Spin Cycle

This week Abby, Matt and Gracie answer listener questions about the Olympic road race course, the season so far, which team they would want to be on and more.Obsessions: Abby - Hook, Matt - Three Body Problem, Gracie - Slow Horses *and other TV shows

Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano break down the first two stages of the Critérium du Dauphiné, field some questions in a Q&A session, and look at what's next on the bike racing docket.Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

In this episode, Jack catches up with Ineos' young climber Carlos Rodríguez from the Parador Hotel on Tenerife, where both are located for an altitude training camp before the Tour de France. The two discuss the hardest days they've had on camp, life at altitude, how Rodriguez prepared (and what he overcame) for his Tour de France stage win last year, his university degrees, and more.

In the episode, Ronan talks to Sadie Fitton. Sadie has a Stage IV breast cancer diagnosis and recently attempted the 24-hour elevation gain world record.Stage IV, also known as Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC), is when the cancer that has moved beyond the breast to other parts of the body. It is different from earlier-stage breast cancer in that it is treatable but incurable. In the episode, Sadie tells of her journey from a prior world record attempt to cancer patient in a foreign country in a matter of weeks right the way up to a second attempt at the world record.Cancer will touch all of our lives and so this podcast is a must listen for all. Sadie tells us what we need to know about that journey and all the fantastically nerdy optimisation work that went into a 24-hour elevation record attempt. You do not want to miss that! You can follow Sadie’s journey at UpstageMBC on Instagram and donate to her fundraiser for the Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation at upstagembc.com

It's time for another bonus episode of Geek Warning.Typically, we keep these bonus episodes for subscribers and members of Escape Collective, however, this one is being left open to all as a teaser for the type of stuff you’re missing by not being a member. If you like this and want more, sign up here. This episode is about gravel tire selection and trends in the thinking that bigger is better. It all came about through an Instagram post by former WorldTour pro-turned Gravel Pro Alex Howes, who had shared just how much he had been obsessing over tire selection for the 2024 edition of Unbound Gravel. And what makes this conversation all the more interesting is that Howes isn’t sponsored by a single tire brand, but rather an online retailer that sells all the brands - biketiresdirect.Dave Rome and Howes cover a lot of ground in this one, including chatting slicks versus treads, picking the biggest volume possible, inserts or not, what to carry on a self-supported race like Unbound, and why white bar tape.If you don’t care about why, where, when, or how, and assuming the weather holds, Howes plans to race on Vittoria Terreno Zero tyres, in a 50 mm width up front and a 47 mm rear with inserts. He expects to start the day with approximately 19 psi in the front, and 24 psi rear. Still, if you find these details interesting, you’ll surely appreciate the conversation. Enjoy!

Welcome back to Geek Warning, a podcast by the Escape Collective, that covers everything to know in the world of bicycle tech. James Huang said farewell in our past episode, and with that, Dave is joined by a new voice that knows a thing or two about bicycle-related things – Brad Copeland.With a mountain bike World Cup race at Nové Město freshly finished, Dave and Brad discuss things in use by the winners, technical problems by a race favourite, and trends in tyre tech.The geeks share their favourite tubeless tyre sealants and a PSA applicable to all.It’s a relatively light week in terms of tech news, still, Brad and Dave share their thoughts on DT Swiss’ new premium gravel wheelsets, new well-priced carbon wheels from Easton, and a new gravel race jersey with its own sweat-patch.Time stamps:4:10 – Pre-Olympic tech spotted in use by Pauline Ferrand-Prevot and Tom Pidcock10:55 – Speculating about Victor Koretzky’s tech woes15:20 – Are wider tyres always better for gravel and MTB? What does that mean for the future of tyre inserts?37:25 - Pick one: tubeless tyre sealant50:05 - PSA: test your spares!57:10 - New DT Swiss GRC 1100 and 1400 Dicut gravel wheels1:08:00 - Easton’s new EC90 ALX gravel and all-road hoops1:10:40 - Castelli adds a hydration bladder to an aero jersey, so gravel

Off the back of the Transparency Report we published on the site a couple of weeks ago, we followed up with a live Discord Q&A with many of our members. We tried to turn that into a podcast, but it didn’t work very well. With so many of our members being podcast listeners, we felt it was important to do a good job at making our Transparency Report Q&A into something this significant portion of our membership would listen to. We hope you enjoy it.

