In no particular order we selected ten riders: Nairo Quintana, Tom Dumoulin, Chris Froome, Alberto Contador, Bradley Wiggins, Vincenzo Nibali , Cadel Evans, Geraint Thomas, Egan Bernal, Alejandro Valverde and analyzed their Grand Tour careers since the WorldTour began in 2019 and through four forms of criteria – numbers of wins, longevity, competition and legacy/reputation – Pickering and Fletcher arrived at two very different lists.  

 We discuss both list and some of the notable absentees from our original ten, and to break up the proceedings we have an interview with Simon Yates thrown in for good measure.

We’d love to know your top-tens, so please post them in the comments below.

The Cyclingnews Podcast is brought to you by Sportful and Pinarello and. To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here.

Sponsor message

 Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972.

 Official apparel supplier to Bora-Hansgrohe. The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Peter Sagan is available to purchase by all cyclists. 

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigors of pro bike racing. 

 Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions. 

 Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. 

 For more details visit sportful.com Follow the ride on instagram @sportful

It’s been a few weeks since our last episode but the Cyclingnews podcast is back with interviews with Tom Dumoulin and Matt White 

We also discuss the likelihood of the  Tour de France taking place later this year and whether it’s too soon to get excited about race dates that have been scheduled for the second half of the year.

European editor Stephen Farrand provides the latest lowdown from Italy and the Giro d’Italia’s plans, while we also look back at the formation of the Slipstream team. The American squad recently announced a round of cuts and layoffs but in the 2000s they burst onto the scene, and Ed Pickering from Procycling magazine was at their team launch in Boulder, Colorado 13 years ago. Pickering and CN’s Daniel Benson talk about the team’s first rosters and pose the question as to whether they’ve stayed true to their roots.

Tom Dumoulin, at home in Belgium, catches up with us over Skype and talks about lockdown, altitude camps and his thoughts on the new 2020 calendar, while Mitchelton Scott’s Matt White joins us from Spain to discuss how teams can start to plan for the coming months.

To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here. 

Our latest competition gives you the chance to win one of two musettes. We have one from Katusha Alpecin that’s stuffed with goodies and kit from last year, while we also have a similar prize for BMC Racing fans. Can you tell we’ve recently moved offices and need to clear some space?

 All you have to do to win these fantastic prizes is head to our Itunes page, give us a review and post your top three kits for 2020 (men’s or women’s). We’ll announce the winners in the next couple of weeks. 

This podcast was brought to you by Sportful, Pinarello and Floyds of Leadville.

Coming up we’ll hear from our European Editor Stephen Farrand, who is based in Italy, one of the most heavily hit countries, and we talk to Italy’s Matteo Trentin from CCC team, who gives us riders’ perspective. 

But we start this episode by talking to Rob Harris, AP’s global sports correspondent. In this interview, we step away from cycling and look at the wider problems that sport now facing. We ask who decides which sports go ahead, whether, as Lewis Hamilton recently said ‘cash is king’ and just how damaging the possible loss of marquee events such as the Olympics, European Championships and a host of other events could be for sport on a global stage. 

Closer to home, Stephen Farrand has been with Cyclingnews for almost a decade. He is based in Italy and has covered the Giro since 1994. These are unprecedented times for Italian cycling and its society as a whole. We caught up with Stephen on Thursday afternoon, just after the conclusion of stage 5 at Paris-Nice. He gives his insight into how Italy is coping and where racing could go from here.

For our final interview, we stick with an Italian theme. Matteo Trentin is the vice president of the Italian riders association and one of the most respected riders in the peloton. The CCC rider is currently in Spain for a short training camp but we spoke with him about his thoughts on racing and the coronavirus and what the riders and teams should be doing under the difficult circumstances. 

To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here. 

Our latest competition gives you the chance to win one of two musettes. We have one from Katusha Alpecin that’s stuffed with goodies and kit from last year, while we also have a similar prize for BMC Racing fans. Can you tell we’ve recently moved offices and need to clear some space?

 All you have to do to win these fantastic prizes is head to our Itunes page, give us a review and post your top three kits for 2020 (men’s or women’s). We’ll announce the winners in the next couple of weeks. 

This podcast was brought to you by Sportful and Floyds of Leadville.

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972

Official apparel supplier to Bora-Hansgrohe. 

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Peter Sagan is available to purchase by all cyclists. 

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigors of pro bike racing. 

Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions. 

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. 

For more details visit sportful.com

Follow the ride on instagram @sportful

 We’re going to hear from team bosses Jonathan Vaughters, and Matt White, as well as our European Editor Stephen Farrand, who lives in Italy, and Sophie Smith, who made it home from the UAE and is safely back in Australia.

 But we start with Stephen Farrand and we discuss the impact of Covid-19 on the Italian race scene and how teams and the Italian public at large are struggling to cope. This was recorded just a few hours after RCS announced that Strade Bianche would not take place this weekend.

Our interview with Jonathan Vaughters from EF Pro Cycling was conducted on Thursday evening but Paris-Nice was set to go ahead and EF were down to ride.

 Vaughters talks about how teams are trying to understand the quickly evolving situation and the various playbook scenarios they are having to consider when it comes to race selection, rosters and riders’ health.

 Matt White’s Mitchelton-Scott team was one of the first, if not the first, to announce that their men’s and women’s teams would be halting all racing with immediate effect. That as before Strade Bianche was canceled. In this interview White talks about the wellbeing of his riders, and the logistical stresses put on a team. He uses the example of the recent developments at the UAE Tour as an example.

 Finally, we hear from Australian journalist Sophie Smith on the dramatic twists that took place at the UAE Tour last week. Some teams and riders are still stuck in the UAE and will be there until mid-March but the situation for around 72 hours was fraught and tense, to say the least. In this interview with Smith, we take you through how the situation unfolded.

To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here. 

Our latest competition gives you the chance to win one of two musettes. We have one from Katusha Alpecin that’s stuffed with goodies and kit from last year, while we also have a similar prize for BMC Racing fans. Can you tell we’ve recently moved offices and need to clear some space?

 All you have to do to win these fantastic prizes is head to our Itunes page, give us a review and post your top three kits for 2020 (men’s or women’s). We’ll announce the winners in the next couple of weeks. 

This podcast was brought to you by Sportful and Floyds of Leadville.

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972

Official apparel supplier to Bora-Hansgrohe. 

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Peter Sagan is available to purchase by all cyclists. 

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigors of pro bike racing. 

Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions. 

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. 

For more details visit sportful.com

Follow the ride on instagram @sportful

 As in previous days we also drop in at Team Ineos to talk to Chris Froome. The four-time Tour de France winner is using the UAE Tour as his comeback race and in this latest catch-up we talk to him about his future beyond 2020 – he’s out of contract this year – and how he’s feeling after several days of competition. 

 Picking up from our previous discussion over the Australian emu wars of the 1930s – to remind you, the emus won – presenters Daniel Benson and Sophie Smith continue the theme by turning their attention to their limited dinosaurs facts after stage 4 started outside a dinosaur theme park in Dubai.

 Spoiler: Their facts and knowledge on the subject really are limited.

 To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here. 

Our latest competition gives you the chance to win one of two musettes. We have one from Katusha Alpecin that’s stuffed with goodies and kit from last year, while we also have a similar prize for BMC Racing fans. Can you tell we’ve recently moved offices and need to clear some space?

 All you have to do to win these fantastic prizes is head to our Itunes page, give us a review and post your top three kits for 2020 (men’s or women’s). We’ll announce the winners in the next couple of weeks. 

This podcast was brought to you by Sportful and Floyds of Leadville.

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972

Official apparel supplier to Bora-Hansgrohe. 

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Peter Sagan is available to purchase by all cyclists. 

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigors of pro bike racing. 

Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions. 

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. 

For more details visit sportful.com

Follow the ride on instagram @sportful

 We start with a recap of the first two days of racing after Pascal Ackermann and Caleb Ewan  - the new leader of the race – shared the spoils.

Joined once again by Australian writer Sophie Smith, we hear from Chris Froome. The British rider opens up about his rehab, learning to walk again and he reveals that he had a further surgery in December after internal stitches became infected.

 We also talk to Adam Yates. The British climber took fourth at the white jersey at the 2016 Tour but has not hit those heights in a Grand Tour since. He tells us why it’s going to be different this time at the Tour and what he’s changed in terms of his schedule and plans. 

Smith gives an insight into how stage 3 might play out and what level of popularity the Yates brothers share back in Australia. And then there’s the emus.

To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here. 

Our latest competition gives you the chance to win one of two musettes. We have one from Katusha Alpecin that’s stuffed with goodies and kit from last year, while we also have a similar prize for BMC Racing fans. Can you tell we’ve recently moved offices and need to clear some space?

 All you have to do to win these fantastic prizes is head to our Itunes page, give us a review and post your top three kits for 2020 (men’s or women’s). We’ll announce the winners in the next couple of weeks. 

This podcast was brought to you by Sportful and Floyds of Leadville.

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972

Official apparel supplier to Bora-Hansgrohe. 

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Peter Sagan is available to purchase by all cyclists. 

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigors of pro bike racing. 

Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions. 

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. 

For more details visit sportful.com

Follow the ride on instagram @sportful

 In our first podcast episode from the race we sit down with Ewan, and talk about leadership, pressure, his season so far, and how he sees the sprints going as the week progresses. The Australian is certainly a firm favourite at the race after taking a stage here last year.

 Our presenters – Daniel Benson and Sophie Smith – also hear from Chris Froome, who arrives at the race having not competed since his career-threatening crash at last year’s Criterium du Dauphine in France. Froome has spent the last eight months in recovery and rehab and admits that he’s still not over his injuries. In our recording he opens up about his hopes for the coming weeks and his condition heading into his first race of the year.

Finally, we catch up with Froome’s team director, Matteo Tosatto.

To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here. 

Our latest competition gives you the chance to win one of two musettes. We have one from Katusha Alpecin that’s stuffed with goodies and kit from last year, while we also have a similar prize for BMC Racing fans. Can you tell we’ve recently moved offices and need to clear some space?

 All you have to do to win these fantastic prizes is head to our Itunes page, give us a review and post your top three kits for 2020 (men’s or women’s). We’ll announce the winners in the next couple of weeks. 

This podcast was brought to you by Sportful and Floyds of Leadville.

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972

Official apparel supplier to Bora-Hansgrohe. 

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Peter Sagan is available to purchase by all cyclists. 

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigors of pro bike racing. 

Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions. 

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. 

For more details visit sportful.com

Follow the ride on instagram @sportful

This is our first in a series of podcasts in which we are partnering with Shimano and for our first episode we headed to Hoogerheide for the final round of the Cyclo-cross World Cup. We hear from several of the main protagonists including Wout Van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel, and his father Adri, Katie Compton and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado as we sample and soak up the unique and exciting atmosphere at one of the biggest cylco-cross races of the year. 

We also talk componentry and kit, while for your amusement, we even send a cyclo-cross novice, editor in chief Daniel Benson, around the elite course, to test out the latest gear from Shimano. 

