Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP
Mitch Docker
1 Listener
All episodes
Best episodes
Top 10 Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Matt Fairbrother
Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP
05/15/24 • 98 min
Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP
This episode is supported by our friends at HVNM.
The team at HVMN have an offer for all Life in the Peloton listeners with a whopping 30% offer for orders when you visit hvmn.com/lifeinthepeloton.
This episode is also supported by our friends at Pillar Performance.
Head to pillarperformance.shop and use the code LITP for 15% off your first order. Or our USA listeners, head to TheFeed.com/pillar.
Head across to RESTRAP.com to check out all their amazing products, and use the code Pelo10 for cheeky discount
RESTRAP have now opened an Australian-specific store! For Aussie listeners AU.RESTRAP.COM.
This week on Life in the Peloton we have a rider who really is one of a kind - possibly the first person to combine Enduro MTB racing and bike packing; Matthew Fairbrother.
For those of you that don’t know, as an 18 year-old Matt headed over to Europe to race in the Enduro World Series (now EDR), and ended up on an unplanned bike-packing adventure, riding between rounds as far apart as Scotland and Slovenia.
Like a lot of people, I can remember hearing about Matt at the time - this crazy kid who was riding a massive Enduro MTB between races - and then still competing for results in a competition as difficult as Enduro, which (as I’ve learned) requires some amazing technical skills on the MTB. His adventures really caught on, and since then he has managed to travel the world with the support of the MTB community, making his a really incredible and unique journey with the bike.
As I’ve gotten to know Matt, I thought it was the perfect time to dive in to his story and to understand how this concept of mixing bike-packing and Enduro MTB came to be, and, interestingly for me, what it was like to be totally alone with just a bike and a few dollars in Europe. For many of us roadies who think that travelling to Europe to race for a team is a lonely experience - you really have to check this pod out and hear how tough things can really be!
Above all else Matt has a really cool outlook on life, and I’ve had such a great time learning from him, and of course having the chance to make this pod!
Cheers!
Mitch
1 Listener
NZ MTB Rally
Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP
05/01/24 • 91 min
Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP
After dipping my toes into MTB Enduro on the pod a few weeks back, in this episode of Life in the Peloton I dive right in, at one of the best Enduro events in the world, the NZ MTB Rally.
The NZ MTB Rally is a six-day Enduro event that takes place around Nelson on the South Island of New Zealand. Nelson is the place to head to for a lot of the Kiwi Enduro riders, and each day promised some absolutely incredible trails, as well as amazing scenery (even if I didn’t have much time for that).
As much as the NZ MTB Rally is a race - the overall feel was that the organisers had gone out of their way to fit as much of the best stuff they could into every day, so every competitor would get the most out of their experience.
As is the format of Enduro racing each day was broken down into four to seven timed downhill stages, and the nights were a chance to kick back and catch up with everyone over a few beers.
For someone who was very new to the sport it really was a challenge to take part in an event like this. There is nothing quite like waking up and seeing you’ve yet another double black ++ trail ahead of you... but I really wanted to discover what it was about this intimidating area of the sport that makes it so addictive to the people who take part in it.
While I was there, I spoke to a huge cast of riders and racers from all over the world, as well as many of the locals who know and love these trails, in order to get the best possible idea of what it was all about.
After my lessons from Paul Van Der Ploeg back in Australia, and thanks again to some help on the road from Matt Fairbrother, I was able to not only enjoy the riding but also to become part of the community that makes the sport what it is.
It is one thing to learn to ride some DH but to actually be a part of the event, taking the helicopter rides up the mountain, committing to dropping in (and trying to work out why downhill mountain bikers wear their helmets at dinner) was really a fantastic experience.
If you’re curious about what these events are all about, or even if you just fancy following along on my journey way out of my element, then give this a listen. It opened my eyes and I hope that it’ll do the same for you - and maybe make sliding off the side of a mountain something you give a go for yourself!
Cheers!
Mitch
This episode is supported by our friends at HVNM. Visit hvmn.com/LIFEINTHEPELOTON for 30% off your first subscription order (discount automatically applied at checkout).
Where do you sit in the PELO? Come and join the life in the peloton membership in Echelon or back in Doom line.
1 Listener
The Race Communiqué - Episode 4
Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP
04/24/24 • 61 min
Well, we are coming towards the end of an absolutely action-packed month of pro racing, which can mean only one thing; it’s time for another Race Communiqué!
As you all know by now, this is my chance to dive back into the pro peloton with current Jayco-Alula rider, and former teammate, Luke Durbridge and my former DS (and even teammate - way, way back in the day!) EF Education - Easypost D.S. Tom Southam.
