Velonews Podcasts

Is the chain the most under-appreciated component on your bike? It sure takes a lot of abuse, and most of us neglect it. Yet the great chain keeps chugging along. Nick Murdick from Shimano knows all about chains — how they're made, how they've changed over the years, what makes a good chain and what makes a not-so-good chain. He joins VeloNews tech editor Dan Cavallari to give us all the info we need to choose the best chain and treat it right.

At the 2006 UCI world championships in Austria, a young Chris Froome walked into the manager's briefing meeting, sopping wet in his cycling kit. He was told he wasn't welcome - the meeting was for managers only. He said he was the manager, and he plopped himself down. And in fact he was. He was Kenya's sole representative in Austria. Earlier that year, Froome had impersonated the Kenya cycling federation president in email to enter himself into the races. There was no one else to support him. He had flown, alone with his time trial and road bikes, to Europe for the first time. He was figuring it out. Two days later, he started the U23 time trial and, just as he was getting underway, collided with a race official on course. Fast forward to today, and Froome of course has won seven grand tours and multiple Olympic and world championship medals. The young man from Kenya found a way. On this episode of Put Your Socks On, Froome checks in from California, where he is training four day a week at the Red Bull P

On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast we hear the story of L&M Tourers, one of New York City's first clubs for Black cyclists. The club was founded in the early 1970s by sisters Lucille Smith and Mildred Smith-Evans as a way to bring together the city's burgeoning population of Black riders. The club morphed from a social club into an organized group with regular rides, routes, and cycling mentorship programs. Eventually, the group changed its name to the Major Taylor cycling club. Today, New York City's Major Taylor Iron Riders club traces its lineage back to L&M Tourers. Mildred Smith-Evans and Mel Corbett, one of the first club members, join the podcast to tell the history of the club and explain how it grew into Major Taylor Iron Riders. The two discuss the racism and bias they faced as black riders on the roads of New York City. And, they discuss the ways in which cycling can make itself more available to Black cyclists in 2020 and beyond.

Riding indoors can certainly be a tedious affair, but the right gear beyond just your bike and the trainer can go a long way toward making your indoor sweat sessions not only just bearable, but also enjoyable. Ben and Dan discuss what to wear, what to eat, where to set up, and what accessories make the whole process tons easier.

The Lugano Charter, constructed in 1996, formed the UCI's basis for regulation of bike technology with a noble ideal: the rider, not his or her access to technology, should determine who wins a bike race. The devil, as always, is in the details. Now, Michael "Mick" Rogers, a three-time world time trial champion, is tasked with guiding the regulation of bicycle equipment and clothing as innovation manager at the UCI. Rogers got his start in big-time racing with Mapei in 2000. He proceeded to have a successful career with Quick-Step, T-Mobile, Team Sky and Saxo-Tinkoff before retiring in 2016. In addition to having world-class physiology, Rogers was also fascinated with the physics and mathematics at play in bike racing, whether that was in the mechanics of a long sprint leadout train, or in the interconnected variables of a fast time trial position. At T-Mobile, which became HTC, Rogers said "we were one of the the teams to really master the leadout train. If we go back into the mid ’90s with [Marco] Cipoll

The first ever UCI Esports world championships on Zwift is just one week away, and on today's episode we take a deep dive into the race. First up, Kristabel Doebel-Hickok of the Rally Cycling Team provides a helpful explainer on the basics of the race. Doebel Hickok is participating in the Esports world championship race, representing Team USA. What's the race's format? What does the course look like? What are the importance of the power ups? Who are the favorites to win? Doebel-Hickok gives us a crash course in what to expect in the race. Then, Dr. George Gilbert joins the show. Dr. Gilbert is the chairman of Zwift's Esports commission, and he helps write the rules of governance surrounding elite Zwift racing. Dr. Gilbert was involved in Zwift's recent sanctioning of two riders for data manipulation. He explains in basic terms why Zwift sanctioned the two riders, and discusses the importance of policing elite Esports racing for data manipulation. This week's episode is sponsored by OurCrowd, the inves

In this episode of Put Your Socks On, the legendary Fabian Cancellara weighs on on the socks. "Socks — they need to be short," says the four-time world time trial champion. "Rapha always comes up and says the socks need to be high. No! That look is not stylish. That look it's just a no-go. So I want to have my socks short. And then it's stylish." The two-time Olympic time trial champion also points out that high socks are now aero equipment. "They think socks can give an advantage of one to five watts," he says. "There is a lot of discussion, but you know what is good? I'm out of the game. I just don't want the tan lines for when I am at the beach." Cancellara chats with Bobby Julich and Gus Morton about his long and storied career, which included three wins at both Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders. The Swiss racer also holds the record for most days in the Tour de France yellow jersey — 29 — for a rider who never won the overall. Cancellara wrapped up his career in high style right after the 2016

