Is Superstar Dominance Making Cycling Great or Killing It?

Spencer Martin and co-host Andrew Vontz catch up on what they’ve missed, like Tadej Pogačar’s incredible win at Milan-Sanremo, and discuss the recent racing, from Jonas Vingegaard’s dominance and Remco Evenepoel’s continued climbing struggles at the Volta Catalunya to Mathieu van der Poel’s Classics campaign as he attempts to get on Pogačar’s level for next week’s Tour of Flanders.See the breakdowns of the latest pro cycling races in the BTP Newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Andrew’s Choose the Hard Way PodcastFollow Spencer & Andrew on Strava This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondthepeloton.substack.com/subscribe

Spencer Martin and co-host Andrew Vontz talk to Riding With’s Jonathan Kaplan about his ambitious project to rank the top 100 cyclists of all-time, go through their own top ten lists, and debate whether the Tour de France should start in the USA.Mid-Week Check-In: Paris-Nice & Tirreno–AdriaticoJonathan’s Top 10 Ranking⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Andrew’s Choose the Hard Way PodcastFollow Spencer & Andrew on Strava This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondthepeloton.substack.com/subscribe

Spencer Martin and co-host Andrew Vontz discuss the upcoming weekend of racing as the season officially heats up, with Tadej Pogačar facing off against Paul Seixas on the white gravel roads of Tuscany, Jonas Vingegaard battling Juan Ayuso at Paris-Nice, and Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert looking to sharpen their Classics form at Tirreno–Adriatico, all while Primož Roglič quietly makes his 2026 debut.BTP Weekend Preview⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Andrew’s Choose the Hard Way PodcastFollow Spencer & Andrew on Strava This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondthepeloton.substack.com/subscribe

Spencer Martin and co-host Andrew Vontz discuss the upcoming weekend of racing at the unofficial season opening on the Belgian cobbles with Omloop Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, where Mathieu van der Poel will take on the field while Wout van Aert continues to struggle to get, and stay, healthly, before veering into a wide range of topics, including the continuing trend of road pros turning to gravel, and if the worst WorldTour roster could compete on your local group ride. Weekend Preview: Cobbled Classics Kickoff⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Andrew’s Choose the Hard Way PodcastFollow Spencer & Andrew on Strava This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondthepeloton.substack.com/subscribe

Spencer Martin and co-host Andrew Vontz invite Jonathan Kaplan from the Riding With newsletter to discuss the recent racing, from the Isaac del Toro/Remco Evenepoel duel at the UAE Tour, the young stars emerging at Volta Algarve, and debate if the era of a select few historically good superstars winning nearly every major race is making the sport boring.BTP’s State of the 2026 USA Cycling Union⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Andrew’s Choose the Hard Way PodcastFollow Spencer & Andrew on Strava This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondthepeloton.substack.com/subscribe

Spencer Martin and co-host Andrew Vontz discuss what we learned from Tadej Pogačar’s recent Strava file, which was uploaded with his full power file information included, the early-season racing, where all the top stars are, and why they aren’t racing, what is going on at Visma, as well as Andrew’s announcement that he will be launching a gravel shake-out ride World Tour in 2026. BTP’s State of the 2026 USA Cycling Union⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Listen to Andrew’s Choose the Hard Way PodcastFollow Spencer & Andrew on Strava This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondthepeloton.substack.com/subscribe

Spencer Martin and co-host Andrew Vontz break down early-season racing, as well as discussing how early crashes to top stars like Mads Pedersen have already shaped the 2026 season, and if Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel are taking unnecessary risks with their off-season alpine ski trips. They also debate whether SoCal’s CBR race series is truly the heart of American bike racing, why the Unibet Rockets were left out of the 2026 Tour de France, and discuss a few standout comments from Quinn Simmons’ recent interview, as well as whether XDS-Astana needs to refresh its team rap video format.BTP’s State of the 2026 USA Cycling Union⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Andrew’s Choose the Hard Way Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Spencer & Andrew on Strava This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondthepeloton.substack.com/subscribe

Spencer Martin and co-host Andrew Vontz, just back from their annual team-building retreat at Pace Ranch in Tucson, Arizona, discuss the 2026 season’s kickoff races, what has stood out to them, and if Remco Evenepoel’s strong start at Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe means the Belgian is on track to meet the lofty goals set by the team. They also go through the news that Picnic-PostNL is in deep financial trouble, and attempt to decipher EF’s public call for further funding. 2026 BTP NET Ratings: Projecting How Each Team Will Stack up by the End of the Season⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Andrew’s Choose the Hard Way Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Spencer & Andrew on Strava This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondthepeloton.substack.com/subscribe

Spencer Martin and co-host Andrew Vontz kick off the New Year by discussing Wout van Aert’s extremely unfortunate broken ankle and how it will affect his upcoming season, as well as what his Visma–Lease a Bike team can do to plug the hole left by Simon Yates’ shocking and sudden retirement, before discussing whether there is WorldTour talent hiding in plain sight on Strava leaderboards.2026 Rider Tiers Part 1: Ranking the Top 20 Grand Tour Contenders Heading into the New Season⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Andrew’s Choose the Hard Way Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Spencer & Andrew on Strava (and comment on a recent ride) to join the challenge This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondthepeloton.substack.com/subscribe

Spencer Martin and co-host Andrew Vontz are joined by Riding With’s Jonathan Kaplan to break down their annual end-of-year challenge, the Abandon Your Family 500, where they ride 500 kilometers before Christmas Day. BTP Newsletter: UAE’s Performance Duo Jeroen Swart & Javier Sola on the Training Philosophy Behind Their Team’s Success⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Andrew’s Choose the Hard Way Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Spencer & Andrew on Strava (and comment on a recent ride) to join the challenge This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit beyondthepeloton.substack.com/subscribe