The Cycling Podcast

In this episode of Life in the Peloton, Mitch Docker talks to Tom Southam, one of his sports directors on the EF Education First team, and answers some listeners' questions from the postbag.
Southam was born in Cornwall, England, and raced in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Italy as an amateur before turning pro for the Amore e Vita team in 2003. He also rode for Barloworld, Drapac-Porsche and Halfords-Bikehut before ending his racing career with Rapha Condor, where he also began working as a sports director.
Check out Mitch's back catalogue as well as his new series Talking Luft, in which you can hear more from his regular guests, on the Life in the Peloton feed.
Episode sponsor
This episode is supported by Beer52, the craft beer club. All our UK-based listeners can get a case of eight beers for the price of delivery (£5.95) by going to beer52.com/cycle
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Theme music
The 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.

To coincide with the general release of Cycling Podcast Productions' first film, And So We Rode, we are releasing the original audio diary by Conor Dunne and Larry Warbasse which inspired it.
In 2018, The Cycling Podcast asked Conor to keep a diary at the Tour of Britain, which he and Larry were due to ride for the Aqua Blue Sport team.
But shortly before the race, the team folded. It didn't just announce it would be stopping at the end of the season, it ground to an immediate halt leaving the riders without any races to ride and a fight to salvage their careers.
Instead of feeling sorry for themselves, Conor and Larry decided to do something that had long been in the back of their minds. They decided to go on a bikepacking adventure in the French and Italian Alps, setting off from their homes in Nice.
We produced their audio diary for Friends of the Podcast and then began work on a film created using footage filmed on a Go Pro and their phones. Having been released initially for Friends of the Podcast to watch free, And So We Rode is now available to buy or rent for the first time on Vimeo.
In this episode of The Cycling Podcast, Richard Moore and Lionel Birnie are joined by the film's director Orla Chennaoui to discuss the week's cycling news and the making of the film before we pick up Conor and Larry's adventure as they are about to get on the road.
RUNNING ORDER
0:00 Introduction and a ramble through the news round-up
26:30 The making of And So We Rode
33:30 Conor Dunne and Larry Warbasse's audio diary from their No Go Tour bikepacking tripThe Cycling Podcast is supported by iwoca and Science In Sport.
PRESS CONFERENCE
In the finest traditions of cycling press conferences, we're late getting started. We wanted to release Conor and Larry's audio diary this week to coincide with the release of the film so we have postponed our press conference to next week. This gives you more time to record your question as a voice memo and email it to [email protected]
INTRODUCING RICHARD MOORE
Continuing our series in which we interview each other about our routes in journalism, careers and The Cycling Podcast, it's time to meet Richard Moore, available imminently for Friends of the Podcast. To sign up as a Friend of the Podcast go to our website.
BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDS
Last month we were named as a finalist in the British Podcast Awards for the fourth consecutive year. This week we heard that our latest book The Grand Tour Diaries is a finalist in the cycling category at the British Sports Book Awards. The winners of both awards will be announced next month. Go to our online shop to buy a copy of our book.
OUR NEW CLOTHING RANGE
We have teamed up with Katusha to produce The Cycling Podcast Collection. The launch range is a cycling jersey and a t-shirt in both men's and women's cuts. To check out the range go to our website.
LIFE IN THE PELOTON
Mitch Docker has caught up with his teammate Jens Keukeleire to talk about being brought up in Flanders, his first win as a pro, coronavirus and also look ahead to the 'spring' Classics, which will be held in late summer and autumn this year. All this season's episodes of Mitch's excellent Life in the Peloton podcast are on our feed. OUR SPONSORS iwoca became The Cycling Podcast’s title sponsors in March 2020. Iwoca specialises in supporting small businesses and can lend between £1,000 and £250,000. Applications can take only a few minutes to complete and they promise a fast and fair decision. To find out more, go to iwoca.co.uk Science In Sport is The Cycling Podcast’s longest-standing supporter. It’s a relationship that stretches back to the 2016 Giro d’Italia. Listeners can get 25% off Science In Sport’s range of energy drinks, bars, gels and cakes at scienceinsport.com with the code SISCP25
This week's episode is also sponsored by Laka, a community of cyclists all co-operating to provide the best value and fairest insurance for their bikes and equipment. If you'd like to find out more, go to laka.co.uk