For years, bikepacker Lael Wilcox wasn't sure whether she wanted to try and break the Around The World record. But with politics and climate change threatening global stability, the 36-year-old thought it was now or never, and has set out to try beat Jenny Graham's 2018 record by two weeks by circumnavigating the globe in 110 days.

Jonny Long and Ronan Mc Laughlin join Caley Fretz to discuss Pogačar's Giro effort, time trialing as a specialty, and the recovery of Vingegaard and Van Aert, and Joe Lindsey pops in to discuss Olympic selection for the United States.Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

Abby and Loren are joined this week by Matilda Raynolds and Matt de Neef to chat RideLondon Classique, Lizzy Banks, and Elisa Longo Borghini’s possible transfer, and to revisit the Wheel Talk draft!Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano break down the final week of the 2024 Giro d'Italia and discuss some of the bigger takeaways from the race as a whole.Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

Ever feel like you’d like a lighter bike? Now imagine what your current bike would feel like if it was half of your body weight. For all too many kids who are learning to ride bikes, that’s exactly what it feels like to them. Premium kids’ bikes are a relatively new category, but also one that’s rapidly growing with more brands, models, sizes, and genres than ever before. Are they expensive? As compared to what you’d find in a big-box store, sure. But when you really think about what your kid might get out of a nicer bike, what actually goes into them, and even what you might get out of them once they’ve outgrown them, the numbers become easier to justify.Fair warning: The full episode is only available to Escape Collective members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

It’s just a regular week in May, but you can bet the bike industry is its usual buzz of activity. James Huang and Dave Rome offer some strong thoughts related to Shimano’s latest release of GRX Di2. There’s chat about Felt clawing its way back into the spotlight. Of course the geeks can't ignore the return of Kona Bikes. And there are rumblings that the old Interbike tradeshow may be coming back, too.We’ve got custom bikes on our minds. We fail at picking one saddle. And there’s a PSA for all. The episode wraps with a round-up of new wheel-related things from Reynolds, Zipp, Roval, Chris King, and Hunt.And then James shares his own news. Indeed this is the last episode you’ll hear James’ voice as he hangs up his digital gauge.Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.Time stamps:2:00 - Shimano GRX 12-speed Di216:40 - Felt’s new VR endurance road bike20:25 - Kona is back!25:45 - Is the Interbike tradeshow coming back?30:40 - On our mind: would we buy our own fully custom bike?43:25 - Pick one: saddles56:45 - You get accustomed to things being crummy1:01:10 - Talking new wheel-related things from Reynolds, Zipp, Hunt, Roval, and Chris King1:11:30 - James’ heart sinking news (tear emoji)

Kit Nicholson and Jonny Long join Caley Fretz on this week's Placeholders to discuss Pogačar's benevolent dominance, Vingegaard's tattoo, and more.Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

This week Abby and Loren were joined by Matilda ‘Tils’ Raynolds to talk about the Vuelta a Burgos, Demi Vollering, and sprint finish safety. They also dove into a few of the lesser one-day events and tried to make sense of USA Cycling’s Olympic team.Obsessions: Abby - Bridgerton Season 3, Loren - her bike, Tils - Racing Unbound!Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

Cosmo Catalano and Dane Cash discuss the wholesome breakaway wins, the clear sprint leader, the shifting meta, and the dominant GC rider at the Giro d'Italia.Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

In this episode:Jack chats with teammate Matevž Govekar from a pre-Dauphiné Tenerife training camp about altitude, why teams pick various high-altitude locations, being a pro with celiac, making one's way into the pro peloton, and lots more. Sign up to be a member: https://escapecollective.com/member

This week we add some dirt to our ongoing bike position conversation as former World Tour pro and gravel privateer, Nathan Haas joins the show to discuss bike fits for gravel.Ronan quizzes Nathan on why his gravel fit is so different to his road bike setup and the polar opposite of the progressive saddle positions this podcast has covered previously. In return, Nathan explains the principles guiding his bike fitting, his hopes to become an osteopath, and the current neurology blind spot in much of bike fitting.Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network, and to get access to this full episode.

