Escape Collective

The podcast crew discusses another great breakaway battle, where Matej Mohorič narrowly bested Kasper Asgreen and then proceeded to give a fantastic post-race interview.

Also, José Been tells us about the history of the Alsace region.

The podcast crew takes a closer look at a so-called sprint stage, where Kasper Asgreen and his breakaway companions managed to foil the fast finishers.

Also, José Been tells us about dinosaurs.

Lidl-Trek’s Amanda Spratt joins Abby and Matt to preview the eight stages of the upcoming Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

A written preview can be found here, plus keep an eye onEscapeCollective.com all week for daily previews of each stage.

The podcast crew discusses the climactic GC action on the queen stage of the Tour de France, where Jonas Vingegaard took control of the race as Tadej Pogačar cracked.

Also, José Been tells us all about the chicken of Bourg-en-Bresse.

Kate Wagner joins Caley Fretz and Jonny Long in the Tour Daily podcast crew to discuss a pivotal stage in 2023 Tour de France, where Jonas Vingegaard finally broke the stalemate with Tadej Pogačar.

Also, José Been dives into the history of the French Resistance in the Second World War.

Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano are joined by Abby Mickey to talk:

• Favorite moments from week two of the men's Tour de France
• Under-the-radar performances
• What to expect in the final week
• What's coming up at the Tour de France Femmes

The podcast crew discusses Wout Poels's first Tour stage win, the incredibly close battle between Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard, and what's coming up after the rest day.

Also, José Been talks time trials at the Tour.

The podcast crew takes a closer look at what was another fierce battle between Vingegaard and Pogačar, this time on the Col de Joux Plane.

Also, José Been tells the story of an air tragedy in the Alps.

The podcast crew discusses the current status of the battle between Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar and what's to come as the two Tour favorites clash over the coming mountain stages.

Also, José Been tells us about Alpine cheeses and winter sports in France.

Factor’s new O2 VAM sounds like quite the climbing bike: light, stiff, comfy, and newly aero. But is it too light for the pros? Maybe. There doesn’t seem to be any debate about wider tires at the Tour, though, as even 28 mm doesn’t seem like enough.

SRAM has also brought its innovative Transmission mountain bike drivetrain technology down to the GX level, an Australian company wants to bring high-tech carbon fiber inspection to the bike shop level, and James gripes about water bottles.

4:15 — A roundtable on the new Factor O2 VAM climbing bike
16:25 — Even Tour racers have adopted big tires in a big way
27:00 — GX is now the least expensive Transmission version, and it might be the best one
35:55 — Is ultrasonic carbon fiber testing coming to bike shops?
49:26 — Zach has some thoughts on ever-widening cranks
59:15 — Water, water, everywhere, and too many leftover drops to drink
1:01:05 — Check your chain wear, folks!

The crew discusses Cofidis's strong showing at the Tour, the frustration of Matteo Jorgensen, and a looming battle on the Grand Colombier.

Also, José Been tells us all about the French Revolution.

The podcast crew talks about Jasper Philipsen's impressive display en route to his fourth stage win this Tour, a rare team radio highlight, Soudal-QuickStep's food, and more.

Also, José Been has all the info we need on Beaujolais wine, nouveau and otherwise.

The Tour Daily crew discusses Pello Bilbao's emotional victory, breakaway dynamics at this Tour, the heat, and more after stage 10.

Also, José Been tells us about Clermont-Ferrand's famous cathedral as well as the 1904 Tour de France.

Strap in Wheel Talk listeners this one is ... long. Matt and Loren are back with Abby to chat all the biggest stories from the Giro Donne and they are joined by a special guest and friend of the pod Matilda (Tils) Raynolds. They talk about this being Annemiek’s final Giro, what that means for the future, how the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift has changed the Giro and more.

Hear from Niamh Fisher-Black (SD Worx), Sarah Roy (Canyon//SRAM) and Nina Kessler (Jayco-AlUla) plus some really special audio diaries from Iris Slappendel and Gracie Elvin about Annemiek’s Giro Donne journey and being her teammate.

Perhaps listen to this one in two sittings, or on a long ride, but it’s definitely not one to miss!

Dane Cash and Cosmo Catalano are joined by Ronan Mc Laughlin on the Tour's first rest day to talk about all the racing action so far at the Tour de France, takeaways from the Giro Donne, and what's coming up in the "second week" of the Tour. It's time to get Pretty Serious about Bike Racing!

The Tour de France can’t be that big of a deal. After all, they couldn’t even sign up 200 participants! But despite the low turnout, there’s quite the disproportionate amount of new tech to discover there, including a mysterious new Ridley aero all-rounder road racer, new tires and saddles from Specialized, a hint that a new SRAM Red groupset may be pending, new aero helmets, comfy-looking shoes, and upsized wheels from Campagnolo.

