of a Monument or a Grand Tour is easier than peeling an onion, but for certain Classics like Average Amstel I find that deeper-narrative-peeling-process to be rougher than shucking corn. Perhaps this is a “Me” problem, but I can’t recall anyone else drawing out a compelling narrative from Average Amstel either (save in 2019)."
"Scheldeprijs is a weird race for me, I don’t exactly understand where it fits and how to classify it, or perhaps it has multiple identities. Sometimes it acts as a bona fide Flandrien Cobbled Classic and is won by the likes of Peter Van Petegem or Servais Knaven, despite being very flat near Antwerp and the Dutch border with relatively benign cobbled sectors. And sometimes it really does act like the unofficial sprinters’ world championships...It was only with 24 hours’ digestion after its 2022 completion that I even decided to cover Scheldeprijs this year, because the winner made me smile, and embodied this dividing line classification conundrum."
"They had Clashed like Titans creating earthquakes and thunderstorms for the past 50km in front of the best fans in cycling who ate up every minute of it and brought the best of these Titans themselves. It had been an epic battle for which this podcast was exactly created to commemorate."
"Yes, this is the beauty of cycling: no race is the same.....Even this race’s half-brother, the Volta a Catalunya will be highly distinguishable from this one—none would ever mistake Catalunya’s High Mountain days with the spicy hills of this region.....Of course I speak of a race that grows all viewing hearts bigger: the Itzulia the locals now call it, having rejected the Spanish Pais Vasco title, in English we call it the Tour of the Basque Country."
"It is the Flemish people that still hold the crown of greatest cycling fans. These are the people who come out in force to cheer on the Monument passing near their towns. These are the people who all tune in so well to such a Monument that it gets better ratings than the Americans’ Superbowl: surely, the figures would be 100% of Flemish viewers if such a large share of their population did not watch from the roadside in person."
"Finally, to conclude this long double narrative reflection on a long weekend Cobbled Double Header, I wish to reflect on the recurring Revelation process in cycling. Why do we all universally love to see these narratives play out? Why do they so excite and move us? What are we to make of them?"
In honor of Matej Mohoric's Sanremo/Descenders' "Worlds" win is an episode from last year in which Mohoric has a starring role.
"In pro cycling there are about 2.5-to-3 unofficial Sprinters’ World Championships annually at Scheldiprijs, of old Paris-Tours, and of course on the Champs-Elysees on the last stage of the Tour. There is that 100km Taiwan KOM Challenge that makes a good case to be the unofficial Hill Climb Worlds. Over the course of this podcast and others unofficial Raincoat World Championships have been highlighted. But today, it is time to discuss in depth, what has been the unofficial Descenders’ World Championships since at least 1992 with Sean Kelly’s archetypal descent to victory, down the Poggio at the end of Milano-Sanremo, the first Monument of the year."
Yes, you have heard me rightly—it was not a typo—even still today in this modern era of shorter but more intense racing, still the Milan-Sanremo bucks such trends and keeps its full 300 km race distance. Unlike so many races that no longer live up to their name ... O! It is quite a hellish day in the saddle to be sure, the longest day of the year. O! How the distance saps the legs, it is a war of attrition unlike any other on the calendar. And yet, despite the length ... Sanremo is considered the Sprinters’ Monument: not because a pure sprinter always wins, but because this is the only Monument a pure sprinter can hope to win.
Another one....I can't believe this exists.....but I love it. Hope you all enjoy and have found a new reliable corned beef recipe.
"But at this year’s 2022 Tirreno-Adriatico, neither Mighty Ace attended. Quickstep’s World Champion Musketeer Julian Alaphilippe was not yet on top form. And Young Beowulf Crowned King Tadej Pogacar (UAE) was so dominant it was no contest. The rival French Paris-Nice stage race, the Race to the Sun, fully outshone Neptune’s stage race that dared to fully overlap this year. Thus, the score has become: Neptune 1….Patrick 1."
"Congratulations to the other stage winners and victors of this week, but the most dominant storyline of this year’s Paris-Nice was the most dominant team, the Jumbo-Visma Wasps. The storyline is somewhat disjointed, but there were many things to takeaway. "
'Tirreno-Adriatico is nicknamed “The Race Between the Two Seas.” Yes, Italy is of course a peninsula surrounded by one continuous body of water called the Mediterranean (literally “In the Middle of Lands”), and to the old Masters of Italy, the mighty Romans, it was called simply Mare Nostrum (literally “Our Sea”) for eventually they owned every land around it. But truly, truly, the Mediterranean is too big. For the Romans hunting enemy or pirate fleets, to say they were seen on the waters of the Mediterranean would mean nothing—more specific divisions must be bestowed on its regional parts.'
