RadioCycling

Tom Pidcock, Jai Hindley, Lizzie Deignan and the Jumbo-FDJ ”beergate” spat feature in our Tour review and Tour Femmes preview

On cycling's Super Sunday as the Tour de France finishes and the Tour de France Femmes gets going, these are RadioCycling's headlines...As Jonas Vingegaard completes the most dominant Tour victory of recent years, we pick out the race's highlights including an unforgettable first week, the return of the Puy de Dôme, Bora's poignant tribute to Gino Mäder, and, last but not least, Thibaut Pinot's tremendous swansong in the mountains.British riders were also to the fore during the Tour, from the start in Bilbao, where Adam Yates won the day, to the finale in Paris when the Lancastrian and his twin brother Simon finished third and fourth overall.  Tom Pidcock was also in the thick of the action, and we get the Ineos Grenadier rider's take on the ups and downs of his three weeks, and what it all means for his future Grand Tour hopes. Does Pidcock think he's got what it takes to be a contender?"Beergate" or "Fizzy Watergate"? Whatever you call it, Jumbo-Visma boss Richard Plugge's claim that a French team (it was Groupama-FDJ!) were drinking beer on the second rest day was vociferously rebuffed by Marc Madiot. We examine the spat that led to the Dutch team coming under fire from French fans and that also highlighted the difference between the cutting edge and the traditional approach to the sport.One of the most open and engaging riders in the Tour peloton, Jai Hindley had an unforgettable Tour debut. "A left-hander who likes smashed avo on toast,” the Australian leader of the Bora-Hansgrohe team tells us about his rollercoaster three weeks that included a stage win, a spell in yellow and a GC-damaging crash.Having hot-legged it from the Tour's finale to the Tour de France Femmes' Grand Départ, we speak to another debutant, Lizzie Deignan. The Lidl-Trek rider tells us about her fight for racing fitness after the birth of her second child, what she's hoping for over the course of the next week, and why teammate Elisa Longo Borghini is very much a contender for the yellow jersey.Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vingegaard under fire, Sagan in the spotlight, and Rousse talks Tour de France Femmes

After two weeks of frenzied and close-fought action, the Tour leaves the Alps with its leader holding the biggest lead of this century. As the race pauses in "Chickentown", these are RadioCycling's headlines...At Combloux and Courchevel, Jonas Vingegaard became the demolition man, putting a wrecking ball through the general classification and eviscerating Tadej Pogačar. With scepticism of his performances spreading, we get a Danish perspective on the Jumbo-Visma leader and his place in his country's sporting pantheon, and also hear from his team director Grischa Niermann. Sunday will be Peter Sagan's last day at the Tour de France. Winner of 12 stages and a record-setting seven green points title jerseys, the Slovak remains one of the peloton's most popular racers and also one who has had an immense impact on the sport. We hear from his right-hand man, Daniel Oss, about what made Sagan such a phenomenon when he was in his pomp and examine why his road career is ending in relative anonymity.As one Tour de France ends, riders are gathering in Clermont-Ferrand for the start of another, the Tour de France Femmes. We hear from race director Marion Rousse about this race's second edition, which not only features the event's first sortie into the high mountains with a finish atop the Col du Tourmalet and its first time trial, but leads up to those tests with six stages full of tests and potential traps in the Massif Central and France's south-west. And finally, in our Coffee Beans section...– Lotto-Dstny to allow sprinter Caleb Ewan to leave– Champagne start to the day for Intermarché –  Wout van Aert puts family first and leaves the Tour Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vingegaard-Pogačar Tour duel swings Dane’s way; Jumbo-Visma ponder legal action against fan; Israel boss doubles down on Froome comments; cycling’s po...

