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Cyclist Magazine Podcast
In-depth conversations with the biggest names in cycling. In association with Hammerhead
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127. Risk, burnout and Olympic gold, with Connie Carpenter Phinney
01:23:08|In this week's episode, Robyn and James are joined by Connie Carpenter Phinney, who is 1984 became the first ever Olympic Women's Road Race gold medal winner.Connie charts her career from 14 year-old winter Olympic speed skater to champion road cyclist, a sporting career which saw her win multiple national titles and dominate races such as the Coors Classic.Married to fellow American cyclist Davis Phinney, mother to ex-pro Taylor Phinney and mother-in-law to reigning Tour de France Femmes champ, Kasia Niewiadoma (Taylor's wife), though Connie has long since retired she's still very close to cycling, and here contrasts her experiences competing in 1980s with life on two wheels now, from her near non-existent racing budget to building her own wheels, burning out after the Olympics and watching her son race, including witnessing the horror crash that nearly cost him his life.An irrepressible spirit, Connie has no sporting regrets, and today puts her energy into the charity she founded after husband Davis was diagnosed with young onset Parkinson's. The Davis Phinney Foundation aims to raise awareness, money, and crucially to provide support and resources to those living with, and caring for, people with Parkinson's. Read more about the Davis Phinney Foundation here.Interview begins at 11.46------------------ Did you know Cyclist is also stunning monthly print magazine?Subscribe now at store.cyclist.co.uk/cycpod and get every issue for less than in the shops, delivered straight to your door.And it's also a rather lovely website about everything road cycling and gravel. Check us out at cyclist.co.uk
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126. The doping olympics: president of the Enhanced Games, Dr Aron D'Souza
01:15:49|This week Will and James are joined by Dr Aron D'Souza, president of the Enhanced Games. Billed as 'the ultimate demonstration of what the human body can do', the Enhanced Games seeks in part to answer that age old pub question, 'What if athletes were allowed to dope, how much better would they be?' It's a divisive topic unlike any other in sport, but having secured funding - including from Donald Trump Jnr - D'Souza and his team are confident the first edition of the Enhanced Games will run within the next two years, and in so doing will change not just sport but humanity itself. Unlike the Olympics, athletes will be directly paid to participate and bonussed to break records, and thus the edges of human limits will be smashed through. There'll be input from pharmaceutical companies, profits will be recycled into the research of newer drugs to push boundaries ever further, and the trickle down effect will be that one day, that drug you saw on TV that helped that 69 year old woman run a sub-10 second 100m will be available to you.Is it madness or is this the future? Have a listen and make your own mind up.Interview begins at 10.45------------------ Did you know Cyclist is also stunning monthly print magazine?Subscribe now at store.cyclist.co.uk/cycpod and get every issue for less than in the shops, delivered straight to your door.And it's also a rather lovely website about everything road cycling and gravel. Check us out at cyclist.co.uk125. Phil Burt, the king of bike fit
01:15:27|In this week's episode James is joined by Phil Burt, former head of physiotherapy at British Cycling and Team Sky and the man who literally wrote the book on bike fit. They discuss micro adjusters and macro absorbers, how riders' needs and wants are changing, and the affect of indoor cycling on the body.Phil also explains the theory behind shorter cranks, the advantages, and how Bradley Wiggins was already on 165mm cranks at the Rio Olympics in 2016.Interview starts at 10:38.------------------ This episode is brought to you by Trek's custom Project One programme, which offersfull custom paint, components and setup on every Trek bicycle. Check out Trek.com to start designing your dream bike now. ------------------ Did you know Cyclist is also stunning monthly print magazine? Subscribe now at store.cyclist.co.uk/cycpod and get every issue for less than in the shops, delivered straight to your door. And it's also a rather lovely website about everything road cycling and gravel. Check us out at cyclist.co.uk124. The ultra-cyclist missing half his organs, Juan Dual
