Life in the Peloton, presented by MAAP

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When you think of steep, cobbled bergs you probably think of Belgium - so when Harry and Stu told me the UK had its own Flandrien berg, I knew I had to find out more. As luck would have it, this iconic Michaelgate climb played host to the first stage of this year’s Tour of Britain, so I dispatched my men-on-the-ground - better known as Life In The Peloton’s Race Radio presented by SHOKZ - to Lincoln to check it out.

Here’s what the best bald boy in the bike business Harry, had to say:

Harry: It only felt right that with stage one of this year’s Tour of Britain finishing up Lincoln’s iconic Michaelgate climb, Stu and I should head there to record our next episode of LITPRR. Camped out on the 16% cobbles, we were right at the heart of the UK domestic racing scene, and day one delivered a full-blown GC battle. What a place to watch a bike race! Cathedrals. Castles. A British winner. Quintessential stuff.

I only raced in the UK a few times in my career. I did the Tour of Britain and Tour de Yorkshire once each, the RideLondon classic four times, and that miserably wet World Champs in Harrogate in 2019. If there’s one thing I remember about racing in Britain - it is grippy as it gets. Hard roads, plenty of narrow lanes twisting and turning through the countryside, and downright shit weather most of the time. There are no easy Ks in the UK.

Hearing the boys soaking in the atmosphere in Lincoln really does take me back to proper Belgian racing; the cheering, the cowbells, and the faint sound of riders wincing as the cobbles and gradient start to bite. Oh man, I wish I was there with a cold one taking it all in. 

Guys, this is a real racing fan’s episode. Harry & Stu have netted some amazing interviews with some proper legends, and really captured what this race is all about. Of course, none of this would be possible without support from our presenting partner SHOKZ. If you’re after the best sports headphones - be it for cycling, running, or even swimming - get across to SHOKZ’s website, and enjoy a cheeky discount for being a LITP listener. 

The Race Radio boys have just one race trip left on their 2026 calendar; the Italian one day races that form the build up Lombardia in October and bring the curtain down on plenty of rider’s seasons. I can’t wait to hear what they cook up. 

Cheers,

Mitch

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Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

Well, I don’t think anybody expected that to happen…

Guys, welcome along to this rest day special episode of the Race Communiqué. I’m joined by Luke Durbridge - getting his last few days of relaxation in before heading across to Canada - to wrap up everything we’ve seen in an absolutely crazy first week at La Vuelta. 

Of course, how could we not discuss the biggest news of the race…and maybe even the season: Tadej Pogačar has crashed out of La Vuelta! After absolutely dominating the first week of the race, the Slovenian superstar hit the deck at high speed on stage eight and suffered a concussion, a fractured collarbone, and a fractured vertebrae. 

That is a pretty serious list of injuries for Pogi, and casts a lot of doubt over the rest of his 2026 season. Here’s hoping that he can get fit and healthy again and get back to racing when he’s ready. 

With Pog out, the race really has been turned on its head. Mas has moved into the race lead, and all of a sudden there are opportunities for all sorts of riders to potentially win a grand tour. 

Once Durbo and I recap the race so far, we get a special voice note from the big man - Tom Southam - on his way back from driving the EF Team car for the first part of La Vuelta. He gives us his take on Pog’s crash and what that means for the race. 

As sad as Pog’s departure is, the race continues without him. It’s a cruel sport, hey? How is the rest of this year’s Vuelta going to play out? Will we see any more big surprises? Who’s going to win? We discuss all this and more on this special rest day Race Communiqué.

Cheers,

Mitch

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Join the next TrainingPeaks virtual ride with Durbo and me on 7th September - sign up here! A local loop around Girona, just like the good old days

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

La Vuelta a España is almost upon us! That’s right, it’s almost time for the last Grandy of the season - and my favourite! In this month’s Race Communiqué Luke Durbridge, Tom Southam, and I are picking apart the route, looking down the startlist, and previewing what promises to be an absolute scorcher of a race. 

Of course, the headlines around this year’s edition of La Vuelta are dominated by the presence of some Slovenian kid called Terry Pogačar…or something, and it’s fair to say he’s going to be the out-and-out favourite. But that doesn’t mean we’re in for a three-week snooze fest, oh no. Guys like Richard Carapaz, Felix Gall, Mads Pedersen, Wout van Aert, Matt Brennan, and heaps more absolute hitters are showing up to make this a Grand Tour that you do NOT want to miss.

Kicking off in Monaco, the 2026 Vuelta Route takes the pelo down through Andorra and into Spain, with a huge emphasis on the southern part of the country. That means two things: ripping hot temperatures and disgustingly tough climbs. In fact, this year’s route has almost 59,000 meters elevation total - almost 10,000 more than the Giro! 

We go through the course stage by stage and pick out some of our favourites that you’re gonna want to sit down and watch. As you know, I have a real soft spot for the Vuelta, and I think the organisers must have been listening to us yarn away on the pod about what stages we want to see in the grand tours, because there’s some absolute bangers in there. 

