The British Continental
British Conti
Stories about British bike racing, teams and riders.
All episodes
Best episodes
Seasons
Top 10 The British Continental Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The British Continental episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The British Continental 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 The British Continental episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
National Road Series and CiCLE Classic preview with Sian Botteley, Sarah King and Monica Greenwood
The British Continental
03/11/24 • 58 min
With the 2024 National Road Series just around the corner, The British Continental podcast is back with a preview of the women's National Road Series and the upcoming ANEXO/CAMS CiCLE Classic, one of the most important elite road races on the British calendar.
Host Denny Gray gathers an insightful panel including Sarah King, the inspirational London Academy manager, and DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK rider Sian Botteley - one of the main protagonists of last year's CiCLE Classic - to discuss what to expect from this year women's National Road Series and why it matters.
The trio also look ahead to this Sunday's ANEXO/CAMOS CiCLE Classic (17 March), which has a stellar startlist. The race occupies a distinctive niche in the UK road racing calendar with its challenging off-road sectors. Its recent rescheduling to March has increased its unpredictability and the harshness of racing conditions. Denny, Sarah and Sian discuss the tricky parcours and how to approach it, and pick out riders and teams to watch.
We also hear from Monica Greenwood, the reigning National Road Series champion. Greenwood shares her pivotal 'now or never' decision to embrace full-time racing at the start of 2023, leading to a standout season. She offers an insider's view on clinching the National Road Series title and expresses her eagerness to compete in the Series again this year, despite her progression to Team Coop-Repsol. Having narrowly missed out on the win at last season's CiCLE Classic, Greenwood has unfinished business at this time around.
Rapha presents The British Continental.
2021 Baby Giro Diaries | Stage 2
The British Continental
06/04/21 • 15 min
Welcome to the second of our daily shows following this year’s U23 Giro d’Italia.
After each stage, we are bringing you short round-ups of the day’s action, together with audio diaries from the British-registered Holdsworth-Zappi team, Trinity Racing’s Tom Gloag, and SEG Racing and Rayner Foundation rider Harrison Wood.
Stage 2 from Riccione to Imola was 138.2 kilometres long and featured two categorised climbs, both positioned towards the back end of the stage. The last of the climbs, the Cima Gallisterna, was also the final climb in last year’s world road race championships.
The race itself began with the familiar sight of an early break while the rest of the peloton held its fire. The break featured four riders, including Holdsworth-Zappi’s Connor Sens. It was never allowed more than about three minutes, however, and was brought back with around 40 kilometres to go.
Pre-race favourite Juan Ayuso punched clear to lead solo over the top of the Gallisterna. He was joined by his Colpack Ballan teammate Alessandro Verre and Henok Mulubrhan of Team Qhubeka. Despite having just a slender lead, they held off the chasers on the downhill finish, with Ayuso taking the win.
The result moves 18-year-old Ayuso into the overall lead. It’s early days in the race, but given his form this year, it would not be a surprise to see him hold on to pink all the way to the end of the race.
Behind Ayuso, Trinity Racing’s Ben Turner picked up yet another top 10, finishing 8 seconds back in 7th, while our diarist Tom Gloag was also in the mix, crossing the line in 14th at 11 seconds.
It was less positive news for his teammate Ben Healy’s GC hopes, though, as he lost almost two minutes, while diarist Harrison Wood came in in 77th, around three minutes down.
The other Brit, Ollie Rees, endured another tough day, crossing the line 160th. Holdsworth-Zappi’s best finisher, meanwhile, was the Dutch rider Daan Hoeks, in 53rd.
The next stage – stage 3 – is from Cesenatico-Cesenatico. It’s 133km long and features over 2000m of climbing. Most of the climbing comes in the middle of the stage, however, so it’s more likely to be a breakaway day or a reduced bunch finish than a major GC stage.