On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast, Ben Delaney explains the latest controversy involving elite Zwift racing. The virtual cycling platform recently sanctioned two different elite riders on grounds that the riders had allegedly tampered with their riding data. The story, and the rebuttal from the riders, has left more than one cycling fan scratching his or her head in confusion. Delaney is here to take us inside this story and offer some explainers on how and why Zwift made this decision. Then, Andrew Hood discusses the strange offseason that Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar is about to have. While most TDF champions party in the months following their victories, Pogačar has been grounded, due to COVID-19. Will this allow him to regroup and focus on 2021? Finally, junior phenom Magnus Sheffield joins the podcast to discuss his recent record attempt at the 3,000-meter individual pursuit. Sheffield set a time that appears to be both a new U.S. and world record, and he discusses his motivati

Skylar Schneider started riding bikes at age 4, and by age 18 she moved to Holland to race professionally. Now with three years at the powerhouse squad Boels-Dolmans under her belt, the American is returning to race domestically for 2021 with L39GION of Los Angeles, the expanding team run by Justin and Cory Williams. On this episode of Put Your Socks On, Schneider talks about learning her way in Holland as a teenager with the help of other racers — she now has Dutch residency — and how the opportunity with L39GION of LA came about. "I've admired what Justin and Cory are doing with Legion for a while," she said. "And this summer, Justin and I just got on the phone, and he had some good advice. At that time, Legion didn't really have a women's program. So he really liked the idea. And then we put together a budget. And from there, it moved pretty quickly. And I'm really excited about this opportunity to have a new adventure, but also come back to the U.S." In addition to her own racing, Schneider said L39ION

[This podcast was originally uploaded with last week's audio. We apologize for the confusion and have fixed the problem. - Ed.] On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast, Fred and Andy discuss the bizarre 2020-2021 transfer season, which has been greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. During a typical year, most riders would have their contracts signed for the coming season well before November. That's not the case this year, due to the season's delay amid the virus. And, the ending of CCC Team plus the unknown future of NTT Pro Cycling has sent many riders scrambling for jobs in 2021. How is this impacting the rider market, and what changes will this have on the 2021 season? We discuss all angles of the transfer season. Then, American rider Lauren Stephens of Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank joins the podcast to take us inside her topsy turvy 2020 season. Like all pro road racers, Lauren's season was derailed in March by COVID-19. Rather than wait things out, Lauren made a dramatic change in her raci

Factor Bikes' Graham Shrive has helped design some of the fastest bikes in the pro peloton. He joins VeloNews tech editor Dan Cavallari on this episode of the VeloNews Tech Podcast to reveal the truth about frame flex: Do you really need the stiffest frame? Can frame flex be a benefit for certain riders? How do engineers tailor a frame for stiffness? Find out on this week's episode.

Stuart O'Grady has done more on the bike than just about any other rider. The Australian's 19-year pro career began on the track in the ’90s, where he racked up Olympic medals in the 1992 and 1996 Games. He then moved to the road where he wore the Tour de France yellow jersey and won Paris-Roubaix in the course of a long career. And now retired from racing, O'Grady has taken the helm at the Tour Down Under, the Australian stage race and traditional season opener. Put Your Socks On caught up with O'Grady to talk about his career, his aims with the Tour Down Under, and how the Australian race is coping with the various complications related to the coronavirus pandemic. PYSO co-host Bobby Julich raced with O'Grady twice in their careers, and he recalls how O'Grady had to leave the Tour twice, including once in a helicopter and once after riding the last 70km of a stage with a broken collarbone. The helicopter ride came in 2007 helicopter as O'Grady was doing 90kph down the Cornet de Roseland. "I went over the

The Vuelta a España wrapped up this weekend, with Primož Roglič surviving an onslaught by Richard Carapaz on the final mountain stage to win the overall. On today's episode of The VeloNews Podcast, we digest the final grand tour of the season, and examine what the final result means for Roglič, Carapaž, and the race's other protagonists. Then, have you ever wondered what goes into a name change? The world's most visible gravel race just went through a branding change, switching its name from DK (formerly Dirty Kanza) to Unbound Gravel. We speak to the race's co-managing team of Kristi Mohn and Lelan Dains to go inside the name change, and discuss the process they went through to choose the new name. Plus, what were some of the names left on the cutting-room floor? Mohn and Dains share with us some choices that came up short. All that and more on this week's The VeloNews Podcast.