Both Tom and Luke have just arrived back from the Ardennes where they each had their own take to share about their experiences there. Luke can tell us what is like to race one of the most epic Flèche Walloons in recent history in freezing snow and ice, and Tom can tell us all about his struggles to get the heating just right while he was sat back in the comfort of the team car! In all seriousness, it was a crazy week of racing to wrap up the Classics and we had a great chat about the experiences at the Ardennes whilst wrapping up what we saw earlier in the month at the Cobbled Classics.
As well as the racing chat we have our usual segments, with Luke putting his theory on the table that the days of the old-school feed zones are over for good, and Tom gives us a rare glimpse at one of the most important parts of some real race communiques: UCI fines, who is getting what and why - you may be surprised to hear what goes on back there!
With the Giro only a few weeks away we also took some time to preview the upcoming action in Italy, as well as start to get ourselves ready for the Escape Collective's Fantasy Competition, which we will all be taking part in next month in the special Life in the Peloton league which you can of course join and take all three of us on whilst the race is going.
Catching up with these guys is always so much fun, and even though I don’t miss the stress of getting rain jackets or feedbags in the races, I do I love hearing the insight as to how the peloton keeps evolving.
Sit back, relax and enjoy.
Cheers,
Mitch
1 Listener
Talking Luft Top 6's! Giro d'Italia's Most Influential with Harry Dowdney
Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP
05/08/24 • 59 min
Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP
What else could we be talking about on Talking Luft Top 6 this week other than the Giro d’Italia!
My guest on this episode of the pod is one of the many people who keep the sport looking and sounding so cool from the other side of the lens, film producer and director, Harry Dowdney.
Harry has been behind the camera in some of the most memorable cycling films of the past few years - on more than one occasion he had me dressed in retro gear retracing the steps of riders from some insane ride from another era.
More than that though, Harry is an expert cycling fan who loves the Giro – if you ever needed any proof of that go and check out who is currently leading the Escape Collective Fantasy Giro competition!
The Giro is a race that people love, it sums up the feel of racing in Italy; the style, the passion, the food, the mountains, and the people – it all adds up to being a special race and it made choosing our own personal top 6 most influential things a lot of fun.
This week we had some great picks, we go through some classic editions of the race and get to discuss some of those iconic Italian mountains that we love (or hate - depending on if you’re riding). Of course, any Giro chat wouldn’t be complete without throwing in some of those larger-than-life icons of Italian cycling too. We had so much to work with – I could have done a whole pod just on our favourite Cipollini looks to be honest!
I was so happy to have Harry on for this pod – he clearly loves the race and his knowledge of the details of so many Giri is incredible. I was buzzing after making this one, so chuck it on when you settle down for one of those sprint stages and enjoy!
Cheers!
Mitch
This episode is supported by our friends at HVNM. Visit hvmn.com/LIFEINTHEPELOTON for 30% off your first subscription order (discount automatically applied at checkout).
This episode is supported by our friends at Pillar Performance.
1 Listener
Talking Luft! 3.0 with Luke Durbridge. S3. E7
Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP
04/13/22 • 30 min
Rapha presents Talking Luft!
Luke (Durbo) Durbridge has been on Talking Luft before – both 1.0 and 2.0, so this week it’s Talking Luft 3.0 – and I had something a little different lined up for him.
It’s Cobbled Classics time, he’s up in Holland getting ready for Paris-Roubaix & I thought I’d test his knowledge on the race & a whole lot more.
Can he name 5 Paris–Roubaix cobbled sectors?
Does he know how many metres the Roubaix velodrome is?
Who was best known in the peloton for the cut-off casquette?
Most importantly, I ask him questions about the history of cap style, bikes & beers, plus I throw him some scenarios that aren’t too far from what might happen out on a training ride.
It's another week of laughs, because let’s be honest, I really just could chat to him all day. If you haven’t listened to our Classics episode from last week, it’s the perfect warm up for Paris-Roubaix this weekend.
For now, enjoy this bit of fun, something completely different to our usual Talking Luft. How do you score against Durbo?
Cheers,
Mitch
ListenListen & subscribe to this series on the Life in the Peloton website, at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher, Youtube or your favourite pod app.
Show NotesEpisode breakdown:
0:00min to 2:00 – Snippet from last week’s ‘Talking Cobbled Classics‘ episode with Luke Durbridge
2:00min to 4:00 – Intro to Talking Luft 3.0
4:00min to 29:50 – Talking Luft 3.0 – The Quiz – with Luke Durbridge
29:50 to end – Outro
. . .