We also discuss Pinarello and Tune recently changing hands, how everything new in the MTB world seems to be designed for e-bikes, the return of CNC machining, and why your suspension fork is probably feeling sadly neglected.

3:50 — A sneak peek at Ridley’s new semi-aero all-rounder
7:09 — Specialized now has road tires just for wet conditions
15:50 — Yet another 3D-printed saddle model from Specialized
21:16 — Is a new SRAM Red groupset coming soon?
27:15 — Some funky new shoes from Q36.5
29:13 — Ekoi’s got a new aero road helmet
30:31 — Campagnolo is going wide with its new Bora Ultra WTO 45 wheels
32:31 — Mmm, built-in satellite shifters
36:34 — Pinarello has a new owner
42:40 — Lightweight has purchased Tune to create a German weight-weenie powerhouse
45:35 — Garbaruk has a new CNC-machined road and gravel crankset
49:30 — CNC machining is back in a big way
56:21 — UDH isn’t coming for road bikes; it’s already here
1:05:35 — MTB R&D seems mostly aimed at e-bikes these days
1:13:49 – Your suspension fork probably isn’t working as well as you think it is

The podcast crew talks about all the action, both out front and in the GC group, on the final stage before the Tour's first rest day.

Also, José Been tells us about a theme park and a great cheese, while Abby Mickey gives us the final update from the Giro Donne, where Annemiek van Vleuten secured the overall title on Sunday.

The podcast crew discusses the departure of Mark Cavendish after he came so close to a stage win and an impressive win for Mads Pedersen.

Also, José Been tells us about Raymond Poulidor and volcanoes as well, while Abby Mickey gives up an update from the penultimate stage of the Giro Donne.

The podcast crew talks Jasper Philipsen's third stage win of this year's Tour, his lead-out, Mark Cavendish's chances of getting number 35, and more.

Also José Been tells us about Richard the Lionheart, and Abby Mickey has a few audio diaries from the Giro Donne.

The podcast crew brings us the sounds of the Col du Tourmalet and then discusses another thrilling stage in the Pyrenees, where the yellow jersey changed hands and the GC narrative changed yet again.

Also, José Been explains the upcoming stage's connections to Luis Ocaña and Bourdeaux wine, and Abby Mickey updates us on Annemiek van Vleuten's latest Giro Donne achievements.

The podcast crew had plenty to talk about after a fascinating stage 5 of the Tour de France, where Jai Hindley rode into yellow and Jonas Vingegaard took a big chunk of time on Tadej Pogačar. Caley Fretz, Iain Treloar, and Jonny Long talk about the tactics of Bora-Hansgrohe and Jumbo-Visma, the mood at UAE Team Emirates, and more.

Also, José Been tells us about the plate tectonics that formed the Pyrenees, and Abby Mickey updates us on a thrilling Giro Donne stage.

The podcast crew talks sprint showdowns on motor racing circuits after Jasper Philipsen's victory in a crash-marred stage 4, and Iain Treloar makes amends for a transcription mistake. Also, José Been talks Béarnaise sauce, cheese, and more, and Abby Mickey updates on the Giro Donne, where a new leader took over the GC leaderboard after Elisa Longo Borghini crashed.

The sprinters had their day on stage 3 of the Tour de France. Did Jasper Philipsen close the door on Wout van Aert? Does it matter? The podcast crew talks that and much more.

Also, José Been tells us about the Dutch connection to the part of France visited by the upcoming stage, and Abby Mickey gives up the update from stage 4 of the Giro Donne.

How long does champagne last on a hot team bus? Two stages into the 2023 Tour de France, Cofidis has a stage win that was a long, long time coming. The podcast crew talks Victor Lafay, a two-horse GC race, and the sprints ahead.

Also, José Been offers some geological knowledge and Abby Mickey provides the updates from stage 3 of the Giro Donne.

The 2023 Tour de France has begun! After one stage of racing, the podcast crew in Bilbao talks Adam Yates vs. Simon Yates, Tadej Pogačar's form, radios in the broadcast, a rough start for EF, and more. Also, José Been provides all the cultural intel you need ahead of stage 2, and Abby Mickey updates us on the Giro Donne, where some big names came to the fore on Saturday.

A day before the Bilbao Grand Départ, the first episode of the Escape Collective Tour de France Daily podcast is here!

Caley Fretz, Iain Treloar, Jonny Long, and Ronan Mc Laughlin are joined by Joshua Robinson to talk about the atmosphere just before the start of the 2023 Tour in the Basque Country. Also, José Been provides all the cultural intel you need ahead of stage 1, and Abby Mickey updates us on the Giro Donne.

