Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

I love riding my bike with my son. My boy Marlow and I head out when we can and boost around LanVegas on the bikes, and he loves it. It’s great to spend time together and see the little man starting to enjoy bikes and being outdoors as much as I did when I was a kid.

But, my guests on this month’s episode of Life In The Peloton take on father-and-son cycling adventures. Based over in the North of England, Rich and James Rothwell are an adventurous, off-road, ultra-cycling father and son duo who have undertaken some massive rides together.

Rich, a lifelong mountain biker, coach, and experienced ultra racer, got his son James into cycling from a young age. Still only 14 years old, James has already ticked off some absolutely huge rides on some world-renowned trails like the Highland Trail 550 and the AZT800 out in the USA.

I really wanted to chat to these guys to hear how they started riding together, what their epic adventures look like, and just how far a young talent like James will go in the world of cycling. I found it really inspiring to hear Rich’s relaxed, supportive approach in helping James keep the enjoyment, and I also loved hearing how young James supports his old man out there on the trails, too!

I hope Marlow can pick up a thing or two and give me a push or a spoonful of peanut butter when I’m in a bit of a hole next time we head out on the bikes.

Guys, I hope you like this episode. To the mums and dads out there, it’s a great listen if you want to get your kids into bike riding and kids, if you’ve ever wanted to get out on a cycling adventure with your parents, I hope this inspires you.

Cheers

Mitch

This episode is brought to you by our mates at Shokz – the world leaders in open-ear, bone-conduction headphones. Head to shokz.com and use the code LITP for a special listener-only discount.

It’s also supported by Restrap – makers of seriously tough, technical bikepacking bags and accessories, which come with a lifetime warranty. I’ve used their gear on some of my biggest adventures, and it’s never let me down. Check them out at restrap.com.

I’ll be heading to Adelaide this January for the Santos Tour Down Under — chasing the racing, riding the bunches in the morning, and soaking up all the summer vibes the city has to offer. Hope to see you there.

We’re back from the Tour - and what a bloody wild few weeks that was.

So I've jumped back on the mic with my guest...I mean co hosts, Tom Southam and Luke Durbridge to get stuck into all the goss from this year’s race.

It’s a big one - we cover everything!

The drama, the chaos, the tactics, the crashes, the wins, the "wish I was anywhere but here" moments. And believe me, Durbo’s got a few of those...

From Pogacar blowing the race apart on the Col de la Loze, to Ben Healy’s heroics, and even the almighty mess of the groupetto on Stage 20 - this is the full Race Communiqué debrief you’ve been waiting for. Your perfect look behind the curtain of this massive event.

We each pick our favourite stages, highlight standout performances (Durbo reckons Harry Sweeney deserves a nickname after Stage 10), and of course, we wrap it all up with the ever-chaotic Communiquiz.

Honestly, it’s one of my favourite pods we’ve done all year. There’s plenty of laughs, a bit of behind-the-scenes insight, and some real moments of “can you believe that actually happened?”

So grab a post-Tour beer, stick your feet up, and enjoy the chat.

Cheers,

Mitch

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🎧 Timecodes

• 00:00:00 – Intro
• 00:07:47 – Race Recap (Behind the scenes at the Tour)
• 00:39:51 – Pelo Chat (Have ASO just given up?)
• 00:52:46 – Talking Tactics (How did Ben Healey’s stage win come about?)
• 01:01:22 – CommuniQuiz (Tom forgets his questions…)

Race Radio is proudly brought to you by MAAP

Look forward, because it’s time for the Femmes. We’re signing off from France, but we’re not leaving you empty handed, no – tune into Race Radio for a preview of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift with Rouleur’s Rachel Jary to hear what’s happened so far and what to expect in the coming days, a word with Zwift’s Director of Strategy Kate Veronneau on the future of the sport, and we catch Dominque Powers right after she photographs podcast favourite and absolute GOAT of cycling, Marianne Vos.

