Velonews Podcasts

How is the biggest team in the world dealing with the global coronavirus lockdown? Well, they've been doing a few things - including pivoting to help distribute hand sanitizer to hospitals in conjunction with their sponsor Ineos. Ineos team boss David Brailsford comes on the show to talk about how the riders, the coaches, and the support staff have been collaborating, training, and racing over the internet — and helping create value in new ways. Ineos owner and chairman Jim Ratcliffe told Brailsford that he wanted to produce a million bottles of hand sanitizer a month and supply that to the frontline workers in hospitals, using the well-oiled logistics of the cycling team to handle some of the distribution. "Everybody has been involved, and they've done a brilliant job and it's quite a satisfying thing to be involved in," Brailsford said.

How are pro riders spending their time amid the coronavirus shutdown? On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast we dive into our recent Day in the Life series with Betsy Welch. Over the past five weeks we have been reaching out to pro of every variety: European and North American; roadies, gravel racers, and mountain bikers; veterans and fresh-faced youngsters. We've asked them nine questions to help us understand how the COVID-19 shutdown is impacting their lives, and how they are maintaining their physical and mental health during these strange times. We have seen trends and outliers, and major differences between different types of riders. We break down these trends and differences on today's podcast. Then we conduct an actual Day in the life interview with Catharine Pendrel of the Clif Pro racing team. Catharine is a two-time world champion and an Olympic Bronze medalist in cross-country mountain bike racing. She is riding out the shutdown in Kamloops, British Columbia, where the singletrack is

We are certainly living in strange times, and Alison Tetrick, like other professional athletes, is stuck in a holding pattern to see if and when the race season might resume. But she's not sitting by idly; Tech editor Dan Cavallari chats with Tetrick about her training during the Covid-19 era, what gear gets her through recovery, and why she carries a whiskey flask at every race.

Michele Acquarone ran the Giro d'Italia and RCS' other races for years, and pushed for revolutionary change such as teams sharing in TV revenue and all races having men's and women's events. On this episode of Put Your Socks On, Michele talks with Bobby and Gus about where the sport of cycling should be headed. Michele argues that all pro races should include women's and men's events. "It's so easy to do combined events, that it's crazy that all the pro cycling movement is not doing that," he says. "It should be a must if you want to have a first level race. You have the TV production, you have the operations already in place. For the organizer, it's easy. You have the streets closed, you have the helicopters and the airplanes in the sky. Everything is in place. You just need to invest a little extra money to have a great show with the two races at the same time." And what about esports in cycling? "Esports are not the future but the present of the sport, and you cannot ignore it," Michele says. Before t

Pro cycling has a partial competition calendar for 2020, with the UCI approving plans for the Tour de France to start on August 29 and the world championships to begin September 20. On today's episode of The VeloNews Podcast we dig into this tentative plan to bring pro cycling back. Is it even a good idea to schedule events amid the pandemic? What does this sketch of a calendar mean for the sponsors, pro teams, and pro riders? Plus, how do we think this tentative schedule will impact the Tour de France in general? Nobody is quite sure how riders will react to so much time away from racing before the Tour. We're in uncharted territory with 2020, and the proposed calendar leaves us with more questions to ponder than answers. This week's episode is sponsored by Giordana Cycling, makers of fine Italian cycling apparel. Right now fans of the podcast can get 25 percent off their purchase by going to giordanacycling.com and entering the code PODCAST at purchase.

Gravel bikes have gone soft! By which of course we mean suspension has become a stable in some form or another on most gravel bikes. Flexing seatposts, decouplers, and even full-suspension designs have all aimed to make gravel riding more comfortable. But is it necessary? Tech editor Dan Cavallari talked with VeloNews editorial director Ben Delaney to get his take on the gravel bike he has tested over the years. Does Ben think suspension is here to stay? And Cavallari chats with Zack Vestal from Niner Bikes to get deeper into the design considerations behind the MCR (Magic Carpet Ride), the first full-suspension gravel bike to hit the market.