"From 1969 to 1975 before the wheels metaphorically fell off and the literal punch-in-the-gut took place, Eddy Merckx was so dominant, his winning percentage was probably better than most MLB Hall of Famers’ batting-averages."
"We all have our favorite races on the calendar, …the Paris-Nice is one of mine. In fact, of all the weeklong stage races sprinkled throughout the calendar: this one is my absolute favorite. It sports one of the best nicknames in cycling “The Race to the Sun,” even if it does not always live up to such a name. And its general itinerary is always the same: perhaps it is tightly bound by its title, or perhaps it knows it has found a winning formula."
"Its key unique challenge is in the race name itself for “strade bianche” translates literally to “white roads.” Yes, the iconic White Roads made of that special white gravel, O! how unique are they. Surely, they are a challenge on the flat, and quite the ordeal when they pitch up to well over 15% gradient in certain places. And unlike the Cobbled Classics, there is no initial stretch of leg-softening early flat kilometers to ease the peloton into racing: here from the flag drop, the riders are positioning and preparing for the first sector of gravel. "
'Well, after two years in a row of nice sunny weather for Opening Weekend, we are all starting to realize a nasty and dirty secret-and-a-half. Omloop Het Nieuwsbald might be one of the most highly anticipated races on the calendar, but nasty and dirty weather is necessary for that one to be a real ferocious heavyweight belter of a race. And surely we are all starting to come around to the reality that though Omloop will always be the more anticipated of the two for it is the “Official Official” start of the road season…maybe Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne is lowkey the better Classic? '
"And for the second year in a row in the last few hundreds of meters, Tadej Pogacar kicked to line to defeat Adam Yates again and make it apparent to me (and hopefully all) that the UAE Tour is officially one of THOSE races…that need a facelift. ... But what to do about the UAE Tour? I should not just complain and criticize without being somewhat constructive, but this is a tough one. Allow me to muse."
"What makes the greatest showmen the greatest showmen is that they write the script for every game, match, event, or race they take part in; this is how they transform themselves into larger than life characters who dazzle the fans in unforgettable ways. On this Opening Weekend in Belgium two of cycling’s superstars dictated how the race would play out…and in a complete power move: neither even factored in winning into their calculations."
"We have had many races already in the Southern Hemisphere, Middle East, and the tolerable parts of the Mediterranean: riders have gotten their seasons started right, some Australians and South Americans and Spaniards have already dazzled the home crowds, and many have gotten back into the swing of racing. Now it is time for the Classics men to come out to play, because on this Opening of Weekends is when the Spring Classics—the first massive objectives of the season—begin."
"...the smaller French Tour des Alpes Martime et du Var which has really grown on me these past two editions. I watched it last year because nothing else was on. I watched this year because….I don’t really know why. Perhaps fear of missing out. Perhaps to fill out this week’s smorgasbord. Perhaps because GCN made it easily available. Perhaps it did not occur to me until now that it is bizarre to watch 15 races over the course of five days. Probably all of the above."
'Then on Sunday we came to a “classic” thorny issue of certain cycling races, a problem that is very particularly pronounced in Spain. Spanish organizers seem to have an obsession saying every race is a “classic.”'
"The early season in cycling is the preseason of the sport in almost every respect, except in one massive way: these races still count."
"The calendar is long and bloated, at points there seems no rhyme or reason to it. Overall it is difficult to string together a season-long narrative besides the fact that we know what the biggest objectives are and we can measure or debate who has racked up the greatest haul all placings and winnings."
"It was like the big final or championship game of the season, the most accurate comparison is to the 4x4 Relay of a Track Meet: everyone has been there for 6 hours, everyone is drained and slap-happy from their own events. But should the meet come down to the wire, there is ferocious pressure and excitement watching the sprinters go the distance, or even the middle-distance runners show their speed. So it is with no disrespect at all to the earlier phenomenal races when I say there was a certain hype, aura, tension, and buildup to the Men’s Elite Cyclocross World Title."