01:14:30|In this week’s episode, James and Will are joined by Spanish ultra-cyclist and runner, Juan Dual. As a teenager, Juan was diagnosed with familial adenomatous polyposis, a rare form of cancer that attacks the digestive system, and in the decades since he’s had his stomach, colon, large intestine, rectum and gallbladder removed. And yet Juan continues to compete in some of the most gruelling ultra-events on the planet, including El Kilometro Cero, 920km from Madrid to Cape Finisterre in under 100 hours.In this candid chat, Juan explains how he rides such huge distances despite not being able to feel hunger, absorb calories efficiently or control how often he needs to go to the toilet. He explains how he’s cheated death, how friends and family have picked him, and how surviving cancer and taking on ultra-endurance events has given him a whole new perspective on life that he’d love to share. Interview starts at 8.56 Follow Juan on IG here, and check out his exploits with sponsor Vielo here ------------------ Thisepisode is brought to you by Trek's custom Project One programme, which offersfull custom paint, components and setup on every Trek bicycle. Check out Trek.com to start designing your dream bikenow. ------------------ Didyou know Cyclist isalso stunning monthly print magazine? Subscribe now at store.cyclist.co.uk/cycpodand get every issue for less than in the shops, delivered straight to yourdoor. And it's also a rather lovely website about everything road cycling andgravel. Check us out at cyclist.co.uk123. Lael Wilcox: The fastest woman around the world by bike
01:15:20|In this week's episode, Robyn and Will are joined by ultra-cyclist Lael Wilcox, who set the world record for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe by bicycle in September 2024, cycling over 29,100km in 108 days, 12 hours and 12 minutes. Here Lael explains how to plan such a feat, the highs and lows of solitude on a bike, their fear, resilience and growth, and the unexpected emotional responses after achieving such a goal.Interview starts at 13.36------------------This episode is brought to you by Trek's custom Project One programme, which offers full custom paint, components and setup on every Trek bicycle. Check out Trek.com to start designing your dream bike now.------------------Did you know Cyclist is also stunning monthly print magazine? Subscribe now at store.cyclist.co.uk/cycpod and get every issue for less than in the shops, delivered straight to your door. And it's also a rather lovely website about everything road cycling and gravel. Check us out at cyclist.co.uk122. Why do we do it? Endurance, with Dr Michael Crawley
01:25:28|This week James and Will are joined by Michael Crawley, doctor of anthropology, sub-2h 20min marathon runner and award-winning author. In this episode, we discuss Michael’s latest book, To the Limit, which explores the meaning of endurance – why we do it and what it means to us culturally – through the eyes of Mexican running tribes, fell runners and professional athletes.We talk about the Enhanced Games – one man’s bid to an all drugs allowed ‘olympic games’; the pros and lamentable cons of sleep tracking and smartwatches; the culture of doping – or not – across the globe; the pitfalls of the biological passport anti-doping system; how community and spirit is just as important as altitude in creating great endurance athletes in places like Ethiopia; and voluptuous panic. You’ll have to listen to find out about that one.To the Limit: The Meaning of Endurance from Mexico to the Himalayas by Michael Crawley is published by Bloomsbury and available here as well as all good bookshops.Interview begins at 8.14------------------Did you know Cyclist is also stunning monthly print magazine? Subscribe now at store.cyclist.co.uk/cycpod and get every issue for less than in the shops, delivered straight to your door. And it's also a rather lovely website about everything road cycling and gravel. Check us out at cyclist.co.uk121. Andy Schleck: Chaingate, Contador, Bruyneel, Froome, retiring demons and the brotherhood
01:24:20|This week James and Will are joined by Andy Schleck, Tour de France winner, brother to Frank and victim in the infamous chaingate affair, in which Alberto Contador rode past a stricken Schleck – the yellow jersey wearer having suffered a dropped chain – to snatch the 2010 Tour de France top step. Two years later, Schleck was retroactively awarded the win after Contador was banned for doping, but how does that sit with the 39-year-old Luxembourgish today?In a wonderfully candid chat, Schleck explains his thoughts then and now, plus what it meant to race with his brother, his special bond with teammates forged off the road, the doping scene in the early 2000s, his stunning 2009 Tour and his bittersweet experience in 2011, the injuries that led to retirement, the personal crisis he faced once he hung up his wheels, and what he really thinks about Bjarne Riis, Johan Bruyneel, Chris Froome and, of course, Christmas.Today, Andy Schleck runs several successful cycling shops in Luxembourg and is ambassador for the Kitzbüheler Radmarathon, a gruelling sportive that takes place in Austria in September 2025.----Did you know Cyclist is also stunning monthly print magazine? Subscribe now at store.cyclist.co.uk/cycpod and get every issue for less than in the shops, delivered straight to your door. And it's also a rather lovely website about everything road cycling and gravel. Check us out at cyclist.co.uk