Not surprisingly given the big product launch this week, Dave and James have a lot to dive into with SRAM’s new Red AXS wireless road groupset: what’s different about it, what’s not so different, what’s been improved, and what’s stayed the same – and the thing everyone will invariably ask us, whether we’d choose that or the latest Shimano Dura-Ace. We also chat about the neat features embedded into the new Hammerhead Karoo GPS computer, and the significance of the new tire partnership between Zipp and Goodyear, Dave gets his thoughts about road bike cockpit reach off his chest, we choose our favorite tubeless plug kits, and we’re still worried about loose headsets.Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.Timestamps:2:05 – A neat detail about Chris King’s new hubs we overlooked3:51 – A clarification on our position regarding road hookless tubeless wheels and tires6:04 – The lowdown on SRAM’s new Red AXS road groupset12:22 – Do we like it?16:19 – SRAM Red AXS or Shimano Dura-Ace Di2?21:15 – Don’t call it the Hammerhead Karoo 325:45 – Goodyear’s new tires are Zipp-specific, but we’re not entirely sure why30:02 – Effective reach is an overlooked fit dimension36:50 – Pick One! Our favorite tubeless plug kits47:20 – We’re still worried about loose headsets53:08 – Ratio Technology has a neat cage option for SRAM Transmission rear derailleurs55:53 – Pirelli has gotten even more Italian

Kit Nicholson, Jonny Long, and Abby Mickey join Caley Fretz to discuss Decathlon's recent success, the Intergiro, transfers in the women's peloton, and more ...Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

Much leaked and recently teased, SRAM has now officially unveiled the latest iteration of its Red AXS road groupset. This top-tier offering introduces a new approach to shifter ergonomics and braking, along with a number of other smaller changes.Shile at the product launch, tech editor Dave Rome sat down with a few key members of SRAM’s road product and engineering team to discuss what’s new, what isn’t, and why. Following the chat about new SRAM things, Dave then sat down with the team from Hammerhead to discuss the equally new Karoo computer.You can also read our thoughts (and see photos) of these new products over at escapecollective.com.This deep dive is a bonus episode of Geek Warning podcast. Full access to such bonus episodes are typically limited to Escape Collective members, however, this one is free for all to access. If you enjoyed this content then please consider supporting our mission of being a wholly member-funded and independent media outlet. You can join at escapecollective.com/member.

This week Abby, Loren and Matt de Neef marvel over SD Worx-Protime’s Itzulia statistics, their approach to the race, and why the courses were so good. Plus, rumours!Obsessions: Abby - TTPD Live (bonus: Album Files podcast) live, Matt - Dune, Loren - the weather

Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano tackle the talking points of the Giro so far, where Tadej Pogačar and his aura of invincibility have taken control of the GC, but where plenty of stage battles have provided intrigue.Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

There are so many people who make pro cycling tick along who never get TV time, don't see the limelight, but are nonetheless indispensable. In this episode, Jack sits down with Elias, one of the bus drivers for Bahrain-Victorious to discuss his role in keeping pro cycling moving.

We know, we know, it’s been ages since we did our last Ask a Wrench episode – late January, in fact. Guilty as charged. Better late than never? But as a nice bonus, our panel of geeks had an extra-long list of repair and maintenance questions to answer this time around, like why bedding in your new brakes is important, what not to do with your fancy digital torque wrench, how to diagnose a curious front-end clunk, how to protect your fancy new bike for the long haul, the best way to fix a paint chip, and much more.Fair warning: The full episode is only available to Escape Collective members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

Welcome back to Geek Warning! This week, James and Dave have a varied conversation covering tech related to road, gravel, and mountain bike.The Giro has begun and Tadej Pogačar took a little tumble that many were quick to blame the equipment for. James and Dave discuss that such finger pointing was not warranted this time.At the opposite end of UCI disciplines, the conversation then turns to aero gains returning to professional downhill mountain bike racing.In the tech new front, the geeks praise Chris King’s new Gen 4 hubs and discuss why Forge+Bond entry into the road market may not be hugely successful. Plus there’s discussion of a new Bike Yoke dropper, Zwift’s price rises, and more.Meanwhile, a new Shimano Di2 patent has surfaced teasing wireless 13-speed shifting. Dave got Terry of BetterShifting.com on the phone to discuss the discovered patent and what it may mean.Our pick one this week is perhaps better described as a buyer’s guide to selecting a wheelset for gravel. From rim choices, to spoke choices, to hub choices, you’ll hear what our geeks prefer for their own bikes.Please jump into the comments section on our website for any feedback or questions related to the episode.Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.Time stamps:4:00 - Hookless now getting undeserved blame..9:25 - Downhill mountain bike racing getting aero?16:30 - Chris King’s new Gen 4 hubs21:45 - Forge+Bond brings its thermoplastic rims to road28:40 - Chatting with Terry of BetterShifting.com about a certain Di2 patent36:07 - e-Cargo bikes being covered by car media is on James’ mind40:50 - Picking one gravel wheelset, or at least, what we look for52:00 - A member-submitted PSA56:15 - 3T’s Strada Italia, made in Italy57:15 - Bike Yoke’s Revive V3 dropper looks great59:20 - Wolf Tooth updates its chainguides1:00:25 - Zwift price increases1:04:20 – A gimmicky indoor stationary bike on Kickstarter

