Joining me for this episode is Australian road rider currently racing with Q36.5, Cyrus Monk. Cyrus and I chat about his early memories of cycling as well as playing lots of other sports before heading to University and starting on his path to become a professional cyclist.  Cyrus has raced all over the world with teams of all different levels from club to World Tour and has gained experience with EF and EvoPro Racing before joining Q36.5 for the 2023 season. We chat about this progression...

For this episode I am joined by British rider for Canyon-SRAM, Alice Towers. Alice and I chat about her progression through youth racing, starting with cafe rides with her dad and brother before joining her local club and beginning to train and race. Alice was a Junior when we went into Lockdown in 2020 and we talk about the impact this had on her cycling and how she got to join a team in Spain which really set her on the path to becoming a pro rider. After winning the British National Road...

Today I am joined by former British Track and road rider now racing for France, Oscar Nilsson-Julien. Oscar grew up in London riding and racing as part of VCL cycling club. We chat about his progression through the youth and junior categories, the people who he raced with and the multiple British National titles he achieved. After competing as part of the GB programme as an Under 23, Oscar decided to make the move to France to join a French road team to help progress his road career.  Soon...

For this episode I am joined my British Junior road and cyclocross rider Seb Grindley. I've followed Seb's progress since 2021 and after having him on the pod as a guest as part of a team episode a few years ago, I really wanted the opportunity to have a proper chat with Seb about his life in cycling so far. Seb started riding with his dad when he was young before quickly progressing into national racing on the road and in cyclocross.  Seb has been Cyclocross National Champion and National...

Today I am joined by female British road rider for Movistar Team, Claire Steels. After growing up playing field hockey, Claire studied Psychology with Sports Science at university before getting into running and then duathlon which led to her representing Team GB in her age group. Alongside setting up her own personal training business, Claire began to focus more on the bike and quickly made progress racing in the UK.  We chat about Claire's life before cycling, balancing her business with...

This week I am joined by Swiss mountain bike rider for Ghost Factory Racing Team Nicole Koller. I'm so grateful to Nicole for sharing the highs and lows of her life in cycling so far. We chat about growing up cycling with her brothers, her progression through the Junior category and becoming the XCO Junior World Champion.  We also chat about moving through under 23 into Elite, racing all over the World and twice winning the Mixed Team Time Trial World Championships with team...

I'm back for season 5 of Cycling Talk Podcast where I am joined by Pro and young riders in all disciplines of cycling to share their cycling life story so far. For this episode I am joined by under 23 rider for Great Britain and Trinity Racing, Bob Donaldson. Bob and I chat through his early experiences on the Road and Track through to his progression as an Under 23 including racing in World Championships, Professional wins with Trinity Racing and great results in the Baby Giro and Tour de...

For this special episode I welcome back British Track and Road rider Ben Wiggins. After talking to Ben in early 2022, he joins me again to talk about his time as a Junior in 2022 and 2023. We chat about how he has progressed as a rider and the experiences he has had including being part of Team GB at a number of Nation's Cup events, riding at Track Nationals and racing in Glasgow as part of the Junior team representing Great Britain at the 2023 World Championships. Ben's achievements this...

For this episode I am joined by road rider Rory Townsend who represents Ireland and will be joining Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team for 2024. Rory is well known by British an Irish fans after spending a number of years as part of Wiv SunGod, racing both domestically and around the world. We chat about some of his early memories of racing in Qatar and China, the friendships he has made and what it means to him to represent Ireland. Rory has spent 2023 with UCI Pro Team Bolton Equities Black Spoke and...

In this episode I am joined by young British Road and Track rider, Matthew Brennan. As a youth, Matty enjoyed riding multiple disciplines and achieved some great results in races around the UK before joining Fensham Howes MAS Design race team as a junior. Matty has raced in some of the top junior races in Europe on the road and track, gaining a huge amount of experience both on and off the bike. He has had GC wins and stage wins, represented Team GB at the Glasgow World Championships in the...

For this episode I am joined by young British road rider Jack Rootkin-Gray. After seeing Solihull Cycling Club training in his local park, Jack found a love of cycling, joining the club and starting to ride and race with them. As a youth rider Jack enjoyed some strong results including 2nd in the GC in the  Youth Isle of Man stage race and winning National titles on the Track. Jack progressed as a Junior and competed in more races in the UK and Europe and became part of the GB Junior...

This week I am joined by Junior British multi disciple rider Imogen Wolff. Growing up with cycling parents Imogen has always enjoyed being on a bike. After starting out with cyclocross, Imogen soon started racing on the road and then on the track.  Imogen has competed in some huge races for Great Britain including the Road World Championships in Glasgow where she finished 5th and the Cyclocross World Championships in Hoogerheide. She has also competed in some of the biggest British and...

