Spin Cycle

Caley Fretz joins Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano after a memorable battle for the rainbow jersey. The podcast crew discusses the unique and interesting race route, the differences that define Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, whether anyone could have done anything tactically to change the outcome of the race, and more.

Santa Cruz has revamped its popular Stigmata gravel bike with a new MTB-inspired personality, Allied modernizes its Alfa road bike, Microshift’s new Sword gravel groupset looks extremely promising, and you’ll soon be able to track your bike with Apple’s Find My function without an AirTag. And what the heck is up with that hookless tire blow-off video that’s been going around? The Geeks have questions. 1:50 — Santa Cruz has a new MTB-like Stigmata gravel bike 12:31 — There’s a new Alfa road bike from Allied 22:50 — Microshift’s new Sword gravel groupset looks fantastic 29:57 — Got a 4iiii power meter? Track your bike without an Apple AirTag 34:27 — Hookless road tires generally don’t just blow off the rim 44:47 — Dave is back to his tool-buying ways 45:18 — Tires are stupidly expensive 48:13 — Maybe suspension stems aren’t dorky after all 54:54 — The hot setup for Leadville 100

Ruth Winder joins Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano to discuss a very busy week of racing at a thoroughly entertaining Tour de France Femmes, as well as the action from the Clásica San Sebastián and just a little bit of the Tour of Poland too.

The crew delivers one final episode from the ground at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift with Abby Mickey and Matt de Neef (plus a cameo from a familiar voice or two). Plus, final audio diaries from Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek), Vittoria Guazzini (FDJ-Suez), Georgia Williams (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB), Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Human Powered Health), Ella Wyllie (Lifeplus Wahoo), Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step), and Jess Allen (Jayco-AlUla).

Abby and Matt report from atop the Col du Tourmalet, surrounded by fans, while watching the women make history. Hear audio diaries from Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek), Vittoria Guazzini (FDJ-Suez), Sara Poidevin (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB), and Jess Allen (Jayco-AlUla).

Abby, Matt and Kate report on the sixth stage of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. It was a particularly exciting finale with a worthy winner. And get ready for stage 7, the famous Col du Tourmalet. Hear audio diaries from Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek), Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Human Powered Health, Vittoria Guazzini (FDJ-Suez), Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step), Ella Wyllie (Lifeplus Wahoo), and Jess Allen (Jayco-AlUla).

Abby and Matt again are able to rope in Iris Slappendel to chat about the fifth stage of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift! And what a stage it was, with a surprise winner, and some more interesting maneuvers from SD Worx. It’s an episode you won’t want to miss. Hear from Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek), Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step), Veronica Ewers (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB, and Jess Allen (Jayco-AlUla).

Legendary French wheel brand Mavic is rumored to be gearing up to come back to the US market – but is the US market ready for them to come back? The Geek Warning crew also had a mountain of new gear to discuss this week, including new bikes from Orbea, GT, and Polygon, stunning road wheels from Syncros, and updated cross-country suspension from RockShox. And what’s up with this giant pile of new go-fast gear the UCI just revealed? Ronan did some digging.

Abby and Matt are back from Rodez to chat about the fourth stage of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. It was quite the day with a lot of interesting attempts from the GC favourites and some dreams come true for the stage winner. Hear from breakaway champions Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek) and Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Human Powered Health, plus from Vittoria Guazzini (FDJ-Suez), Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step), Veronica Ewers (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB, and Jess Allen (Jayco-AlUla).

Abby Mickey, Matt de Neef, and Kate Wagner check in from the ground of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift stage 3. Abby also chats with Iris Slappendel on the finish line after her day on the moto. Plus hear from Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek), Vittoria Guazzini (FDJ-Suez), Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step), Veronica Ewers (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB, Jess Allen (Jayco-AlUla), and Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Human Powered Health.

Ruth Winder joins Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano to talk takeaways from the final week of the men's Tour de France, which the whole crew agrees was a great one. What did we learn about Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar? Who deserves a bit more credit for their racing than maybe they've been getting so far? Then, it's on to talking about the Tour de France Femmes, which has already featured some interesting storylines across the first two stages.

Abby Mickey and Matt de Neef are joined on the ground by Kate Wagner fresh off the men’s Tour. They talk about a tough day for the women from Clermont-Ferrand to Mauriac, with a fun little climb to finish off the stage. Tune in for audio diaries from Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek), Ella Wyllie (Lifeplus Wahoo), Vittoria Guazzini (FDJ-Suez), Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (AG Insurance-Soudal Quick-Step), Veronica Ewers (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB, Jess Allen (Jayco-AlUla), and Audrey Cordon-Ragot (Human Powered Health).