A lot to get stuck into here: have it!

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🚴‍♂️ This episode is powered by our friends at JOIN Cycling The AI-powered training app that helps you ride smarter, not harder. Miss a session? Life’s chaotic? JOIN adapts — so your training still makes sense, even when your week doesn’t.

🇦🇺 And supported by the 2026 Tour Down Under Adelaide, January. All the WorldTour teams. Sunshine, cold ones, and not a bad coffee in sight. Start planning now: the racing (and the vibes) will be world-class.

Race Radio is proudly brought to you by MAAP

Well, well, well, if it isn’t a bumper edition of Race Radio to finish an outstanding Tour. We get out of bed early to recon the Montmartre climb, eat a hearty business luncheon with a punchline or two before heading to watch the finish, topped off with another pit walk, where we find out if this spectacular stage was as fun for the riders as it was for the fans (hint: it was not). But don’t take our word for it, hear it from the coureurs themselves.

Don't miss it!

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🚴‍♂️ This episode is powered by our friends at JOIN Cycling The AI-powered training app that helps you ride smarter, not harder. Miss a session? Life’s chaotic? JOIN adapts — so your training still makes sense, even when your week doesn’t.

🇦🇺 And supported by the 2026 Tour Down Under Adelaide, January. All the WorldTour teams. Sunshine, cold ones, and not a bad coffee in sight. Start planning now: the racing (and the vibes) will be world class.

Race Radio is proudly brought to you by MAAP

Race Radio’s Harry and Stu bring the pit walk to the peloton – where they catch old mate Tom Southam for a quick chat about the cricket, plus some words from Oscar Onley’s DS Matt Winston (also about the cricket) – before taking to the final climb to experience the publicity caravan in its somewhat reduced fullness and a bit of a scramble to the top to see their second summit finish in as many days.

Now it’s just a 15-hour bus ride back to the start at Albertville (only 19km away). Pray for them!

Get into it!

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🚴‍♂️ This episode is powered by our friends at JOIN Cycling The AI-powered training app that helps you ride smarter, not harder. Miss a session? Life’s chaotic? JOIN adapts — so your training still makes sense, even when your week doesn’t.

🇦🇺 And supported by the 2026 Tour Down Under Adelaide, January. All the WorldTour teams. Sunshine, cold ones, and not a bad coffee in sight. Start planning now: the racing (and the vibes) will be world class.

Race Radio is proudly brought to you by MAAP

Harry and Stu are finally on the ground in France and kick things off with a monster day on the mighty Col de la Loze. Armed with a pair of Bromptons, a bag of pastries, and boundless enthusiasm, they pedal into the clouds for the Queen Stage of this year’s Tour.

Expect mist, mayhem, and mistimed gear shifts—as well as a quick chat with cycling photographers Zac Williams and Harry Talbot, who share tales from the road and their plan to shoot the day’s action from 3km out. There’s mountain magic, gondola bureaucracy, Tour Down Under dreams, and a whole lot of fan energy (plus a bit of a beef with the Cycling Podcast convoy).

One of the wildest, most atmospheric days of the Tour—and an unforgettable summit finish from Betteo.

Get into it!

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🚴‍♂️ This episode is powered by our friends at JOIN Cycling The AI-powered training app that helps you ride smarter, not harder. Miss a session? Life’s chaotic? JOIN adapts — so your training still makes sense, even when your week doesn’t.

🇦🇺 And supported by the 2026 Tour Down Under Adelaide, January. All the WorldTour teams. Sunshine, cold ones, and not a bad coffee in sight. Start planning now: the racing (and the vibes) will be world class.

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

The sport of professional cycling has everything. Dramatic storylines, heroic champions, tear jerking wins, and more. But, one thing it seems to be lacking is cash.

Every year, it seems like teams have to fight harder and harder to get sponsorship to pay their riders. Compared to the likes of soccer and other mainstream sports, budgets in cycling are a drop in the ocean.

I wanted to find out how professional cycling is able to keep rolling despite the financial struggles, and see if there’s anything teams can do to increase their revenue and grow the sport as a whole, so I spoke to some key stakeholders in the sport to find out more.

In this special edition of Life In The Peloton, I speak to my first team boss and manager of Team Picnic Post NL, Iwan Spekenbrink, General Race Director of Flander’s Classics, Scott Sunderland, current pro seeing out his last season after 17 years as a rider, Simon Clarke, Bas Tietema, owner of TDT Unibet Rockets - the new kids on the block looking to redefine the fan - team relationship through storytelling alongside chasing results, and finally Dr Cillian Kelly; a master statistician with the cold hard facts on the situation to see if it is really as bleak as it seems.

Guys, this episode is a deep dive into the sport we all love to find out if it has a future that’s financially sustainable, or if teams are always going to be scratching around for sponsorship or closing altogether.

Thanks to all my interviewees for speaking to me, and the wider Life In The Peloton team for helping pull this mammoth episode together. I hope you enjoy it!

Cheers!

Mitch

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This episode is exclusively being brought to you by the Tour Down Under, stages are set, the 2026 stages have been announced! The most exciting and hardest edition of TDU in its 25 year history! Come and feel the rush! Check out the stages and the race here: https://tourdownunder.com.au _______________ This episode is brought to you by our friends at Saily. If you're heading overseas for your next ride or trip? Avoid nasty roaming fees and get set up with Saily, the eSIM app from the legends behind NordVPN.

Download the app and use the code PELOSURF for 15% off your next data plan — or hit https://saily.com/pelosurf to score yourself a special listener-only discount.

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This episode is powered by Shokz, the world leading open ear headphones pioneer. Want the most comfortable and safest headphones for cycling? Check out https://shokz.cc/LITP-2505

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🎄 Christmas in July? You bet. We’re running a massive 50% off over at the Life in the Peloton shop all month long!

Use code JULY50 at checkout to score half-price tees, caps, and beer cozies – the ultimate kit to keep you cool (and your tinnies cooler) this summer.

Support the pod, save some cash, and rep the vibe - https://www.lifeinthepeloton.com/shop

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

The Tour de France kicked off last weekend and oh boy what a race we’ve had already! There've been some amazing stage winners, some crazy crashes, and some signs that we are in for one hell of a July. I’m enjoying this year’s race purely as a fan from the comfort of my sofa. But, when it comes to fans, there’s none bigger than old mates Harry and Stu over at Life In The Peloton’s Race Radio.

These guys love it and, as always, I get to share their enthusiasm with you guys for this month’s ep. Here’s what the brilliant baldie, Harry Dowdney, had to say about this month’s episode:

Le Tour is Here!

The greatest on earth has kicked off with a series of great stages in the north of France. Stu and I discuss the mayhem of the crashes, marvel at the Alpecin-Deceuninck machine, and give some insights into two big name riders we've made films with recently - Jasper Philipsen and Ben O'Connor.

Then, we dial in pro cycling photographer Zac Williams for a chinwag about how his race is going so far. Allez!

The Tour is The Tour - it’s as big as it gets, and there’s so much to talk about it can sometimes be hard knowing where to start when you’re trying to catch up; but the Race Radio boys do a stellar job of cutting through the noise and bringing you the insights that only they can. I love it, and I hope you do, too.

The Race Radio boys will return LIVE from The Tour - recording direct from the Alps in the third week, and sticking around to bring you coverage from the roadside of the Tour de France Femmes! I can’t say I’m not a little bit jealous of them getting boots on the ground over in Europe, but I can’t wait to hear what they come up with.

Cheers!

Mitch

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Download the app and use the code PELOSURF for 15% off your next data plan — or hit https://saily.com/pelosurf to score yourself a special listener-only discount.