After the Vuelta preview, we turn to Luke for this month’s PeloChat. Durbs has done some serious digging for this ep, and is looking into what it takes to scout out new and upcoming talent. With a bit of an explainer from our old mate Michael ‘Heppy’ Hepburn, now working for Red Bull - BORA - Hansgrohe, this is a really great insight into how the biggest teams are finding the superstars of tomorrow. 

Southam’s talking tactics takes a look at La Vuelta and asks: does it really need to be three weeks long, or could it be shorter? What would a two week grandy look like? Would it be better racing? It’s something that comes up for discussion every time the Vuelta rolls around, and Southam’s got one hell of a take on it. 

You know the drill by now; as always, we wrap things up with a Vuelta-themed CommuniQuiz. Southam’s on the mic as Quiz Master this month, trying to catch me and Durbo out with some pretty sneaky Spanish stats.

Guys, crack open a crisp Cerveza, order some tapas, wake up from your siesta, and get ready for this year’s Vuelta! I can’t wait, and I hope this episode gets you fired up and ready for a real fiesta of a race. 

Cheers,

Mitch

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Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

Aero socks, waxed chains, ceramic bearings, and more are all classic marginal gains that cyclists love to froth over. But they might just be overlooking one of the most important pieces of the puzzle: feet. 

I know, footbeds aren’t exactly the sexiest upgrade to make to your set-up, but getting them right could actually unlock even more power, reduce injury, and just boost your overall enjoyment on the bike. That’s where this week’s guest comes in. 

Mick Habgood, perhaps better known as Mik.Fit, has been producing cycling orthotics and shoes for pro cyclists since 2013, working closely with EF Pro Cycling, British Cycling, and heaps more. In fact, he reckons close to 150 pros are using his insoles - from Olympic gold medalists to grand tour stage winners. 

Chatting to Mick and hearing just how important your feet are in the quest for comfort and power was fascinating, and I even got to have a go myself. I got on a video consultation with Mick so he could analyse my feet and sort out some insoles for me to see if he could find my old, retired body a few watts. I tested them and, well, you’ll have to listen to hear just how much power I gained. 

After chatting to Mick, I wanted to speak to a rider who is one of the most meticulous guys in the bunch when it comes to marginal gains: Jay Vine. Jay truly leaves no stone unturned - and it all starts with his feet. It was great hearing directly from inside the pelo how important the small details are at the top level, how team sponsors deal with athletes looking for gains elsewhere, and how the feet really are the foundation of a pro rider’s performance. 

Guys, I won’t lie, this is one for the tech nerds out there. If you care about saving watts, there’s some amazing insight in this episode from some of the best in the business. If you want to check out the new Varus insoles I tested, you can find more information here: vip.mik.fit

Stretch out your arches, limber up your metatarsals, and jump feet first into this marginal gains special episode. 

Cheers,

Mitch

 

This episode is brought to you by Saily. 

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The biggest bike race of the year has just wrapped up; the Jumbo Wild 600…

 

What did you think I was talking about?

 

If you haven’t heard of it, the Jumbo Wild 600 is an Ultra Cycling race in the wild heart of British Columbia’s Kootenays. The race was created by none other than my old mate - and the co-host of the Life In The Peloton Chronicles - Svein Tuft.

 

Sveino has just finished racing the inaugural edition, and I do mean just…literally 12 hours before we sat down to record! I had to hear how it went, and open up a conversation about the mythical world of ultra distance cycling. That’s what this month’s episode of The Life in The Peloton Chronicles is all about.

 

Ultra cycling as a discipline has actually been around since the very first days of people deciding to race their bikes. What was the inaugural edition of the Tour de France way back in 1903 - with riders racing pretty much completely self-sufficiently over 2,500kms split into just six stages - if not an ultra race? Original races like Paris-Brest-Paris and Bordeaux-Paris kept that ultra cycling movement alive among the pros, who used them as warm up races for the longest monuments like Paris-Roubaix or Liege-Bastogne-Liege back in the day.

 

Since things like GPS computers and lightweight bikepacking bags came about, Ultra cycling has become more accessible and more and more people are giving it a go.

 

The world of ultra distance is one that Sveino’s become very experienced in since retiring from the pro pelo, and I’ve even had a little dabble myself. It’s a totally different type of bike racing that demands a very specific set of skills. Hearing how Sveino’s 730km epic went whilst it’s still so fresh in his mind was super cool, and you can really get a good idea of how much these races can take out of even the strongest riders.

 

Of course, he didn’t just race it, he organised it as well. You might think that organising an ultra race is pretty straightforward; just set out a GPX file, set a date, and send a bunch of riders off into the wilderness with a “see you in a few days!”. Well, I can tell you there is heaps more that goes into it. With a route alternation because of some pretty scary forest fires in the run up to the event, it sounds like Svein had a harder time organising this one than riding it!

 

Guys it was so great to chat to a (pretty tired) Sveino and hear how his race went, as well as dive into this world of Ultra cycling and the things that make it so special, so I hope you enjoy listening to us spin a yarn.

 

Get yourself in the ultra racing spirit; crack open a red bull and your favourite processed servo snack, deprive yourself of a good nights sleep, and have a listen to this month’s Life In The Peloton Chronicles.

 

Cheers, Mitch