On this week's Placeholders, Kit Nicholson and Jonny Long join Caley Fretz to talk Tadej Pogačar's Giro approach, Demi Vollering's Nike deal, and more.Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/member to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

Loren, Gracie and Abby have a lot to say about this year’s La Vuelta España Femenina. They discuss the final two stages, but also general takeaway from a week of racing in Spain and what it could mean for the rest of the season.The episode includes audio diaries from Maike van der Duin of Canyon-SRAM, Brodie Chapman of Lidl-Trek, Kim Cadzow of EF Education-Cannondale, Alessia Vigilia of FDJ-Suez, and Georgia Baker of Liv AlUla Jayco.Obsessions this week: Abby - The Idea of You on Amazon Prime, Loren - Low Tox Life, Gracie - The Giro! (catch her on the first 8 stages of SBS commentary).

Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano break down the action from the first few stages of the 2024 Giro d'Italia and also discuss the Vuelta España Femenina, a bit of Eschborn-Frankfurt, and what's coming up at the Giro.Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/join to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

Dan Bigham once said something along the lines of, get aero and train the body to sustain it: it's easier than getting stronger. As much as that makes sense, it's also not how we have typically thought of bike fitting. Our focus has typically been on comfort, power production, perhaps symmetry. But like so much in cycling, how we think about bike fitting is changing.In this episode of Performance Process episode Ronan is joined by Daniel Schade, CEO of Gebiomized and the fitter working with Bigham at at the Ineos Grenadiers to find a balance in those aero positions , to discuss how bike fitting is changing and the pros and cons of some of the current trends.Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/join to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

On this special episode of the Wheel Talk podcast, Abby calls up Matt de Neef to briefly discuss stages 5 and 6 of La Vuelta España Femenina, with audio diaries from Alessia Vigilia (FDJ-Suez), Kim Cadzow (EF Education-Cannondale), Georgia Baker (Liv AlUla Jayco) and Elynor Backstedt (Lidl-Trek).Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/join to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

The Sea Otter Classic just wrapped up literally a few days ago, but clearly someone forgot to turn off the tap of new bikes and gear. Cervelo just announced a redesign of its ultra-popular Aspero gravel bike, and clearly put a lot of thought into what needed to change – and perhaps more importantly, what didn’t. Colnago also just dropped a new gravel bike of its own, the G4X, and Giant finally revamped its Trinity TT bike – no more rim brakes! Dave and James also chat about the eight billion tubeless valve stems out on the market, our favorite mountain bike computer mounts, and some of the latest happenings on the industry side.Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/join to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.Timestamps:3:17 – Cervelo’s ultra-popular Aspero gravel bike gets a careful redesign10:50 – Zwift has added a whole bunch of new features, and some of them sound pretty sweet15:15 – What’s up with seemingly everyone having their own high-flow tubeless valves now?28:11 – Pick one! Our favorite mountain bike computer mounts38:54 – A dirty cassette can easily turn into a skipping chain43:22 – Colnago announces its new G4X gravel race bike58:54 – The last holdout of rim brakes in the pro peloton is no more59:30 – Enve Composites has been sold1:01:07 – What the heck is going on at Rapha?1:06:29 – More industry layoffs, this time at Cannondale

On this week's podcast, the crew looks ahead to the Giro d'Italia, where Tadej Pogačar looks like the favorite on a course that should provide wire-to-wire excitement.Escape Collective's podcasts are made possible by our members. Head on over to escapecollective.com/join to support this show and everything else on our podcast network.

