S13 Ep71: The XL Tour de France Preview, Part Two

Join Lionel Birnie, Graham Willgoss and François Thomazeau in Lille as they recap the first stage of the 2025 Tour de France. We’re back on the road for the 13th time with daily episodes recorded at the heart of the world’s biggest race. Our nightly episodes feature race analysis, interviews and plenty of French flavour. To listen to the episodes as soon as they are released, follow The Cycling Podcast in your favourite podcast app. INTRODUCING VAN RYSEL, OUR TOUR DE FRANCE SPONSORS We are very pleased to welcome Van Rysel as our sponsors for the first half of our Tour de France coverage. The Tour gets underway in Lille, the city where the company was founded and has its headquarters. The city is steeped in French cycling history and heritage, not least because the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix are on the doorstep. Van Rysel supplies bikes and kit for the Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale World Tour team, who feature Felix Gall, Bruno Armirail and Aurélien Paret-Peintre in their line-up for the Tour. If you are going to Lille for the opening weekend make sure to drop in at Van Rysel House, a pop-up venue and hub for cycling fans. It’s located at Hein Estaminet in Place Saint-Hubert a short walk from the Euralille train station. It’s a place to have a drink or something to eat and watch the race on TV and there’ll be lots going on over the weekend with a quiz night to test your cycling knowledge each night at 8pm. There’s also some group rides setting out from there. A chance to see the Van Rysel bikes and the innovation that goes into their design. Visit www.vanryselcycling.com to find out more. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am). The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

As part of of our build-up to the Tour de France, this episode of KM0 from the Friends of the Podcast feed is available for all for a limited time. With the 2025 race starting in Lille, the city of François Thomazeau's birth we're revisiting the first part of his Tour de France tales. Recorded in 2023, this five-part series is a chronological romp through some of François' favourite Tour memories, starting with the first Tour he covered in 1986. The four subsequent parts of this series are available to Friends of the Podcast subscribers. Sign up at thecyclingpodcast.com and support The Cycling Podcast's coverage in the process. Once subscribed you can listen to the back catalogue of more than 300 episodes plus new shows for Friends of the Podcast by adding the feed to your preferred podcast app in a few quick clicks.

This is part two of our bumper XL Tour de France Preview, with Lionel Birnie, Graham Willgoss, Rob Hatch and François Thomazeau. We pick up where we left off with François' run-through of what to expect on the road in weeks two and three of the 2025 Tour de France, interspersed with some of the more intriguing sub-plots to look forward to. There's also Whitey's Whiteboard – in which experienced sports director Matt White shares some of his tactical expertise and breaks down how a typical team goes about selecting its line-up for the Tour de France and how the daily strategy is decided and conveyed to the riders. INTRODUCING VAN RYSEL, OUR TOUR DE FRANCE SPONSORS We are very pleased to welcome Van Rysel as our sponsors for the first half of our Tour de France coverage. The Tour gets underway in Lille, the city where the company was founded and has its headquarters. The city is steeped in French cycling history and heritage, not least because the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix are on the doorstep. Van Rysel supplies bikes and kit for the Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale World Tour team, who feature Felix Gall, Bruno Armirail and Aurélien Paret-Peintre in their line-up for the Tour. If you are going to Lille for the opening weekend make sure to drop in at Van Rysel House, a pop-up venue and hub for cycling fans. It’s located at Hein Estaminet in Place Saint-Hubert a short walk from the Euralille train station. It’s a place to have a drink or something to eat and watch the race on TV and there’ll be lots going on over the weekend with a quiz night to test your cycling knowledge each night at 8pm. There’s also some group rides setting out from there. A chance to see the Van Rysel bikes and the innovation that goes into their design. Visit www.vanryselcycling.com to find out more. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am). The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

Join Lionel Birnie, Graham Willgoss, Rob Hatch and François Thomazeau for the first part of The Cycling Podcast’s bumper Tour de France preview. This episode focuses on the first half of the 112th Tour, which will take the riders from Lille in the north east, across to Normandy and Brittany before cutting down through the heart of France to the Massif Central. The head-to-head battle between Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard is currently tied at 2-2, with the Slovenian winning in 2021 and 2024 and the Dane taking back-to-back victories in 2022 and 2023. But, as closely-matched as they often seem, none of those four clashes has been particularly close and, as we saw at the Dauphiné last month, Pogačar seems to have the upper hand at the moment. So, will we see a battle royale between the Three Tenors – © Rob Hatch – with Remco Evenepoel one of the riders most suited to a punchy, scrappy opening week, especially with a time trial to contend with? François breaks down the route and explains what we have to look forward to before the first rest day after ten stages. Part two of The XL Tour de France Preview will be online soon... INTRODUCING VAN RYSEL, OUR TOUR DE FRANCE SPONSORS We are very pleased to welcome Van Rysel as our sponsors for the first half of our Tour de France coverage. The Tour gets underway in Lille, the city where the company was founded and has its headquarters. The city is steeped in French cycling history and heritage, not least because the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix are on the doorstep. Van Rysel supplies bikes and kit for the Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale World Tour team, who feature Felix Gall, Bruno Armirail and Aurélien Paret-Peintre in their line-up for the Tour. If you are going to Lille for the opening weekend make sure to drop in at Van Rysel House, a pop-up venue and hub for cycling fans. It’s located at Hein Estaminet in Place Saint-Hubert a short walk from the Euralille train station. It’s a place to have a drink or something to eat and watch the race on TV and there’ll be lots going on over the weekend with a quiz night to test your cycling knowledge each night at 8pm. There’s also some group rides setting out from there. A chance to see the Van Rysel bikes and the innovation that goes into their design. Visit www.vanryselcycling.com to find out more. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am). The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

As part of of our build-up to the Tour de France, this episode of KM0 from the Friends of the Podcast feed is available for all for a limited time. This is one of the most whimsical episodes of KM0 we've ever made. It was recorded on the second rest day during the 2017 Tour de France in the style of the old British TV show Juke Box Jury. François Thomazeau took Lionel Birnie and Richard Moore on a musical journey to discover music inspired by the Tour de France. Over a pre-dinner drink or two, they assessed the musical offerings of artists such as Les Freres Jacques, Alex Marco and former professional rider Jean-François Bernard and decided they ranged from the quirky to the weird, the catchy to the downright diabolical.