This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.
. . .
Keep in touchFind all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com
Listen on all good podcast apps, and now on Youtube.
Follow us on socials:
Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton
Twitter: @lifeinthepelo
MerchParis-Roubaix Caps are back for the classics! Jump over to our online shop to grab one now.
Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..
Theme MusicThe theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the Andre Greipel episode of Life in the Peloton.
SubscribeSign up to Life in the Peloton email updates to get the latest episodes and merch news straight to your inbox.
Talking Luft! with Allan (Alby) Iacuone. S3. E01.
Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP
01/19/22 • 44 min
Rapha presents Talking Luft!
G’day everyone, Talking Luft is back for 2022!
But what is Talking Luft? Well, it’s really just a little extra chat I have with guests that I speak with on Life In the Peloton the previous week. A bit like the DVD Extras, it’s the break away series where I try to find out that little bit more about them and their cycling style. It's a little bit laidback and a lot of fun.
This season I've broken the episodes up into 4 topics: Style, Bikes, Culture & About You - with an exciting bunch of new questions for 2022.
On last week's episode “How not to train like a Pro," I spoke with my old coach, and returning guest, Kevin Poulton about entering a new era of my life - life after pro cycling - and how I go about training now while still keeping as much form as possible. Both Kev and I had already featured on Talking Luft, so I was searching for a new guest that would fit.
Meet local Melbourne cycling legend Allan ‘Alby’ Iacuone. He was previous Australian champion in 1994, rode professionally overseas many moons ago and has continued to hold his form while rejoining the rat race of normal life. He has mastered the 'How to not train like a pro' while continuing to hold pro form! The perfect guest.
Alby has a very likeable personality as you'll hear, he is currently the coordinator of the Rapha Cycling Club and is known around the Australian cycling scene as a real local legend - the perfect guy to talk some Luft with.
It was great recording at the Melbourne Rapha Clubhouse and I loved hearing Alby's stories.
Enjoy the first ep of 2022 and stay tuned next week for a great new episode of Life in the Peloton with Stuart O'Grady.
Cheers,
Mitch
Show NotesWatch the highlights that we chat about for Alby's 'Most Rewatchable Race' - the Tour de France 1992 - Stage 13, it's epic!
https://youtu.be/JbDLVTMr0V4
. . .
This episode is brought to you by Rapha, makers of the world’s finest cycling clothing & accessories and the worlds largest cycling club, RCC. Find out more about Rapha: their kit, their club, their events and awesome clubhouses at rapha.cc.
. . .
Episode breakdown:
0:00 to 2.30 Snippet from LITP Episode 1- How Not to train like a Pro with Kevin Poulton
2:30 to 6:10 Introduction to Talking Luft presented by Rapha
6:10 to 19:55 Introducing Alby Iacuone
19:55 to 43:20 Talking Luft! with Alby
43:20 to end Outro
ListenListen to this series on at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, GooglePlay, Stitcher or your favourite pod app.
Keep in touchFind all our episodes, LITP news and merch on our website www.lifeinthepeloton.com
Listen to our short spin off series Talking Luft presented by Rapha – much like DVD Extras, every second week.
Follow us on socials:
Instagram: @lifeinthepeloton
Twitter: @lifeinthepelo
MerchLITP x ÇOIS Cycling: Find the last sizes of the Road Worlds Collection at coiscycling.com. Snapbacks have now been restocked. Shop now!
LITP Cycling Caps: Jump over to our online shop to grab one.
Shop LITP casual Merch anytime online at our store. From casual caps to mugs, embroidered tees, logo tees, sweaters and much more..
Theme MusicThe theme music for Life in the Peloton was composed by Pete Shelley, who was lead singer of the punk band Buzzcocks. It was commissioned by the production company behind Channel 4’s coverage of the Tour de France in the 1980s and was used as the theme music for the nightly highlights show. Pete died in December 2018. We were given permission by Pete’s widow and his manager to continue using the music for the theme tune to Life in the Peloton. To hear more about the music, listen to the
Sleep
Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP
07/03/24 • 78 min
Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP
In this week’s episode of Life in the Peloton, I’m learning more about one of the most important parts of life; sleep.
When I retired from the professional peloton a few years ago, we were already wearing sleep tracking devices and starting to tap into how we can improve our sleep and, therefore, our performance. Since then, professional cyclists have stepped it up another notch and are hunting out those 1% gains to help improve the quality & quantity of their sleep.
I spoke to Dr. Ian Dunican - an expert on the topic - to find out more about how important sleep is, what we can do to get better quality sleep, and what happens to us if we neglect it.