As Dave and James recover from illness and injury, Ronan sits down with EscapeCollective member Marc Graveline to make sense of Jonas Vingagaard's stage 16 time trial performance. Marc was a data engineer before early retirement allowed him the time to moving into cycling and develop the Notio Konect, the first consumer available aero sensor on the market. Marc is now a consultant to World Tour teams and counts time trial modelling and analysis among his favourite hobbies, not to mention aero testing some of the world's best riders. Finally, we wrap the conversation with a discussion on what the other World Tour teams can do to narrow the gap to Jumbo-Visma.

Abby and Matt are on the ground in Clermont-Ferrand for the start of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift and they are joined by Iris Slappendel to talk the first stage. Including in the peloton audio diaries from Ashleigh Moolman Pasio, Veronica Ewers, Vittoria Guazzini, Audrey Cordon-Ragot, Ella Wyllie and Jess Allen.

The Tour Daily bids adieu to the men's Tour de France from the Champs-Élysées, where Jordi Meeus stunned Jasper Philipsen in the final sprint. Walking along the iconic road in Paris, the podcast crew puts a microphone in front of Matej Mohorič, Jack Haig, and more after 21 days of racing.

Caley, Jonny, Kate, and Joshua Robinson of the Wall Street Journal come to you from the top of Le Markstein, where Jonas Vingegaard has secured his second Tour de France, Tadej Pogačar put a fun hat on his sad Tour, and Thibaut Pinot did exactly what the world wanted him to do.

The podcast crew discusses another great breakaway battle, where Matej Mohorič narrowly bested Kasper Asgreen and then proceeded to give a fantastic post-race interview. Also, José Been tells us about the history of the Alsace region.

The podcast crew takes a closer look at a so-called sprint stage, where Kasper Asgreen and his breakaway companions managed to foil the fast finishers. Also, José Been tells us about dinosaurs.

Lidl-Trek’s Amanda Spratt joins Abby and Matt to preview the eight stages of the upcoming Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. A written preview can be found here, plus keep an eye onEscapeCollective.com all week for daily previews of each stage.

The podcast crew discusses the climactic GC action on the queen stage of the Tour de France, where Jonas Vingegaard took control of the race as Tadej Pogačar cracked. Also, José Been tells us all about the chicken of Bourg-en-Bresse.

Kate Wagner joins Caley Fretz and Jonny Long in the Tour Daily podcast crew to discuss a pivotal stage in 2023 Tour de France, where Jonas Vingegaard finally broke the stalemate with Tadej Pogačar. Also, José Been dives into the history of the French Resistance in the Second World War.

Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano are joined by Abby Mickey to talk: Favorite moments from week two of the men's Tour de France Under-the-radar performances What to expect in the final week What's coming up at the Tour de France Femmes

The podcast crew discusses Wout Poels's first Tour stage win, the incredibly close battle between Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard, and what's coming up after the rest day. Also, José Been talks time trials at the Tour.

The podcast crew takes a closer look at what was another fierce battle between Vingegaard and Pogačar, this time on the Col de Joux Plane. Also, José Been tells the story of an air tragedy in the Alps.

The podcast crew discusses the current status of the battle between Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar and what's to come as the two Tour favorites clash over the coming mountain stages. Also, José Been tells us about Alpine cheeses and winter sports in France.

Factor’s new O2 VAM sounds like quite the climbing bike: light, stiff, comfy, and newly aero. But is it too light for the pros? Maybe. There doesn’t seem to be any debate about wider tires at the Tour, though, as even 28 mm doesn’t seem like enough. SRAM has also brought its innovative Transmission mountain bike drivetrain technology down to the GX level, an Australian company wants to bring high-tech carbon fiber inspection to the bike shop level, and James gripes about water bottles. 4:15 — A roundtable on the new Factor O2 VAM climbing bike 16:25 — Even Tour racers have adopted big tires in a big way 27:00 — GX is now the least expensive Transmission version, and it might be the best one 35:55 — Is ultrasonic carbon fiber testing coming to bike shops? 49:26 — Zach has some thoughts on ever-widening cranks 59:15 — Water, water, everywhere, and too many leftover drops to drink 1:01:05 — Check your chain wear, folks!

The crew discusses Cofidis's strong showing at the Tour, the frustration of Matteo Jorgensen, and a looming battle on the Grand Colombier. Also, José Been tells us all about the French Revolution.