Sponsor message

Founded in Osaka, Japan in 1921, Shimano has been dedicated to helping people get closer to nature by bicycle for almost 100 years. That comes with the desire to create outstanding cycling products and apparel. 

 With decades of experience in creating internationally renowned bicycle components, Shimano is proud to have developed products that continue to take countless athletes to victory and provide the means for limitless global bicycle journeys. 

 Those athletes include superstars such as Chris Froome, Egan Bernal, Julian Alaphillipe, Tom Dumoulin, Mathieu Van Der Poel and many more. 

 From sun-soaked Grand Tours to wet and windy spring Classics and everything in between, Dura-Ace is powering these riders to victory. Professionals riding, testing and winning on Shimano all year round, proving the technology for you to use.

 For more on Shimano’s elite components and apparel see bike.shimano.com.

 Viviani moved to Cofidis over the winter and we discuss how the French team has successfully gone about their business in the transfer market and whether the Italian can replicate the form he has shown over the last two years.

 We also hear from both Viviani and Ewan after Sunday’s downtown criterium, while we also check in with Tom Southam from EF Pro Cycling as he looks ahead to the first WorldTour race of the year.

 Our final interview in this episode is with Matt White, from Mitchelton Scott. White has masterminded six overall titles in the last nine years and with Daryl Impey on his roster is looking to make it three in a row. The Australian team director talks about this year’s Tour Down under course and how and where the race might be won.

To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here. 

Our latest competition gives you the chance to win one of two musettes. We have one from Katusha Alpecin that’s stuffed with goodies and kit from last year, while we also have a similar prize for BMC Racing fans. Can you tell we’ve recently moved offices and need to clear some space?

 All you have to do to win these fantastic prizes is head to our Itunes page, give us a review and post your top three kits for 2020 (men’s or women’s). We’ll announce the winners in the next couple of weeks. 

This podcast was brought to you by Sportful and Floyds of Leadville.

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972

Official apparel supplier to Bora-Hansgrohe. 

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Peter Sagan is available to purchase by all cyclists. 

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigors of pro bike racing. 

Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions. 

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. 

For more details visit sportful.com

Follow the ride on instagram @sportful

We also cast our gaze over the good, the bad and the ugly from this year’s men’s WorldTour team kits. We announce the winners of our signed Vincenzo Nibali jerseys and there are two musettes stuffed with kit to give away. 

We start with a look back at the highlights from the December training camps and sit down with former Giro d’Italia winner Tom Dumoulin. The Dutchman controversially switched teams to move from Sunweb to Jumbo Visma over the winter and in our interview he opens up about the car journey in which he turned around at half-way due to his knee injury and his reasons for switching teams. Now fit and healthy, he also talks about the 2020 Tour de France and how he and Jumbo Visma’s other leaders are going to work together this July. 

Dumoulin’s director, Merijn Zeeman is another guest on the podcast and he tells us how the management arrived at the final eight Jumbo Visma for July’s event and why they’ve decided to send such a strong team to the race.

From Jumbo Visma we head to Deceuninck-QuickStep in Calpe and catch up with Alaphilippe to find out whether he can replicate his incredible 2019 season. 

We also pick our top three, and bottom three, WorldTour kit designs for 2020, before a final stop at Lotto-Soudal in Mallorca where we hear from Caleb Ewan on his dreams for Milan-San Remo and his transition from Mitchelton Scott to his current Belgian team.

Our latest competition gives you the chance to win one of two mussettes. We have one from Katusha Alpecin that’s stuffed with goodies and kit from last year, while we also have a similar prize for BMC Racing fans. Can you tell we’ve recently moved offices and need to clear some space?

All you have to do to win these fantastic prizes is head to our Itunes page, give us a review and post your top three kits for 2020 (men’s or women’s). We’ll announce the winners in the next couple of weeks. 

This podcast was brought to you by Sportful and Floyds of Leadville.

 Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972

Official apparel supplier to Bora-Hansgrohe. 

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Peter Sagan is available to purchase by all cyclists. 

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigors of pro bike racing. 

Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions. 

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. 

For more details visit sportful.com

Follow the ride on instagram @sportful

Annemeik van Vleuten and Mads Pedersen, along with Coryn Rivera, Amanda Spratt, Peter Sagan, Matteo Trentin, Mathieu van der Poel, and Jacob Fuglsang.

 We also look back at the week as a whole and discuss the latest on Rohan Dennis, the farcical outcome in the U23 race and how the championships stacked up as a whole.

This podcast was brought to you by Sportful, Pinarello, Floyds of Leadville and Wattbike.

To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here. http://apple.co/32jXDgY.Sponsor messageBorn in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain-Merida.

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Bastianelli, Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing. Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com. Follow the ride on Instagram @sportful.

Eekhoff had crossed the line first in Harrogate after a seven-man sprint but an hour after the finish it was announced that the UCI jury were investigating the result.

Another hour went by before Eekhoff was seen leaving the race in tears. His crime, drafting after crashing with around 120km to race. The UCI only checked the footage after the race, which of course led to huge uproar from fans, journalists and fellow riders. It’s fair to say that this has been the biggest talking point of the race so far.

We hear from Eekhoff, his national coach, Tom Pidcock, who was bumped from fourth to third as a result, and the UCI.

To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here. http://apple.co/32jXDgY.Sponsor messageBorn in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain-Merida.

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Bastianelli, Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing. Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com. Follow the ride on Instagram @sportful.

The Australian decimated the field to defend his 2018 title and answered many of his critics after his controversial walkout from the Tour de France in July.

Dennis beat starlets Remco Evenepoel and Filippo Ganna and we hear from all three riders in our podcast.We debate where this win leaves Dennis’s career and if this opens the door for a return to Bahrain Merida or if his decision to snub trade team equipment was the nail in the coffin.

We analyse a number of other key performances, including several riders who underperformed and we hear from Vuelta a Espana winner Primoz Roglic.

This podcast was brought to you by Sportful, Pinarello, Floyd’s of Leadville and Wattbike.

To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here. http://apple.co/32jXDgY.Sponsor messageBorn in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain-Merida.

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Bastianelli, Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing. Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com. Follow the ride on Instagram @sportful.

The American covered the 30.4km course in a time of 42.11and put 1:32 into Van der Breggen and 1:52 into Van Vleuten.  We hear from both Dygert Owen and Van Vleuten on their performances.

We also head to press conferences ahead of Wednesday’s elite men's time trial to talk to defending champion Rohan Dennis and Remco Evenepoel, and we preview a number of other favourites for the 54km test.

To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here. http://apple.co/32jXDgY.Sponsor messageBorn in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain-Merida.

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Bastianelli, Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing. Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com. Follow the ride on Instagram @sportful.

We hear from Elisa Longo Borghini, Dan Bingham, Jan Bakelants and Lucinda Brand, while we also debate whether the inaugural mixed TTT was a startling success or if the UCI need to go back to the drawing board.

This podcast was brought to you in association with Sportful, Pinarello, Floyd’s of Leadville and Wattbike.

To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here. http://apple.co/32jXDgY

.

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain-Merida.

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Bastianelli, Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing. Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com. Follow the ride on Instagram @sportful.

And not for the first time the Cyclingnews team of Philippa York and Daniel Benson were left debating whether the young Dutchman can take the rainbow jersey later this month in Yorkshire. Joined by author and journalist William Fortheringham, the team look back at the stage and consider whether van der Poel has perhaps played his cards too early ahead of Worlds, while we hear from the rider himself during his stage-winner’s press conference.

 Fotheringham gives us his expert view on the Worlds course having ridden it earlier this year, while York puts to bed the notion that riding on home roads offers any form of advantage. The pair then talk about the similarities between Yorkshire’s course and the one raced in Oslo in 1993. 

There’s also time to check in with Jose Azevedo and the latest problems at Katusha-Alpecin where the riders are still waiting on news over the team’s future, and we catch up with Mikel Landa on whether the move to Bahrain-Merida will finally offer him the chance of sole leadership at a team.

This podcast was brought to you by Sportful, Pinarello, Floyd’s of Leadville and Wattbike.

To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here. http://apple.co/32jXDgY

.

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain-Merida.

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Bastianelli, Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing. Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com. Follow the ride on Instagram @sportful.

We speak to young Dutch sensation Mathieu van der Poel about his chances in Yorkshire and growing level of expectancy he has on his shoulders.We also hear from Italian leader Matteo Trentin on his nations chances, a generation of riders now at their peak, and the merits of racing on British roads ahead of Yorkshire.There’s a catch up with the British national champion Ben Swift on his time at UAE Team Emirates and how he is hoping to galvanize a team around him despite only having six spots on the start line.Finally, time trial specialist and super domestique Luke Durbridge gives us his take on the Australian team, Rohan Dennis’ chances on defending his time trial title, and the merits of announcing squads as early as possible.What’s more Philippa York is on hand to give her expert opinion on an array of topics with the Worlds just over a week away.

 The Cyclingnews podcast is brought to you in association with Sportful, Pinarello, Floyd’s of Leadville and Wattbike.

To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here. http://apple.co/32jXDgY

.

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain-Merida.

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Bastianelli, Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing. Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com. Follow the ride on Instagram @sportful.

 First up, just to remind you, our friends at Sportful have come up with a 20% discount on all products at sportful.com. All you have to do is head to their website and use the code: cyclingnews20. This deal is in place throughout all of August.

Sticking with Sportful, we still have two signed Bahrain-Merida jerseys from Vincenzo Nibali to give away. All you have to do to win is go to our iTunes page and give us a review. We'll pick the two lucky winners later this month.

 We start with Jonathan Vaughters and a similar theme to last week’s transfer special. In this interview, Vaughters talks about what he looks for in a rider, the different criteria at play and how he has build EF Education First. It’s an eye-opening journey into the complex dynamics in play when it comes to structuring for the future and balancing both long term and immediate goals. There’s also a cameo from Alex Howes, after we caught up with the US national road champion at the Tour of Utah.

 Our final interview is with the well-respected French journalist Pierre Carrey who is a regular for Liberation. Carrey gives us the rundown on the Tour de l’Avenir, which starts Thursday. The ten-day race is viewed as mini Tour de France with a raft of U23 riders and future stars taking part. We talk about the relevance of the race, how team managers use it as a hunting ground for talent; how the style of racing compares to the WorldTour, and who to watch over the next fortnight.

 Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain-Merida.

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Bastianelli, Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing. Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com. Follow the ride on Instagram @sportful.

First up, we have some exciting news for our readers. Our lovely friends at Sportful have come up with a 20% discount on all products at sportful.com. All you have to do is head to their website and use the code: cyclingnews20. This deal is in place throughout all of August.

Sticking with Sportful. We have two signed Bahrain-Merida jerseys from Vincenzo Nibali to give away. All you have to do to win is go to our iTunes page and give us a review. We'll pick the two lucky winners later this month. Finally, on jerseys, our signed jersey from EF Education First is going to David Churchill who subscribed to us from our Podbean Platform. David, if you're listening, drop us a line at cyclingnews@cyclingnews.com and we'll post out that signed jersey and shorts as soon as we can.