Dr Ian’s a keen ultra distance swimmer and practices jiu jitsu, so he understands the importance of recovery and sleep better than most. We spoke about the increased societal awareness of sleep, and how humans today are so much busier than they were a few decades ago - stretching themselves even more thinly and putting even more onus on getting good quality shut eye to keep ourselves healthy.
Sleep science is a relatively new discipline, and Dr Ian talked to me about the different phases and cycles of sleep, various sleep disorders that a huge percentage of the population struggle with, and seemingly minor environmental factors that can have a massive bearing on how well we’re sleeping.
I also wanted to know about sleep and pro cycling. Sometimes you’re so tired from a stage race that no matter how long you sleep for you never feel truly wide awake. Dr Ian gave me some great tips about optimizing sleep around competition, and debunked a lot of popular myths around wearable devices and biohacking - which I found super eye opening.
Next, I spoke to my old team mate; Lawson Craddock. Lawdog currently rides for Jayco AlUla and is one of the first riders I remember seeing pick up a wearable sleep tracking device and look more closely at his own sleep and what changes he could make to improve it. We spoke about how much things have changed in the pelo’ in just a few years, and how things Lawson was doing earlier in his career have become the new normal amongst other pro riders.
I was blown away by how much there is to learn about sleep, and what a massive difference it can make. I’ve always been someone who thinks they can get away with 5-6 hours sleep a night and still function pretty well throughout the day, but, after chatting to Dr Ian and Lawdog, I need to rethink my sleep schedule.
Cheers!
Mitch
This episode is supported by our friends at Pillar Performance.
The Life in the Peloton book is OUT NOW! Get your copy now exclusively at maap.cc! Can’t wait for you to read it.
What is Enduro? With Paul Van Der Ploeg and Matt Fairbrother
Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP
04/17/24 • 62 min
Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP
Since retiring from the pro pelo, I’ve been itching to dip my toes into as many different cycling disciplines as possible. I raced on drop handlebars and skinny tyres for over a decade, now I want a heap of new challenges to tackle on the bike.
I love getting out and exploring on my gravel bike, and I’ve tried my hand at some gravel races; but the bikes and bunch dynamics feel a little too similar to road racing sometimes. I want to get out of my comfort zone!
Cross-country mountain biking was the natural next step. I started out by exploring my own backyard on the rowdy moto tracks in the Cobaws, then some races in Aussie events like Otway Odyssey, Reef to Reef, and Cape to Cape. Every time I got on the XC bike I felt like my skills were improving and I was growing more and more confident - the same feeling I had all those years ago when I first got into road cycling as a youngster. It was new, challenging, and I could feel the progression with every ride. My cross-country journey hit new heights at the end of last year as I took on the creme de la creme of XC MTB; the Cape Epic, alongside my good mate and fellow retired road racer, Ian Boswell.
Despite completing one of the biggest mountain bike races on the planet, I still feel like there’s more to explore in the world of flat handlebars, chunky tyres, and suspension. I want to keep working on my skills and pushing myself in areas other than pure fitness. That’s why I’m diving headfirst into the world of Enduro.
Enduro is the perfect next step on my mountain biking journey; there’s some pedalling, sure, but it’s more about technique, skill, and balls! In Enduro racing it’s all about the downhill - only the descents are timed. Nobody gives a fuck how fast you can climb, you just need to get to the top so you can send the next trail. Riders race multiple stages throughout an event, and at the end the lowest cumulative time wins.
I started by chatting to Paul Van Der Ploeg. A great bloke, and a fantastic mentor to show me the ropes and teach me the basics, Paul and I headed out to Mount Macedon so he could critique my technique and give me some pointers. Paul has raced all sorts of bikes over the years, and even became a world champion himself in the Cross Country Eliminator in 2013, but was humble enough to strip it all back and teach this newbie some basics.
Next, I spoke to Matt Fairbrother. Only 20 years old and hailing from Christchurch in New Zealand, Matt is a ripping Enduro racer who made a name for himself by bikepacking his way between the races at the Enduro World Series - sometimes thousands of kilometres at a time! Matt and I had a chat on the road to the New Zealand MTB Rally; a brand new event that I’ll be taking on to help me better understand the world of enduro. Despite being almost half my age, Matt’s one of the most experienced riders out there and shared a lot of his wisdom with me on a road trip down the coast of the South Island from Christchurch to Nelson. When we arrived we had a couple of days to spare before the racing started, so Matt took me out to some of his favourite trails in Nelson City and Cable Bay to show me the race course so we could pre-ride, re-ride, and then free ride!