In our diaries today, we hear first from Tom, who seems pleased with his day’s work despite the heat. Harrison then tells us he didn’t quite have the legs today but is hoping for better as the race progresses, and we also hear from his roommate, the Italian Marco Frigo, who shares his thoughts about stage 3. Finally, we hear from a disappointed Holdsworth-Zappi manager Callum Ferguson, whose team's GC hopes were dashed today. He once again provides a fascinating insight into the logistical challenges that teams like his face and is hopeful his team can turn their fortunes around as the race develops.
Rapha presents The British Continental.
2021 Baby Giro Diaries | Stage 9
The British Continental
06/11/21 • 14 min
Stage 9. The last mountain stage, the penultimate stage of the race., and with only a flat final stage to come, this was the last opportunity for the GC riders to get one up on their nearest rivals, the last chance for the mountain goats to earn a potentially career-changing stage win.
There were no killer gradients, no monstrous extreme altitude climbs. But with climbing from the start, three category one climbs, a category three climb, and over 3000 metres of vertical gain, this was no easy stage either. The stage finished with two ascents of the Nevegal climb, and it was on these slopes that the decisive action occurred.
The early stages of the race were more about whittling down the bunch than establishing breakaways and after about 80 kilometres, only around 45 riders were left in the peloton. As they passed through the town of Belluno there was a fright for the Maglia Rosa Juan Ayuso and our diarist Tom Gloag, who both fell on the cobblestone streets. But they recovered quickly and rejoined the reduced bunch well before the major action began.
On the first pass on the Nevegal, Trinity Racing drove things, whittling the bunch down yet further and as they crested the summit there were just twenty riders left in the group. Development Team DSM then took up the pace until, in the last 6 kilometres, there were unsuccessful attacks from our diarist Tom Gloag, Asbjorn Hellemose and then Anders Johannessen. It was Yannis Voisard from the Swiss Racing Academy who then seized the moment and his attack stuck, earning him his first ever UCI race win.
Behind him, Ayuso led in a fractured lead group, with the other Johannessen, Tobias Halland, on his wheel. Tom Gloag crossed the line in sixth just a few seconds later.
Our other diarist Harrison was the next best Brit in 21st, a minute and 25 seconds behind the stage winner. Ben Healy, who did a lot of work for Tom during the stage, finished 25th.
On GC, Tom remains 4th and looks likely to stay there, barring disaster or a superlative final stage ambush. His teammate Ben Healy, one of the most aggressive riders in this year’s race, now lies 15th, while Harrison has made it into the top 20, sitting 19th overall.
The final stage from San Vito al Tagliamento to Castelfranco Veneto feels a little anti-climatic given its relatively flat nature. It’s unlikely to result in any major GC changes. But with tired legs and a few hills in the middle of the stage, a bunch sprint isn’t a foregone conclusion either. So this could be one for the break, perhaps even Ben Turner, who has continued to look incredibly strong. Let’s see...
We have the pleasure of dispatches from both Harrison and Tom once again in our diary segment. It was an eventful stage for them both. Harrison was on the attack, crashed hard and yet was still at the pointy end of the race right until the final slopes. Tom sounds tired, and understandably so, after throwing the kitchen sink at his GC rivals. Like Harrison, he crashed too, although says he came off pretty lightly.
Rapha presents The British Continental.
Mark Stewart | Locked down, dropped, and feeling better than ever
The British Continental
03/05/21 • 59 min
We’re really pleased to bring you what is perhaps the most fascinating podcast interview we’ve done so far.
It’s a conversation with 25-year-old Scottish cyclist Mark Stewart. Mark has ridden for the Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling team since 2019 and, until last year, had been a long-term member of Great Britain’s track squad.
Over the years he has proven himself to be one of the finest endurance track cyclists around, winning national titles, World Cup golds, and a Commonwealth Games gold in the points race.