But let's jump right in. The Tour is over and August 1 means one thing – the start of the transfer window. We're going to start with our interview with Matt White from Mitchelton-Scott. They've seen Matteo Trentin leave for pastures new but White has assembled one of the best teams in the WorldTour circuit. In this interview, we talk about working to a budget, making sure you sign riders who fit your team's culture and the balance between short term wins and long term development.

Our next guest is Martijn Berkhout from SEG. They're one of the biggest agencies in the world and work with the likes of Dan Martin and Wout Poels, both of whom are out of contract at the end of the season. Berkhout talks about 'creating options' for his athletes and how the transfer market has changed in recent years. The Dutchman also pinpoints the main influences and elements that have shaped the market.

Our final interviewee in this week's podcast Joao Correira. You may remember him from his Cervelo TestTeam days but now he runs the Corso agency alongside Ken Somner. They work with Laurens ten Dam but also a huge raft of young talent – from Tao Geoghegan Hart to Mads Pedersen and Michael Valgren. Correira also works with promising non-European riders and he talks about how he balances their hopes and dream with the reality of WorldTour cycling and the shifts in the market as more and more young athletes turn pro at a young age.

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain-Merida.

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Bastianelli, Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing. Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com. Follow the ride on Instagram @sportful.

 In the latest episode of the Cyclingnews podcast, brought to you in association with Sportful,  Pinarello and Floyd’s of Leadville we hear from a triumphant Dave Brailsford, Kruijswijk, Thomas, and Dan Martin.

 We look back at the final stage in the Alps and discuss the how, where and why in relation to Bernal’s win as well Team Ineos’ seventh Tour title in eight years. Geraint Thomas opens up about his difficult year and his hopes for the future and Brailsford flicks on the power point to talk strategy.

 There’s debate over whether Jumbo Visma have what it takes to win the Tour and if leaving Dylan Gronewegen at home next season would give them a better chance, and Dan Martin gives his reasoning as to why his Tour de France never really got going.

 It’s our last podcast from the Tour de France so we also talk highlights and lowlights, including Pinot, Alaphilippe, hotel, Patrick Lefevere, Bardet and McDonald’s.

 In the latest episode of the Cyclingnews podcast – brought to you by Sportful, Pinerallo and Flyods of Leadville  - we hear hear from Bernal, Geraint Thomas, Peter Sagan and Seb Piquet from ASO after one of the most dramatic days in Tour de France history.

The result of which was a disqualification for both riders after Martin tried to run Rowe off the road and the Ineos rider decided to retaliate by providing Martin with a close-up inspection of his right hand. The UCI regulators didn’t take to kindly and booted both riders out of the race. There was a joint video from Rowe and Martin in which they apologized but unless the UCI overturn their decision - and that’s unlikely - both Ineos and Jumbo Visma will start stage 18 with a man less. This evening the Cyclingnews team headed straight to the Team Ineos hotel to soak up the atmosphere and try and talk to the riders and staff. The latter proved impossible but we debate the race rules, ask if Team Ineos have a discipline problem and discuss how the loss of two key riders effects the race going forward. 

Don’t forget you can win a signed EF-Education First jersey from this year’s Tour de France. To be in with a chance just subscribe to our podcast on Itunes or Podbean. We’ll pick a winner later in the race.

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain Merida.

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Bastianelli, Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing. Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com. Follow the ride on instagram @sportful.

 We hear from the race leader himself Julian Alaphilippe, Dave Brailsford, Geraint Thomas and Adam Yates as the race takes a break before heading into the final week and the deciding states of this year’s race.

 Thomas talks about leadership and Team Ineos, Egan Bernal and the French threat from Thibaut Pinot and Julian Alaphilippe. We also hear from the QuickStep rider and debate whether Patrick Lefevere should build a GC team around the rider in the next few years.

 Dave Brailsford talks Tour tactics and Adam Yates opens up about his Tour disappointment and how he’s going to bounce back in the future. 

For the first time in this year’s race Julian Alaphilippe looked vulnerable as the Tour reached its final summit finish in the Pyrenees. The Frenchman still has over a minute on Geraint Thomas, who in turn looked better than he did on stage 14 but still lost time to his teammate Egan Bernal.

Emanuel Buchmann has now emerged as a podium contender, while the dynamic between all three of Movistar’s leaders looks set to entertain us all the way to Paris.

Don’t forget you can win a signed EF-Education First jersey from this year’s Tour de France. To be in with a chance just subscribe to our podcast on Itunesor Podbean. We’ll pick a winner later in the race.

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain Merida.

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Bastianelli, Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing. Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com. Follow the ride on instagram @sportful.

In the latest episode of the Cyclingnews podcast, brought to you by Sportful, Pinarello and Floyds of Leadville, we looked back at Julian Alaphilippe’s stunning victory in the Pau time trial. The Frenchman won ahead of Geraint Thomas and Thomas de Gendt and now leads Thomas by 1:26 ahead of the two key mountain stages. Coming up we’ll hear from Thomas and John Allert from MacLaren on the bizarre situation involving Rohan Dennis after he quit the race on stage 12. We ponder whether this is the end for Dennis at Bahrain Merida, and just how far Alaphilippe can go in the maillot jaune.

(itunes link http://apple.co/32jXDgY )

Don’t forget you can win a signed EF-Education First jersey from this year’s Tour de France. To be in with a chance just subscribe to our podcast on Itunes or Podbean. We’ll pick a winner later in the race.

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain Merida.

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Bastianelli, Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing. Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com. Follow the ride on instagram @sportful.

Welcome to the Cyclingnews Podcast Women’s Edition, brought to you by Sportful, Pinarello and Floyds of Leadville. In the latest episode we speak to Isabel Best, author of the Queens of Pain: Legends and Rebels of Cycling, a book which chronicles the story of some of the pioneers of women’s cycling. 

With the one-day race La Course by Le Tour de France held on July 19 in Pau, the first part of this episode focuses on Lyli Herse, Millie Robinson and the original women’s Tour de France.

Herse and Robinson had two very different upbringings, but their worlds collided when they met on the start line of the first-ever women’s Tour de France in 1957. 

This incarnation of the event was not run by the organisers of the men’s Tour de France and would last just a year. A new women’s Tour would be created in 1984, and this time it was run by the same organiser as the men, though it would come to an end in 1989. 

There would be various versions of a women’s Tour de France over the years, but the last one that resembled a proper Tour happened in 2009. 

As well as discussing the lives of Herse and Robinson, we talk about the merits of creating an equivalent women’s Tour de France today, while maintaining the historical races currently on the women’s calendar. 

In the second part of this episode, we take a look at how Best came to write her book, Queens of Pain, and her thoughts on how things have changed in women’s cycling over the years. 

We also talk about more of the riders that she wrote about; the indomitable Tillie Anderson, the irrepressible Marguerite Wilson, and the ambitious group of Australians that set about making and breaking distance records.

Our discussion brings us all over the world from the late 19th century to the 1970s. 

Sit back and enjoy our walk through history. 

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Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972.

Sportful has a rich and successful racing history; optimising performance for athletes who have gone onto win Grand Tours, one-day classics, and the World Championships.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike.

For more details visit Sportful.com and follow the ride on Instagram @sportful 

In the latest episode of the Cyclingnews podcast – brought to you by Sportful, Pinarello and Floyds of Leadville - we ask whether Geraint Thomas has established himself as the favourite after his impressive performance on stage 6 of the Tour de France. The defending champion came into the Tour with questions over his form but he was the best of the yellow jersey contenders – albeit by a few seconds – on the first summit finish of this year’s race.

 We hear from the Welshman on that performance and his team boss Dave Brailsford.

 With further revelations over Tom Dumoulin’s likely split with Team Sunweb we ask what next for the WorldTour team? We listen to Michael Matthews on his struggles with leadership, and debate if Dumoulin’s rumoured move to Jumbo Visma is the right decision.

There’s also time to hear from former yellow jersey Julian Alaphilippe as we summarize the action from stages 6 and 7.

Don’t forget you can win a signed EF-Education First jersey from this year’s Tour de France. To be in with a chance just subscribe to our podcast on Itunes or Podbean. We’ll pick a winner later in the race.

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain Merida.

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Bastianelli, Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists. BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing. Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions. Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com. Follow the ride on instagram @sportful.

We also check in with green jersey holder Peter Sagan after he missed out in the sprint.

 With the first summit finish coming up on stage 6 we also hear from Daniel Martin about his race so far, recon, and the mountains, before turning attention to Team Ineos and hearing from the defending champion Geraint Thomas and his directeur Nicolas Portal.

This podcast was brought to you in association with Sportful, Pinarello and Floyds of Leadville.

 To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast click here http://apple.co/32jXDgY

 We talk to stage 1 favourite Elia Viviani, and Alex Kristoff, as well as yellow jersey favourite Egan Bernal and Gianni Moscon.

To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here: http://cyclingnews.podbean.com/

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain Merida.

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Bastianelli, Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing. Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com. Follow the ride on instagram @sportful

 We debate the Tour de France chances of all of those teams before heading to the Belgian capital for the official teams’ presentation. There we talk to Geraint Thomas about the leadership duties at Team Ineos and how he will aim to defend his title with Egan Bernal in the same squad.

 Steve Cummings  - who always fronts up with genuine answers –gives his take on Mark Cavendish’s controversial non-selection. Even if the Dimension Data press officer tries to intervene.

 A relaxed Richie Porte talks about his Tour France ambitions, Team Ineos, and whether this is his final attempt at cracking the biggest race in the world. And finally we talk candidly to George Bennett, who has put aside his ambitions at the race this year in order to work for Jumbo-Visma’s sprinting and GC hopes.

 To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here: http://cyclingnews.podbean.com/

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain Merida.

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Bastianelli, Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing. Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com. Follow the ride on instagram @sportful

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain Merida.

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Bastianelli, Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing. Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com. Follow the ride on instagram @sportful

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain Merida.

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Bastianelli, Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing. Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com. Follow the ride on instagram @sportful

In this episode Cyclingnews' women’s editor Kirsten Frattini sits down with former world champion and new mom Lizzie Deignan to discuss motherhood, her postpartum return to pro cycling, dreams of winning a second world title at Yorkshire World Championships, and her biggest hopes for the future of women's cycling.

Deignan took time away from the sport to give birth to her first child and only recently returned to the peloton with her new team Trek-Segafredo at the Ardennes Classics, Tour de Yorkshire, Tour of California and the OVO Energy Women's Tour, where she won the overall title.

At a time when major sport sponsors are pushing promotional content geared toward equality, female athletes such as American Olympians Kara Goucher, Allyson Felix and Alysia Montaño, have exposed American company Nike for its performance-based reductions clause in athlete contracts, and how that affects athletes who want to have a baby.

