Carlos Verona on La Vuelta, Alejandro Valverde, and his gravel debut (Ep. 65)

Carlos Verona of Movistar Team joins the Turbo Talks ahead of La Vuelta. He talks about his season so far (2:17), ambitions and his role for La Vuelta (4:00), the final grand tour of Alejandro Valverde (7:39), this year's course of La Vuelta (9:43), his planned debut on the gravel scene later this season (13:30), and his Vuelta podium prediction (18:25).

Mikkel Honoré of Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team joins the Turbo Talks podcast ahead of the start of the 2022 Tour de France. He shares his excitement about the start in his home country of Denmark and making his Tour de France debut (1:15), discusses the impact of Covid-19 on the peloton (6:25), his preparation and form coming into the Tour (8:43), and his role, ambitions, and thoughts on the route (13:10), before he answers your fan questions (17:50).

Richie Porte of INEOS Grenadiers joins the Turbo Talks podcast on the second rest day of the Giro d'Italia. He talks about the hard final week coming up (0:57), how challenging the first two weeks of racing have been (3:03), the vibe within INEOS Grenadiers with Carapaz in pink (5:10), comparing his time at Team Sky with today's INEOS Grenadiers (7:31), his current role versus being the team leader (9:42), and nearing the end of his cycling career (14:05).

Triathlete Beth Potter joins the Turbo Talks podcast. She talks about her sporting background and running career (2:45), her transition into triathlon, the challenges faced, and progression made (4:03). She then talks about running the unofficial 5,000m world record last year (12:17), Super League Triathlon and the type of training that helped her prepare (14:28), her season goals and ambitions for the future (19:58).

In 2022, Women’s WorldTeam, CANYON//SRAM Racing added a second team as part of its long-term Diversity and Inclusion program. The newly founded CANYON//SRAM Generation team is registered as a Women’s Continental Team. Canyon//SRAM Generation's Diversity and Inclusion expert Tina Kalkschmid and Sports Director Adam Szabo join the Turbo Talks podcast for a deep dive on this development team and its diversity and inclusion program. Firstly, Tina explains the rationale behind starting the team and the need for diversity and inclusion within cycling (1:28), the selection process (5:25), shared values within Canyon//SRAM (9:52) and the push for gender equality in and through cycling (12:05). Then Adam talks about the performance side of the selection process (15:26), the team's race calendar (18:27), the riders integration in Girona (19:52), and where the focus lies in their development (24:27). To wrap it up Adam and Tina tell us what would make 2022 a successful year for Canyon//SRAM Generation (25:58).

Robert Gesink of Team Jumbo-Visma joins the Turbo Talks for the first episode of 2022. He shares what he thinks makes a great pain cave for training (3:46), tips to enjoy the longer sessions (9:25), his favorite trainer sessions (13:09), how his training changed throughout his career (15:20), talks about the importance of training off the bike (18:40), and he discusses the upcoming 2022 season and his role on the team (24:35).

Riejanne Markus of Team Jumbo Visma Women joins the Turbo Talks for stage 4 of the Garmin Never Stop Series. She talks about and her off-season activities (1:42), growing up in a sporting family (4:37), bike adventures (7:52), her 2021 season and riding with Ellen van Dijk and Annemiek van Vleuten in the mixed team time trial (14:23), and her preparation and goals for the 2022 season (21:02). This episode is available to listen on your regular podcast channels or via Zwift during stage 4 of the Garmin Never Stop Series from 15 - 19 December 2021.

Mikayla Harvey of Canyon SRAM Racing joins the Turbo Talks for stage 3 of the Garmin Never Stop Tour. She shares how recent outdoor adventures in New Zealand helped her break down mental barriers (1:39), the challenges faced and lessons learnt during the 2021 season (6:11), the physical and mental benefits of yoga and pilates (10:49), the positive impact her family has on her career (12:12), her most daunting and favourite training sessions (15:05), her love for a ginger crunch slice and baking (19:37), and she hands out some hydration and nutrition tips for your indoor rides (22:55). This episode is available to listen on your regular podcast channels or via Zwift during stage 3 of the Garmin Never Stop Tour from 11 - 14 December 2021.

Chris Juul-Jensen of Team BikeExchange joins the Turbo Talks podcast for stage two of the Garmin Never Stop Series on Zwift. He talks about the epic wet edition of Paris-Roubaix (2:40), his mixed feelings about the 2021 season (11:59), how racing has changed since the start of the pandemic (14:18), a shift in his training approach over winter (15:58), his contract extension at Team BikeExchange (21:25), and his off-season activities (26:58).

Andri Frischknecht of SCOTT-SRAM MTB Racing joins the Turbo Talks podcast for stage 1 of the Garmin Never Stop Tour. He talks about using his Tacx Neo 2T next to riding MTB, CX, and on the road (1:54), growing up in a cycling family and choosing MTB (4:40), earning a spot on the team (9:19), how he uses his Garmin Edge 830 Plus (13:43), lessons learnt from Nino Schurter and the 2021 season (23:13), the impact of MVDP and Tom Pidcock on the MTB scene (27:02), and his goals for 2022 (29:47). This episode is especially created for stage 1 of the Garmin Never Stop Tour from 3 - 6 December 2021 on Zwift.