KM0: From the vault
A complete history of The Cycling Podcast's KM0 episodes from the Giro d'Italia. Part one, 2016-2020.
Since The Cycling Podcast started in 2013, we have produced more than 2,000 episodes, more than 250 of which have been episodes of KM0, which are currently scattered across our three feeds.
We are in the process of reorganising our Friends of the Podcast feed to incorporate the complete KM0 back catalogue so that listeners can find everything in one place.
KM0 debuted at the 2015 Tour de France as a weekday morning show that gave us an opportunity to tell some different stories to the ones that made up our nightly race coverage. Think of them as a series of magazine features but in audio.
If my memory serves me correctly, it was Daniel who came up with the name – Kilometre Zero, or KM0 – and over the years they’ve been some of the most enjoyable – (and sometimes stressful!) – episodes to make. Who can forget the time I spent 25 minutes talking to a very relaxed Tom Dumoulin outside the team bus about his love of Italy as a holiday destination only to get back to The Cycling Podcar and realise none of it had recorded? Certainly not me, the memory still makes my face go hot.
We made our first Giro KM0 at the 2016 race, which started in the Netherlands, and you can listen to that episode below.
The KM0 archive from 2015 to 2019 is available for Friends of the Podcast subscribers and in the coming weeks that KM0 Archive feed will be merged with our main Friends of the Podcast feed so all our subscriber audio is in one place.
In the meantime, I thought we’d compile a complete list of episodes we’ve made at, or about, the Giro over the years. I know I have my favourites but perhaps there’s something on this list that sparks a memory and you’d like to go back to listen to it.
I’ll complete the list of Giro KM0 episodes from 2021 to 2023 in an edition of The 11.01 Cappuccino next week.
All on the KM0 Archive feed for Friends of the Podcast subscribers unless stated. Key: FOTP = Friends of the Podcast feed. Free = Regular feed
2016 Giro d’Italia
Home and Away – Our debut KM0 episode from the Giro told the story of the grande partenze in the Netherlands, the logistics of a 2,000km transfer back to Italy and the history of starting the race on foreign soil. Listen to the first episode of KM0 from the Giro d’Italia back in 2016.
Giro’s North-South Divide – Daniel explored the differences between the north and south of Italy to tell the story of a complicated country brought together as a united nation as recently as 1861.
The Flying Dutchman – We met Maarten Tjallingii, Dutchman and resident of Arnhem, which was swept away by Giro fever, and one of the peloton’s unsung heroes who enjoyed a day in the spotlight wearing the Giro’s blue king of the mountains jersey.
In the Name of the Father – Is being the son of a famous cyclist a blessing or a curse? We asked Nicolas Roche, Moreno Moser and Rick Zabel.
The Race of Truth – Lionel spent a day with the Orica-GreenEdge team during the Chianti wine trial, won by Primoz Roglič. There’s even an appearance by Brian Nygaard.
The Dolomites – Jagged, luminous and majestic, the Dolomites premiered in the 1937 Giro and although synonymous with the race remain mysterious and, despite being solid as rock, difficult to pin down.
Pausa Caffè – On the Giro rest day, Daniel and Lionel took a coffee break to discuss the relationship between coffee and cycling and explain why Italian coffee is so much better than it is across the border in France.
Feedzone – In Italy it’s called Rifornimento. We looked at changing trends in nutrition.
Giromondo – With riders from 34 different nations on the start list, the Giro had shaken its slightly parochial past to become a truly global event.
The Journey – Join Richard, Daniel and Lionel as they talk about the logistics of covering a grand tour (from the comfort of an icon of Italian car design, their Maserati Quattroporte).
Joe’s Giro Diary – During the 2016 Giro, Cannondale-Garmin rider Joe Dombrowski kept an audio diary for us, taking us behind the scenes at the race. (FOTP)
2017 Giro d’Italia
A Tale of Two Islands – With the grande partenza of the 100th Giro taking place on Sicily and Sardinia, Daniel explained the differences between the two islands.
A Day In Pink – Lukas Pöstlberger was the first sticker out of Lionel’s first Panini envelope. Pöstlberger then won the opening stage. While not claiming any link between the two events, we told the story of the Austrian’s day in pink.
Cell-ing Their Souls – With mobile phones taking over our lives, and becoming a scourge of the team bus, Daniel explored the impact screen-time and social media use was having on the peloton.
The Double – We probably went too early with this one, anticipating the possibility of Nairo Quintana winning the Giro, then going on to win the Tour to complete the first ‘Double’ since Marco Pantani in 1998.
The Playboy, The Philosopher and Other Giro Tales – We spoke to Herbie Sykes, author of Giro 100, written to coincide with the 100th edition of the race and packed with stories – some poignant, some profound, some funny, some scarcely believable.
I Love the Giro – In this love letter to the Giro, Lionel went in search of what makes it a race that captures the heart.
Memories of Michele – On the eve of the Giro’s visit to the Mortirolo, scene of one of his finest hours, we paid tribute to 2011 Giro winner Michele Scarponi, who was killed by a vehicle while training a month before the 2017 edition.
The Sufferfest – We asked the riders how they coped with back-to-back mountain stages deep into the third week of the Giro. What mental tricks and hacks help overcome the pain?
The Debutant – Meet Mike Woods, the Canadian who was making his grand tour debut at the age of 30 after a previous career as a world-class middle-distance runner.