Montaño wrote a detailed opinion piece in The New York Times titled "Nike told me to dream crazy, until I wanted a baby", where she described the company's policy of reducing and cutting salaries after some of its female athletes decided to become pregnant.

Female cyclists can relate to this policy as contracts have been cancelled or considered nullified if an athlete becomes pregnant.

Hear from Deignan on her decision to start a family while at the peak of her cycling career and why she left long-time team Boels Dolmans. She also speaks about the importance of competing for a team and sponsors that support her cycling career while also being a mother.

Deignan also spoke about the UCI's decision to include a maternity clause and other insurances into its standard athlete-team contracts beginning in 2020. But she noted that a similar amendment, in the form of a paternity clause, would be welcomed among the men’s peloton as well.

We hope you enjoy our discussion with Lizzie Deignan.

If this is your first time listening to the Women’s edition podcast, make sure you go back and listen to our previous three episodes; The edge of popularity, Behind the scenes at Trek-Segafredo and What makes a woman?

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972.

Sportful has a rich and successful racing history; optimising performance for athletes who have gone onto win Grand Tours, one-day classics, and the World Championships.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike.

For more details visit Sportful.com and follow the ride on Instagram @sportful 

 In the last episode of the Cyclingnews podcast – brought to you by Sportful, Pinarello and Floyd’s of Leadville – we look at latest action from the Tour de Suisse where Egan Bernal put in a dominant performance to win stage 7 and extend his overall lead. We debate the Tour de France leadership dilemma facing Team Ineos, and hear from Dirk Demol on Katusha’s rebuilding.

 After Jumbo Visma confirmed that they were interested in bringing in Marcel Kittel we discuss the merits of the move, as well as the news that Tom Dumoulin will miss this year’s Tour de France due to injury.

 Finally, we hear from Charly Wegelius on how he fell in love with cycling at a young age, and his first memories from the Tour de France.

 The Cyclingnews podcast is brought to you in association with Sportful, Pinarello and Floyds of Leadville.

To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-cycling-news-podcast/id1012929015

 Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain Merida.

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Bastianelli, Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing. Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com. Follow the ride on instagram @sportful

We also hear from Dave Brailsford on the shock news that Juan Jose Cobo may be stripped of his 2011 Vuelta a España. Such a move would make Chris Froome the overall winner and as such the first British rider to win a Grand Tour.

With the Dauphiné about to reach the mountains and the first real test since the time trial we also hear from Richie Porte and Steven Kruijswijk.

The Cyclingnews podcast is brought to you in association with Sportful, Pinarello and Floyds of Leadville.

To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here.

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain Merida.

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Bastianelli, Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing. Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com. Follow the ride on instagram @sportful

For the second day in a row Wout Van Aert showed a clean pair of heels and dispatched with his rivals to win the stage at the Critérium du Dauphiné. The only difference this time around was that he won a messy bunch sprint rather than a time trial.

However, the day was once again overshadowed by the latest news involving Chris Froome, who underwent eight hours of surgery after his horrific fall on Wednesday. We hear from Dave Brailsford who offered a medical update this morning.

We also speak to Dan Martin who witnessed the crash. Martin was just a few metres behind Froome during the recon and was left shaken by the events. He talks to us about the scene on the road, his thoughts on what happened, and how precarious bike racing can be.

We also have an interview with Servais Knaven who talks about the mood within the Team Ineos camp, Tour de France leadership, the plans for the rest of the Dauphiné and how the management will aim to pick the team up after the loss of their leader.

Finally, we return to racing with Philippa York provider her assessment of Van Aert and whether he could in fact be the next Sean Kelly.

This podcast is brought to you by Sportful, Pinarello and Floyd's of Leadville.

The Cyclingnews podcast is brought to you in association with Sportful, Pinarello and Floyds of Leadville.

To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here.

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain Merida.

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Bastianelli, Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing. Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com. Follow the ride on instagram @sportful

Froome fell heavily and at high-speed during a recon of the stage 4 time trial around Roanne and after several hours of roadside treatment was airlifted to hospital in Saint Etienne for further treatment. It's not yet clear if surgery is required but what's clear is that Froome's hopes of winning a fifth Tour de France are over.

We hear from a shocked and upset Dave Brailsford, and Wout Poels, who was with Frooome when the crash occurred, and GC riders Tom Dumoulin and Richie Porte.

As throughout this year's Dauphiné, expert analysis is provided by Philippa York.

The Cyclingnews podcast is brought to you in association with Sportful, Pinarello and Floyds of Leadville.

To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here.

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain Merida.

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Bastianelli, Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing. Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com. Follow the ride on instagram @sportful

 Pinot takes centre stage after he attacked several times on the stage and split the GC group. It was a real sign of intent and although the Tour de France is still several weeks away his performance will have drawn attention. York talks about the pressure placed on French riders since the days of Bernard Hinault and the generations of riders who have grown up in the rider’s illustrious shadow.

 We also talk about retirement. Stage 2 saw Steve Cummings pull of the race and although there’s no indication that the rider will hang up his wheels, at the age of 38 it’s not beyond the realms of possibility either. We discuss the causes of retirement and what prompts a rider to eventually make that tough decision to stop. 

To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here.

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain Merida.

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Bastianelli, Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing. Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com. Follow the ride on instagram @sportful

We followed the stage from start to finish and watched Edvald Boasson Hagen take a huge win for the struggling Dimension Data. We pose the question as to whether the team should focus their Tour de France efforts on the Norwegian or if Mark Cavendish and others deserve leadership roles.

Philippa York shares memories on the importance of winning the Dauphiné and where the race stands in terms of the history of the sport and what it means to riders. We discuss form at this point of the season and then hear from three of the stars at this year's race: Chris Froome, Richie Porte and Michal Kwiatkowski.

To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here.

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Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain Merida.

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Bastianelli, Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing. Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com. Follow the ride on instagram @sportful

In this podcast, we’ll hear from Carapaz’s directeur sportif Max Sciandri and his teammate Mikel Landa, who just missed out on the podium. We’ll also here from third place finisher Primoz Roglic, Chad Haga, who won the final time trial, and EF Education First’s Joe Dombrowski, who finished 12thoverall. 

Richard Carapaz three stages away from winning the Giro d'Italia – although the final two days of racing are in the mountains before we have the final 17km time trial in Verona. However, former two-time winner Vincenzo Nibali waits in the wings and will look to exploit any shine of weakness.

We hear from Primoz Roglic and his director sportif Addy Engels, Pavel Sivakov who is riding high in the top-ten, Connor Dunne who is making his Giro debut, and Esteban Chaves after his second place finish on stage 17.

To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here.

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain Merida.

The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Basitianelli, Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing. Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technology to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com. Follow the ride on instagram @sportful

There are still two weeks of racing and a flurry of mountain stages to come and while Roglic is in the driving seat the likes of Vincenzo Nibali will be confident of at least trying to unsettle the Jumbo Visma rider.

Simon Yates, on the other hand, has several minutes to make up after a shocking time trial on stage 9, and we debate whether the British climber can bounce back in the second half of the week.

We hear from Tom Dumoulin and discuss whether his departure is good or bad for Roglic, and finally we hear from Caleb Ewan, who won his first Grand Tour stage in Lotto Soudal colours on stage 8.

To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-cycling-news-podcast/id1012929015 

Sponsor message 

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain Merida.

 The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Basitianelli ,Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing.

 Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technolgy to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.

 Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com

 Follow the ride on instagram @sportful

The stage finished in Leeds with Greg Van Avermaet (CCC Team) winning ahead of the Team Ineos duo of Chris Lawless and Eddie Dunbar. Lawless’ second place was enough for the British rider to win his first stage and race and take Team Ineos’ first win since their launch earlier in the week.

We hear from Lawless on his win, and Van Avermaet after the Olympic road champion took his second win of the season.

We catch up Chris Froome after the four-time Tour de France winner set up Dunbar and Lawless on the road to Leeds. Froome talks about his form, and Tour de Yorkshire but keeps his cards close to his chest of the Ineos line up for the Giro d’Italia.

Speaking of the Italian Grand Tour, Dunbar may be about to make his debut at a three week-race we interview him at the finish in Leeds, with Team Ineos set to announce the full Giro d’Italia line up in the next 24 hours.

To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-cycling-news-podcast/id1012929015 

Sponsor message 

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain Merida.

 The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Basitianelli ,Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing.

 Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technolgy to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.

 Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com

 Follow the ride on instagram @sportful

Fotheringham was out on Friday riding the course and likened it to the Oslo course from 1993. He and York talk a walk down memory lane and discuss both the Norwegian course and Harrogate’s 2019 parcours.

We then jump to the men’s Tour of Yorkshire and debate the stage that saw Alexander Kamp defy the odds but take home a well-deserved win ahead of Chris Lawless and Team Ineos.  There’s a segment looking ahead to Sunday’s final stage with York providing her ever-excellent analysis.

And of course we talk about the news that Egan Bernal has broken a collarbone and will miss the Giro d’Italia. Where does this leave Team Ineos on the eve of their Grand Tour debut.

To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-cycling-news-podcast/id1012929015 

Sponsor message 

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain Merida.

 The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Basitianelli ,Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing.

 Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technolgy to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.

 Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com

 Follow the ride on instagram @sportful

In this episode Kirsten Frattini, women’s editor at Cyclingnews, speaks with former cyclist and human rights activist Kristen Worley, who just released her memoir, "Woman Enough - How a boy became a woman and changed the world of sport."

We take an in depth look at the guidelines set in place by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for transitioned XY women and the newly proposed regulations set by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) for women with differences of sex development (DSD), recently deliberated on at the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) in the Caster Semenya vs IAAF appeal.

We highlight the problems and controversies surrounding the rules, and the need for more scientific research and medical expertise when creating policy for these individuals. We also take a look back at the evolution of gender verification testing from the so-called 'nude parades' to 'sex-testing' and the current forms of testosterone testing used today.

Part of our discussion circles around how old ideologies have impacted women in sports, including cycling. And we discuss how policies have affected athletes’ human rights.

Worley was born XY male, named Chris Jackson, and fully transitioned to XY female having undergone sex-reassignment surgery in her late 20s. She was forced to undergo gender verification processes to obtain a licence to compete as a woman.

She went on to challenge the IOC along with the World Anti-doping Agency, UCI, Cycling Canada and the Ontario Cycling Association, outside of the CAS, in the court of civil law at the Superior Court of Justice and then the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal in Toronto.

Her case brought attention to the lack of scientific research behind the policies, practices and protocols in place for transgendered and biological women with higher testosterone levels. She also demonstrated how the IOC’s guidelines filter down through the international federations, such as the UCI, and into the national and provincial rules at the lower levels of sport.

Worley currently gives educational discussions around the world on the subject of diversity and inclusion in sport. She also acts as a consultant on human rights to The Cyclists’ Alliance founded by Iris Slappendel.

To learn more about the heated debate surrounding the "IOC Consensus Meeting on Transgender Sex Reassignment and Hyperandrogenism" guidelines for such individuals competing in sport, testosterone uptake, and gender verification practices read our in-depth feature Policing Gender Boundaries.