"So coming into the finishing straight of the third lap, Lucinda Brand was visibly frustrated and gestured to Marianne Vos to come through and do a turn to at least make the race somewhat even. But Marianne Vos…….was taking a drink FROM HER WATERBOTTLE."
"Yes, this title is beyond cliché and perhaps almost lazy. But if you have watched men’s cyclocross at all for the past 8 seasons, can you blame me at all for picking such a title? Are not the men’s elite riders themselves thinking of this race in such terms?"
"777’s Annemarie Worst, second at Worlds last year, has tested positive for Covid and is out. Ever consistent Denise Betsema is out with some non-Covid illness and will no longer be making the trip to the US. Many more minor riders are also out, but the race is already shaping up to be a duel between the only two riders to have taken prestigious wins in the last few months."
"But none of this deterred the Belgians from getting out to the usual ferocious start. In fact, the start was more ferocious than I am accustomed: for a strange reason. The dominant generation of Belgians I was watching was the generation above the one I grew up with......Thus, to watch the replay of these 2013 World Championships, I felt in every respect like a 2nd Grader watching the big-and-strong 8th Graders above me. This older generation of Belgians looked physically bigger, looked incredibly more talented and driven, looked like untouchable masters."
"The race immediately began with the duel Rucphen ended with last time: Lucinda Brand pushing the pace with Marianne Vos coolly following behind again with a gap to the rest of the chasers before half-a-lap into the race—it was Mighty Ace-esque. And what was also Mighty Ace-esque was when Brand and Vos strategically sat up on the final straightaway to metaphorically stare each other down."
'This day at Val di Sole, the collective cyclocross discipline threw down the gauntlet and told the Winter Olympics committee: “You can ignore us no longer. We challenge you to amend your winter sports definition from ‘all the sport’s competitions MUST take place on snow or ice’ to ‘the winter sport’s competitions must BE ABLE to take place on snow or ice.’ We have top physical athletes, we have an international following, and we can do this sport on any terrain, even on the snowy turf that is your desire.” '
'And now it is time for a bit of heart-to-heart honesty: there have been many years where week-in and week-out the women’s cyclocross season has been much more thrilling than the men’s. For whole seasons, Mathieu Van Der Poel the Mighty Ace would have his way with the races, and the few exciting ones were the exceptions that proved the rule. Well, this year was a reverse of this formula, it was the women’s races that proved early “done-and-dusted-deals,” and the exciting ones were exceptions that proved the rule.'
"Since the Arkansas Worlds were announced YEARS ago, I had marked it on my calendar as the day I would see the Mighty Aces duel it out on the biggest stage and on American soil…and I would be in attendance."
"But on Boxing Day, per tradition a World Cup Cross commenced. Surprisingly, it was not the stalwart Huesden-Zolder Cross which took place on the 27th as part of the Superprestige series, and instead it was muddy Dendermonde that was held on the 26th. Who would be in the hunt for this Boxing Day victory? Tough to say, as this was the first day the “Three Kings of Cross,” as people were terming them, would square off."
"But despite Iserbyt’s and Aerts’ exploits in late November, all Cross fans had turned their gazes to early December. For that was when Wout Van Aert (Jumbo-Visma Wasps) and Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) were set to make their season debuts. "
"The trade kits were traded-out for the national team colors, and as usual, the front rows resembled a dual meet between the Belgian Powder Blues and the Dutchmen in Orange and on home soil this day. But within 2 minutes of racing, to have called this race even a dual meet would have been generous. It was 8-or-so Belgians in Powder Blue swarming and then soon strung out on the front, with only one local in Orange among them, Lars Van Der Haar."
"As an American, and once again a Midwest local, it is the pair of Waterloo and Iowa City Crosses that properly kick off the season right for me…and the later the better for these races: for Midwest hot and steamy September Crosses seem inappropriate and lame to me."
"Thus is cycling, like all the best sports, a microcosm realm of pursuits greater than one’s self. To train, to hone their race-craft, to develop the fortitude required to race a bike pushes a person out of their comfort zone where they develop and mature physically, mentally, spiritually. The preparation is difficult in itself and many are not rewarded for their efforts with prizes. But just the desire to compete, just the will to endure grueling training sessions and harrowingly hard race experiences is surely something special, surely gives a sense of higher purpose."