The 1987 Giro According to Stephen Roche – Richard tells the story of one of the greatest inter-team rivalries of all-time when Roche went head-to-head with his Carrera teammate Roberto Visentini. (FOTP)
2018 Giro d’Italia
The Giro in Israel – We reflected on the Giro’s groundbreaking grande partenza, hearing from the riders, from Sylvan Adams, who was instrumental in bringing the Giro to Israel, and from Israeli and Palestinian cyclists.
Il Garibaldi – The Giro’s roadbook tells everyone what’s on the route, but it also conveys the culture and cuisine of Italy. We explored the origin of the book’s name too. We posted this audio in an edition of The 11.01 Cappuccino earlier this week.
The Little Fish – After a weekend in Sicily learning about the mafia and cannoli, Daniel introduced us to Antonio Nibali, the younger brother of Vincenzo, the Shark of Messina.
The Dumoulin Who Never Was – Daniel met Thomas Dekker, a Dutchman who promised so much but whose career was ended when a doping ban was applied following retrospective tests on some stored samples.
Svein’s World – We met Svein Tuft, one of the domestiques with Mitchelton-Scott, to learn about his philosophy on life and bike racing.
The Diamond Miners – Matxin Fernandez, formerly of Quick Step before moving to UAE Team Emirates, and Rod Ellingworth of British Cycling and Team Sky, told us about how World Tour teams spotted and nurtured young talent.
Monte Zoncolan – Richard and Lionel went to the amphitheatre-like summit of the fearsome climb to capture the atmosphere, then asked the riders what they made of the Zoncolan.
Il Sanguinaccio Volante – Lionel gave Simon Yates a (not-universally-popular) nickname, the flying black pudding, because he is from Bury (the home of black pudding) and was leading the Giro. We talked to some of the people who knew Yates best.
Il Principe – Daniel introduced us to Gianni Savio, one of the most flamboyant figures on the Giro.
The Grand Tour Diaries – Giro d’Italia 2018. Our diaries, written about life on the road at a grand tour for our book and then recorded, audiobook-style, for subscribers. (FOTP)
In Search of the Pink Panther – Lionel went to meet the ‘last’ Belgian to win a grand tour, Johan De Muynck, who took the 1978 Giro. There was a surreal cameo from Roger De Vlaeminck because, well, of course there was. (FOTP)
2019 Giro d’Italia
La Grassa – The Fat One (no, not Lionel before he discovered Noom) explored the city of Bologna, host of the grande partenza and culinary capital of Italy, or one of them at least.
Padri d’Italia – We explored whether fatherhood changes a professional cyclist’s relationship with their career with Conor Dunne, who became a dad ten days before the Giro started.
Clear Eyes, Full Heart – Daniel met Filippo Simeoni, who wished he was remembered for his Italian national championship win but became notorious for testifying against Lance Armstrong’s former coach and doctor Michele Ferrari.
La Girina – Daniel met Giusy Virelli, a key part of race director Mauro Vegni’s staff.
Hail Cesare! – Richard introduced us to Bora-Hansgrohe’s ‘Swiss Army Knife’ of a domestique and road captain, Cesare Benedetti.
The Vegan Pro – Lionel met Adam Hansen, who cut out dairy and meat and embraced a vegan diet, still something of a rarity in the peloton.
Il Mortirolo – We explained the Giro’s history with the feared Mortirolo, discovered by ex-Giro boss Carmine Castellano and once supposedly roamed by witches and brigands.
The Yellow Jumper – Primoz Roglič was flying high and looked in great shape to win the 2019 Giro – only the fourth grand tour he’d started. He used to be a ski jumper, you know.
No Cigars – There’s often not enough prizes to go round at a grand tour and we met some of the teams that looked set to go home empty-handed.
The Grand Tour Diaries – Giro d’Italia 2019. Another instalment of our grand tour audiobook. (FOTP)
2020 Giro d’Italia including Our Giro
Our Giro – A 21-stage virtual grand tour created by Daniel, Richard and Lionel during lockdown when all racing was postponed because of the Covid pandemic. (Free)
The Giro Diaries – A five-part series of despatches from riders in the Giro peloton, including Joe Dombrowksi, James Knox, Cesare Benedetti and Jacopo Guarnieri. (Free)
Italy’s Other Mountains – The Alps and Dolomites are famous but what about the ‘other’ mountain range in Italy, the Appenines, stretching more than 1,200 kilometres and forming the spine of the country. (Free)
NTT SOS – The NTT team was on the verge of folding after the sponsor announced on the eve of the Giro that it would not be continuing. We asked what the future held and what it’s like being part of a team facing the end. (Free)
The Story of the Giro – We told the story of how the autumn Giro was won? (Free)
Tao’s Giro – We spoke to the man himself, winner of the Giro in the most dramatic fashion over the final few days, Tao Geoghegan Hart. (FOTP)
The Girovagando case from DVine Cellars
The 2024 Girovagando case of six wines, curated by our friends at DVine Cellars, is available to buy now.
Stage 11 of our Girovagando coverage will be on air tonight night. The 11.01 Cappuccino will be back on Friday with another column from Richard Abraham.
A big thank you to MAAP for supporting The Cycling Podcast. Check out the full range of clothing to make you look the part on, and off, the bike at maap.cc
I'm Italy now (from California) and realizing how much of this country I've learned through the lens of kilometre zero. Grazie mille!