We hope you enjoy our discussion with Kristen Worley.

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Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful (https://www.sportful.com/ii) has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972.

Sportful has a rich and successful racing history; optimising performance for athletes who have gone onto win Grand Tours, one-day classics, and the World Championships.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike.

For more details visit Sportful.com and follow the ride on Instagram @sportful 

 Philippa York and Daniel Benson also talk about the low key but vocal protestors who turned out to demonstrate again Team Ineos and their owner Jim Ratcliffe. We hear from a protestor who had changed his name legally to Joe Public, while at the finish we caught up with a vitriolic Dave Brailsford who came out swinging, telling the press that, “there was hardly anybody there, let's be honest, let's be real for once. The 15,000-mob that was to attack me this morning didn't really materialise. That's the reality. There were people there with the right to an opinion and I respect that but they've got a right to their opinion and that's it.”

To subscribe to the Cyclingnews podcast, click here

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-cycling-news-podcast/id1012929015 

Sponsor message 

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain Merida.

 The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Basitianelli ,Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing.

 Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technolgy to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.

 Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com

 Follow the ride on instagram @sportful

 Team owner Jim Ratcliffe, Dave Brailsford and Chris Froome were on hand to show off the new team kit and the new Pinarello F12 but the majority of the press event was centred around the controversy surrounding Ineos’s business interests, and most notably their fracking policies, which have drawn criticism from environmental groups.

 Ratcliffe and Brailsford both defended the team’s position while we hear from four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome on a flurry of issues from the moral questions over team ownership; Tour de France training; the departure of Rod Ellingworth and how the news filtered through over a new team ownership after Sky announced their departure.

 Philippa York, who will be joining Cyclingnews throughout the four-day race, gives her take on the Ineos controversy and argues that the team were given a slightly harsh time at the press event. She also shares her experience of team presentations including the time Luc Leblanc danced on stage to the time a TVM boss had his daughter jump out of a cake mid-presentation.

Sponsor message 

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Official apparel supplier to Team Virtu Cycling, Bora-Hansgrohe and Bahrain Merida.

 The same Pro Issue apparel, which includes our BodyFit Pro and Fiandre lines, worn by Marta Basitianelli ,Peter Sagan and Vincenzo Nibali is available to purchase by all cyclists.

BodyFit Pro; a form fitting design with a focus on enhanced aerodynamics was created specifically for the rigours of pro bike racing.

 Our versatile Fiandre line uses proprietary technolgy to keep you dry and comfortable in inclement, variable weather conditions.

 Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit sportful.com

 Follow the ride on instagram @sportful

As well as the winning rides, we discuss some of the standout performances and some of those that didn't hit the mark. 

We also hear from Van der Breggen on her win, Jakob Fuglang on taking second in the men's race and Michael Matthews on his eighth place after a difficult start to the season. 

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Sportful has a rich and successful racing history; optimising performance for athletes who have gone onto win Grand Tours, one-day classics, and the World Championships.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit Sportful.com and follow the ride on Instagram @sportful. 

In the latest episode of the Cyclingnews podcast we bring you analysis from the 2019 edition of Paris-Roubaix in which Philippe Gilbert (Deceuninck-QuickStep) claimed his second Monument in three years ahead of Nils Politt (Katusha-Alpecin) and teammate Yves Lampaert.

As well as debating the efforts of the riders on the podium, we hear from Alexander Kristoff, Greg Van Avermaet, Luke Rowe, Marco Haller, Dirk Demol and Heinrich Haussler.

The key move was made by Politt after the second feed zone and he was joined by Gilbert and a group contained Wout Van Aert, Peter Sagan, Sep Vanmarcke and Lampaert.

By the time the race hit the final sectors of cobbles, there were just five riders left before Politt attacked at Gruson with just under 15km to go, and only Gilbert could follow.

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Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Sportful has a rich and successful racing history; optimising performance for athletes who have gone onto win Grand Tours, one-day classics, and the World Championships.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit Sportful.com and follow the ride on Instagram @sportful. 

 The team discuss the wide variety of contenders, while also daring to pick who we think will make the podium and we take a look at some of the tech on show for this weekend’s race.

 We also hear from a few of the contenders themselves after they completed their recons of the course, including Wout van Aert, Philippe Gilbert, Alexander Kristoff and former winner Philippe Gilbert.

The Cyclingnews Podcast is brought to you by Sportful, Pinarello and Floyds of Leadville.

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Sportful has a rich and successful racing history; optimising performance for athletes who have gone onto win Grand Tours, one-day classics, and the World Championships.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit Sportful.com and follow the ride on Instagram @sportful. 

This episode of the Cyclingnews podcast is brought to you by Sportful, Pinarello and Floyd's of Leadville.

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Sportful has a rich and successful racing history; optimising performance for athletes who have gone onto win Grand Tours, one-day classics, and the World Championships.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit Sportful.com and follow the ride on Instagram @sportful.

In the latest episode of the Cyclingnews podcast, brought to you by Sportful, Pinarello and Floyd's of Leadville, we have a double header of interviews with Matteo Trentin from Mitchelton-Scott and AG2R La Mondiale's Larry Warbasse.

We met with Trentin the morning after Milan-San Remo, joining the European champion for coffee near his home in Monaco. The Italian had just finished tenth in Milan-San Remo and was one of the most influential riders in the race, with a late attack that almost netted him the biggest win of his career. We sat down with Trentin to talk about the race, his ambitions for the season, his difficult first year at Mitchelton due to injuries, and his future.

A few hours later we were in Nice - Nice airport to be precise - to meet up with Warbasse. Like Trentin, the American had completed Milan-San Remo the previous day, and helped his teammate Oliver Naesen to second place.

In our exclusive interview with Warbasse we talk about the demise of Aqua Blue from the inside, his exciting move to AG2R and how Romain Bardet helped save the day, as well as the lack of stability within cycling. Warbasse, an open advocate for clean cycling, also talks about Stefan Denifl, his former Aqua Blue teammate, who confessed to doping earlier this year.

We hope you enjoy these two interviews and we'll have more as the Classics season develops. Thanks again to our sponsors, Sportful, Pinarello and Floyd's of Leadville.

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Sportful has a rich and successful racing history; optimising performance for athletes who have gone onto win Grand Tours, one-day classics, and the World Championships.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit Sportful.com and follow the ride on Instagram @sportful.

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful (https://www.sportful.com/ii) has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Sportful has a rich and successful racing history; optimising performance for athletes who have gone onto win Grand Tours, one-day classics, and the World Championships.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit Sportful.com (https://www.sportful.com/ii)  and follow the ride on Instagram @sportful  (https://www.instagram.com/sportful/)

We also hear from Tirreno-Adriatico winner Primoz Roglic about his victory and his form ahead of the Giro d'Italia; Julian Alaphilippe and Elia Viviani ahead of Milan-San Remo and Mitchelton-Scott’s Adam Yates and directeur sportif Matt White.

There's also time for us to check in with our very own Stephen Farrand, who picks out the key talking points from Tirreno-Adriatico, discusses the pressure on Vincenzo Nibali's shoulders, and highlights just what Milan-San Remo means to the Italian cycling.

Sponsor message

Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful (https://www.sportful.com/ii) has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Sportful has a rich and successful racing history; optimising performance for athletes who have gone onto win Grand Tours, one-day classics, and the World Championships.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit Sportful.com (https://www.sportful.com/ii)  and follow the ride on Instagram @sportful  (https://www.instagram.com/sportful/)

 We also analyse a number of performances, and hear from, amongst others, Wout van Aert, who was making his road WorldTour debut; Steven de Jongh after a hugely disappointing weekend for Trek-Segafredo and Mat Hayman on the transition from rider to director.

 We also interview Matteo Trentin after the Italian fought back from a crash in Omloop to salvage a top 10, and Owain Doull on his breakthrough second place in Kuurne and Bob Jungels after his dramatic win. The big debate within the Cyclingnews team is whether the talented all-rounder should focus on the Classics or keep alive his Grand Tour ambitions.

Sponsor message

 Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful (https://www.sportful.com/ii) has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972. Sportful has a rich and successful racing history; optimising performance for athletes who have gone onto win Grand Tours, one-day classics, and the World Championships.

 Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike. For more details visit Sportful.com (https://www.sportful.com/ii)  and follow the ride on Instagram @sportful  (https://www.instagram.com/sportful/)

 Cyclingnews is currently spread across the globe at the moment so we can’t bring you our usual podcast this week.

 Instead, we have put together selection of interviews from the last month. 

 In this podcast, we’ll hear from Primoz Roglic, Greg Van Avermaet, Michal Kwiatkowski and Markel Irizar, who all have varying goals for the season.

Sponsor message

 Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful (https://www.sportful.com/ii) has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972.

 Sportful has a rich and successful racing history; optimising performance for athletes who have gone onto win Grand Tours, one-day classics, and the World Championships.

 Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike.

 For more details visit Sportful.com (https://www.sportful.com/ii)  and follow the ride on Instagram @sportful  (https://www.instagram.com/sportful/)

 In this episode, we take a behind the scenes look at the new Trek-Segafredo women’s team. We will hear from team manager Luca Guercilena, directeur sportifs Ina Yoko Teutenberg and Giorgia Bronzini and star rider Lizzie Deignan.

 Trek-Segafredo are part of a growing trend of WorldTour teams running men’s and women’s squads under the same umbrella, with Movistar, FDJ, Astana, Mitchelton-Scott, CCC, Sunweb and Lotto Soudal all running concurrent programmes.

 Trek have been involved in women’s road cycling with the Trek-Drops team for the past few years, but they announced last July that they would set up their own programme. In the months since the announcement, they have built up a roster of 14 riders, led by former world champion Deignan, with support from former riders Teutenberg and Bronzini. They had their first team camp soon after the conclusion of the 2018 season, at Trek’s headquarters in Waterloo, Wisconsin.

 They met up again, along with the men’s team, a few months later for a training camp in Sicily, in December. This is where we caught up with them, a day after they landed on the Italian island. The training camp was an opportunity for everybody to touch base before the season began at the Tour Down Under just a few weeks later and a chance to get in a final few group rides.

 Click here (http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/uci-womens-worldteam-minimum-salary-set-for-2020) for more information developments in women’s cycling set for 2020.

Sponsor message

 Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful (https://www.sportful.com/ii) has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972.

 Sportful has a rich and successful racing history; optimising performance for athletes who have gone onto win Grand Tours, one-day classics, and the World Championships.

 Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike.

 For more details visit Sportful.com (https://www.sportful.com/ii)  and follow the ride on Instagram @sportful  (https://www.instagram.com/sportful/)

 In this week's edition of the Cyclingnews podcast - brought to you in association with Sportful, Floyd's of Leadville and Pinarello, we have an exclusive interview with 2018 Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas. The Welshman opens up about his hunt for form ahead of his Tour defence; his race programme for the season; the track and his first days on the road; and his hopes for the Worlds Championships this year.