"Before discussing the heroes themselves, let us compare the adventures of these journeys. When one sees the route of the Grand Tours circling or sometimes zig-zagging around or across France, Italy, and Spain, does not the map of Odysseus’ plotted route around the Mediterranean quickly come to mind? Are there not similarities between the winds that blow Odysseus off course constantly compared to the crosswinds that denotate and ravage a bicycle race?"
"Ah! But this is Homer. He would only be distracted by these objects’ appearances for a few moments, then he would immediately start fathoming the well of compelling struggles these human-powered bicycle machines could provide. Understanding Man’s need for competition—for few have understood it better—surely Homer could have predicted that Men would inevitably start racing on such machines around velodromes like they raced on chariots in the hippodromes of the Roman world."
"Thirty years ago, that is to say, when we learned that Hector had been slain by Achilles. Is such a comparison too solemn, too glorious? No. What use would the so-called ‘classical studies’ be if the fragments that remained with us did not become an integral part of our humble existence?"
"Compared to teenage but now premiere Strade Bianche and even the Cult Classic Tro Bro Leon, for some reason the end-of-season Paris-Tours gravel has yet to stupendously take off. Potentially this year’s edition was a good showing for the French interior’s gravel, but it was actually the race’s finale that stole the show. "
"To win the Tour and both Liege and Lombardia in the same season is Merckx-esque territory."
"It had not been seen for a generation, but finally in this Autumnal edition it commenced once more: a muddy Roubaix. There are very few sporting events guaranteed to be compelling drama and griping viewing, but a muddy Paris-Roubaix, a proper Sunday in Hell, is one of them."
Tony Martin has retired. Allow me to pay tribute to one of the riders who was most instrumental to kindling my love of cycling.
It was one of those truly mythical days that are some of the greatest inspiration for why or more so how this podcast was created. Please enjoy and send to a friend!
What a day not to miss it was. Listen to the episode to recall which day in particular.
In the 11.8th hour of the year, the end of Season 1 of the Cycling Odysseys comes out of the gates hot with a recap of an excellent Tokyo Olympics Road Race!
For the first time in a generation, we are treated to a muddy Paris-Roubaix. There was no way for such a mud fest this Queen of the Classics, the Race for The Cobble, could not live up to its HELL OF THE NORTH nickname. It was chaos on wheels, it was compelling drama, relive it here.
If you missed Worlds and want an audio replay of the last 80k, here was my first ever stab at commentary. Should I ever hone the skill to GOOD commentary in the future, let it be known that it began here with this first BAD attempt.
“It was a Tour of heroic deeds and the stuff of legend too farfetched for a cheesy sports movie. It was the Tour of the most attrition and disarray of the generation, but I survived it. It was the Tour where Young Beowulf was Crowned King—his second Yellow Jersey in Paris. It was the Tour of Vingegaard’s Revelation. It was the Tour where Poulidor’s descendant first wore the Maillot Jaune he never managed to pull on in his career. It was the Tour where that Work of Aert Swiss Army Knife showed off his Range and Versatility on every facet of the route. And most famously of all, it was the fairytale Tour where the Manx Missile returned to the peak of his powers in the very twilight of his career.”
“Froome’s whole career has been built around winning the Tour de France. It is the biggest race in the world, it is the only race that transcends the sport, he cannot be blamed for that. But what does he think seeing Pogacar, Bernal, upcoming Remco Evenepoel (Deceuninck-Quickstep), Alaphillipe, the Mighty Aces, and the countless younger talents still surely about to emerge? Is Froome impressed that they do not just peak for July—or does he think they are spreading themselves too thin? Does Froome believe or understand or acknowledge that this new generation’s greatest strength seems to be their versatility?”
“Much has been seen and accomplished, life lessons and growth has been gained, but now the ordeal is on the cusp of being over: the longed-for return to normal life is on the horizon. Now these heroes return home out of the south like the hobbits on to the edge of the Shire at the end of Return of the King.”
“I cannot contain my frustration: what have these guys been doing the past three days? For the past two mountain stages, neither got into the breakaways, and both scored at most a handful of Points combined. And because of cagey tactics, yesterday without even trying for the Polka-Dots, Pogacar got himself into contention for that competition.”
“Truly, truly, I praise them with the highest compliment I, Patrick Santino, can give. Their ascent up this Col du Portet reminded me of my days of most yore: to the memories I have of Andy Schleck and Alberto Contador duking it out round for round on the third week Pyrenean climbs of the 2010 Tour. If you listen to my first Introduction episode you will understand why I hold those days in such mythically high regard.”