For this episode I am joined by 3 time USA National Crit Champion and Baby Giro Stage winner, Luke Lamperti. Luke and I chat about growing up in California and what it was like racing around the USA, his first trips to race in Europe and joining British Continental team Trinity Racing in 2021. Luke has been with Trinity for 3 seasons, racing in the UK, Europe and Worldwide and has gained a great following as well as some great results. For 2024, Luke will be heading to the World Tour with...

In this episode I am joined by British road and track rider Ethan Vernon. Ethan started out riding and racing BMX, travelling around the UK and Europe as a child before switching to track and road as a teenager.  At 17, Ethan represented Wales on the track in the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast giving him his first big games experience.  Since then Ethan has switched his focus between track and road before finding a way to balance both over the last couple of years.  We talk about how...

In this episode I am joined by winner of Zwift Academy 2022 and rider for Canyon SRAM, Alex Morrice. After growing up playing netball, Alex joined the university triathlon club and found a love of cycling. Alex joined the weekly Zwift sessions with her workplace and was soon progressing with a coach and became part of the Skoda Academy to help with her development. In 2022, Alex signed up for the Zwift Academy program and after making it to the final 5 she headed to Spain to compete in the...

Ahead of the 2023 Women's World Championship Road Race I am joined by rider for Team SD Worx and 2022 Under 23 World Champion Niamh Fisher-Black. Niamh grew up cycling with her family in New Zealand riding and racing Mountain bike, Cyclocross and Road before representing New Zealand for the first time as a Junior in Herald Sun Tour. Niamh then moved to Europe and based herself in London to ride and race and experience life in the European peloton.  After Covid put a stop to racing for a lot...

Ahead of the Cycling World Championships in Glasgow I am joined by British multi discipline rider Joe Blackmore. Joe has been riding and racing since a young age and earned his first national podium as an under 16. Since then Joe has raced all over the World as a Junior and now as an Under 23 and has won National titles in both mountain bike and cyclocross. Joe has represented Great Britain in World Cups and World Championships and raced for England at the Commonwealth Games. Joe will be...

In this episode I am joined by young Scottish rider for Team dsm-firmenich, Oscar Onley. Oscar grew up in Kelso and started riding and racing on both road and track in Scotland before competing around the rest of the UK and onto European.  After some great results as a youth rider, Oscar was signed by Team dsm development in 2020. Oscar raced all over Europe and gained experience with the team as well as some strong results including winning the Youth Classification and coming 3rd on GC in...

This week I am joined by junior multi discipline rider from Canada, Ava Holmgren. Ava is one of five children and grew up riding the local mountain bike trails with her family before she started racing locally and then across North America. Following the 2020 Covid lockdowns, Ava moved up to the Junior category and started competing in Cyclocross World Cups in the USA before making her first trip to compete in some European racing. Ava is now 2 time Junior Pan America Cyclocross champion and...

For this episode I am joined by rider for the Netherlands and  AG Insurance Soudal Quick-Step, Maaike Boogaard. Maaike and I talk about growing up in the Netherlands and racing in Europe as a Junior before competing in the road World Champs in America. Since progressing to Under 23 and Elite level racing, Maaike has raced all over the World with both her team and representing her country. We talk about dealing with crashes, concussion and injury as well as how it felt to get her first pro...

This week I am joined by Scottish rider for Team SD Worx, Anna Shackley. After starting with cyclocross races, Anna quickly began competing in Scotland and the rest of the UK on the road and track as a youth rider. Anna was soon racing in Europe and representing team GB at the Road World Championships before joining Team SD Worx at the end of 2020. Anna has had some great results with the team and started 2023 strongly with 4th in the GC at the UAE Tour.  Anna has been of the bike with a...

This week I am joined by British Junior Track and Road Rider Izzy Sharp. Izzy started racing triathlons before focusing on cycling and training with her grandad (who also cycled) as well as friends at the local track. Izzy was soon getting great results as a youth rider including winning the Pembrey 2 day National and winning the National Circuit series before lockdown in 2020. We talk about school and training through lockdown and what it was like to get back to racing at the end of...

In this Cycling Life Story I am joined by Australian rider for AG Insurance Soudal Quick-Step, Anya Louw. Anya grew up in Tasmania and we chat about what life was like growing up there, travelling by boat to races and how it felt to race in Europe for the first time as a young rider. The Covid pandemic meant that Anya had a long time away from racing in Europe but was able to continue her studies and train on local roads before racing in Australia began again. After joining AG Insurance...

This week I am joined by young British rider for Fensham Howes-MAS Design, Jed Smithson. Jed  has been competing since a young age, starting out with Cyclocross before focusing more on the road and track. Since an Under 12 Jed has competed in the UK and Europe with races including Youth Isle of Man and Youth Assen Tour and has had some amazing results through his time as a youth rider. After a strong end to youth racing in 2021 Jed joined FH MAS in 2022 as a first year Junior and has had...