Next stop, Roubaix

Listen to Lionel's midweek chat with Rob Hatch over the holiest of Belgian beers

Destination this weekend. The André-Pétrieux velodrome in Roubaix. Photo by Simon Gill

by Lionel Birnie

This week’s edition of The 11.01 Cappuccino is an audio extravaganza – we are a podcast, after all. It features my chat with the voice of cycling, Eurosport and GCN commentator Rob Hatch. We met for a pre-dinner beer in the centre of Gent in the middle of Holy Week. Over an Orval (Mitch Docker’s favourite Belgian beer), we traded anecdotes about rounding off seat post bolts, indulged in some Pogačar-based Paris-Roubaix speculation, and looked ahead to the Queen of the Classics this coming weekend. Listen below

Last chance to vote for us in the Sports Podcast Awards

The Tour d’Écosse has been shortlisted for the Sports Podcast Awards and the voting window closes on April 6. We are in the Wilderness category so if you enjoyed the series please register and vote for us.

Catch up with Arrivée and our latest regular episode

If you missed them, our twin episodes from the Tour of Flanders are online in all good podcast apps. Arrivée will return this weekend, direct from the Roubaix velodrome. I’ll be joined by Lizzy Banks to discuss the women’s race on Saturday, and then will check-in with Daniel to unpick the major stories from the men’s race on Sunday. François Thomazeau joined Daniel and I for our latest episode, in which we picked over the fall-out from the Tour of Flanders, talked strike action and the French retirement age, and looked ahead to Paris-Roubaix.

GCN+ discount for UK listeners

Our friends at GCN+ have been sponsoring episodes leading up to each of the big Classics, which they will broadcast live and uninterrupted, and they are offering a 15% discount on an annual subscription at gcn.eu/cycling15

Thank you Flanders Classics

Everyone at The Cycling Podcast would like to say thank you to Flanders Classics for their touching gesture before the Tour of Flanders on Sunday morning. Before the team presentation, they paid tribute to Richard Moore, and the huge crowd gathered in the Grote Markt in the centre of Bruges gave a warm round of applause in his memory. The last race Richard covered was Gent-Wevelgem, an event organised by Flanders Classics, and so it was especially touching that they wanted to recognise his work and commemorate his contribution to telling cycling’s stories. Richard’s brother Peter was invited onto the podium and got to see the race as a guest of Flanders Classics. A big thank you also to Very Good Friend of the Podcast Charlotte Elton, who helped make the arrangements. Below is my conversation with Peter, recorded as we waited for the race on a very chilly Eikenberg.