Velo Podcast

The busy 2020 WorldTour season continues, and this week we have two grand tours and one monument to discuss! Over the weekend the Tour of Flanders was held on empty cobbled streets in Belgium, and both the men's and women's editions produced plenty of drama and action. The men's race saw newcomer Julian Alaphilippe force the day's decisive move with Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert. The stage was set for a three-man battle to the finish, and then Alaphilippe struck a race motorcycle and crashed. We discuss the crash and its impact on the finale, which saw van der Poel win the sprint by inches. Could Alaphilippe have upset the two cobbled crushers in the final 35km? What impact would he have had in the sprint, or on the ascent of the Paterberg? Our resident Alaphilippe expert, James Startt, provides some expert opinion. In the women's race, Boels-Dolmans used its superior team tactics to set Chantal van der Broek-Blaak up for the win. We wonder what could have happened, however, if Anna van der Breggen and Annemiek van Vleuten would have continued their attack, instead of sitting up with 25km to go. Then, the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España are both going strong, and we break down the action from both races. What do we make of Chris Froome's dismal performance on the opening day of the Vuelta? And, is Wilco Kelderman really the favorite to win the Giro now? Finally, we have interviews with American stars at the grand tours. First up is Sepp Kuss, who is leading Jumbo-Visma's domestique ranks at the Vuelta. Sepp discusses the Tour de France finale as well as his Vuelta ambitions with us. Then, we hear from Brandon McNulty, who is racing for GC at the Giro d'Italia. Brandon just scored a third place finish in the Giro's long ITT — an amazing result for a grand tour debutant. Today's episode is brought to you by flobikes.com, your home for live streaming action of the Giro d'Italia for U.S. and Canadian viewers. Flobikes.com is also broadcasting the Vuelta a España in Canada. To sign up, go to www.flobikes.com/velonews.

Joe Friel and Jim Rutberg join VeloNews tech editor Dan Cavallari to get you fired up for indoor riding season. Friel and Rutberg have co-authored a book called "Ride Inside," which gives you tips and tricks to do exactly that. But the book doesn't stop there; get the most out of your indoor training sessions, learn how to race on Zwift, and even get the skinny on what gear you need to make the most out of your indoor miles.

The 2020 Giro d'Italia has been thrown into chaos this week by a slough of COVID-19 positives. On this week's episode, we discuss the news with James Startt, who is attending the race. James places the Giro's COVID-19 news into historical context, and explains how riders and directors at the race have been reacting to the news. He also explains how it has changed the racing dynamics at the event. Then, we hear from American rider Chad Haga, who is attending the race. Chad explains how the hotel protocols during the race's early stages in Sicily made riders feel uncomfortable, due to the presence of the general public. Chad also discusses his team leader, Wilco Kelderman, and why Kelderman often flies under the radar at big events. This week's episode is sponsored by Flobikes.com, which is your go-to destination for live broadcast coverage of the Giro d'Italia and Tour of Flanders, among other races. To sign up, go to www.flobikes.com/velonews.

Richie Porte has been a successful stage racer for a decade, winning the overall at the likes of Paris-Nice, the Tour Down Under, and the Tour de Romandie. And while he has raced the Tour de France 10 times, it wasn't until this year that he stood on the final podium in Paris as third overall. Although Porte has raced for many of the top WorldTour teams, he started out at the bottom, finishing dead last in his first stage race. But slowly he worked his way up from a Tasmanian team to small Italian teams to the top of the sport. Richie and Bobby first worked together at Saxo Bank, where Richie came on as a neo-pro and rode his way into the leader's jersey at the Giro d'talia in his first attempt at the Italian tour. In this episode, Bobby and Gus catch up with the typically media-shy star on his remarkable career that began on the roads of Tasmania.

Betsy's back from the wilderness of Colorado, and she's got plenty of stories to tell about her high-alpine adventures! She emerged from the trail after 11 days of bikepacking through some of the most stunning and harsh landscapes Colorado has to offer. And even though it was August, she still got snowed on. That's Colorado weather for you. Hear all about what gear Betsy ended up bringing with her, what performed well, and what could have used some improvement. And hear about one valiant pair of socks — the only pair Betsy brought with her.

Race every race like it's your last. We've all heard that kind of a cliche in one form or another during our lives. However, for the women's peloton in 2020, no sentiment could ring more true. Today, we sit down with Kasia Niewiadoma from Canyon//SRAM to hear from her just what it's like to be approaching each race day as if it's your last.

The 2020 Giro d'Italia has begun and VeloNews is on the ground it Italy for all of the action. On today's episode we link up with reporter James Startt who is attending the race for insight on what it's like to actually be at the event. Startt takes us inside the race's COVID-19 safety protocols, and he discusses the biggest differences between the Giro and the Tour de France. Then, Startt breaks down all of the GC action from stage 3, the summit finish to Mt. Etna. Then, American rider Brent Bookwalter joins the podcast for an update from the Giro. Brent is riding for Simon Yates at this year's race, and thus far it's been a tough start for Brent. He crashed on stage 2 and injured his back, and Brent explains the metal and emotional challenges that a rider faces after suffering an injury this early in a grand tour. Brent has some opinions on the race's COVID-19 safety protocols — or lack thereof — and he explains what it's like behind the scenes at the race. Today's episode is sponsored by a new training supplement called MitoQ. MitoQ is a unique form of the antioxidant CoQ10 that is designed to get inside our cell's mitochondria to help create energy and neutralize free radicals. For more information go to www.mitoq.com/powerupcycling.

Bobby and Gus sit down with UAE Team Emirates director Allan Peiper to find out how he overcame his own personal battles with cancer to go on to help his rider Tadej Pogacar win the Tour de France.

Pro racing continues to chug along, but this week we're taking a break from the WorldTour to catch up with the Major Taylor Iron Riders cycling club in New York City. Major Taylor Iron Riders is comprised largely of African American, Latino, and Asian-American club members, and it is one of the larger cycling clubs in New York City. We spoke to five board members of the club in June about how they have experienced explicit and implicit bias in the cycling community. Today, we follow up with the club's board to understand the impact of that initial podcast episode. And, we dig into the club's game plan for helping new riders develop a deeper love and appreciate for cycling. Major Taylor Iron Riders has a detailed plan to help novice riders rise up the ranks to become competitive cyclists. It's a blend of inclusivity, attention to detail, and tough love. Today's episode is sponsored by a new training supplement called MitoQ. MitoQ is a unique form of the antioxidant CoQ10 that is designed to get inside our cell's mitochondria to help create energy and neutralize free radicals. For more information go to www.mitoq.com/powerupcycling.

Alberto Contador and Ivan Basso have launched a brand new bike brand, Aurum Bikes, based on all the features they wanted to see on a race bike during their careers. Contador and Basso join tech editor Dan Cavallari on the VeloNews Tech Podcast, all the way from Madrid, Spain to give the details about and inspiration behind Aurum Bikes. Contador and basso talk about the technical details, from testing in the wind tunnel to determining the componentry and spec details, but the pair also talks about their hopes for the brand in the years and decades to come. Can Aurum become a legendary brand like Colnago? It may be a dream now, but Basso and Contador hope to make it a reality.