The podcast crew talks about Jasper Philipsen's impressive display en route to his fourth stage win this Tour, a rare team radio highlight, Soudal-QuickStep's food, and more. Also, José Been has all the info we need on Beaujolais wine, nouveau and otherwise.

The Tour Daily crew discusses Pello Bilbao's emotional victory, breakaway dynamics at this Tour, the heat, and more after stage 10. Also, José Been tells us about Clermont-Ferrand's famous cathedral as well as the 1904 Tour de France.

Strap in Wheel Talk listeners this one is ... long. Matt and Loren are back with Abby to chat all the biggest stories from the Giro Donne and they are joined by a special guest and friend of the pod Matilda (Tils) Raynolds. They talk about this being Annemiek’s final Giro, what that means for the future, how the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift has changed the Giro and more. Hear from Niamh Fisher-Black (SD Worx), Sarah Roy (Canyon//SRAM) and Nina Kessler (Jayco-AlUla) plus some really special audio diaries from Iris Slappendel and Gracie Elvin about Annemiek’s Giro Donne journey and being her teammate. Perhaps listen to this one in two sittings, or on a long ride, but it’s definitely not one to miss!

Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano are joined by Ronan Mc Laughlin on the Tour's first rest day to talk about all the racing action so far at the Tour de France, takeaways from the Giro Donne, and what's coming up in the "second week" of the Tour. It's time to get Pretty Serious about Bike Racing!

The Tour de France can’t be that big of a deal. After all, they couldn’t even sign up 200 participants! But despite the low turnout, there’s quite the disproportionate amount of new tech to discover there, including a mysterious new Ridley aero all-rounder road racer, new tires and saddles from Specialized, a hint that a new SRAM Red groupset may be pending, new aero helmets, comfy-looking shoes, and upsized wheels from Campagnolo. We also discuss Pinarello and Tune recently changing hands, how everything new in the MTB world seems to be designed for e-bikes, the return of CNC machining, and why your suspension fork is probably feeling sadly neglected. 3:50 — A sneak peek at Ridley’s new semi-aero all-rounder 7:09 — Specialized now has road tires just for wet conditions 15:50 — Yet another 3D-printed saddle model from Specialized 21:16 — Is a new SRAM Red groupset coming soon? 27:15 — Some funky new shoes from Q36.5 29:13 — Ekoi’s got a new aero road helmet 30:31 — Campagnolo is going wide with its new Bora Ultra WTO 45 wheels 32:31 — Mmm, built-in satellite shifters 36:34 — Pinarello has a new owner 42:40 — Lightweight has purchased Tune to create a German weight-weenie powerhouse 45:35 — Garbaruk has a new CNC-machined road and gravel crankset 49:30 — CNC machining is back in a big way 56:21 — UDH isn’t coming for road bikes; it’s already here 1:05:35 — MTB R&D seems mostly aimed at e-bikes these days 1:13:49 – Your suspension fork probably isn’t working as well as you think it is

The podcast crew talks about all the action, both out front and in the GC group, on the final stage before the Tour's first rest day. Also, José Been tells us about a theme park and a great cheese, while Abby Mickey gives us the final update from the Giro Donne, where Annemiek van Vleuten secured the overall title on Sunday.

The podcast crew discusses the departure of Mark Cavendish after he came so close to a stage win and an impressive win for Mads Pedersen. Also, José Been tells us about Raymond Poulidor and volcanoes as well, while Abby Mickey gives up an update from the penultimate stage of the Giro Donne.

The podcast crew talks Jasper Philipsen's third stage win of this year's Tour, his lead-out, Mark Cavendish's chances of getting number 35, and more. Also José Been tells us about Richard the Lionheart, and Abby Mickey has a few audio diaries from the Giro Donne.

The podcast crew brings us the sounds of the Col du Tourmalet and then discusses another thrilling stage in the Pyrenees, where the yellow jersey changed hands and the GC narrative changed yet again. Also, José Been explains the upcoming stage's connections to Luis Ocaña and Bourdeaux wine, and Abby Mickey updates us on Annemiek van Vleuten's latest Giro Donne achievements.

The podcast crew had plenty to talk about after a fascinating stage 5 of the Tour de France, where Jai Hindley rode into yellow and Jonas Vingegaard took a big chunk of time on Tadej Pogačar. Caley Fretz, Iain Treloar, and Jonny Long talk about the tactics of Bora-Hansgrohe and Jumbo-Visma, the mood at UAE Team Emirates, and more. Also, José Been tells us about the plate tectonics that formed the Pyrenees, and Abby Mickey updates us on a thrilling Giro Donne stage.

