Velo Podcast

The Tour de France is here! Fred Dreier, Caley Fretz, and Spencer Powlison dig into the Grande Boucle. Listen in for analysis of the contenders, the route, good teams and bad teams, plus a hefty dose of speculation. Then, Caley catches up with your new American national road champion, Larry Warbasse to find out what the stars and stripes will mean for the Michigan native.

Is "Tour de Pharmacy" a horrible, sad depiction of pro cycling or is it merely cycling's "Caddyshack" moment? Have we finally made it? Spencer Powlison and Caley Fretz are joined by VN tech editor Dan Cavallari to debate the upcoming HBO film, as well as look back at the Tour de Suisse and ahead at the tech we're likely to see debuted at the Tour de France. Finally, Spencer catches up with Jeff Byers, a former pro football player and avid cyclist. This episode is presented by Velofix mobile bike shops. WIN a free tune-up, pedals, and Jagwire cable set at velofix.com/velonews

Is the heat of summer getting you down? Fast Talk is here to help. Coach Trevor Connor and Caley Fretz are joined once again by Rob Pickels, a physiologist who is currently studying ways to make clothing work better in hot weather. The panel discusses the mechanisms that cause your performance to drop when your body gets too hot, how to trick these mechanisms, and why you don't want to. Finally, Fast Talk digs into the best ways to stay cool and safe when the mercury rises. Fast Talk is presented by Quarq.

Richie Porte might have been the strongest rider at the Dauphine, but Chris Froome won the mental battle. Fred Dreier, Caley Fretz and Spencer Powlison dissect the attack-filled final three days of the Tour de France tune-up race (with a little help from our Cat. 3 friends) and look ahead to what this race means for July. Then in a return to Belgium as the three discuss Fretz's story on Tom Boonen's final races and Dreier's story on Flanders's ability to find Boonen's replacement.

Was the Hammer Series a success? Who will win the Dauphine's Alpe d'Huez stage? Fred Dreier, Caley Fretz and Spencer Powlison are joined by Cannondale-Drapac pro Alex Howes to discuss the Hammer, the Dauphine, and the upcoming Tour de Suisse. Then, we ask Howes what makes the Giro special, what scares him the most on the road, and what his NPR name would be. This episode is supported by PowerTap. For a chance to win a free PowerTap power meter, head to PowerTap.com/VeloNews.

Your training questions answered, live! Coach Trevor Connor and VeloNews senior editor Caley Fretz turned on the Facebook machine Friday and held a live Q&A session, tackling questions on everything from cramping to recovery to Andrew Talansky's chances at the Tour de France. This is the audio from that chat.

To win races, you need to sprint faster. Everyone does, except maybe Marcel Kittel and Mark Cavendish. Though sprinting ability is largely a function of genetics, there are still tons of ways to get more out of your finishing kick, from positioning to neuromuscular training to simply showing up at the finish line fresher. Coach Trevor Connor and senior editor Caley Fretz discuss the ins and outs of sprint technique and training, and are joined by two-time national criterium champion Eric Young for some pro tips.

Did Tom Dumoulin win the Giro or did Nairo Quintana lose it? Fred Dreier, Caley Fretz, and Spencer Powlison dissect the Italian grand tour then look ahead to the weird and wacky Hammer Series, which sets off this weekend, and to the Criterium du Dauphine, one of the final tests before the Tour de France. How would a Cat. 3 tackle the Hammer series? Tune in to find out. Plus, you can WIN a free Powertap! Just head to powertap.com/velonews, sign up, and you're automatically entered. Contest runs through June 14th.

Tejay van Garderen won a grand tour stage! So did Pierre Rolland, thus officially ending the Cannondale Curse. Fred Dreier, Caley Fretz, and Spencer Powlison discuss an action-packed week at the Giro d’Italia, from Tom Dumoulin’s time dump to van Garderen’s emotional roller coaster. Yes, there are some poop jokes.

Ever wonder what it's like to be in the team car behind Taylor Phinney? This special episode from the Big Bear time trial at the Amgen Tour of California takes you inside the cars behind Phinney and Rally's TOC stage winner Evan Huffman, including chats with both riders, their directors, and Huffman's mom.