In this two part-episode Loren, Gracie and Abby chat about the opening TTT of La Vuelta and what it might mean for the stages coming up. In the second segment, Abby and Loren check back in after the second stage with some audio diaries from riders on the ground including Maike van der Duin (Canyon-SRAM), Alessia Vigilia (FDJ-Suez), Georgia Baker (Liv AlUla Jayco) and Brodie Chapman (Lidl-Trek).

On this week's How the Race was Won pod, Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano break down the Tour de Romandie, where the Ineos Grenadiers put on a familiar show and where Decathlon-AG2R showed us that they are a sprinting team after all.

In this episode of Geek Warning, James is just back from the Sea Otter Classic and Dave is still thinking about chain lube and tools.On the Sea Otter front, James and Dave discuss new eco-friendlier tyres from Vittoria, new metal bikes from Ritchey and Digit, parts from 5Dev and Xpedo, along with new tools from PrestaCycle and Stan’s NoTubes. Check out James’ Sea Otter Classic galleries for visuals of what was discussed (and so so so much more).The conversation then turns to larger questions around Stages Cycling and Kona who were both missing-in-action at America’s largest trade show and cycling event.On Dave’s mind is a better way to apply chain lube following a recent video from Josh Poertner of Silca. Our PSA is less of a public service announcement and more a basic guide into figuring out where noises may be coming from in order to silence them. And then the geeks bring back the Pick One segment to discuss floor pumps.The episode finishes up with a new crank-related recall from FSA.All this and more in this week’s episode of Geek Warning – a podcast created for and funded by the members of Escape Collective.Time stamps:3:00 - Sea Otter highlights, including things from Vittoria, Ritchey, Digit, PrestaCycle, 5Dev, Xpedo, and more.26:00 - Unknowns ahead for Stages Cycling and Kona Bikes36:00 - Circling back to the HighBar helmet strap as seen at Sea Otter39:20 - A better way to apply chain lube?45:15 - Chasing down those noises52:40 - Picking one floor pump1:02:30 - An explainer on Time’s revamped pedal range1:06:00 - FSA recalls some its AGX+ gravel cranks

With Classics season in the rearview mirror, Kit Nicholson, Dane Cash, and Ronan Mc Laughlin join Caley Fretz on this week's Placeholders to ponder whether anything can or should be done to make it harder for riders to attack from so far out.

Gracie and Abby are joined this week by Rebecca Charlton to break down La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège and lament the end of the Spring season. But don’t despair! La Vuelta España Femenina kicks off on Sunday and Escape Collective is running a fantasy competition just for you! One more reason to text your cycling group chat, subscribe to the Wheel Talk Newsletter and keep an eye on your inbox to sign up.

Cosmo Catalano and Dane Cash discuss La Flèche Wallonne, where the weather made for a more interesting men's race than we often get while the women's race ended with a long-awaited win, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, where one rider's dominance made for a less intriguing finish than we might have hoped on the men's side while the women kept it suspenseful to the very end.

In this episode, Jack takes some time to reflect on a difficult few weeks. Pro cycling has ups and downs, and the entry to spring was a down. How does one get through such a period?

Death, taxes, and wild tech at Paris-Roubaix used to be the three certainties in life, but if the 2024 edition of the Queen of the cobbles taught us anything, it's that the days of wild Roubaix-specific bikes and tech are a thing of the past.In this Performance Process episode of two halves, Ronan is first joined by the crew at Specialized to talk through how the World Tour pros optimise for Paris-Roubaix in 2024 and how that compares to just a few years ago. In the second half, Ronan welcomes Swiss Side's JP Ballard onto the show once again to wrap all the cobbled classics campaign and tackle some of the more general tech questions the 2024 campaign threw up.