“But should one of the four KOM Hunters have escaped, at what cost would this have come for the final two rounds tomorrow and Thursday where more weighty and higher ranking mountains loom? We shall not find out, because the KOM Hunters called a truce. There would be no race for the Polka-Dots today…but there would be for Green.”
“Ah! Ah! It was one of those stages where the most obsessed fans began watching eagerly early, for the profile contained so many jagged high peaks surely it would be a fierce battle for KOM Points at the top of every climb! And the obsessed fans were right: all four riders at the top of the KOM Classification were in the breakaway today hunting for Polka-Dot Points”
"The vanguard is the leading company or unit at the front-and-center of the battleline....In cycling, such terms of ancient and medieval warfare can often easily be applied to the peloton, but they are always in a way twisted. For though the peloton travels together like an army on an Odyssey, the wars the riders wage are not against the locals whose homelands they are invading, but are pitched battles of civil war between themselves."
“In order to keep my word I shall now hop off the fence and take a stance. The time for objective impartial viewing of both sides of the argument has been done, and now must be set aside. The road has met the rubber. The pushes have come to shoves.”
"It was a fun finale to watch beyond the tactical racing itself. The gravitas of the Tour permeated this end game...Yes, whichever of these four men won: this—a Tour de France stage win—would be the biggest victory of their career…and we all had front row seating to watch it happen.
“Should people have earmarked certain stages for Wout Van Aert to win, he could have been considered a strong favorite for about 15 of the 21, and this Double Ventoux stage was definitely one of the 6 he was unsuited for. But we are in the Second Golden Age of cycling because the generational stars, the top showmen of the sport like this Wout Van Aert still surprise us."
"After his second stage win this Tour, I had declared that we were all back on Record Watch. Even more so today, the Cannibal Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 Tour stages is no longer at all safe. So let us have a conversation that was probably taking place a decade ago in 2011, finally now is the appropriate time to rehash it. "
“After two years of waiting, finally the Tour was going to make it to Tignes this day. O! But this long descent before the equally long Tignes climb could not be underestimated. If the riders did not take proper care of themselves on the way down, surely the freezing conditions would sap their strength and health for the long final ascent. Thus it was time for the second annual Unofficial Rain Jacket World Championships.”
"With only some 40km left in the stage that were all either serious climbing or high-speed descending, Tadej Pogacar must have decided the time was right to stamp his authority on this race. Though he seems on friendly terms with them, surely after a week of dealing with the antics and audacious tactics of the Mighty Aces, Tadej Pogacar had had enough."
“So, how did the UAE team fair on their first real day of ever trying to control the Tour de France for their leader of leaders Tadej Pogacar? In my opinion, I must say they had the worst control of the day I have ever seen from the leading GC team. But in their defense: They were dealt one of the most unconventional scripts ever—because it was written by the Mighty Aces who tear up all scripts and convention.”
"For the entire next fortnight with the intensity of a wartime coast guard, we are now on watch. Not for enemy fleets, submarines, or armadas of fighter jets and bombers; no, the entirety of the cycling world is now on Record Watch.”
“So how would this Tour fare with the first reintroduction of a proper first week Time Trial for more than a decade?”
“Our hopes were dashed. And yet, within 10 seconds, before the brutal realism of cycling—which functions as a microcosm of human reality—painted upon us the grayest of bleak gray worldviews imaginable…a kaleidoscope of vibrant color and hope jarringly shattered that drab premature assumption of “reality” better than any Hollywood movie script ever could! My beloved J.R.R. Tolkien would call this a moment of eucatastrophe.”
“Ah! Ah! It is so cruel to see how brutal this sport can be. A whole season built around this race, and within an instant it ends in complete sorrow. Yes, yes, I think this would be the appropriate time to utter the cliché for the one and only time this Tour: Today was not a day you could win the Tour, but you sure could lose it.”
“Yes, yes, with all the Bonus Seconds available on both the passages of this Mur-de-Bretagne, the nudge theory went off with out a hitch. And who was bold enough to kick things off from long range? Why, of course, the Madman who always loves to kick things off from long range.”