We also spoke about the tech side of enduro. I’ve not got much clue when it comes to tyre selection or suspension settings - so I spoke to Paul and Matt about the bikes to get some pointers. I even learnt that my bike’s got a mullet just like me!
There’s so much for me to learn about all things mountain biking, but I’m loving being a beginner again and soaking it all in! Have a listen to me talking to some real experts as I send it into the world of enduro.
Cheers!
Mitch
The Leadout Men
Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP
07/05/23 • 86 min
Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by Rapha
Well, it is Tour time, and I ́m taking this opportunity to look at one of the most fascinating technical aspects of pro racing – the art of the lead-out. And what better time to do it than right now, at the beginning of the Tour de France, so you can sit back and watch the adrenaline-charged sprint finishes, with a deeper understanding of the game of chess that is playing out on the road.
The idea of the designated lead-out man is something that has only really gained traction in the pro peloton in the modern era, and in that time, we have seen some incredibly talented lead-out riders, that put aside their own winning aspirations and built their careers on leading out others for the win. I spoke to some of the biggest names in the game – Mark Renshaw, Michael Morkov, Brett Lancaster, Koen de Kort, Roger Kluge, and Freddie Rodriguez. They have worked with some of the most successful sprinters of the modern era – Mark Cavendish, Robbie McEwen, Andre Greipel, and Alessandro Petacchi, to name just a few.
The depth of experience with the riders in this episode is exceptional, and I wanted to find out how they had become lead-out riders, what the evolution was like, from trying to win races themselves, to suddenly finding themselves leading out others for the win. It was interesting to hear about how quickly this change can happen and about the necessity of finding your niche in the peloton which is so important to the longevity of your career.
The lead out is a role where you don ́t get the big accolades, and you don ́t get to stand on the top step yourself, but you can get plenty of recognition and job satisfaction for playing an important role in winning big races, and that was something that really came across for all of these riders - how accepting your role in the team and leaning into it, can become even more satisfying than vying for smaller wins yourself.
I wanted to ask some big questions: when you find yourself in the lead with 200m to go, how tempting is it to go for the win yourself, and why does a sprinter even need a lead-out? There were some fascinating insights into the split-second decisions, the adrenaline rush, the importance of trusting your lead out, calculating risks, and learning to switch off your mind in order to get the job done, the sacrifices that are made when you ride in service of another rider that gets the glory of winning, and what is it like working with these typically very explosive personalities.
I had a lot of fun putting this episode together and I loved hearing about the intricacies of the lead-out, and I hope you get plenty out of it to take into your TDF watching this year!
Cheers,
Mitch
Grassroots to World Tour with Luke Plapp
Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP
02/07/24 • 49 min
Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP
As things are wrapping up on a fantastic Aussie summer of racing, I’ve got one more piece of Australiana for the pod: three-time Aussie national road champion Luke Plapp.
This was a really cool pod for me to record. Both Luke and I are members (and started out) at the Brunswick Cycling Club, here in Melbourne. I happily took the opportunity to go back to the Brunswick Velodrome to catch up with Luke a few weeks ago, in what was the early phase of his build-up to what he hopes will be a breakout season.
Even though he’s still only twenty-three, it seems like ‘Plappy’ has achieved a lot in a short space of time. Before turning pro with Ineos in 2022, he was a decorated track cyclist, picking up Olympic and Commonwealth Games medals, as well as a junior world title.
It’s been such a fast rise, I was really keen to get the whole story from Luke: going from a sports-obsessed kid in Melbourne, his time on the track, and turning pro with one of the biggest teams in the world.
I also wanted to know about how he’d adapted to life as a pro in Europe and to hear about the challenges that he faced having turned professional with limited exposure to racing and living over there.
Like a lot of champions, Luke has a great ability to recognise and work on the things that will help him improve. It was really eye-opening for me to have such a humble conversation with someone in his position. I think it’s a great listen because of this, and there is a lot in his approach that could be of real interest to you guys at home.
Indulge in the last rays of the Aussie summer, and give this a listen; you’re gonna love it!
Cheers!
Mitch
Show more best episodes
Show more best episodes
FAQ
How many episodes does Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP have?
Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP currently has 243 episodes available.
What topics does Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP cover?
The podcast is about Health & Fitness, Fitness, Podcasts, Sports and Wilderness.
What is the most popular episode on Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP?
The episode title 'NZ MTB Rally' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP?
The average episode length on Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP is 51 minutes.
How often are episodes of Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP released?
Episodes of Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP?
The first episode of Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP was released on Jan 27, 2016.
Show more FAQ
Show more FAQ