After the track world championships in 2020, Mark flew out to New Zealand to visit his girlfriend, fellow track cyclist Emma Cumming. Just days later, the borders closed around him, effectively locking him. And then, just a week after that, British Cycling told him he was dropped from the track programme. That might seem like a pretty tough hand to be dealt in what was then an Olympic year.
As Mark explains though, he’s actually never been happier. He’s landed on his feet, being warmly welcomed into the cycling community in New Zealand, enjoying a new sense of freedom and raring to race his bike again. This newfound perspective has paid dividends for him on the track and road. Thanks to the generosity of the New Zealand cycling federation, he’s been allowed to ride the country’s national championships and he’s taken full advantage, winning the New Zealand omnium championships, finishing second in the road race championships behind George Bennett and then, just after we spoke, finishing second in the individual pursuit.
In the interview, Mark recounts his incredible year, from the shock of being dropped by GB to finding a new, happy balance in life. He explains why leaving the GB track programme has been a blessing in disguise, contrasts the approaches of the GB and New Zealand track programmes, tells us about the amazing community he’s found himself in and talks us through his incredible ride to finish second in the New Zealand road race championships.
Mark was an eloquent, thoughtful and candid interviewee, so we really hope you enjoy this one as much as we did.
Rapha presents The British Continental.
Jake Scott | Domestic rider of the season?
The British Continental
09/27/21 • 104 min
Our latest episode is an extended interview with one of the domestic riders of the season, Jake Scott.
Now 26, the self-coached Canyon dhb SunGod rider who works part-time in a bike shop to earn a living has had an excellent year. On the road, his standout results include winning the National Road Series, victory at the Beaumont Trophy, 2nd in the Lancaster Grand Prix, 2nd at the Ilkley Cycle Races and 11th at the Heistse Pijl race in Belgium. And on the mountain bike, he won the National MTB Marathon Championships, a result which earned him a ticket to the world MTB Marathon Championships.
Perhaps most notably though, he put in a series of attacking displays at the Tour of Britain, featuring in the break day after day, a feat which earned both the Eisberg Sprints and SKODA King of the Mountains competitions.
Jake was the very first person we interviewed for this podcast, way back in the heady pre-Covid days of September 2019. Back then it was Greg Trowman who interviewed Jake, and we're pleased to say that Greg dusted off his mic for a reunion. They met up just before Jake’s Beaumont win and his trip to the MTB marathon worlds to record this interview. It’s a long one, but it’s well worth a listen. A fascinating insight into how the last 12 months have been for Jake.
Don't forget, listeners can get 10% off at luxury skincare brand VeloSkin by using the code TBC-10 at veloskin.cc.
Rapha presents The British Continental.
2021 Baby Giro Diaries | Stage 4
The British Continental
06/07/21 • 11 min
Welcome to stage 4 of our Baby Giro diary show, which comes after a great day for the Brits. As usual, we’ll bring you a short round-up of the day’s action, together with diary entries from Trinity Racing’s Tom Gloag, SEG Racing Academy’s Harrison Wood and Holdsworth-Zappi manager Callum Ferguson.
Stage 4 was a pan flat 25-kilometre individual time trial from Sorbolo Mezzani to Guastalla. Time trials of this length are a rarity at the under-23 level, so it wasn’t completely clear which riders the course would suit. Harrison’s tip for the stage win, his teammate Daan Hoole, was one of the early leaders, eventually finishing in 7th. Tom’s teammate Ben Healy was also in the hot seat for a while before being knocked off the top spot by just one second to Italian Filippo Baroncini from the powerful Colpack Ballan team. Healy nonetheless finished second on the stage, and was joined on the podium by Trinity Racing’s other Ben – Turner – who continued his fine run of form with third.
Most of the main overall favourites managed strong results, keeping their GC ambitions intact, including Tom Gloag. He finished 22nd, just over a minute down, which must be regarded as a good result for someone who admitted on yesterday’s show that he’s had little time trialling practice of late. Harrison put in a solid if unspectacular ride to finish 64th, while Holdsworth-Zappi’s best finisher was once again Daan Hoeks, who was 28th.