After Jonas Vingegaard's torching of his rivals in the Combloux time trial, these are RadioCycling's latest headlines...Like Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault or Miguel Induráin in their time trialling pomp, Jonas Vingegaard not only beat Tadej Pogačar in the Tour's only TT, but blitzed him, putting an astonishingly large gap between himself and his arch-rival. We reflect on this incredible performance, on what it means for the GC battle, and on whether Pogačar has the ability – and enough road left – to surpass his first-week comeback and turn the battle for the yellow jersey around again.As is the case all too often nowadays, the Tour has seen further big crashes caused by the recklessness and witlessness of fans. The latest, last Friday, saw American climber Sepp Kuss felled and injured. With his Jumbo-Visma team considering whether to sue the fan who caused the pile-up, we get reaction from Groupama-FDJ DS Philippe Mauduit and ask whether the legal path is the right one to go down on these occasions.Our recent interview with Israel-PremierTech owner Sylvan Adams on the future of veteran team leader Chris Froome led to some kickback, not least from the four-time Tour winner's camp.  In order to clarify some of his previous comments, notably on the length of Froome's IPT contract, we went back to Adams, who not only outlines the key details but also doubles down on his comments about the British rider.It's now 25 years since the Festina affair, when doping was revealed to be rife in the sport and Tour almost came to a halt before it had reached Paris. With the aim of gauging what and how much has changed in the interim, we speak to three team directors who were racers back then. EF Education's Charly Wegelius, Jayco-AlUla's Matt White and Jumbo-Visma's Frans Maassen explain how the difference between then and now is "like night and day". We hear about eating "slop", "the Belgie clean", and how not all of the changes over the last quarter of a century have been for the best.And finally, in our Coffee Beans section...– Citroën to part ways with AG2R team– Ineos boss Ratcliffe throws a big bash in Courchevel for his team–  Carlos Rodríguez caught in Ineos-Movistar contractual tug of warSupport the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tadej & Jonas’s epic duel, the race for Remco, Ewan and Lotto fall out, & Arsène Wenger on his love of cycling

As the Tour de France pauses in Saint-Gervais for its second rest day, these are RadioCycling's latest headlines...The Tour remains on a knife-edge, with Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard so close to each other that they might as well be riding a tandem. We reflect on a Tour that's shaping up as even better than last year's and potentially as one of the best of all time.There's another fascinating battle going on away from the Tour action. The race for Remco Evenepoel is heating up. Although his Soudal-QuickStep boss Patrick Lefevere is adamant that he's got his Belgian team leader tied to a contract until 2026, the rider's "entourage" says he's not happy at being paid less than a third of Tadej Pogačar's salary. We hear from Lefevere and, with Ineos said to be interested, speak to their head of sport Dave Brailsford. We also reveal that no fewer than three other teams are ready to bid if Evenepoel does become available.Are Caleb Ewan and the Lotto-Dstny team heading for divorce? That seems increasingly likely after team manager Stéphane Heulot questioned the Australian sprinter's commitment and attitude after Ewan abandoned the race on Friday. We look at why Heulot's so aggrieved and hear from Ewan's agent, who suggests a permanent separation is possible before the Australian's contract ends at the end of next season.Another manager was making news at the Tour on Sunday, or more precisely an ex-manager. Legendary Arsenal boss Arsène Wenger was one of the race's VIPs in the Alps, and told RadioCycling about his long-time love of cycling, how the sport has followed the same science-focused path as football, and gave his verdict on the Pogačar-Vingegaard battle.And finally, in our Coffee Beans section...– Roglič sticks with Jumbo-Visma despite Ineos rumours– Brailsford confesses he's missed cycling Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tour latest: Froome ”absolutely not” value for money says IPT owner Adams; Movistar to announce co-sponsor; pendulum swinging towards Pogacar says Ras...

In a very frank interview with Radio Cycling's Chris Marshall-Bell, Israel-PremierTech team owner Sylvan Adams explains why four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome didn't merit a place in their Tour de France line-up and says that the British rider hasn't fulfilled the hopes IPT had for him when he signed an extremely lucrative multi-year contract three years ago. "He’s supposed to be our leader at the Tour de France and he’s not even here, so no I couldn’t say he’s value for money, no," Adams declares.While stating that he has the utmost respect for Froome and his racing achievements, Adams compares the seven-time Grand Tour victor to basketball all-time great Michael Jordan during his final season in the NBA, stating, "Father Time spares no athlete." Adams goes on to admit, "My idea was, ‘Wow, we’re going to have somebody to be relevant for the GC at the Tour de France,’ and that hasn’t happened.”   We have the full audio of Adams on Froome.ALSO...Movistar boss Eusebio Unzue tells us that the Spanish team is aiming to rekindle its great days of the past by partnering with a new secondary sponsor from 2024, which will boost their budget to the extent that they should be able to compete on a more level footing with the dominant Grand Tour teams. Unzue also touches on the heavily rumoured signing of Ineos Grenadier Carlos Rodríguez, saying he'd love to have the hugely talented young Spaniard in Movistar's ranks. Could there be a new "tridente"?We get a Danish perspective on Tour de France yellow jersey and defending champion Jonas Vingegaard from former racer Michael Rasmussen. Now a member of the Tour's press pack, Rasmussen offers an insight into Vingegaard's personality and roots. He also says that this Tour is threatening to swing away from the Jumbo-Visma rider because there appears to be no terrain ahead where he can gain time on arch-rival Tadej Pogačar, and that the pendulum is swinging the Slovene's way.We also get an insight into the Jumbo-Visma team from their former star Tom Dumoulin. He tells us that that the Dutch outfit must keep faith in their tactical approach and suggests too that they would struggle to win the Tour if Wout van Aert did actually have to leave the race to attend the birth of his second child, as the Belgian was incorrectly rumoured to be doing just a couple of days ago.  And finally, in our Coffee Beans round-up of news and gossip...- Tom Pidcock can podium, Ellingworth tells us- Bora heavily linked with a sprinter - but it's not Wout van Aert!- Mark Renshaw says it's too early to know whether Cav will return  - ASO staff unhappy with the Tour mascot  Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Remembering Gino Mäder – a reflection on his life that features interviews with the Swiss rider by journalist Kate Wagner

