S14 Ep45: Stage 11 | Porcari (Paper district) - Chiavari | Giro d’Italia 2026

KM0: The Revolution Will Be Televised

This episode is the first in a three-part series examining the lasting importance of the 1986 Tour de France, 40 years on. It's available here for a limited time, as well as ad-free for our Friends of the Podcast subscribers. Sign up at thecyclingpodcast.com [http://thecyclingpodcast.com] [http://thecyclingpodcast.com/] In 1986, Channel 4 – a relatively new station – broadcast nightly highlights of the Tour de France for the first time in Britain. From the opening refrain of Pete Shelley's brilliant theme tune, the studio set with its view of a Soho street in central London, the Tour coverage left a huge impression on anyone who saw it. The half-hour show took viewers on the perfect summer road trip around France. The commentary sounded like it was coming to us from the future. It ushered us in, night after night, explaining this strange sport's history, customs and etiquette gradually before leaving us bereft on the Champs-Élysées until the next summer. In this episode, Graham Willgoss speaks to Phil Liggett, the commentator when the Tour first hit British screens. And Lionel Birnie talks to James Venner, the son of Brian Venner, who was responsible for putting cycling on TV in the UK. James later spent more than two decades working as a producer on the ITV coverage of the Tour. We hear how the Tour captured our hearts in '86, created the first great cycling boom in Britain, led eventually to live coverage of not just the Tour but many other races and also inspired a generation of journalists and writers, including, in many ways our KM0 episodes. This episode was produced by Adam Bowie. Artwork by Lionel Birnie, featuring the old Channel 4 title imagery.

S14 Ep83: All The President’s Men | Stage 6 | Tour de France 2026

Join Lionel Birnie and Graham Willgoss for a three-week adventure taking them from Barcelona to Paris, following the 2026 Tour de France. The Cycling Podcast has covered the Tour with daily episodes recorded at the heart of the world’s biggest race. Our nightly episodes recap the stage action with 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.  Ask us anything for the rest day Press Conference episode: Email contact@thecyclingpodcast.com [contact@thecyclingpodcast.com] Or leave a voice message at speakpipe.com/thecyclingpodcast  [https://www.speakpipe.com/thecyclingpodcast] Introducing our sponsors, MyWhoosh Our Tour de France coverage is sponsored by MyWhoosh [https://mywhoosh.com/getting-started-mywhoosh-cycling-app/?utm_source=thecyclingpodcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=getting_started]. MyWhoosh [https://mywhoosh.com/getting-started-mywhoosh-cycling-app/?utm_source=thecyclingpodcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=getting_started] is a serious indoor training and racing platform, built for riders who love cycling, and it’s free. It’s built for anyone who wants to ride indoors with purpose, whether that’s staying fit, following a training plan, joining a community ride, racing hard, or exploring virtual roads and it’s free to ride, just like outdoors. Episode sponsors NordVPN Get NordVPN two-year plan + four months extra ➼ https://nordvpn.com/tcp [https://nordvpn.com/tcp] It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast [https://twitter.com/cycling_podcast] Instagram @thecyclingpodcast [https://www.instagram.com/thecyclingpodcast/] Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com [http://thecyclingpodcast.com/] to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here [https://thecyclingpodcast.substack.com/] for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am). The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in [https://thecyclingpodcast.supportingcast.fm/] to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava [https://www.strava.com/clubs/thecyclingpodcast] The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

KM0: The Boys of '86

This episode is the first in a three-part series examining the lasting importance of the 1986 Tour de France, 40 years on. It's available here for a limited time, as well as ad-free for our Friends of the Podcast subscribers. Sign up at thecyclingpodcast.com [http://thecyclingpodcast.com] Join Lionel Birnie, Graham Willgoss and special guest Edward Pickering as they discuss the 1986 Tour de France, which signalled the end of the road for Bernard Hinault and, in a way, the French dominance of their national sporting event. The Tour de France was embracing the world rapidly – and the world was falling in love with the Tour. We discuss the inter-team battle between America's blue-eyed boy, Greg LeMond, and his legendary teammate-slash-rival Hinault. For Lionel and Ed, it was also a first opportunity to follow the Tour daily on television and so it left indelible memories that shaped how they have experienced the Tour ever since. So why was the 1986 Tour one of the most important, watershed events in modern cycling history? This episode was produced by Jon Moonie. Artwork by Lionel Birnie, featuring a photograph by Graham Watson.

S14 Ep82: Pau, We Meet Again | Stage 5 | Tour de France 2026

Join Lionel Birnie and Graham Willgoss for a three-week adventure taking them from Barcelona to Paris, following the 2026 Tour de France. The Cycling Podcast has covered the Tour with daily episodes recorded at the heart of the world’s biggest race. Our nightly episodes recap the stage action with 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 our sponsors, MyWhoosh Our Tour de France Grand Départ coverage is sponsored by MyWhoosh [https://mywhoosh.com/getting-started-mywhoosh-cycling-app/?utm_source=thecyclingpodcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=getting_started]. MyWhoosh [https://mywhoosh.com/getting-started-mywhoosh-cycling-app/?utm_source=thecyclingpodcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=getting_started] is a serious indoor training and racing platform, built for riders who love cycling, and it’s free. It’s built for anyone who wants to ride indoors with purpose, whether that’s staying fit, following a training plan, joining a community ride, racing hard, or exploring virtual roads and it’s free to ride, just like outdoors. Episode sponsors NordVPN Get NordVPN two-year plan + four months extra ➼ https://nordvpn.com/tcp [https://nordvpn.com/tcp] It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee. Bikmo [https://bikmo.com/uk/?utm_source=thecyclingpodcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=thecyclingpodcast] The Cycling Podcast is supported by Bikmo [https://bikmo.com/uk/?utm_source=thecyclingpodcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=thecyclingpodcast], cycle insurance built for cyclists who actually ride. Whether it's a crash, a stolen bike, or your pride and joy arriving at baggage reclaim in three separate pieces – it's covered. Flexible policies you can cancel anytime, 50 per cent off extra household bikes, plus protection for your kit, race entries and travel. Follow us on social media: Twitter @cycling_podcast [https://twitter.com/cycling_podcast] Instagram @thecyclingpodcast [https://www.instagram.com/thecyclingpodcast/] Friends of the Podcast Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com [http://thecyclingpodcast.com/] to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes. The 11.01 Cappuccino Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here [https://thecyclingpodcast.substack.com/] for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am). The Cannibal & Badger Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in [https://thecyclingpodcast.supportingcast.fm/] to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in. The Cycling Podcast is on Strava [https://www.strava.com/clubs/thecyclingpodcast] The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

S14 Ep81: KM0: Ça Revient / It's Coming Home | Episode 2: Carcassonne

This episode is available ad-free on our Friends of the Podcast feed. Subscribe at thecyclingpodcast.com [http://thecyclingpodcast.com] [http://thecyclingpodcast.com/] Paul Seixas's first Tour de France has been the subject of feverish expectation, and the wait was finally over when the 19-year-old phenom rolled down the start ramp in Barcelona on Saturday. In part two of our Tour-long series — not just following Seixas but also exploring the reasons for France's 41-year drought in cycling's crown-jewel event — Daniel Friebe chronicles what turned into a baptism of fire, with mechanical mishaps, teammates crashing and, of course, those furnace-like temperatures. The good news for Seixas, as the Tourmalet loomed, was that nothing he'd done so far had dampened the hype. In fact, quite the opposite...