“Julian Alaphilippe the Musketeer, one of the top showmen of the sport among this great generation of audacious and theatric racers, was on the attack at the Tour de France in a quest for the Yellow Jersey once more. For much of the season the Mighty Aces have bested him in finishes such as these, but here today at the greatest race in all the world, on home soil, in the World Champion’s Jersey, even the Mighty Aces hadn’t a prayer to stop the Mighty Musketeer Julian Alaphilippe.”
The 2021 Tour de France is upon us and it is the most traditional appearing route for a generation. How shall the Slovenians fair? What can the entire Ineos Grenadiers do to combat these top men? What of the sprints? What of the rivalry between the Mighty Aces--from the mud-pits of cyclocross now they shall clash at the biggest cycling race in the world in front of hundreds of millions. There is a lot to be excited for this Tour, let us dive in.
To see the news made my day, while it made Egan's life. I try to explain why throughout this episode.
We discuss the Tour de Suisse, the Baloise Belgium Tour, and the Tour of Slovenia from this week. We push back discussion of a last significant event later this week to its own episode.
Criterium du Dauphine began with a seeming groggy start compared to the Giro d'Italia, but by the weekend it roared into life!
Didn't have a Dauphine preview or description in me, recap to come. But I tried harder than usual on my Suisse preview as compensation. Please enjoy!
“Another Grand Tour, another three-week lifestyle change is complete. Another great story has been seen, told, and experienced by not just those traveling with the race, but every plugged-in fan around the globe.”
‘As Bilbao slid back even with his leader, Caruso gave him a quick pat on the back before he took over the pacing himself. The pat was extremely quick, but the emotion of it was bottomless. As old Caruso put his hand on his teammate Bilbao’s back, he was doing much more than saying “Thank you” for all his work today.’
It was an exciting day, but ultimately we are all still scratching our heads about what we think is going to happen in the last two days of this Giro d'Italia...and ultimately that is a very good thing.
Great transition stage. A few of the riders made the most of it what they could. Hats off to all of them, but one rose well above the rest.
Even though all of us know it is never over until it is over. I think it is fair to say all of us were taken aback by what we saw today. Hear about the fireworks on the Sega di Ala climb today.
Very brief "ketchup" on yesterday's stage and the current GC standings while on the Rest Day today.
Well, typically the Sundays of a Grand Tour are slotted to have a highly anticipated stage destined to enthrall the viewership with many hours of action, which should be at most viewers’ disposal on a weekend. But with yesterday’s Zoncolan and tomorrow’s day in the Dolomites, many of the riders really did need the Grand Tour “dog days” transition stage.
It is in the top tier of most difficult climbs in cycling....even its "easier" side. Check out how the stage played up the Monte Zoncolan climb.
Let us take an in depth look at four of the cagiest kilometers you'll ever see in your life.
Awesome battle over the gravel. It was like Mad Max Fury Road out there. Please enjoy hearing about it here!
Assess the race a little bit thus far. Look forward to the second week. Make official pick for tomorrow.
It was a great stage for a breakaway of lesser known riders. Hear about all the action of the day here.
Impressive sprinting at the end, but other than that this was a snooze-fest. So let's just to probe why we were all still interested.
It was another stage with Biblical Weather. It was dominated by two teams. It was an excellent first proper summit finish to this Giro d'Italia. Please enjoy.
Slow day at the Giro after a wild pair of stages. Slow day until the end, that is....and then only heartbreak.
Brutal stage of the Giro d'Italia. Way more than the expected GC skirmish to the finish. The Giro is now alive and fully kicking.
Great Stage. Great Stage. Everything we could want from a Giro transition stage and then some.
Slow stage, fast finishing sprint. It is the early days of the Giro, and it has been established they are currently in the Nebraska of Italy. I try to make it as riveting as possible.
Stage 1: Torino-Torino, 8.6km.It was a throwback to the days of Boardman. Listen here to how this Prologue in all but name played out in historic and royal Turin.
May is here and that can only mean one thing for cycling fans. The first Grand Tour of the year is upon us. Let the lifestyle change to accommodate a proper viewing of this 20+ chapter story.
Great race in Switzerland, because the weather did not cooperate...as it never does. The hardmen of the peloton flexed their muscles all week.
The Last of the great Spring World Tour Stage Races. Our first venture into Switzerland for the year. The scenery is beautiful, but there is a reason their grass is so green. Gird thy loins for harsh weather!
Mur de Huy, Fleche Wallonne. Great climb, not a great race in recent decades in my eyes. Full explanation and recap of another thrilling edition up the famous cycling "Wall."