In this special episode, RadioCycling pays tribute to Gino Mäder, the 26-year-old Swiss rider who died after crashing while racing in his national tour last month.Produced in collaboration with journalist Kate Wagner, who got to know Gino well during his professional racing career, it features extracts from interviews she conducted with the Bahrain Victorious rider.These interviews highlight not only Gino's love of cycling and racing, but also his passion for issues beyond the sport, notably the climate crisis, which fired his desire to bring about change and tackle inequality and injustice. These interviews also underline how and why Gino became so popular with fans, as a racer whose perspective encompassed the sport, but also went so far beyond it.Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tour latest: Egan Bernal tells us he’s ”proud” of himself; TDF boss lifts lid on 2024 route; Puy de Dôme analysis; why there’s no rest on a rest day

As the Tour de France pauses in Clermont-Ferrand for its rest day, these are RadioCycling's latest headlines...2019 Tour de France champion Egan Bernal has made a miraculous return to racing after his near-fatal training crash in Colombia last year.  The Ineos Grenadier tells us why he's proud of what he's achieved in making it back to the Tour, what he's hoping for from the rest of the race, and why Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar are racers "from another planet" and that his long-term goal is to join them on it. In an exclusive interview, Tour boss Christian Prudhomme reveals the thinking behind the organisation's bold planning for the opening week of the race, confesses that the 2024 Tour could follow a similar pattern with an early visit to the Alps after its Grand Départ in Florence, and confirms that talks about a British Grand Départ in 2026 are ongoing.We look back on the Puy de Dôme, which ran true to form in this all-action Tour, producing an enthralling – and quite heartbreaking finale – and another major setpiece in the contest for the yellow jersey.Pre-Tour reconnaissance of key stages has been a requisite for almost all yellow jersey contenders for three decades, but the Puy de Dôme, which is closed for all bar one day of the year, highlighted how this is changing. We speak to Jayco-AlUla team director Matt White and Jumbo-Visma DS Frans Maassen to hear how technology is changing Grand Tour preparation.Rest days may offer a break from racing, but there's little chance to rest for rider agents, who traditionally spend them flitting from one hotel to the next trying to secure contracts for their clients. We speak to Jai Hindley's agent Gary McQuaid, who explains why they're so important to those in his trade and how longer-term contracts are changing negotiations.And, finally, in our Coffee Beans section of news and gossip... – Barcelona's angling for a Grand Départ– Israel-PremierTech owner Sylvan Adams is testing his team's bikes himself– Plus the latest on the Lidl fruit furore, a story we broke earlier this weekSupport the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tour latest: Pogačar & Vingegaard’s Pyrenean slugfest; Ineos forced to rethink; sprinters gear up for Bordeaux; Paris unveils magnificent Olympic cour...