On the final episode of this season of the Unchained Binge Podcast, we get a bit of the back of the race – the fast finishers trying to make the time cut in the mountains – plus the final fight for the yellow jersey and a sprinters' "world championships" on the Champs-Élysées.

In episode 7, we see a lot of Marc Madiot. So much Marc Madiot. We also get a really close look at how old Geraint Thomas really is, as both Gaudu and Thomas battle for one spot on the Tour de France podium.

James and Ronan attended the Eurobike trade show last week, and oh boy, did they come back with a lot to talk about. E-bikes were definitely a major theme at this year’s show – again – but there was also a bunch of high-performance goodies, tons of electronic doodads, and as always, cargo bikes galore.

Also: Dave secretly wants to become a firefighter.

7:18 – A convenient way to measure saddle position
9:10 – Ronan likes the looks of the new Look
12:09 – 3T goes fully internal
13:08 – An unlikely new line of bikes from Marcel Kittel and Tony Martin
19:26 – So many amazing kid bikes
22:58 – Who said electronic shifting has to be expensive?
30:10 – Shimano’s 105 mechanical road groupset goes 12-speed
33:53 – There’s a revolution in tires coming, courtesy of Schwalbe
37:20 – Look, ma, no valve stems!
42:15 – A truly promising rethink of the rear derailleur
46:30 – Gearboxes and motors go together like peanut butter and jelly
54:01 – Cargo bikes galore
1:01:30 – NFCs are not the same as NFTs
1:03:15 – Cheap e-bike batteries can be very, very sketchy

This week, Abby Mickey is joined again by Rebecca Charlton and, for the first time on the Wheel Talk Podcast, the one and only Amy Lauren Jones. The three chat about some of the National Championships over the weekend, especially the storming performance form Pfeiffer Georgi, and preview what’s to come in the Giro Donne.

For a more detailed route preview check out escapecollective.com.

With the Tour de France less than a week away, the Pretty Serious Bike Racing Podcast is here to take a closer look at all the big names set to contend this year. The crew takes on the Vingegaard vs. Pogačar debate, names some outsiders, and sizes up the stagehunters for the upcoming Grand Tour.

On this episode of The Unchained Binge Podcast, we watch one of the world's best bike racers be inexplicably bad at bike racing, we learn that one of the world's best sprinters can't remember his shoes or, unfortunately, when there is still a breakaway up the road, and we debate whether there was any real drama inside Jumbo-Visma.

On episode 5 of the Unchained Binge Podcast, we return the focus to EF and to the Ineos Grenadiers. We get a lesson in descending from Tom Pidcock, we warm up to a rider in the twilight of his career, and we learn that Neilson Powless had a good breakfast.

On this week's Placeholders, the crew takes a closer look at the route of the 2023 Tour de France, a race that will have the climbers looking forward to their chances and that should be entertaining across all three weeks.

This week on Wheel Talk, Abby Mickey, Matt de Neef, and Gracie Elvin chat about the women’s Tour de Suisse and dive into some listener questions about rider safety and unions.

For this week’s Geek Warning, James and Ronan were en-route to Eurobike, and so Dave was left talking to himself. After he submitted a three-hour rambling episode about his colour-coding preferences for hex keys, the team suggested that he record a new episode with Brad Copeland.

In the episode, Dave and Brad chat about a lust-worthy new tool from Abbey Bike Tools, Wolf Tooth’s new LoneWolf 1x Road chainguide, and the next frontier of XC race tech. Of course, Brad and Dave also share what’s on their mind, and there’s a PSA that’s likely relevant to many.

3:38 - The biggest things at E-urobike
10:03 - Abbey’s biggest tool yet
19:23 – 1x chain guides for road
26:30 - Bike selection and other tech at the World Cup in Leogang
43:30 - What’s on Brad’s mind? Road Tubeless.
51:30 - What’s on Dave’s mind? You can probably guess.
57:42 – PSA to check those cables! 

Episode 4 offers an inside look at one of the most thrilling Tour stages in recent memory. We see Jumbo-Visma crafting a plan to take on Tadej Pogačar on some of the toughest terrain in the race, and then watch as the action unfolds on the journey from Albertville to the Col du Granon. Also, we discuss the different personalities in the Tour and the ways the show narrows those personalities down, for better or worse. Let's get into it.

On this week's Pretty Serious Bike Racing Podcast, we remember Gino Mäder, who tragically lost his life at the Tour de Suisse. We also discuss the race, where Mattias Skjelmose took a surprise GC win on the men's side and where SD Worx has been continuing their run of success at the women's race.