In this jam-packed episode, James and Dave discuss a handful of new gravel and road bikes that caught their attention during the week. Trek enters the rear Radar game to compete with Garmin, yet James’ early impressions of the CarBack raises more questions than answers.DT Swiss has just released a new mountain bike rear hub with a wholly new ratchet system, you can read about the new 240 DEG hub at escapecollective.com, and a bonus episode of Geek Warning with DT Swiss is also available, too. Meanwhile the coverage of new products from EVT, Fox, RockShox, and more continues at the end of the episode.On our mind and over the heads of the geek's families is the topic of gravel suspension. The geeks discuss who it’s for (and who it’s not), and why it’s proving to be more than a gimmick.Plus there’s a PSA, which is likely a repeat on something previously discussed, but that only makes it more important.Time stamps:3:00 - Kona’s new gravel bike for mountain bikers6:30 - FiftyOne’s new Sika road bike11:55 - Parlee’s new and unexpectedly-European-made Ouray road bike15:40 - Trek enters the rear radar game with its CarBack23:15 - DT Swiss’ 240 Ratchet DEG hub26:30 - Chatting all things gravel suspension (including Cane Creek’s Inverted answer to the space)43:25 - PSA: Your dropper needs love47:50 - Classified adds Enve to its partners list49:25 - New RockShox things50:40 - Fox overhauls its Transfer dropper53:00 - EVT enters the portable repair stand game55:10 - OnGaurd’s new RockSolid angle-grinder-resistant lock

It’s time for another bonus episode of the Geek Warning podcast. Typically only Escape Collective members have access to the full versions of these, but this week we’re feeling generous.This episode coincides with the release of DT Swiss’ Ratchet DEG system (link to review), effectively an oversized 90T version of the famous Star Ratchet design. Here, tech editor Dave Rome interviews Friso Lorscheider and Brandon Wold from DT Swiss about this new mountain bike rear hub and how it fits into the company’s modern line-up.The discussion then turns to new spokes, how to choose spokes, and an explainer on understanding DT Swiss’ wheel range names. Geek Warning, indeed.A special thank you to our members for helping to fund deep dives like this. If you're not already a member, then joining Escape Collective will help us to create more good things and provide you with access to experience it.

Jonny Long, Kit Nicholson, and Dane Cash join Caley Fretz to ponder whether the Ardennes Classics might merit some reevaluation, to discuss World Cup mountain bike racing and the NCL going on hiauts, and to look ahead to a clash between Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar.

Gracie, Loren, and Abby call in back up in the form of Matt de Neef to try and figure out what exactly happened on Sunday at the Amstel Gold Race. The shortened race impacted some teams more than others, and a top rider learned a tough lesson.

Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano discuss just exactly how the men's Amstel Gold Race was won, and how the riders who finished both first and second did lots of things right, whereas the rider whose shadow loomed large at the start only finished 22nd.

The 2024 Sea Otter Classic hasn’t even kicked off yet, but the Geek Warning crew has already got a ton of new bikes and gear to talk about this week. All-road/endurance road bikes are clearly enjoying a moment in the sun with the launch of the new BMC Roadmachine and Enve Fray, and Liv has another fresh full-suspension mountain bike landing in shops. Fox has also completely revamped its range of suspension forks for MY2025, Dave and James chat about why they’re big fans of Project321’s third-generation hubs, and James makes a desperate plea for folks to properly wash their water bottles – because mold isn’t an energy drink. Also: more product news from Chris King, Fizik, Castelli, and a neat little photo stick (you know, for the ‘gram).Timestamps:2:42 - BMC’s new RoadMachine gets more endurance’y5:43 – Another endurance/all-road bike, but this time from Enve11:52 – Another new bike from Liv that’s yet to be released by Giant15:20 – Fox revamps its entire premium fork line-up for 2025 25:00 – New hubs from Project 321 are on our mind36:05 – a PSA related to drinking germs40:25 – Chris King expands its range of internal headsets (which will fit many existing bikes)41:45 - Velcro remains Fizik’s lightest option43:20 – New Castelli Gabba for soggy days44:30 – The most niche of products: a bike photo stick

Loren is back in the studio this time with Abby and Gracie to take a deeper dive into the racing at Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift and look ahead to the upcoming Ardennes.

Caley Fretz, Jonny Long, and Kit Nicholson talk through some of the side stories that came out of the last weekend of cobbled classics and wonder aloud what can be done to make the sport safer and less full of dumb people who want to throw things at bike racers. Plus, Iain Treloar interviews two confused deer mascots.

Cosmo Catalano and Dane Cash break down Mathieu van der Poel's dominant display (again) on the cobbles, his team's spectacular showing to support him, and the battle for the podium at Paris-Roubaix, and also the crash-marred Itzulia Basque Country.