Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

The 2025 road racing season has kicked off down here in Adelaide at the Tour Down Under, and that can only mean one thing; it’s time for The Race Communiqué! It’s been a long off season, but Southam, Durbo, and I are back on the mics having a yarn about bike racing, and boy is it good to be back.

TDU is a special race. Not only is it my “home” race, but it’s also one of the only times of the year that EF Education Easypost DS Tom Southam, newly crowned Aussie natty champ Luke Durbridge, and I are all in the same place. So, for the first episode of 2025, we decided to kick the pod up a gear and record it LIVE! We’ve also recorded a video podcast which you can find over on Life In The Peloton’s Youtube channel - so make sure you go and give that a watch!

Durbo, still riding high from his epic victory in Perth a few weeks back, kicks off the pod by talking us through his incredible ride that secured him the green and gold bands. It was a show of amazing team tactics, a little bit of luck, and a hell of a lot of hard work from Turbo Durbo - and it’s awesome to get his insight on how the race played out.

Obviously with the launch of MAAPs awesome collaboration with Jayco Alula, we discuss the new team kits in the peloton in ‘Pelo Chat’. We talk about how the style of the peloton has changed over the years, and how a good team kit can totally redefine a team’s identity. 

Tom’s ‘Talking Tactics’ segment dives into the new UCI rules that have changed the way riders will feed in the bunch this season. Trust me, it’s way more interesting than it sounds, and will make a huge difference to team strategy this season. 

Of course, it wouldn’t be The Race Communiqué without the Communi-Quiz - a TDU special hosted by Southam. 

I’m also stoked to announce that for the 2025 season, The Race Communiqué will be presented by TrainingPeaks. TrainingPeaks is a great piece of software for coaches, professional athletes, and amateurs alike that Tom, Luke, and I have all used religiously throughout our respective careers. It’s great to have them on board helping bring The Race Communiqué to you guys this year. 

Sit down, grab yourself a brew, and give this a listen; it’s a great start to 2025. 

Cheers!

Mitch

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 - Introduction
• 00:09:49 - Part 1: Mitch's Race Recap
• 00:25:19 - Part 2: Luke's Pelo Chat
• 00:33:59 - Part 3: Tom's Talking Tactics
• 00:53:21 - Part 4: Communi-quiz

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The Life in the Peloton book is OUT NOW! Get your copy now exclusively at maap.cc! Can’t wait for you to read it.

Watch Life in the Peloton's FIRST EVER video podcast here. Each episode of Race Communique this season will be coming to you in both audio and video. Stay tuned to our YouTube Channel for more episodes and clips throughout the season.

This episode is supported by our friends at Training Peaks.

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

For 2025, I’m bringing back a fan favourite. That’s right, Talking Luft is BACK! When the mood is right, I’ll be dropping a classic Talking Luft episode a few days after the main Life In The Peloton pod drops, just to give you guys an extra bite of the cherry. This is where we try to find a bit more out about special guests though some short rapid fire questions.

I’m kicking off with my first guest of the season; Lucy Bartholomew. We had a great day out going for a ride, a cheeky brew, and a bit of a run - just to really get to know more about her and what makes her tick. 

Obviously Lucy’s best known for her running exploits, so this Talking Luft is going to have a bit of a trail running twist, but the old classic Talking Luft questions are in there too. Talking Luft is always great fun to record, and this ep with Lucy is no different. She won’t mind me saying, I had to explain what Luft even is, so if you’re new around here this is a great place to start.

Have a listen to me and Lucy chatting all things Luft to kick off the 2025 season.

Cheers!

Mitch

Chapters

• 00:01:17 - Introduction
• 00:02:40 - What is a luft?
• 00:04:46 - Cafe and coffee stop preferences
• 00:06:08 - Bunch direction dialect
• 00:06:57 - Running fashion
• 00:11:39 - Favourite training loop
• 00:12:37 - Mitch’s running scenario
• 00:15:25 - War story
• 00:16:52 - Why do you do it?

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The Life in the Peloton book is OUT NOW! Get your copy now exclusively at maap.cc! Can’t wait for you to read it.

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

Happy New Year! Life In The Peloton is back, and I’m really excited to kick off 2025 with one of the brightest stars in the Ultrarunning world; Lucy Bartholomew.

A Melbourne native, Lucy’s been competitively trail running since she was 16, when she lined up at a 100km race along the South Coast of Victoria with her old man. Since then, she’s gone on to win Ultra Trail Race Australia in 2022, set the FKT on the truly epic 231km Larapinta Trail up in Northern Territory, and competed over in Europe at Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. As if she wasn’t already hardcore enough, in 2024 just a few weeks after finishing UTMB, she jetted off to Nice to tackle IronMan World Champs…just for fun! 

Ultrarunners are known for their resilience and determination, and Lucy completely epitomises that. I loved chatting to her about how she trains for 100km+ races, what it takes to make it in the ultrarunning world, some of her wild experiences out on the trail, how her parents - her dad, Ash, in particular - have helped drive her ultrarunning journey, and how she finds the mental strength to push through the tough moments. It was a really inspiring conversation that I think you’re going to love.

I was super excited to record with Lucy in person back home around my old area. We actually kicked off the pod by heading for a bike ride up Kinglake, before ripping back down for a quick brew. Then, we laced up the runners and headed out for a little 10ker, and chatted along the way. Needless to say, I kept the questions short to save my breath for running next to one of the most experienced ultrarunners in the world.