As the Tour de France leaves the Pyrenees, these are RadioCycling's news headlines...It's been frantic, the tactics have been crazy at times, but it's also been totally captivating. We look back on two days in the Pyrenees when Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar tried to knock lumps out of each other and in doing so served up racing action that was every bit as enthralling as last year's epic mountain duel between the pair, the sport's two outstanding climbers.   While the dynamic duo have fought their own private battle, the Ineos Grenadiers have found themselves on the fringes of the GC battle. We speak to the British squad's sporting director Steve Cummings, who admits that the sport's most lavishly funded team is in transition and that they will have to reset their goals at the Tour because  they've already slipped out of the contest for the yellow jersey. Friday will bring the sprinters back to centre of the action, with a stage into Bordeaux, a city long associated with the greatest sprint names in cycling's history.  We hear from the Alpecin-Deceuninck team, who've shown in the two previous bunch sprints that they're a step ahead of their rivals, well-drilled in support of Jasper Philipsen, who's finishing speed is currently peerless. We also hear from Fabio Jakobsen, who's still nursing injuries sustained Tuesday's sprint crash but has fought through the mountains with the aim of redeeming a hitherto difficult Tour with a stage win.We then turn away from the Tour to examine the magnificent road race routes that have been announced for the 2024 Paris Olympics. As well as breezing by the chateau at Versailles, the men's and women's courses will feature a narrow, cobbled climb through Montmartre to the Basilica of Sacré Coeur,  passing, Jeremy points out, one of the city's most notorious bars and a renowned butcher's shop. We have all of the key details.PLUS, in our Ground Beans round-up of news snippets and rumours, we reveal the yellow jersey wearer who "looks a banana" and the Instagram post Fabio Jakobsen was persuaded to change...   Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

News headlines: Jumbo deny van Aert rift; ”Hands off Remco” says Lefevere; team radio relay proving a hit; Astana say no to Nairo

As the Tour de France heads for the Pyrenees, these are RadioCycling's news headlines...Wout van Aert hasn't looked like a happy camper at times during the Tour's opening days, but Jumbo-Visma's head of performance Merijn Zeeman tells us that there's no rift  at all between the Dutch team's multi-talented Belgian powerhouse and their Danish leader and defending Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard. It's nothing more than the Belgian press creating something out of nothing, Zeeman asserts.Our man in the Tour's media mixed zone, Chris "Listen Boy" Marshall-Bell, catches Soudal-QuickStep boss Patrick Lefevere in chatty mood even when the subject of team leader Remco Evenepoel's future is brought up.  Lefevere tells us Remco's happy where he is, has signed a contract to 2026, and that Ineos should look elsewhere for another Grand Tour big-hitter.Four days into the initiative that has resulted in messages broadcast over team radio being relayed on TV broadcasts and the initial verdict is in. And the 17 teams taking part are... largely indifferent to be honest. However, Bora-Hansgrohe sporting director Rolf Aldag acknowledges that they can be useful to fans, even in situations where teams might be embarrassed about what's being said.We also speak to Astana-Qazaqstan team manager Alexandre Vinokourov, who talks Mark Cavendish, welcomes the arrival of a new secondary sponsor, insists that the Kazakh team will retain its general classification focus, but knocks down the suggestion that there's any weight to the rumours that they might have an interest in bringing Colombia's Nairo Quintana back into the peloton from competitive exile.PLUS, in our Coffee Beans segment at the end of the show...• Netflix  set their focus on Mark Cavendish for series 2 of Unchained   • Jai Hindley backs Simon Yates for a Tour podium challenge• Sam Bennett wants out of Bora after Tour non-selectionSupport the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tour news, day 2: Ineos deny rider exodus; French unrest eases as TDF approaches; Bahrain in dark over police probe; Lappartient suggests fans pay to ...

With the Tour de France's first weekend completed, these are RadioCycling's news headlines...Ineos team manager Rod Ellingworth acknowledges that at least three of the British team's GC leaders are angling for transfers, but denies that there's going to be a mass exodus of their stage race talent. Bullish in his defence of Ineos's Grand Tour strategy, Ellingworth tells us why he's excited about their future and the role he hopes Egan Bernal will play in it.After several days of unrest following the killing a teenager by a police officer, calm appears to be returning to France. We examine Tour organisers ASO's response to the upheaval, hear what race director Christian Prudhomme has had to say about this worrying issue and analyse if and how the Tour might be affected.Bahrain Victorious have been the focus of police raids at each of the last two editions of the Tour, with riders and team staff questioned and medicine and electronic equipment seized. The subsequent investigation was completed at the end of last year, so where does the team stand?  We get the latest from Bahrain general manager Milan Erzen, who blames jealous rivals for the controversy.David Lappartient has been in the headlines once again. This time the UCI president has suggested that fans could be charged for attending some bike races in order to help their organisers cover costs. We examine Lappartient's idea and hear from Tour of Britain race director Mick Bennett, who believes the proposal is riddled with pitfalls.PLUS• Bahrain's plans to commemorate Gino Mäder • Remco to ride the Vuelta• Lidl and Leclerc in fruit fight• UAE take disinfecting to new levels• And will Tadej Pogačar ran out of gas in the second half of the Tour?Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices