The Advent Episode

Plus: Win a pair of Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 headphones in our competition

This week’s episode – the fifth instalment of our Review of 2024 series – focuses on the riders who enjoyed a breakthrough season.

Daniel is joined by Rob Hatch, Richard Abraham and, making his Cycling Podcast debut, Cillian Kelly.

Cillian has constructed an audio advent calendar. Behind each door there is not a chocolate or (for children of the 1970s and 1980s) a picture of a bell or a holly wreath, but a rider who made a big first impression during the 2024 season, or a fascinating fact or stat relating to the year.

Can an advent calendar even work in audio? You bet it can!

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Next week: KM0 Live for Friends of the Podcast

There will be a festive edition of KM0 Live, our virtual live event, for Friends of the Podcast next week. Daniel will be joined by Rob Hatch and a sprinkling of guests from the Cycling Podcast universe for an hour or so of conversation and questions. We are finalising the precise details but it will be held on Thursday, December 12 and all current Friends of the Podcast will be sent details of how to register for the event by email very soon.

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Win a set of Shokz headphones

We have got a set of top-of-the-range OpenRun Pro 2 bone-conduction headphones to give away, thanks to our title sponsors Shokz. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is answer this ludicrously easy question by email.

Tadej Pogačar became the third man to win the so-called ‘triple crown’ of Giro, Tour and world championship this year. But which two men did it before him, and in which years?

Email us with the subject title Shokz competition at contact@thecyclingpodcast.com

Entries are flooding in, but make sure to beat the time cut, which is the end of Tuesday, December 10. Only 100% accurate answers will be eligible.

Meanwhile, if you want to buy a set of Shokz, the discount code CYCLING10 gives £10 off at uk.shokz.com.

Celebrate in style with DVine Cellars’ special selection

In what has become a cherished Cycling Podcast tradition, we celebrated the three Grand Tours by partnering with Dvine Cellars of London to select wines made on, or close to, the routes of the Giro, Tour and Vuelta. As ever, Daniel, Greg and the rest of the team at Dvine Cellars agonised over the final six-bottle line-ups – and some worthy contenders missed out. We’re rectifying that for Christmas with a Best of the Rest – 2024 Grand Tours case that’s available now for UK listeners from Dvine Cellars. Here’s the final, festive roster:

• Ronchi di Cialla Ribolla Gialla, Friuli, Italy

• Nebbiolo Coste della Sesia, Travaglini, Gattinara, Piedmont, Italy

• Domaine Bruno Lupin Roussette Frangy, Savoie, France

• Domaine Les Caizergues, L'Arbre d'Or 2017, Languedoc, France

• Tobía, Selección de Autor, Chardonnay/Tempranillo Blanco, Rioja, Spain

• Niepoort, Rotulo Tinto, Dao, Portugal

Very last call for The Grand Tour Diaries – 11 copies left

This really is the final chance to get a signed copy of The Grand Tour Diaries – plus a free gift. As of this morning there were 11 copies of the book remaining so if you do want a copy, be quick. These diaries were written in 2018 and 2019 by Richard, Daniel, François, Orla and me, telling the story of the adventures (and misadventures) of life on the road covering the major races.

Gift a Friends of the Podcast subscription

Perhaps you’d like to drop a hint to a friend or loved one that you’d like a Friends of the Podcast subscription. Or maybe you’d like to gift a subscription to a fellow cycling fan? Well, you can do so by clicking the button below.

The 12 Hills of Christmas plus a virtual edition

A reminder that Friend of the Podcast Laurent Audibert is inviting listeners to join him riding the 12 Hills of Christmas route this Sunday (December 8) in memory of our friend Richard Moore. Laurent will be setting off from The Hub cafe in Redbourn High Street at 9am on Sunday, December 8. Everyone is welcome to join the ride and donations to the British Heart Foundation are appreciated. Santa hats, tinsel and other Christmas decorations optional. If you want to listen to the original 12 Hills of Christmas episode of Explore I made, you can do so here. There’s also a link to a GPX file of the route in the show notes.

• For anyone who can’t make it, Friend of the Podcast Dave Owen has organised a virtual 12 Hills of Christmas ride to take place on Zwift on Saturday, December 14 at 12noon (UK time). It’s 50km and it’s open to any riders of any category. You can check out the details here.