Steve Maxwell and Spencer Martin of The Outer Line join the show to talk about what the sport of cycling could like in a post-coronavirus world from a business perspective. Will there be fewer teams and fewer events? Possibly. Along with the rest of the world, the cycling industry is now scrambling to figure out what it can do to stay afloat and what the waters will look like once the storm subsides. "Clearly we can't really imagine at this point in time, what the overall impact of COVID is going to be on the sport, just just like we can't really imagine what the impact is going to be on society in general, when we come out of the other side of this whole thing," Maxwell says. "But I think there are a few things that are starting to be apparent. We're not going back to the same old normal. Some things will probably change permanently as a result of this whole calamity." In this special edition VeloNews collaboration of PYSO and The Outer Line, the gents on the pod dig into a laundry list of possible effec

Pro Zwift racing has arrived, with the start of the Zwift Classics pro/am series. These six races feature $5,000 in prize cash, short and challenging courses, and fields comprised of pro and top amateur riders. So, what do you look for in a virtual race? On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast we take a deep dive into pro Zwift racing with two experts: Leah Thorvilson and Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio. Leah Thorvilson was the first winner of the Zwift Academy talent search back in 2016, which earned her a pro contract to race with the Canyon-SRAM road squad. Thorvilson breaks down the similarities and differences between Zwift and IRL (in real life) bike racing, and discusses her own experiences in WorldTour-level road events. Then, WorldTour veteran Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio explains why she's embraced Zwift riding during the coronavirus shutdown. Moolman-Pasio won the most recent Zwift Classics event, and it came after she dedicated herself to a month of training on the online platform. Why is she racin

What role does sport play in a pandemic? And more importantly, what role will it play in a post-pandemic world? Bobby and Gus ask the head of the world Players Association, Brendan Schwab, these questions and more. Bobby says the world of cycling has no overarching organization. "There's no alliances, there's no loyalties. And that just has to change." Bobby, Gus, and Brandon discuss how that could change.

On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast we are breaking down our favorite recent editions of Paris-Roubaix by re-watching the YouTube video and then analyzing the action. The three editions we have on tap are from 2014, 2016, and 2019. These were the races that saw Niki Terpstra, Mathew Hayman, and Philippe Gilbert take historic wins on the jagged cobblestones of Northern France. What did we learn about Paris-Roubaix from rewatching these past editions? Well, we learned that Tom Boonen really wanted a fifth Roubaix title, among other things. We also saw a generational shift occur amongst the Roubaix peloton's heavy hitters, and we saw how daring team and personal strategies paid off. Fire up the YouTube clips, watch your favorite editions of Paris-Roubaix, and listen along.

Tech editor Dan Cavallari and editorial director Ben Delaney give you the basics on what you need to take advantage of power both indoors and outdoors. Since many of us are doing a fair bit of Zwifting these days, Delaney and Cavallari discuss how to use your power meter — and more broadly, power in general — to get the most out of your Zwift sessions. There are three fundamental ways to use Zwift: riding, training, and racing. Listen to find out how to optimize your power meter and settings to get the most out of each type of virtual ride.

How about some rock and roll? Greg Erwin is the drummer for Saint Motel, and a buddy of Taylor Phinney. He joins Bobby and Gus to talk about how he got into cycling, and how bringing a bike on tour keeps him healthy mentally and physically. And Gus also explains the 21/90 rule of forming habits. It's time to Put Your Socks On.

It's Flanders week here on the VeloNews Podcast. And even though Belgium's biggest race is on hold (like the rest of the sport), we are taking a deep dive into our three favorite recent editions of De Ronde. Andrew Hood, James Startt, and Fred Dreier examine the Tours of Flanders from 2015, 2016, and 2019, and examine the tactical decisions and storylines from each race. What did each edition tell us about the Flanders course design? How did the marquee riders approach the course differently? What are our favorite moments from these editions? All that and more on this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast.