The podcast crew talks sprint showdowns on motor racing circuits after Jasper Philipsen's victory in a crash-marred stage 4, and Iain Treloar makes amends for a transcription mistake. Also, José Been talks Béarnaise sauce, cheese, and more, and Abby Mickey updates on the Giro Donne, where a new leader took over the GC leaderboard after Elisa Longo Borghini crashed.

The sprinters had their day on stage 3 of the Tour de France. Did Jasper Philipsen close the door on Wout van Aert? Does it matter? The podcast crew talks that and much more. Also, José Been tells us about the Dutch connection to the part of France visited by the upcoming stage, and Abby Mickey gives up the update from stage 4 of the Giro Donne.

How long does champagne last on a hot team bus? Two stages into the 2023 Tour de France, Cofidis has a stage win that was a long, long time coming. The podcast crew talks Victor Lafay, a two-horse GC race, and the sprints ahead. Also, José Been offers some geological knowledge and Abby Mickey provides the updates from stage 3 of the Giro Donne.

The 2023 Tour de France has begun! After one stage of racing, the podcast crew in Bilbao talks Adam Yates vs. Simon Yates, Tadej Pogačar's form, radios in the broadcast, a rough start for EF, and more. Also, José Been provides all the cultural intel you need ahead of stage 2, and Abby Mickey updates us on the Giro Donne, where some big names came to the fore on Saturday.

A day before the Bilbao Grand Départ, the first episode of the Escape Collective Tour de France Daily podcast is here! Caley Fretz, Iain Treloar, Jonny Long, and Ronan Mc Laughlin are joined by Joshua Robinson to talk about the atmosphere just before the start of the 2023 Tour in the Basque Country. Also, José Been provides all the cultural intel you need ahead of stage 1, and Abby Mickey updates us on the Giro Donne.

On the final episode of this season of the Unchained Binge Podcast, we get a bit of the back of the race – the fast finishers trying to make the time cut in the mountains – plus the final fight for the yellow jersey and a sprinters' "world championships" on the Champs-Élysées.

In episode 7, we see a lot of Marc Madiot. So much Marc Madiot. We also get a really close look at how old Geraint Thomas really is, as both Gaudu and Thomas battle for one spot on the Tour de France podium.

James and Ronan attended the Eurobike trade show last week, and oh boy, did they come back with a lot to talk about. E-bikes were definitely a major theme at this year’s show – again – but there was also a bunch of high-performance goodies, tons of electronic doodads, and as always, cargo bikes galore. Also: Dave secretly wants to become a firefighter. 7:18 – A convenient way to measure saddle position 9:10 – Ronan likes the looks of the new Look 12:09 – 3T goes fully internal 13:08 – An unlikely new line of bikes from Marcel Kittel and Tony Martin 19:26 – So many amazing kid bikes 22:58 – Who said electronic shifting has to be expensive? 30:10 – Shimano’s 105 mechanical road groupset goes 12-speed 33:53 – There’s a revolution in tires coming, courtesy of Schwalbe 37:20 – Look, ma, no valve stems! 42:15 – A truly promising rethink of the rear derailleur 46:30 – Gearboxes and motors go together like peanut butter and jelly 54:01 – Cargo bikes galore 1:01:30 – NFCs are not the same as NFTs 1:03:15 – Cheap e-bike batteries can be very, very sketchy

This week, Abby Mickey is joined again by Rebecca Charlton and, for the first time on the Wheel Talk Podcast, the one and only Amy Lauren Jones. The three chat about some of the National Championships over the weekend, especially the storming performance form Pfeiffer Georgi, and preview what’s to come in the Giro Donne. For a more detailed route preview check out escapecollective.com.

With the Tour de France less than a week away, the Pretty Serious Bike Racing Podcast is here to take a closer look at all the big names set to contend this year. The crew takes on the Vingegaard vs. Pogačar debate, names some outsiders, and sizes up the stagehunters for the upcoming Grand Tour.

On this episode of The Unchained Binge Podcast, we watch one of the world's best bike racers be inexplicably bad at bike racing, we learn that one of the world's best sprinters can't remember his shoes or, unfortunately, when there is still a breakaway up the road, and we debate whether there was any real drama inside Jumbo-Visma.

On episode 5 of the Unchained Binge Podcast, we return the focus to EF and to the Ineos Grenadiers. We get a lesson in descending from Tom Pidcock, we warm up to a rider in the twilight of his career, and we learn that Neilson Powless had a good breakfast.

On this week's Placeholders, the crew takes a closer look at the route of the 2023 Tour de France, a race that will have the climbers looking forward to their chances and that should be entertaining across all three weeks.