All this means that Ben Turner is now the new Maglia Rosa, leading the stage winner Filippo Baroncini by just one second overall. Tom moves up to 15th overall, just over one minute back, while Ben Healy has clawed some time back and is now just under two minutes down in 28th.
Next up, Stage 5 is from Fanano to Sestola. It’s 142 kilometres long and ends with two category one climbs. It’s the same finish used in the elite Giro last month on stage 4 won from the break by Joe Dombrowski. It should result in another GC shake-up and one of the big questions for those with British interests will be whether Ben Turner can hang on to pink.
In our diaries, we hear first from an understandably jubilant Tom, who reports that team morale is now sky-high. Tom’s buoyant mood contrasts with disappointment and exhaustion for Harrison and Callum. Both report that they didn’t get the respective performances they were hoping for, while Callum also had some tricky logistical issues to negotiate too.
Rapha presents The British Continental.
Reviving British road racing: an interview with Jon Dutton OBE, British Cycling's CEO
The British Continental
06/04/24 • 32 min
Welcome back to another episode of The British Continental podcast, where we delve deep into the world of domestic road racing, bringing you stories, insights, and conversations with the people shaping the sport.
In this episode, we have the honour of speaking with Jon Dutton OBE, the Chief Executive of British Cycling.
Jon has been at the helm of British Cycling since April 2023. With a wealth of experience in sports management and a deep passion for cycling, Jon is uniquely positioned to discuss the current state of British cycling, its future direction, and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
We speak to him on the eve of the Tour of Britain Women, an event that British Cycling has stepped in to save and revive after the demise of the Women's Tour and its organiser, Sweespot.
In our conversation, Jon shares the behind-the-scenes efforts that have gone into organising the race, the strategic decisions made to ensure its success, and British Cycling’s ambitions for the Tour of Britain Men too.
We also revisit the Elite Road Racing Task Force, something we discussed with Task Force Chair Ed Clancy OBE in a previous episode. The Task Force was set up in August 2023 by British Cycling with the aim of energising the elite road racing scene. Its recommendations were published in January 2024, and I ask him when British Cycling will begin to implement the recommendations, given Jon's previous emphasis on the need for the Task Force process to deliver 'immediate progress'.
We conclude by discussing British Cycling’s new sponsorship deal with Lloyds Bank and what that will mean for the sport’s elite level.
Rapha presents The British Continental.
Tour of Britain diaries | Stage 7 (ft Colin Sturgess, Rory Townsend, Bob Donaldson, Andy Turner & Ryan Christensen)
The British Continental
09/11/21 • 24 min
The break had its day on Stage 7 and we very nearly had the first-ever stage win by a British Continental team at the Tour of Britain. With plenty to reflect on, our diary dispatches today come from Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling DS Colin Sturgess, Canyon dhb SunGod pair Rory Towsend and Ryan Christensen, SwiftCarbon Pro Cycling's Andy Turner and Bob Donaldson from the Great Britain team.
Stage summary
Stage 7 from Hawick to Edinburgh was a day for the break. As on stage 6, just getting into the break was a battle in itself, with six riders eventually going decisively clear.
The sextet was Deceuninck–QuickStep pair Yves Lampaert and Davide Ballerini, Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar Team) and Pascal Eenkhoorn (Jumbo Visma) - all from the WorldTour - together with domestic team riders Matt Gibson (Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling) and Christopher Blevins (TRINITY Racing).
They built a lead of nearly 10 minutes and were allowed their head coming into Edinburgh as INEOS Grenadiers controlled the gap to ensure the race didn’t come back together to give Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) any opportunity to collect time bonuses to threaten Hayter’s lead.
Blevins was the first to be distanced with 20 kilometres to go on an unclassified climb out of Ford before Lampaert attacked with 8.5 kilometres to go splitting the group. Jorgenson reacted first to get onto the former Belgian champion’s wheel with Gibson putting in a concerted effort to then get across to the pair reaching them with five kilometres remaining.