 We also head to Colombia and catch up with Dave Brailsford about his search for a team sponsor, and Colombian cycling in general, and there's a short catch up with EF Education First manager Jonathan Vaughters - who is also in Colombia - about the development of Daniel Martinez, who is tipped for big things as his career develops.

Sponsor message

 Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful (https://www.sportful.com/ii) has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972.

 Sportful has a rich and successful racing history; optimising performance for athletes who have gone onto win Grand Tours, one-day classics, and the World Championships.

 Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike.

 For more details visit Sportful.com (https://www.sportful.com/ii) and follow the ride on Instagram @sportful  (https://www.instagram.com/sportful/)

We also discuss the recent headlines, including the news that Oleg Tinkov attempted to sponsor Team Sky but was rebuffed by Dave Brailsford, and the latest from GMC medical tribunal that centers around former Team Sky and British Cycling doctor, Richard Freeman.

Geraint Thomas made his season debut this week and we catch up with Welshman as he lines out his race plans and schedule for the coming season. The 2018 Tour winner dismisses the chance of riding the Giro d'Italia and we debate how Team Sky will settle their leadership between Thomas and four-time Tour winner Chris Froome. With all the speculation and uncertainty surrounding the team's future the next few months could be key as the season builds towards the Tour.

 We also check in with Greg Van Avermaet - 24 hours before his first win of the season in Valenciana. The Belgian rider is the main focal point at CCC Team and his gearing up for the Classics once more. He talks about his squad, his hopes for the season and the World Championships.

 While the European season is in full swing we've also had racing in South America, with the Vuelta a San Juan ending last weekend. The race saw Mark Cavendish make his return to racing, and he talks to Stephen Farrand about his comeback. Finally, we hear from the latest WorldTour sensation Remco Evenepoel, who bypassed the U23 ranks to turn professional at just 19 years of age. We hear from him on his race debut and debate how much pressure the young rider will be under as he begins his racing career.

Sponsor message

 Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful (https://www.sportful.com/ii) has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972.

Sportful has a rich and successful racing history; optimising performance for athletes who have gone onto win Grand Tours, one-day classics, and the World Championships.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike.

For more details visit Sportful.com (https://www.sportful.com/ii)  and follow the ride on Instagram @sportful  (https://www.instagram.com/sportful/)

Since its inception over 20 years ago, Cyclingnews has been committed to covering women's cycling and our new Women’s Edition podcast is a part of that commitment.

You will be able to find this and other Women's Edition episodes in your usual Cyclingnews Podcast feed, so you won't have to adjust anything to get even more coverage from the world of cycling.

The Women's Edition will take on a slightly different format to our usual podcast as we take a more in-depth look at the sport. Topics will range from colour race commentary to interviews with athletes and prominent figures within the sport, while diving underneath the surface to bring you the most captivating stories from the peloton.

That brings us to our first episode, following the first major race of the season, the Women’s Tour Down Under, where Editor-in-Chief Daniel Benson sat down to discuss the state of women's professional cycling with CCC-Liv rider Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio and retired rider turned Trek-Segafredo directeur sportif Ina Yoko Teutenberg.

Women's professional cycling is about to undergo some big changes with the Women's WorldTour reforms set to start in 2020. There will be a new two-tiered team system and a minimum salary introduction for riders who are contracted to race with the top level teams.

There will also be heightened contractual standards to better protect self-employed riders whereby teams must offer social insurances such as maternity, health and pension.

Some teams and riders believe the reforms are not affordable and too aggressive and that there are other areas of women’s cycling that need to develop first, such as improvements to the exposure of women’s races through live streaming and television.

"It's all being done in the wrong order," Moolman-Pasio said. "It's one thing to make a new set of rules, and to enforce certain minimum salaries, etc., but if we don't have the means to raise those funds, in other words: enough exposure, than it's just going to kill the sport.

"We are at a delicate point at the moment where there is a huge potential and scope for the sport really exploding and becoming super popular. But there is also potential that it could just go down the same road as men's cycling and have all the same issues."

Teutenberg and Moolman-Pasio, combined, have over 20 years of experience at the highest level of the sport and have seen it change first hand over the years, for good and for bad. 

Sit back and enjoy our conversation with them as the discuss their own experiences, the developments within the sport, and the Women’s WorldTour reforms.

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We hear from the unlucky Patrick Bevin, who crashed on the penultimate stage of the Tour Down Under, and eventual winner Daryl Impey. We check in with the recently retired Mathew Hayman, while former pro rider and 2004 Tour Down Under winner Patrick Jonker talks about his time riding for the late Peter Post.

We analyse and debate the sprinters' starts to the season, and then look ahead to San Juan, where Fernando Gaviria, Sam Bennett and Mark Cavendish will all be making their 2019 racing debuts.

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Sportful has a rich and successful racing history; optimising performance for athletes who have gone onto win Grand Tours, one-day classics, and the World Championships.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike.

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 Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) crossed the line first, but was relegated by the race jury for a headbutt on Jasper Philipsen (UAE Team Emirates), who was promoted to victory.

 In the GC, Patrick Bevin (CCC Team) crashed inside the final 10km but was paced back to the bunch to retain his lead. He's back in the team hotel after a trip to hospital and, subject to a concussion test tomorrow morning, will start the final stage to Willunga Hill on Sunday. He currently leads Daryl Impey (Mitchelton-Scott) by seven seconds. It's still all to play for.

 In the podcast we hear from Ewan's DS Mario Aerts and eventual stage winner Philipsen, along with Robbie McEwen and Richie Porte.

 The Cyclingnews podcast is brought to you in association with Sportful, Pinarello and Floyd's of Leadville.

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Sportful has a rich and successful racing history; optimising performance for athletes who have gone onto win Grand Tours, one-day classics, and the World Championships.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike.

For more details visit Sportful.com and follow the ride on Instagram @sportful

The stage saw Impey edge out overall leader Patrick Bevin and reduce the New Zealand rider's advantage to just seven seconds with two days of racing remaining.

The stage came alive on the Corkscrew climb, with Porte, George Bennett, Wout Poels and Michael Woods - the best four climbers in the race - going clear.

It looked as though Bevin was in trouble but he paced himself, and used Impey’s Mitchelton-Scott team to bring the race back together on the technical descent.

The Cyclingnews podcast is brought to you in association with Sportful, Pinarello and Floyd's of Leadville.

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Sportful has a rich and successful racing history; optimising performance for athletes who have gone onto win Grand Tours, one-day classics, and the World Championships.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike.

For more details visit Sportful.com and follow the ride on Instagram @sportful

 We hear from Bevin, Matt White and Caleb Ewan, who finished second, before previewing stage 3 and a crucial day that could see Bevin’s team stretched to their limit. We have an actual race on our hands.

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 Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972.

Sportful has a rich and successful racing history; optimising performance for athletes who have gone onto win Grand Tours, one-day classics, and the World Championships.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike.

For more details visit Sportful.com and follow the ride on Instagram @sportful 

The stage saw a sprinting masterclass from Elia Viviani, with the Italian winning in Port Adelaide and taking the first leader’s jersey of this year’s race. We hear from Viviani, Caleb Ewan, Patrick Bevan, who was in the break and has emerged as a possible GC contender, and we’ve also got an exclusive interview with Dimension Data’s Michael Valgren on his Classics campaign and move from Astana to Dimension Data.

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 Born in the Italian Dolomites, Sportful has been making athletes faster, more efficient and better protected since 1972.

Sportful has a rich and successful racing history; optimising performance for athletes who have gone onto win Grand Tours, one-day classics, and the World Championships.

Sportful leads the market with innovative and technical apparel so you can experience those unforgettable moments, your very best days on a bike.

For more details visit Sportful.com and follow the ride on Instagram @sportful 

We’ve had our winter break but we’re back and at the Tour Down Under. And we’re kicking off the season with an exclusive interview with Trek Segafredo’s Richie Porte. We’ll also hear from the race’s defending champion Daryl Impey of Mitchelton-Scott.

Porte moved from BMC Racing in the winter and has big hopes and aspirations when it comes to stage racing this, along with one final crack at the Tour de France. We talk to Porte about the hunt for success at the Tour, mental as well as physical pressure, and how he has settled with his new teammates ahead of the Tour Down Under.

Impey, who denied Porte the 2018 Tour Down Under title, returns to lead the line at Mitchelton Scott and talks tactics over a race that will be decided by seconds.

 We also discuss Tom Dumoulin’s Grand Tour plans ahead of the 2019 season, while the Cyclingnews team pick their favourite moments and performances of the 2018 season.

 Happy new year to all our readers and listeners.

 In this week’s episode of the Cyclingnews Podcast, brought to you in association with Prendas Ciclismo, Pinarello, and Floyds of Leadville we analyse the future of Team Sky after their title sponsor confirmed that they would leave the sport at the end of the 2019 season.

 The news broke early last week and after a decade in the sport the world’s biggest team are without a sponsor and looking for a reported 35 million Euro to plug the gap.

The Cyclingnews team look at what this news means for cycling; how it will affect Team Sky on the road and where this leaves team manager, Dave Brailsford.

 And we also take our first look at team camps, and focus on CCC, with an exclusive interview with Greg Van Avermaet.

 For those who are unware, Creed turned pro with the US Postal team and was labeled as a future champion after a bright start to his junior and U23 career. However, injuries plagued the next few years, and he would eventually hang up his wheels in 2013.

Underneath the surface Creed was also battling mental health issues, and the road that eventually saw him seek help was both challenging and long. In our interview Creed talks about his struggles, how he reached out for help, and his future.

 The Cyclingnews podcast is brought to you in association with Prendas Ciclismo, Pinarello and Floyds of Leadville.

 In this exclusive episode of the Cyclingnews podcast, we ventured to Poole, Dorset to meet with Andy Storey, who has been with the company almost since their inception. Back in the day Andy would produce the magazine ads for Prendas before bringing the company online, where they’ve created a niche for themselves.

 “Were fans, and that helps,” Storey tells us.

 “I’ve cycled many hours since the age of five and I cycle every day. The bike is a great thing and there’s not a day that goes by when I don’t ride, even if it’s minus four outside and raining. It still feels great riding to work.”

 With a staff of four and their headquarters decked out in enough cycling memorabilia to keep fans like ourselves entertained for days, we sat with Storey  - who started out as as a regular Prendas customer - to talk, not just about the brand, but some of the iconic jerseys they’ve helped re-introduce into the sport, and find out more about the company’s passion.

 It’s nice to have a bit of colour and bring that back into the sport. We like to offer something a little different to other companies.”

 The walls of their officers are decked out in posters – most of which are signed – while stacks of retro cycling magazines line the shelves.

 “It all serves a purpose. We’ll use them for research and finding out what logo goes where, and it what season. There are so many reasons why people like the jerseys we produce but the simplicity is that we pick the jerseys based on what we like the look of.

