by Lionel Birnie The French road racing season bursts into life today (Sunday, January 28) with a barrel-chested blast of La Marseillaise. Last January, Simon Gill and I travelled to the south of France to spend a long weekend with François Thomazeau exploring the graffitied streets and getting under the skin of a city with such a strong, independent identity it barely considers itself French.
Good luck Lionel. It's been fantastic listening to you over the years and you'll be missed on the podcast. It'll be good to hear from you occasionally not only because you speak so much sense, but also because many of us listeners care deeply about how you're doing.
Best wishes to you & your family Lionel and thanks for your company.
The Cycling Podcast has been a must listen for since the first 2016 Giro coverage and becoming a 'Friend' of the podcast soon after that.
Your announcement on the pod came a couple of days after I first heard 'parasocial relationship' defined in a discussion on the radio (or maybe a podcast) and realized that so many of us have that imbalanced sense of friendship with you all.
Thanks for all the knowledge you have shared and the insight I have gained into the world of cycling via your excellent journalist's eye and ear for the essence of a story.
Your voice on the pod will be missed and revisiting your trip to Flanders with Simon has become a bit of an early February ritual just when I feel like I'm not really that motivated for the season ahead.
It's great to know you will be in the back room looking after the future of the podcast and like so many of us hope there may be the occasional guest appearance but looking forward to hearing the new plans.
Very best wishes Lionel. I will very much miss your humour and disarming style, in particular in conversation with Daniel. I do hope we will hear from you on the podcast from time to time - your contribution has been and will continue to be enormous. TCP, even after all these years, remains the highlight of my week.
A huge thumbs up Lionel for 10 years of sharing your talks among friends with us and best wishes at the Warehouse. And thanks especially to all of you at TCP for demonstrating that good writing, thoughtful questions, intelligent conversation and a good sense of humor make great content - flash and excess not required.
So, the reason you have not been on the podcast for the last six months, and will never again be on the podcast, is that you don't want to spend three weeks in July 2024 in France? This does not, as you suggest, "make sense". If you don't want to say why you are no longer a presenter I am happy to accept that it is none of my business - but if that is the case surely it would be better to say so?
That aside I would like to sincerely thank you for the last ten years. You, Richard and Daniel have been such a big part of my life - during the GTs I would have spent far longer listening to you every day than to my wife. Met you and Simon once at Tro Bro. It was a tremendous thrill for me but for you - not so much. Go well.
I'm coming in very late on this post Lionel, but thanks for all the years of podcasting, travelling, and entertaining us with stories, tales, news and humour with so little speculation :) I am also happy to know you will continue to contribute in written form on here. with the 11.01 Cappuccino. Cheers!
Good luck Lionel. It's been fantastic listening to you over the years and you'll be missed on the podcast. It'll be good to hear from you occasionally not only because you speak so much sense, but also because many of us listeners care deeply about how you're doing.
Best wishes
chapeau Lionel! Look forward to hearing from you in this written forum. Maybe some Francois style dropins on the pod too?
Best wishes to you & your family Lionel and thanks for your company.
The Cycling Podcast has been a must listen for since the first 2016 Giro coverage and becoming a 'Friend' of the podcast soon after that.
Your announcement on the pod came a couple of days after I first heard 'parasocial relationship' defined in a discussion on the radio (or maybe a podcast) and realized that so many of us have that imbalanced sense of friendship with you all.
Thanks for all the knowledge you have shared and the insight I have gained into the world of cycling via your excellent journalist's eye and ear for the essence of a story.
Your voice on the pod will be missed and revisiting your trip to Flanders with Simon has become a bit of an early February ritual just when I feel like I'm not really that motivated for the season ahead.
It's great to know you will be in the back room looking after the future of the podcast and like so many of us hope there may be the occasional guest appearance but looking forward to hearing the new plans.
Very best wishes Lionel. I will very much miss your humour and disarming style, in particular in conversation with Daniel. I do hope we will hear from you on the podcast from time to time - your contribution has been and will continue to be enormous. TCP, even after all these years, remains the highlight of my week.
A huge thumbs up Lionel for 10 years of sharing your talks among friends with us and best wishes at the Warehouse. And thanks especially to all of you at TCP for demonstrating that good writing, thoughtful questions, intelligent conversation and a good sense of humor make great content - flash and excess not required.
So, the reason you have not been on the podcast for the last six months, and will never again be on the podcast, is that you don't want to spend three weeks in July 2024 in France? This does not, as you suggest, "make sense". If you don't want to say why you are no longer a presenter I am happy to accept that it is none of my business - but if that is the case surely it would be better to say so?
That aside I would like to sincerely thank you for the last ten years. You, Richard and Daniel have been such a big part of my life - during the GTs I would have spent far longer listening to you every day than to my wife. Met you and Simon once at Tro Bro. It was a tremendous thrill for me but for you - not so much. Go well.
I'm coming in very late on this post Lionel, but thanks for all the years of podcasting, travelling, and entertaining us with stories, tales, news and humour with so little speculation :) I am also happy to know you will continue to contribute in written form on here. with the 11.01 Cappuccino. Cheers!