Great race. Interesting finish will an intriguing potential controversary at the end. Hope you enjoy! Fleche picks at the end!
Alright, the final phase of the Spring Classics began. Many mixed emotions. I try to give these races their full complexion, the good and the bad. Please enjoy and learn more about the intricate ins-and-outs of these three Ardennes Classics.
It's been a great race so far. Here is my take on the character of the race. Sorry for the delay and thank you for listening!
Great Finish to a slow burning race. Sorry for the delay, here is my recap and description of it.
One of the best races of the year coming up soon! Everyone get excited, even without many fans it should still be a great race!
It is for the best that it is banned, but let us nostalgically reminisce on the greatest moments of the Supertucking Era.
Really good feast of racing this week. Many favorites win and warm our hearts as they conjure up nostalgia and memories.
Another thrilling and unexpected race is this amazing era of cycling. As I reveal at the end, the results were actually a goofy surprise to me.
Great Race. Tactical intrigue to its fullest mixed with the larger-than-life showmen. It was one to watch, but if you missed it, check out this recapping and reviewing episode.
Let us discuss the two big ones of the extended weekend. And let us dare discuss the "disturbance in the Force" Dwars has unleashed.
Another great stage race is upon us. Check on my thoughts on Catalonia's gem of a race. And we preview the full Startlist and stages as well. Should be another great week of racing!
Excellent Milan-Sanremo, the first Monument of the year. Check out this episode to hear about that Sprint of Sprints, and a winner of a slow-cooker recipe. Please enjoy and send to a friend. Thank you for listening!
The first Monument of the year has finally come. What a beloved race, the race many say has the best finish in cycling. We dive into the character and finale of this race, and afterwards run through the list of biggest favorites.
Ok, most wild stage report yet, based mostly around poking fun at myself. This was the best edition of Tirreno-Adriatico ever, and it was thanks to some of my all time favorite riders. This was another fun one to write, hopefully my reading is not too obnoxious! Please enjoy!
Another opportunity to write about one of my favorite heroes in the peloton. I hope all can appreciate his fantastic feats, win or lose.
Roglic is tanking up Paris-Nice right now. Figured it would be a good time to dig into my not-very-deep vault and address some things that were formulated as I watched the Vuelta last November. Check it out, please enjoy, I found this one pretty fun and goofy.
Had a lot of fun with this one weighing the merits of Tirreno compared to its French rival race that it overlaps. Additionally, get into some fun maritime geography. Afterwards, I give a quick look at the stages and the race favorites. Hope you enjoy.
What an amazing group of guys to contest the finish. It was a who's who of the cycling world. It is not often my expectations are blow out of the water, but this day they were. Please enjoy this recap, that hopefully does justice to the gravitas of the situation.
Let us preview my favorite weeklong stage race, the Race to the Sun. Root for bad weather early and great racing throughout!
And now for the race and appointment that is so beloved. Let us discuss this "6th Monument" of cycling. I'll try to describe the character of this race and what makes it great. And I'll also quickly run through a list of contenders.
A great Opening Weekend despite good weather. My personal favorite episode so far. I would be honored if you gave it a full listen and enjoyed it, and even sent it to a friend to help explain why you love cycling.
At last! Here we go with Opening Weekend. May the forecasts be defied and let horrible weather ensue. Full Description of the first two Belgian Cobbled Classics, and then predictions of main and cheeky-side-bets that are sure to not come true.
Another team preview, this one is a little shorter than usual due to the amount I still have to get done.
We take a look at Chris Froome's new team who have brought on Mike Woods and Daryl Impey among others.
Please enjoy Lamenting with me about the gutted early season. P.S. Should it be "Lamentations to" or "Lamentations for the Early Season? I think I said both to hedge my bets.
The Tour has reached Paris, like Odysseus reaching Ithaca after a ten years' journey from Troy.
Relive the day performance that stunned us all. It was the greatest ride against the clock in the history of the bicycle.
Transition stage with a spicy finish. Perfect lowkey day before the final test tomorrow.
Let's get into a quick and yet too long broad-strokes overview of the entire cycling season. Hopefully this is a good reference point for the new cycling fans.
Old Spanish Stalwarts in a time of transition: becoming more international and signing over superheroes.
Great stage, great race for the King of the Mountains Competition. The victory is one of the finest in the team's history. Please enjoy.
