Le Crunch
Latest episode online now: England v France showdown on Green Mountain in Oman
In this week’s episode, Daniel Friebe, Lionel Birnie and Rob Hatch returned to recap all the latest stories and racing as the stars of the international peloton commenced their 2025 campaigns. In Oman, there was a battle royale between two Frenchmen and an Englishman – and, ultimately, the same final result as in another recent sporting contest at Twickenham.
Adam Yates has a big summer ahead of him, with potential leadership duties for UAE Team Emirates at the Giro d’Italia before playing a key support role for Tadej Pogačar at the Tour de France. He admitted he had started the season a little bit less well done than in previous years but still had enough to beat two Frenchmen – Valentin Paret-Peintre and David Gaudu – to the final red jersey on Green Mountain.
We also discussed an excellent week for Colombian riders, with Egan Bernal and Santiago Buitrago both flying high. By taking the national time trial and road race titles last week Bernal, the 2019 Tour and 2021 Giro champion, won his first races since a horrendous crash in training in January 2022. Meanwhile, Buitrago was the most complete rider in the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, outmanoeuvring João Almeida when it mattered to clinch the overall victory.
We also delved into the Musette of News – or Newsette, as Lionel insisted on calling it – whether either of these names catch on remains to be seen.
Finally, in the last part of the episode, we sank our teeth into the most controversial issue of the week – the exodus of top teams from the Étoile des Bessèges amid fears for riders’ safety but also for the future of small races in the sport’s heartlands. To bring a little perspective on that issue, we heard from Lidl-Trek’s directeur sportif in Bessèges, Steven de Jongh. We played an extract of that in the episode but if you want to listen to the full conversation, it’s below.
The Cycling Podcast Féminin will return tomorrow (Friday) with Rose Manley and Orla Chennaoui joined by Jo Rowsell to recap the early season races and begin the look ahead to the spring Classics.
Steven De Jongh on race safety
Ride the Étape du Tour de France Femmes
with Sports Tours International
The Étape du Tour has been running for more than 30 years but this year is the inaugural edition of the Étape du Tour de France Femmes, and our title sponsors Sports Tours International can get you to the start line in style.
The event will trace the route of the eighth stage from Chambéry to Saint-François-Longchamp, culminating with the legendary climb of the Col de la Madeleine.
The event is open to all riders, not only women, and Sports Tours International will look after you and your bike for the duration of your trip. The package includes a place on the start line, great accommodation close to the event, additional feed stops on the route and the full support of the experienced, friendly team of reps and mechanics from Sports Tours International. All you have to do is enjoy the ride.
Packages are selling fast so if you want to ride this historic debut event go to sportstoursinternational.co.uk
Ask us anything…
Have you got a question for The Cycling Podcast? Ask it and we will answer over at The Cannibal & Badger. Ask your question by emailing lionel@thecyclingpodcast.com
Remembering Richard at Gent-Wevelgem
by Lionel Birnie
Last year, Friend of the Podcast Charlotte Elton – who was also a very good friend of Richard Moore’s – wrote her tribute on the Baneberg at Gent-Wevelgem. Unfortunately, the TV director focused on the windmill at the top of the Baneberg and so the tribute was not widely seen but, undeterred, Charlotte is going to try again at the end of next month.
Writing the names of the riders on the road is an age-old tradition at major bike races. Charlotte is retuning this year and has some intel she hopes will mean the words will be picked up by the TV cameras covering the race.
The 2022 edition of Gent-Wevelgem was the last race Richard covered. I remember that Sunday his excitement at witnessing Biniam Girmay’s victory. He called me on his way home from the race that Sunday night but I was in the middle of my daughter’s bedtime so we only spoke very briefly and we said we’d talk again the following morning, when we were due to record the podcast with Daniel.
Of course, we never had that chance. Daniel and I were waiting for Richard’s call that Monday morning when we got the devastating news that he had died suddenly, unexpectedly.
Over the past three years there have been many touching ways to remember Richard’s legacy. Christian Prudhomme and the Tour de France recognised him at a ceremony in the start village before a stage of the 2022 race. The West Lothian Cycle Circuit in Scotland named a hairpin ‘Buffalo Bend’. The Tour of Flanders paid their tribute on the podium in Bruges before the 2023 edition. British Cycling inducted Richard into its hall of fame at the end of last year.
Barely a day goes by that I don’t wonder what Richard would have made of the racing, or how we’d have tackled the challenges of running The Cycling Podcast together, and I know Daniel is the same.
When Flanders Classics wanted to acknowledge Richard’s contribution, Charlotte was instrumental in helping to make that happen. Something as simple as writing Richard’s name on the road at Gent-Wevelgem is a way to remember him in his element, at the heart of a bike race somewhere. I am sure he’d be outwardly bemused but secretly delighted.
Anyway, the paint required is expensive. You can’t just use any old paint on the roads, it has to be one that washes off in a couple of weeks and doesn’t leak nasty chemicals into the ground. Last year Charlotte covered the cost herself, this year she has launched a Go Fund Me.
She exceeded her target within a matter of hours of launching the appeal at the weekend and so all additional funds will be donated to Sir Chris Hoy’s Tour de 4 charity, which helps raise awareness of what living with a stage four cancer diagnosis is like, and gives support to a number of UK cancer charities.
Now all we need to do is have a word with the TV director working on Gent-Wevelgem (March 30) to ensure her tribute is broadcast worldwide.