On this episode of the VeloNews Tech Podcast, tech guru Lennard Zinn joins tech editor Dan Cavallari to talk about his in-depth sunglasses clarity test. What makes a pair of sunglasses good? Is it the clarity? Is it the polarization? What about UV protection? Zinn breaks it all down for us, and gives us insight as to whether you actually need any of these things. Zinn also walks us through what he did to test many of the most popular sunglasses on the market. Be sure to listen to get a sense of what matters when you buy a pair of sunglasses, according to Zinn.

Next year, 2021 should be the year of the postponed Olympics Games, and certainly will be the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin. American diabetic Mandy Marquardt is on the long team for track, hopes to be in Tokyo racing in the stars and stripes. Marquardt has been racing at a high level since she was 10 years old, and has 18 national titles to her name. But she was a little concerned that she might be aging out of her prime shape. Then she placed ninth overall in the World Cup standings last season, then set a national kilo record, and was named to the US Olympic long team. "Representing my country next year at the Olympic Games would definitely be the pinnacle of my athletic career. And 2021 is the hundredth year of the discovery of insulin. In ways I'm like, are the stars aligning?" Marquardt is now 29, and certainly not past her prime. PYSO host Bobby Julich shared his own story of missing out on the Olympics as he got older. "I missed the Olympics in 1992. I missed the Olympics in 1996.

The Vuelta a España has entered its thrilling final week, and we are breaking down the slugfest between Primož Roglič and Richard Carapaz on this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast. The Vuelta's dramatic stage 12 up the Alto de l'Angliru produced a thrilling battle, with Hugh Carthy taking the win and Carapaz seizing the red jersey. Then, two days later, Roglič won the ITT to take the jersey back. We break down the action from both stages, and examine Ineos Grenadiers' new strategy of going on the attack. Then, we analyze the 2021 Tour de France route, which was announced this week. Next year's route serves up a classic battle, with two ITT races, three summit finishes, and a double ascent of Mont Ventoux. Then, we hear from two North American riders who are racing the Vuelta: Sepp Kuss and Michael Woods. Kuss takes us inside the Angliru battle with his perspective on the brutal fight. Then, Woods relives his stage 7 victory at the Vuelta, and explains why this Vuelta a España has helped him overcom

Gravel drivetrains now exist to accommodate the ever-burgeoning gravel market. The question is, do we really need them? VeloNews tech editor Dan Cavallari and editorial director Ben Delaney discuss the ins and outs of gravel drivetrains and help you decide whether you need one or not. Is a road drivetrain okay to use on a gravel bike? What are the benefits of a gravel drivetrain? Listen to this week's episode to find out.

It's been a strange year for Alex Howes, as it has been for everyone. The U.S. national champion hardly got to race in the jersey he won last year — but since nationals was canceled, he gets to wear it again until the 2021 nationals. Howes also flew to South Africa to race Cape Epic as part of EF Pro Cycling's alternate program that puts its pro roadies in adventure races. But... that race never happened. The soon-to-be-father recently got back to racing. On this episode of Put Your Socks On, Howes talks about his long road with Jonathan Vaughters' team — the only pro squad he has raced for. Even before turning pro, Howes races on Vaughters' junior development team, TIAA-CREF. Also on this episode, Bobby picks Howes' brain at length for gravel gear tips...

The 2020 Giro d'Italia has come to a thrilling conclusion, while the Vuelta a España heads into its mountainous midpoint. On today's episode of The VeloNews Podcast, we dive headfirst into the season's two other grand tours to offer our insight and opinion on the racing. First up is the Giro, which saw Tao Geoghegan Hart take the overall after a thrilling final four days of racing. What do we make of Geoghegan Hart's win for Great Britain and Team Ineos-Grenadiers? Does this win vault the 25-year-old Londoner into the the team's top leadership position, or is Ineos-Grenadiers still the squad of Egan Bernal and Geraint Thomas? Then, the Vuelta a España is chugging into foul weather in northern Spain, and Jumbo-Visma saw its grip on the red jersey fall apart after its team leader, Primož Roglič, struggled to put on his rain coat at an inopportune time. How did this disaster occur, and what must Jumbo-Visma do now to rebound? Finally, we hear from Americans Sepp Kuss and Logan Owen, both of whom are racing t

Eric Richter and Peter Curran from Giro join tech editor Dan Cavallari on this episode of the VeloNews Tech Podcast to answer the stiffness question. We all know we're supposed to ride the stiffest shoes for power transfer. But do we really need all that stiffness? Is a little bit of give actually good? And is there something else more important than stiffness, that we should focus on when shopping for shoes? Listen to this episode to find out!