This episode of Our Giro looks at the relationship between the Giro d'Italia and the literary tradition of journalists, writers and poets covering the race.
We look at the 1949 Giro and the continuing rivalry between Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali through the pages of a collection of writing by novellist and poet Dino Buzzati.
Daniel speaks to Filippo Cauz and Leonardo Piccione, two young writers who are seeking to capture the poetry and emotion of the Giro in their collection of writing, Bidon.
We also revisit the work of Gianni Mura and some of the other great writers who have added a literary flourish to their coverage of the race.
Join Richard Moore, Lionel Birnie and Daniel Friebe for Tales of the Tappe.
The Cycling Podcast is supported by iwoca and Science In Sport.
READING LIST
Fallen Angel: The Passion of Fausto Coppi, by William Fotheringham
The 1949 Giro d'Italia, by Dino Buzzati
Catastrophe and other stories, by Dino Buzzati
Road to Valour: Gino Bartali – Tour de France Legend And World War Two Hero
Across the River and Into the Trees, by Ernest Hemingway
Bidon – bidonmagazine.org (In Italian)
COMING TOMORROW
We look back at the sensational final Friday of the 2018 Giro d'Italia when Chris Froome launched a long-range attack, cracking an already faltering Simon Yates and setting himself up to win the race overall. We speak to Froome, Yates, Dumoulin and the other chief protagonists.
COPPA ITALIA OF CYCLING JERSEYS
What is the best-looking Italian cycling jersey of all-time? You decide. Starting tomorrow on our Twitter page is the Coppa Italia of Italian cycling jerseys. We've reached the knockout stages so get voting for your favourites.
LIFE IN THE PELOTON
While we've been doing Our Giro, Mitch Docker and his old Orica-GreenEdge teammates have been remembering Their Giro when they won the opening team time trial of the 2014 race in Belfast.
WATCH OUR FIRST FILM Our first film, And So We Rode... is available for Friends of the Podcast to watch now. This is the story of Larry Warbasse and Conor Dunne packing their bags and going on a bikepacking trip in the French and Italian Alps after their pro team Aqua Blue Sport folded mid-season. It costs £15 to sign up as a Friend of the Podcast and you will be able to watch the film as well as listen to all our special episodes. thecyclingpodcast.com/join OUR SPONSORS iwoca became The Cycling Podcast’s title sponsors in March 2020. Iwoca specialises in supporting small businesses and can lend between £1,000 and £250,000. Applications can take only a few minutes to complete and they promise a fast and fair decision. To find out more, go to iwoca.co.uk Science In Sport is The Cycling Podcast’s longest-standing supporter. It’s a relationship that stretches back to the 2016 Giro d’Italia. Listeners can get 25% off Science In Sport’s range of energy drinks, bars, gels and cakes at scienceinsport.com with the code SISCP25 RIDE OUR GIRO If you have a smart turbo trainer, you can ride Our Giro on the RGT digital platform. Each stage is around 30 kilometres long and will be online for three days. Go to RGTcycling.com/our-giro for details of how to download the app and sign up. Thanks to RGT and Veloviewer.com for helping us create Our Giro. GIRO WINE CLUB Our friends at Dvinecellars.com have put together a ‘Selezione Our Giro’ case of 12 wines from around Italy. There’s also a ‘Baby Giro’ case of six bottles. Use the code ‘Our Giro’ when ordering. Cases can be delivered in the UK, excluding the Highlands and Northern Ireland, and a donation from each case will be made to the Scuola Ciclismo in Cene.