"Super" Fun one today! What a Queen Stage it was! Few people can do it better than Superman Lopez. Please enjoy!
Good stage. The Tour starts to feel like it is winding down even though there's still a few more tough high mountain days to come.
Thus we come to the new emerging power on the world cycling stage. Finally, finally, this UAE team lineup looks not just like a ramshackle of riches, but instead finally a powerful and formidable hierarchy of established talent ready to do battle across the entire cycling calendar.
Let us go to Oz and the Land Down Under. This was a fun one, because this is a very fun team.
We take a quick survey of this Jumbo team, and additionally add a note for their rider taking an extended holiday.
Big Deal, this was the day the Empire went out (at least for a time) with a whimper, but we look at this heroic Rebel Alliance's Rise instead.
Fun history comparisons abound! This is what the show is all about for me. Hope you enjoy as well!
Fun stage after the lame relegation. Everyone was surely rooting for the winner on this day. You love to see it!
And so we relive one of my favorite stages of the year. The stage itself was average at best, probably subpar, but in a strange and unlikely place after the stage, our days were made.
And this was the moment a new star arose in the sport. He's a name we'll probably be talking about for many years to come.
Let's relive one of the best Crosswind stages in years. Wild day. Mad respect to Bora to take it up. This one was a lot of fun to write, because it pushed the limit of how ridiculous I could be.
Great battle for the Women's Cyclocross Title: check out the exploits of the main protagonists here (spoiler, most of them are Dutch).
We hop in to a blow by blow review of the race and then take a look at where this duel belongs in the pantheon of showdowns between these archrivals. Additionally, I make the claim to put this rivalry in the stratosphere of the greatest rivalry.
Alright, I give my 11th hour predictions for the Men's World Championships tomorrow. And we look back at what is so far one of the best battles we have seen from this already beloved rivalry.
Let us take a look at the men's and women's favorites for this Cyclocross World Championship. Alvarado vs Brand. Van Aert vs Van Der Poel--"Once more into the breach!"
Let us take a look at the Rockstar of Cycling's team, for there is much more to it than just this one man.
Today we take at Lotto Soudal with their O! So Belgian team! Ewan, Gilbert, Wellens, and De Gendt how much shall they dazzle us this year?
In this episode we discuss Bahrain's prospects for the season, please let me know what you think would be good targets for them.
We take a look back at Stage 6 of the 2020 Tour de France where the race climbed Mont Aigoual, made famous by Tim Krabbe's book The Rider.
Let praise famous men. Let us praise the most versatile rider in the peloton in 2020 and take a walk down memory lane of his career thus far.
A quick look at the Trek-Segafredo roster, and especially my thoughts on Vincenzo Nibali.
AG2R Preview. We talk about the new jersey and actual expectations on this team for the first time in my memory, and throw in some Chess analogies for good measure.
Another Rewind Stage from the 2020 Tour, check out what happened or try to recall as I retell the tale what happened on the first summit finish of this Tour.
Let's take a look at one of the most fun teams in the peloton. The prolific winners of one-day races, perhaps they shall branch out this year.
Let us take an in depth look at the formally Sunweb team....and let us mourn the loss of their greatest star (don't worry he didn't die, just got out of his contract)
We take a look back at one Julian Alaphilippe the Musketeer's greatest victory, Stage 2 of the 2020 Tour in Nice. He got the opening weekend off to a proper bang with this sucker. Please enjoy and send to a friend.
In this episode we rewind and cast our minds back to reminisce on the Tour that was in 2020. We is presented my Recap and Report of Stage 1 of the 2020 Tour de France in Nice when Thor came and wreaked havoc on the peloton.
In this fourth and final day of the Four Days of Introduction we take a look at why the host finds cycling so inspiring. Additionally, a light calendar is laid out about the coming episodes. Thanks you for listening!
In this stage, similarities are drawn between professional cyclists and all the heroes of literature, but conquer examples are taken from one hero in particular. The one whose name is given to this show. Enjoy and thank you for listening.
In Stage 2 of the Four Days of Introduction, I take a look at what the most epic poet of all time would think of cycling. Thank you for listening!
The first stage of the 4 Days of Introduction. In addition to the opening theme, let this episode serve as the mission statement of the show. This episode gives a quick glimpse at when cycling was the most popular sport in Europe, and what serves as my inspiration as I set out on this podcasting project.