As part of of our build-up to the Tour de France, this episode of KM0 from the Friends of the Podcast feed is available for all for a limited time. The Tour de France returns to Mont Ventoux this summer and this episode about the mountain’s history and influence was made back in June 2016 ahead of the race’s visit a few weeks later. Lionel Birnie and Simon Gill head to Provence to ride the climb from Bedoin via Chalet Reynard. Along the way they discover the drama, majesty and tragedy of the Giant of Provence. Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast to listen to our full KM0 archive of more than 300 episodes stretching back to 2015.

This episode of KM0 from the Friends of the Podcast feed is available for all for a limited time. As we count down to the start of the Tour de France on Saturday, we’re releasing episodes new and vintage throughout the week. First up, to mark the tenth anniversary of the creation of our spin-off show we’re adding the very first episode of KM0 to our free feed. Join Richard Moore, Lionel Birnie and Daniel Friebe in the car as they approach Utrecht, venue for the 2015 Grand Départ. This episode launched our KM0 series, which gave us the platform to tell a wide range of different stories we didn’t have space for in the regular stage recaps. The KM0 back catalogue is available for Friends of the Podcast. Sign up at thecyclingpodcast.com

Join Lionel Birnie and Graham Willgoss for the final instalment of their pre-Tour de France 'attitude camp'. In this episode they recap the final major preparation race, the Tour de Suisse where UAE Team Emirates – who else? – took the overall honours. But while João Almeida's overall victory had a feeling of inevitability about it as soon as he reached the midway checkpoint in the final time trial, the week was perhaps more revealing about the two riders who joined him on the podium. We hear from third-placed Oscar Onley, who won a stage and put together the best stage race performance of his career as he prepares to head to the Tour for Picnic Post NL. And we discuss Kevin Vauquelin's credentials as a potential star for the home nation at the Tour. He won a stage during the opening weekend in Italy last week and he very nearly delivered a huge result for an Arkea-B&B Hotels team that has been struggling in the World Tour this season. There's a recap of the other races, including two events on the calendar in Copenhagen and Andorra, a brush with the UCI rules and analysis of Tadej Pogačar's foray into the world of children's books with his partner Urška Žigart. Next up – our XL Tour de France Preview episode will be out in the middle of next week.  EPISODE SPONSORS NordVPN Get NordVPN two-year plan + four months extra ➼ https://nordvpn.com/tcp It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee. AG1 Subscribe now and get a FREE bottle of Vitamin D AND five free AG1 travel packs with your first subscription. Go to drinkAG1.com/cycling Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am). The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

They may not have made it to their Swiss chalet, but spirits are still high on this month’s Cycling Podcast Féminin as the team tackle several weeks of lively racing. Rose Manley, Denny Gray and Rebecca Charlton set themselves the challenge of picking out some moments that made them say “Ooh!” from the Tour of Britain Women and the Tour de Suisse, which is no easy task after a number of memorable moments and breakthrough performances. Plus this month’s mini feature offers up a sneak preview of an upcoming Friends of the Podcast special. Four time British national champion Lisa Brambani sits down with The Cycling Podcast producer Tom Whalley to talk about the first ever women’s Giro in 1988. Brambani offers some rare detail as she battled convent dormitories and cold water showers as well as the race itself, all diligently recorded in her diary. We also look ahead to this year’s Giro d’Italia and explore the punchy eight stage course which includes three summit finishes. Also on the agenda, Denny’s imaginary Toblerone-inventing grandfather, Rebecca’s 90s hip hop karaoke and a thousand ways of saying “ooh!”. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am). The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

Join Lionel Birnie and Graham Willgoss as they review the Critérium du Dauphiné and ask whether it was a full dress rehearsal for the Tour de France. Get ready to check-in for another block of pre-Tour preparation at The Cycling Podcast’s ‘Attitude Camp’. With Eddy Merckx about to celebrate his 80th birthday, Tadej Pogačar equalled The GOAT's tally of Dauphiné victories (one) and reminded everyone, including Jonas Vingegaard, he remains the number one favourite for next month's Tour de France. But what else did we learn from the Dauphiné? Brian Nygaard is on hand to remind us that although it wasn’t a winning week for Vingegaard, the Dane and his Visma-Lease A Bike team need not press the panic button just yet. We ask Rod Ellingworth of Bahrain Victorious about Lenny Martinez’s stage victory on the final day, as the long wait for a French Tour champion approaches 40 years. And we make a quick visit to Coorevits Corner to find out what Hugo made of Remco Evenepoel’s Dauphiné. EPISODE SPONSORS NordVPN Get NordVPN two-year plan + four months extra ➼ https://nordvpn.com/tcp It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee. Saily If you are travelling abroad and want to reduce or even eliminate roaming charges you need an eSim from Saily, brought to you by the creators of NordVPN. ⛵Download the SAILY app and use our code cycling at checkout to get an exclusive 15% off your first purchase. Or go to saily.com/cycling for full details Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast Instagram @thecyclingpodcast Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am). The Cycling Podcast is on Strava The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.