The trio distanced Eenkhoorn and Ballerini. Coming into Holyrood Park Gibson's World Tour rivals used their experience to force him to lead out the sprint.
Belgian rider Lampaert came around him to take Deceuninck – Quick-Step’s first victory in the race, with Jorgenson in second and Gibson third.
Behind, race leader Hayter finished safely within the peloton to retain his overall lead and move to within a day of becoming the first British winner of the national tour in five years. Our diarist Bob Donaldson also finished with Hayter in the main bunch, while Rory rolled in nearly eight minutes back in 89th.
Rory's teammate Jacob Scott retains both the ŠKODA King of the Mountains and Eisberg Sprints jerseys and he will win both providing he finishes the final stage.
Speaking of which, stage 8 is from Stonehaven to Aberdeen over 173 kilometres and incorporates three classified climbs, including the famous climb of Cairn o’Mount early in the stage, as well as three intermediate Eisberg Sprints.
Rapha presents The British Continental.
Harry Tanfield | Ready to bounce back
The British Continental
11/15/20 • 42 min
Our latest podcast episode features an exclusive interview with Harry Tanfield.
Harry has signed for Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling in what might well be one of the transfer coups of the close season.
He has just spent the last two years competing at the World Tour level, first for Katusha Alpecin and then for AG2R La Mondiale. In many ways, it’s been a challenging period for the 25-year-old from Great Ayton. His first year about adjusting to the top tier of the sport and then, just as he was beginning to find his feet, the news dropped that his Katusha Alpecin team was folding. AG2R swooped in to rescue his World Tour career, offering him a one-year deal. But confined to a domestique role this season, and with the calendar severely interrupted, Harry has had few opportunities to prove himself. And when AG2R declined to renew his contract, he was left searching for a team once again.
In a tough contract year, his hunt for a World Tour or Pro Conti deal wasn’t looking hopeful. Then in stepped Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling. It’s a team Harry knows well – he’s competed with and against many of their riders. And with a solid UCI race programme being planned for next season – coronavirus permitting – the team can offer Harry a platform to return to the highest levels of the sport, much in the same way as James Shaw and Scott Thwaites did after their stints at Continental level in 2019. What’s more, the team has agreed they will let Harry move to a bigger team should he get a better offer over the next few months.
Harry is no stranger to the domestic scene of course. He spent a year with JLT Condor and then three years with Tim Elverson’s Canyon team before stepping up to the World Tour. Arguably his most memorable moment during that spell was winning Stage 1 of the 2018 Tour de Yorkshire when he became the first UK rider (and the first rider from Yorkshire) to win a stage of the race.
Our interview with Harry took place just a week after he’d finished the Vuelta, his first Grand Tour, an experience Harry recounts in detail. He also told us about his (perhaps unfair) reputation for missing the start of races, how he felt about not getting his contract renewed this season, the lessons he’s learnt after two years in the World Tour, the adjustment it might take to race again at the Continental level again, his plans to work on his sprint finish for 2021, and why he’s missed domestic-level racing.
This show is sponsored by Continental Tyres.
Rapha presents The British Continental.
Show more best episodes
Show more best episodes
FAQ
How many episodes does The British Continental have?
The British Continental currently has 63 episodes available.
What topics does The British Continental cover?
The podcast is about Health & Fitness, British, Podcasts, Tour, Sports, Racing, Cycling and Interviews.
What is the most popular episode on The British Continental?
The episode title 'The Baby Giro Diaries with Lewis Askey & Harrison Wood | Race Preview' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on The British Continental?
The average episode length on The British Continental is 40 minutes.
How often are episodes of The British Continental released?
Episodes of The British Continental are typically released every 5 days.
When was the first episode of The British Continental?
The first episode of The British Continental was released on Oct 15, 2019.
Show more FAQ
Show more FAQ