 In this episode editor in chief Daniel Benson travels to Leadville, Colorado to interview Floyd Landis. Leadville sits around two hour’s drive from Denver, at over 10,000ft in altitude, and it’s where Landis now splits his time with New York, and we spent close to three days with Landis to talk about his past, his present and his future.

 Landis’ place within cycling’s history has been well covered, from his rise through the ranks to this positive test in 2006 and the loss of his Tour de France title. In the years since he has gone through a doping confession, a huge fall from grace and several legal battles. The former rider’s path to peace is now in full swing but we look back through the last 12 years of Landis’ life – his struggles, how he has tried to find redemption, his relationships with both Lance Armstrong and cycling in general, and his hope for the future as he embarks on team sponsorship.

 This podcast was recorded in Leadville Colorado, in the final week of October 2018. As a warning, it contains light profanity.

The Cyclingnews podcast is brought to you in association with Prendas Ciclismo, Pinarello and Floyds of Leadville. In this week's edition, we have an exclusive interview with Bahrain-Merida's Australian rider, Heinrich Haussler.

The now 34-year-old turned professional back in 2005 with Gerolsteiner but his road into cycling started much earlier, when as a teenager he came to Germany, on his own, and without knowing the language. Away from his family, and isolated at first, Haussler had to find his way in society as much as cycling, but his talent and dedication saw him through.

In this interview, conducted at the Canadian WorldTour races in September, Haussler talks about his path into cycling, the hurdles he had to overcome, and his time as a pro rider.

He opens up about his success and the culture at Gerolsteiner, the high and lows at Cervelo test team, injuries and setbacks, and how in the autumn of his career he has reinvented himself as a road captain for the likes Vincenzo Nibali and Sonny Colbrelli.

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 During his visit, the UCI made several announcements about the reforms of both women’s and men’s professional bike racing, and he spoke with Cycingnews in detail about these upcoming reforms that make up the UCI’s Agenda 2022.

 He spoke with us about the introduction of a two-tiered system for women’s teams where by five teams would form the top-tier called the Women’s WorldTeams in 2020. He also revealed that the UCI would introduce a long-awaited minimum wage for Women’s WorldTeams. And we later learned from the UCI that the goal was to introduce it gradually, but that it would equal the men’s Professional Continental before 2023. The current minimum salary regulations for the men’s Professional Continental teams is €30,855.

 Lappartient also highlighted details of the new women’s calendar called the UCI ProSeries that will have three categories: Women’s WorldTour and Class 1 and 2. And he spoke about the new contractual regulations that are meant to improve the working conditions for women in cycling.

 On the men’s side, he discussed the WorldTour reforms, which include the newly designed calendar of one-day races, short stage races and Grand Tours. The changes are modest but he highlighted some of the ways that cycling could find new revenue and ensured stability.

 He also spoke about the recent election that saw Gianni Bugno re-elected as the president of the CPA, and some of the structural changes he hopes to see in the coming year.

 His first year as UCI Presdient can be considered successful in some ways, but there was also some turbulence from the beginning with Chris Froome’s now-resolved salbutamol case, a back-and-forth spat with Team Sky manager Dave Brailsford, and the negative atmosphere surrounding the Tour de France.

 Prendas Ciclismo have some unique and fantastic new lines. With new retro jerseys like the iconic Peugeot BP, La Vie Claire and Mapei, there's also a brand new capsule collection celebrating old races like the Baracchi Trophy and Bordeaux Paris. To enjoy great quality clothing without a premium price tag, visit Prendas Ciclismo online at prendas.co.uk.

 In this edition of the Cyclingnews Podcast, Sadhbh O’Shea, Stephen Farrand and Procycling’s Sam Dansie take a look back at the two showpiece events. We discuss how the favourites faired in each competition, analyse the Dutch team tactics in the women’s event and Spain’s in the men’s, plus we ask whether the Höll climb was a good addition.

 We hear from both winners Van der Breggen and Valverde as well as a whole host of other contenders, including Amanda Spratt, Julian Alaphilippe, Romain Bardet, Michael Woods, Julian Alaphilippe and Gianni Moscon.

 Prendas Ciclismo have some unique and fantastic new lines. With new retro jerseys like the iconic Peugeot BP, La Vie Claire and Mapei, there's also a brand new capsule collection celebrating old races like the Baracchi Trophy and Bordeaux Paris. To enjoy great quality clothing without a premium price tag, visit Prendas Ciclismo online at prendas.co.uk.

The road races have kicked off at the 2018 UCI Road World Championships in Innsbruck, Austria, and the marquee events are set to take place with the elite women on Saturday and the elite men on Sunday.

In this edition of the Cyclingnews podcast, brought to you in association with Prendas Ciclismo, Pinarello and Floyds of Leadville, Kirsten Frattini, Sadhbh O’Shea and Stephen Farrand preview the upcoming elite races and the favourites to win.

We first review the performances of the junior women’s race, won by Austria’s Laura Stigger, and the junior men’s race, won by Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel.

We preview the courses for the elite races and then hear from Peter Sagan, three-time and defending champion in the men’s race, along with other favourites to take the jersey, including Julian Alaphilippe and Romain Bardet (France), and Simon and Adam Yates (Great Britain).

We also hear from individual time trial winner Annemiek Van Vleuten, who is also a favourite for the road race title, and her compatriot Anna van der Breggen, along with outside contender Amanda Spratt (Australia).

Prendas Ciclismo have some unique and fantastic new lines. With new retro jerseys like the iconic Peugeot BP, La Vie Claire and Mapei, there's also a brand new capsule collection celebrating old races like the Baracchi Trophy and Bordeaux Paris. To enjoy great quality clothing without a premium price tag, visit Prendas Ciclismo online at prendas.co.uk.

 Australia’s Rohan Dennis won his first-ever world title in the elite men’s individual time trial on Wednesday at the 2018 UCI Road World Championships in Innsbruck, Austria. A feat that he claimed has been four years in the making.

 In this edition of the Cyclingnews podcast, brought to you in association with Prendas Ciclismo, Pinarello and Floyds of Leadville,

Kirsten Frattini, Stephen Farrand and Sadhbh O’Shea break down the 52.5km course and discuss the outcome of the race.

 We hear from the new world champion, Dennis, on his career-defining victory, and medallists Tom Dumoulin and Victor Campenaerts.

 The individual time trials have started at the 2018 UCI Road World Championships with the junior women’s and under-23 men’s events on Monday followed by the junior men’s and elite women’s event on Tuesday.

 In this edition of the Cyclingnews podcast, brought to you in association with Prendas Ciclismo, Pinarello and Floyds of Leadville,Kirsten Frattini and Stephen Farrand discuss the success and disappointments, the favourites and the winners of the individual time trials.

 It’s been a great start for the Dutch women with Rozemarijn Ammerlaan winning the first rainbow jersey of the week in the junior event and Annemiek van Vleuten smashing the elite women’s race to win her second world title. It was a Dutch podium sweep with Anna van der Breggen taking the silver and Ellen van Dijk the bronze.

 On the men’s side, we saw Denmark’s Mikkel Bjerg win the under-23 event and Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel win the junior event.

 We hear from Van Vleuten about her victory and Van der Breggen about her loss, as they both look ahead to the road race on Saturday.

 We also hear from Tom Dumoulin and Rohan Dennis, the two big favourites for the upcoming elite men’s individual on Wednesday.

 Prendas Ciclismo have some unique and fantastic new lines. With new retro jerseys like the iconic Peugeot BP, La Vie Claire and Mapei, there's also a brand new capsule collection celebrating old races like the Baracchi Trophy and Bordeaux Paris. To enjoy great quality clothing without a premium price tag, visit Prendas Ciclismo online at prendas.co.uk.

 The 2018 UCI Road World Championships have kicked off in Innsbruck, Austria, in the mountainous Tirol region of the Alps, with the elite women’s and men’s trade team time trails on Sunday.

 In this edition of the Cyclingnews podcast, brought to you in association with Prendas Ciclismo, Pinarello and Floyds of Leadville,

Kirsten Frattini and Stephen Farrand discuss winning teams Quick-Step Floors and Canyon-SRAM. It was the final edition of the trade team, event after a six-year run, before the UCI take steps toward a national team version of the discipline at next year’s World Championships in Yorkshire.

 We hear from Quick-Step Floors’ Bob Jungels, BMC Racing’s Rohan Dennis and Boels-Dolmans’ Anna van der Breggen on the official end of the trade team time trial.

The event now moves into the national team events; individual time trials and road races for the junior, under-23 and elite men and women, for what will be seven more days of racing.

 The World Championships is never strictly about the bike races and so while in Innsbruck the UCI will be announcing the new WorldTour reforms, while at the same time the CPA is set to host an election that will decide its new president.

 Prendas Ciclismo have some unique and fantastic new lines. With new retro jerseys like the iconic Peugeot BP, La Vie Claire and Mapei, there's also a brand new capsule collection celebrating old races like the Baracchi Trophy and Bordeaux Paris. To enjoy great quality clothing without a premium price tag, visit Prendas Ciclismo online at prendas.co.uk.

In this week’s edition of the Cyclingnews Podcast the team of Sadhbh O’Shea, Patrick Fletcher and Procycling editor Ed Pickering take a look at what’s to come in Innsbruck. We talk about the demise of the team time trial, the dominance of the Dutch and analyse the tough road race courses. Finally, the team lays their cards on the table and make their predictions for the road races. How many will they get right?

We also hear from former journalist, turned press officer, Philippe Maertens about his memories of the 1999 World Championships in Verona. 

This podcast is brought to you in association with Prendas Ciclismo, Pinarello and Floyds of Leadville.

Prendas Ciclismo have some unique and fantastic new lines. With new retro jerseys like the iconic Peugeot BP, La Vie Claire and Mapei, there's also a brand new capsule collection celebrating old races like the Baracchi Trophy and Bordeaux Paris. To enjoy great quality clothing without a premium price tag, visit Prendas Ciclismo online at prendas.co.uk.

 The two races also saw the end of Simon Gerrans’ WorldTour career. The Australian was the last rider to win the Canadian double, back in 2014, and we discuss his career and extensive palmares, as well as Matthews’, who exclusively talks to Cyclingnews about how he modeled his recent performances on Gerrans’ 2014 displays.

 We also discuss the relevance and stature of the Canadian races – both in terms of their importance to the North American scene but also the global calendar. Hosted by Daniel Benson and Kirsten Frattini, we also debate the need for a women’s WorldTour race in Canada after the UCI president David Lappartient visited Montreal and issued part of his blue print to improve women’s cycling.

 This podcast brought to you in association with Prendas Ciclismo, Pinarello and Floyds of Leadville.