Richard Moore, Lionel Birnie and Daniel Friebe return for the first time since the conclusion of Our Giro.
A couple of months ago we reviewed the Netflix documentary about the Movistar team, The Least Expected Day. Grab the popcorn because in this episode, we discuss the new ESPN 30 for 30 film directed by Marina Zenovich, Lance.
Is this another step on the path to redemption for Lance Armstrong? Or is it an attempt by him to cast his doping in a more favourable light?
Everyone is familiar with the story of Armstrong's doping and the seven Tour de France titles he was stripped of after his confession to Oprah. So is there anything new to learn from the film?
We also speak to Zenovich herself about making the film and hear from Bob Hamman, owner of a company called SCA Promotions which played a key role in the rise and fall of Armstrong.
PRESS CONFERENCE
In the next couple of weeks we will do a press conference episode where we answer your questions. To ask us anything you like about Our Giro or professional cycling, record a voice memo on your phone and then send it to us by email to [email protected]
OUR NEW CLOTHING RANGE
We have teamed up with Katusha to produce The Cycling Podcast Collection. The launch range is a cycling jersey and a t-shirt in both men's and women's cuts. To check out the range go to our website.
LIFE IN THE PELOTON
The latest episode of Mitch Docker's series features his EF Education First sports director Tom Southam.
WATCH OUR FIRST FILM Our first film, And So We Rode... is available for Friends of the Podcast to watch now. This is the story of Larry Warbasse and Conor Dunne packing their bags and going on a bikepacking trip in the French and Italian Alps after their pro team Aqua Blue Sport folded mid-season. It costs £15 to sign up as a Friend of the Podcast and you will be able to watch the film as well as listen to all our special episodes. thecyclingpodcast.com/join OUR SPONSORS iwoca became The Cycling Podcast’s title sponsors in March 2020. Iwoca specialises in supporting small businesses and can lend between £1,000 and £250,000. Applications can take only a few minutes to complete and they promise a fast and fair decision. To find out more, go to iwoca.co.uk Science In Sport is The Cycling Podcast’s longest-standing supporter. It’s a relationship that stretches back to the 2016 Giro d’Italia. Listeners can get 25% off Science In Sport’s range of energy drinks, bars, gels and cakes at scienceinsport.com with the code SISCP25

Is stage 20 of Our Giro the 'queen stage'? Well, that's a matter of debate but we have got a bumper episode looking back to the final Friday of the 2018 edition when Chris Froome turned the race on its head.
Simon Yates had looked so good for two and a half weeks, winning stages in pink and with panache. Froome had endured crashes and stuttering form in the first half of the race and his victory on Monte Zoncalon over the penultimate weekend looked at the time to be like a consolation prize.
As the race reached its decisive final mountain stages, Froome decided to go all in and launched a long-range attack that put not just Yates but all the other general classification contenders on the back foot.
Yates cracked definitively, Froome ended the day in pink but as we'll hear in this episode there was much more to it than that.
Froome, Yates, Dave Brailsford, Tom Dumoulin, Matt White and Yates's teammate Chris Juul Jensen are among those who reflect on that remarkable day.
The Cycling Podcast is supported by iwoca and Science In Sport.
COMING TOMORROW
The final stage of Our Giro takes us to Milan but it will be far from processional. We'll look back to Tom Dumoulin's overall victory in 2017 and reflect on our favourite Giro memories.
OUR NEW CLOTHING RANGE
We have teamed up with Katusha to produce The Cycling Podcast Collection. The launch range is a cycling jersey and a t-shirt in both men's and women's cuts. To check out the range go to our website.
LIFE IN THE PELOTON
While we've been doing Our Giro, Mitch Docker and his old Orica-GreenEdge teammates have been remembering Their Giro when they won the opening team time trial of the 2014 race in Belfast.
WATCH OUR FIRST FILM Our first film, And So We Rode... is available for Friends of the Podcast to watch now. This is the story of Larry Warbasse and Conor Dunne packing their bags and going on a bikepacking trip in the French and Italian Alps after their pro team Aqua Blue Sport folded mid-season. It costs £15 to sign up as a Friend of the Podcast and you will be able to watch the film as well as listen to all our special episodes. thecyclingpodcast.com/join OUR SPONSORS iwoca became The Cycling Podcast’s title sponsors in March 2020. Iwoca specialises in supporting small businesses and can lend between £1,000 and £250,000. Applications can take only a few minutes to complete and they promise a fast and fair decision. To find out more, go to iwoca.co.uk Science In Sport is The Cycling Podcast’s longest-standing supporter. It’s a relationship that stretches back to the 2016 Giro d’Italia. Listeners can get 25% off Science In Sport’s range of energy drinks, bars, gels and cakes at scienceinsport.com with the code SISCP25
This episode is also supported by Laka, a community of cyclists all working together to provide insurance cover for their bikes and equipment. To find out more, go to laka.co.uk RIDE OUR GIRO If you have a smart turbo trainer, you can ride Our Giro on the RGT digital platform. Each stage is around 30 kilometres long and will be online for three days. Go to RGTcycling.com/our-giro for details of how to download the app and sign up. Thanks to RGT and Veloviewer.com for helping us create Our Giro. GIRO WINE CLUB Our friends at Dvinecellars.com have put together a ‘Selezione Our Giro’ case of 12 wines from around Italy. There’s also a ‘Baby Giro’ case of six bottles. Use the code ‘Our Giro’ when ordering. Cases can be delivered in the UK, excluding the Highlands and Northern Ireland, and a donation from each case will be made to the Scuola Ciclismo in Cene.