Bobby and Gus bring you a change of pace from all the COVID-19 news with a great interview with American racer Justin Williams. Introducing him a "the #1 positive vibe guy," Gus brings on the founder of the Legion of Los Angeles cycling team. Williams talks about how he got into cycling as a 13-year-old as a way to bond with his dad, who if from Belize, and how he wore a U.S. Postal Service skinsuit to the group rides that he got from Tony Cruz. Williams also talks about his love of design, and how we wants his cycling team to stand for something more than just bike racing. Take a tip from Williams, and make sure you look good as you Put Your Sock On.

he Mid South gravel race was the final major cycling event held in the United States before the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancelation and postponement of the remaining events on the calendar. The race and its participants received criticism. On today's episode of The VeloNews Podcast, we examine the race's decision to continue and speak with our reporters who were on the ground at the event. What were riders and race staff talking about in the days before the event? What precautions were and were not taken at the event? Then, we hear from Hannah Finchamp, winner of the women's event. Hannah recounts her victory at The Mid South and discusses the now famous photo of her eating a cheeseburger in the finishing chute just as she crossed the line. This week's episode is sponsored by Amp Human and its new PR Lotion. Listener's can get a 25 percent discount on PR lotion by going to amphuman.com and typing in the code VeloNews25 at checkout.

These are special times, challenging times, and this is a special edition of Fast Talk. And I say that not because we discuss COVID-19 in this episode, but because this will be the last episode of Fast Talk to be released on the VeloNews channel. What’s that mean? Well, I have a big ask for all of you: Head to your favorite podcast app, search for the Fast Talk podcast, and subscribe. All future episodes of Fast Talk will be released on that channel. Some of you have already found us there, many of you have not. In the episode today, as a way to say goodbye to our good friends at VeloNews, we invited editor-in-chief Fred Dreier to join us on the show to interview both Trevor and me, about Fast Talk — where we’ve been, where we’re going, and to discuss some of the highlights from our long history together.

The Mid South Gravel race went off in the mud and muck, and Ben Delaney and Betsy Welch were there to get coated in their fair share. They join tech editor Dan Cavallari on the Tech Podcast this week to talk about their gear choices, the experience on course, and what items they were glad to have on course (and some they could have left home).

Special guest Rich Hincapie comes on the show to discuss the massive effect the coronavirus is having on cycling events around globe. Bobby and Gus hope that PYSO going forward will be able to provide a little light and laughter in tough times. On this episode, Bobby and Gus celebrate the last bit of racing at Paris-Nice, before looking up the road with Rich.

On this week's episode of The VeloNews Podcast we continue our reporting on the impact of coronavirus COVID-19 on the cycling world. Andrew Hood chimes in from Spain, where the government has closed down most services and even prevented cyclists from riding outdoors. And James Startt calls in from Paris after finishing coverage of Paris-Nice. This week's episode is brought to you by Flobikes.com, where you can watch replays of some of your favorite pro bike races, such as Milano-Sanremo, the Tour of Flanders, and even the Giro d'Italia. Go to flobikes.com/velonews for a special deal on a subscription.

As the world’s attention is fixated on the spread of COVID-19, many of us are feeling stress and anxiety. We want to acknowledge that fact; these are challenging times. By coincidence, we recorded and planned to release today an episode on performance psychology, specifically on the principles of confidence, resilience, the power of reframing, self-talk, and much more. Though this episode doesn’t address the type of anxiety you might be feeling head on, there are immense lessons to be learned in this episode that are applicable both to riding your bike faster, and living your life in a more healthy, mindful way. At times like these, we hope there are meaningful lessons to be gained from our discussion. To our devoted listeners, we send wishes of continued health and tranquility. We hope this episode helps you cope through a stressful time. Now, a few simple questions: What is confidence? What is resiliency? What is pressure, and how can we better cope with it? These are just some of the things we tackl