 We also bring you an exclusive interview with Olympic road champion Greg Van Avermaet (BMC Racing0). The Belgian rider talks about how the new CCC team will be built around him in 2019, and the greater responsibility he is likely to shoulder after BMC Racing saw most, if not all, of their stage racing talent leave. Van Avermaet talks about the loss of several teammates but also the signing of several new faces who will be expected to help him. The 33-year-old also talks about the Canadian races, his season as a whole, and the World Championships, where he hopes to have a free role. This podcast is brought to you by our friends at Prendas Ciclismo, Pinarello and Floyds of Leadville. Sponsor message

 Prendas Ciclismo have some unique and fantastic new lines. With new retro jerseys like the iconic Peugeot BP, La Vie Claire and Mapei, there's also a brand new capsule collection celebrating old races like the Baracchi Trophy and Bordeaux Paris. To enjoy great quality clothing without a premium price tag, visit Prendas Ciclismo online at prendas.co.uk.

 We’re in Canada, ahead of the two World Tour races and we’ll be bringing you several podcasts over the coming days. First up, we have an exclusive interview with Michael Matthews from Team Sunweb.

 The Australian has had a difficult year beset by injury, illness and bad luck. We sat down with him in the centre of Quebec’s old town to talk about his season.

 Matthews provides a very personal, honest and open account about his mental and physical battles during his lowest points of the year, and his heartbreak at missing the selection for the Worlds team, where he was willing to sacrifice everything for his friend and national teammate, Richie Porte.

 The former Tour de France green jersey winner shares his setbacks, which included riding with the wrong saddle height for the majority of the season, how he shut down after the disappointment of abandoning the Tour and how those closest to him helped him rediscover his passion and love for the bike.

 What also comes across is how level headed and he is, and that despite his knocks this season he’s still hungry to win again. He starts the Canadian races as one of the main favourities, and we talk about the remaining goals he has for the year.

This podcast is brought to you in association with Prendas Ciclismo, Pinarello and Floyds of Leadville.

 Sponsor message

Prendas Ciclismo have some unique and fantastic new lines.

With new retro jerseys like the iconic Peugeot BP, La Vie Claire and Mapei, there's also a brand new capsule collection celebrating old races like the Baracchi Trophy and Bordeaux Paris.

To enjoy great quality clothing without a premium price tag, visit Prendas Ciclismo online at prendas.co.uk

 Ed Pickering and Daniel Benson dissect the first six stages and the GC battle as the race heads towards Sunday’s first major mountain test, while the team from Cyclingnews and Procycling also analyze the fallout from Aqua Blue’s demise, the latest on Mark Cavendish.

 It’s been a turbulent month for Aqua Blue. At the start of August they announced that they had bought Sniper Cycling, the parent company of Veranda’s Willems Crelan. Within minutes that press release was removed with Sniper denying a deal a had been done. A few days later Aqua Blue owner Rick Delaney told Cyclingnews that news will be out soon. He says it will be positive news but that for legal reasons he could not divulge more information. Then this Monday another press release lands and Aqua Blue announce that they are folding. We take an in depth look back at what happened, how a Pro Continental team could vanish after less than two years into the sport.

We also discuss the future for Mark Cavendish, who at the age of 33, has been diagnosed with Epstein Barr virus (EBV) for a second time. Cavendish is taking a break from competitive cycling but his return to the sport is somewhat uncertain with no new contract yet for 2018, and while he most certainly will have options, could this latest setback be the end for one of cycling’s most successful sprinters of all time?

 We hear from Richie Porte (BMC Racing), Simon Yates (Mitchelton Scott), and Peter Sagan (Bora hansgrohe), whilst also debating the chances for a number of the GC contenders.

 Porte arrives at the race with a minor illness but is leading BMC Racing in the final Grand Tour before the team disbands in the off-season. Can he keep a united ship or will riders put their personal ambitions above the team’s?

 Simon Yates is looking to improve on his Giro d’Italia, where despite winning stages and leading the race, he fell away in the final stages. As for the world road champion, he starts to the Vuelta looking to win a stage as he builds up for the a Worlds defefence later in the year.

 Nairo Quintana and Fabio Aru both head into the race with points to prove, with Vincenzo Nibali flying under the radar, despite his impressive Grand Tour palmares. Miguel Angel Lopez – third at the Giro d’Italia – also gets a mention, and there’s a detabe about whether Team Sky can mount another GC challenge despite the absence of both Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas.

 York and Fletcher then pinpoint the key stages and where the race will be won and lost, with York discussing the differences in style and tempo between the Vuelta, Giro d’Italia and Tour de France.

Sponsor message

Prendas Ciclismo have some unique and fantastic new lines.

With new retro jerseys like the iconic Peugeot BP, La Vie Claire and Mapei, there's also a brand new capsule collection celebrating old races like the Baracchi Trophy and Bordeaux Paris.

To enjoy great quality clothing without a premium price tag, visit Prendas Ciclismo online at prendas.co.uk

 Recorded on the final rest-day at the Tour de France, and just after the news of the brothers' re-signing with Mitchelton Scott was announced, Cyclingnews editor Daniel Benson sat down with the two riders to talk about why they decided to stay with the Australian team, the steps that brought them to the WorldTour team in the first place and the next steps in their careers.

 With both riders set to take part in the Vuelta a Espana later this week, there's no better time to hear what they have to say.

 White opens up about the pressures of keeping two of his team's best assets, the allocation of budgets, and what it's like to break the bond when riders do decide to take up challenges on other teams.

 These interviews were recorded before the news of Caleb Ewan's move from Mitchelton Scott to Lotto Soudal was confirmed, but White and the Yates brothers also discuss the culture within Mitchelton Scott and its importance in relation to rider development and building a competitive team.

The dust has finally settled, we’ve had a chance to decompress after a long three, and taken stock of the how the three-week race unfolded. As well as looking at the final week of racing, we also discuss where Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas go from here, both in terms of their hopes to lead Team Sky in the future, and as to whether they can return and win the Tour de France in 2019.

 Along with hearing from both Team Sky riders we also feature Tom Dumoulin and ponder what exactly the Dutchman needs to do in order to win the Tour de France. Does he need to build a stronger team around him, or is it case of simply concentrating on one Grand Tour per-season? He doesn’t have to join Team Sky…. does he?

 Along with analyzing the podium finishers, Daniel Benson, Patrick Fletcher and Procycling’s Ed Pickering also contemplate where the pure climbers – so irrelevant in the key points of this year’s GC battle – go from here. It’s another action packed podcast.

As the sun sets on the Tour’s 19th stage, between Lourdes and Laruns, so the ambitions of Geraint Thomas’s rivals are slowly sinking below the horizon. In one of the hardest stages of the 2018 Tour, crossing multiple climbs, the Welshman extended his overall advantage over second-placed Tom Dumoulin to two minutes and five seconds. With only a 31-kilometre time trial and the Paris sprint stage to come, it looks like Thomas will win his first Tour de France on Sunday.

LottoNL-Jumbo’s Primoz Roglic was the winner on the day. The Slovenian attacked on the descent of the final mountain of the Tour, the Col d’Aubisque, and flew to a 19-second advantage, overtaking defending champion Chris Froome in the overall standings to go into the final weekend third overall.

It was a dynamic day’s racing. Mikel Landa, Ilnur Zakarin and Romain Bardet, all in the top 10, attacked as early as the Col du Tourmalet with 100 kilometres to go. While Landa rose as high as second on the virtual general classification, Sky and LottoNL-Jumbo worked to close the gap. When the race came together again on the Aubisque, Roglic, his team-mate Kruijswijk and Tom Dumoulin all made attacks, but none shook off Thomas, though Froome was temporarily distanced. Over the top, it all came together before Roglic finally broke away.

His teammate and four-time Tour winner, Chris Froome, finished almost a minute behind the Welshman, while Nairo Quintana finally showed some form, attacking near the bottom of the final climb to win alone.

Thomas now leads Dumoulin by 1:59 and Froome is in third, 2:31 behind.

Elsewhere, Julian Alaphilippe scored points on both early climbs to all but secure the mountain classification, but green jersey Peter Sagan crashed at speed on a descent. He made it to the finish, and will continue in the race.

In this exclusive Cyclingnews podcast from the Tour de France, brought to you in association with Prendas Ciclismo, Pinarello and Floyd's of Leadville, we hear from Thomas, while Ed Pickering and Daniel Benson analyse of the best days of racing at this year's Tour.

 Earlier in the stage, the race was neutralized after police were forced to use pepper spray on a group of protesters - with some of the chemicals reaching the riders and forcing a break in proceedings.

In this Tour de France podcast, brought to you in association with Prendas Ciclismo, Pinarello and Floyd's of Leadville, Daniel Benson and Ed Pickering hear from Adam Yates, Geraint Thomas, Steven Kruijswijk, and Heinrich Haussler on the stage, and take a look ahead to Wednesday's decisive 65km mountain stage.

 We also wind the clock back 24 hours to Team Sky' press conference and play the recording from Dave Brailsford almost 10-minute long question and answers session. During the press conference, Brailsford was asked about Gianni Moscon - thrown off the race for punching a fellow competitor - the DCMS report and the hostile environment Team Sky have raced under during this year's Tour.

 Brailsford responded by saying, "It's interesting. We raced in Italy, and Chris' case was open when we were at the Tour of Italy, and the Italians were fantastic, to be fair to them. The Spanish, fantastic. It just seems to be a French thing.

 "It's like a French cultural thing really, isn't it? That's it. I'm not sure that they would have liked their football players spat at in Russia [at the World Cup -ed]. I'm sure that there would be a word or two about that. But it's OK to spit on us and our staff."

 In the latest Cyclingnews podcast we hear from both Team Sky riders on the environment they’ve faced at the race with pockets of fans booing the yellow jersey and his team. We also hear from Tom Southam on how EF Education First are hoping to bounce back from losing Rigoberto Uran – their hope for the overall standings. And we also hear from former footballer Frank de Boer, who is at the race for Dutch television. De Boer talks about the Ajax philosophy, entertaining football and if the same ethos can be transferred to cycling.

 This podcast is brought to you in association with Prendas Ciclismo, Pinarello and Floyds of Leadville. 

In the episode, recorded at the summit of today's finish, we hear from Thomas, Dumoulin and surprise package Primoz Roglic. Ed Pickering from Pro Cycling, and CN's Daniel Benson run through the action from the stage and evaluate the important performances from the Alps. The last three stages have seen the race shift and alter each day, and the podcast team look over the likes of Movistar, AG2R and of course discuss the growing leadership debate at Team Sky.

 In it we hear from stage winner and new yellow jersey Geraint Thomas (Team Sky), and UAE Team Emirates’ Dan Martin. Cyclingnews editor Daniel Benson and Sadhbh O’Shea talk about the shake-up in the general classification and ask whether or not Team Sky can all but wrap up the GC in Thursday’s Alpe d’Huez.

 We also hear from Heinrich Haussler with his latest podcast blog from the Tour de France.

We started the morning in Chambery, where we picked up the leadership question at Team Sky with both Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome discussing the options that lay ahead. Then it was over to Trek-Segafredo for a catch up with stage 9 winner John Degenkolb, before Jim Ochowicz announced to the media that CCC would step in and save his team.

Finally, we headed to Sunweb to hear from Tom Dumoulin on his challenge and his rivals. No stage but another action-packed day at the Tour with analysis from Daniel Benson and Ed Pickering.