I want to continue to explore even more new Pelotons in 2025, and the Trail Running space feels like the perfect place to start. It’s a sport that’s fascinated me for a while, having dabbled in a few ultra runs myself, so I wanted to bring you all inside a discipline that may not be so familiar to the cycling fans amongst you but shares a deep sense of challenge, performance, and adventure. I was fascinated to learn more about the psychology of ultrarunning and find out how similar it is to cycling. Lucy’s been at the top of her game in the running space for the best part of a decade now, and it’s so cool that she’s now crossing over into our world and giving cycling a go.

I hope you love listening to Lucy as much as I loved chatting with her. She’s an all round legend, and might just inspire you to give trail running, or even an ultrarun, a go if you haven’t before. We even recorded a cheeky ep of Talking Luft, so keep your ears peeled for that later this week!

Chapters

• 00:00:00 - Introduction
• 00:08:08 - Part 1: Ride up Kinglake
• 00:34:15 - Part 2: Coffee shop chat
• 00:57:27 - Part 3: Running the trails
• 01:10:23 - Outro

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This episode is also supported by our friends at JOIN.

JOIN Cycling is the #1 cycling tool that sets you up with dynamic and flexible training plans based on your goal, availability and training history.

Head over to join.cc/litp to get your 30-day free trial now!

The Life in the Peloton book is OUT NOW! Get your copy now exclusively at maap.cc! Can’t wait for you to read it.

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

Well, this is it, guys. It's the end of the road season, and if you're a long-time listener, you'll know it's the end of the season for us here at Life on the Peloton.

For the pro peloton, it's time to take a break from cycling. Just thinking of it takes me back to my racing days, as the 'offy' was always a bit of a special time, especially when you first arrive back in Australia. You’ve got time to rest, have a bit of a party, and reconnect with home before it's time to get back into training for the new season.

Before we shut down for a little break, we've got a really special guest to close out not only our season but her career too. None other than the current Olympic and World T.T. Champion, Grace Brown!

I've been holding off on chatting with Grace online this year because I wanted to have this conversation in person. Little did I know Grace was going to have the epic season she's had, capping it all off with the ultimate mic drop: calling it a day on professional racing while winning at the highest level.

After all that amazing success through a season that saw her become Australia’s first female monument winner, I managed to catch up with her, still a little jet-lagged from the flight—or her career (we weren’t sure which was catching up with her!). Grace was kind enough to meet me for an afternoon coffee in her adopted hometown of Melbourne to have a good old-fashioned yarn for this pod.

We talked about her career, the Olympic Games, her experiences there, retirement, relationships, and of course, how to bow out in style.

For the final time this season, it’s time to sit back, relax, and enjoy.

Cheers!

Mitch

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The Life in the Peloton book is OUT NOW! Get your copy now exclusively at maap.cc! Can’t wait for you to read it.

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

The Race Communique is exclusively brought to you by The Escape Collective. Check out the new and improved BikeGrid which now goes all the way back to riders from 2001! Go and check it out and let me know how you get on.

Hey everyone, just like that, the 2024 World Tour season has nearly wrapped up. Even though there's still racing happening in China, here at Life in the Peloton, we're calling it and diving straight into the final Race Communiqué of the season.

I'm joined by Luke and Tom, just days into their offseasons, to unpack what has been one of the best seasons of racing I’ve ever seen. Not every year you get to witness a Grand Slam or experience the kind of non-stop action and long-range attacks we had in 2024.

In this Race Communiqué, we’ve got much more than just a seasonal wrap-up. Tom jumps in early with his Talking Tactics segment, and then we settle into Luke's Pelo Chat, where he shares insights on the future of the U23 category and how the UCI might look to enhance youth racing moving forward.

We’ve also highlighted some of our favourite rides, riders, races, and memorable moments from the year. With our different opinions, you'll hear some fantastic stories that emerged during our conversation.

To top it all off, we have the end-of-season Communi-quiz, which is crucial for determining who will be shouting the beers during the offy!

I really enjoy putting these Communiqués together, and this one was a blast to make. It’s a shame we can’t do more for now, but for 2024, this is your final episode of The Communiqué.

We hope you've enjoyed listening along. We'll be back after a well-deserved break (with a few cold ones) for an even better 2025. So stay tuned, and for now, sit back, relax, and enjoy.

Cheers,

Mitch

It might only be Wednesday, but this week is absolutely massive for us at Life in the Peloton. It’s the week of the Dirty Docker—our inaugural cycling and running festival happening up in my hometown of Lancefield this weekend!

With such an exciting event on the horizon, I thought, why not dedicate this entire podcast to the Dirty Docker? This event has been over a year in the making, and I can’t wait to share all the details with all of our listeners. Even if you can’t make it to Lancefield, whether you’re overseas or just tied up, I want you to feel like you’re part of the action.

We’ll be diving deep into what the Dirty Docker is all about. From cross-country running to cyclocross, and of course, our premier event—the Cobawsome Gravel Ride—there’s something for everyone.

But that’s not all. We’ll also be exploring each of these disciplines with the experts who helped bring them to life. You’ll get to understand the roots of cross-country running, the history of cyclocross, and the unique aspects of our Dirty Docker cyclocross course, including a nod to the iconic Cross Vegas course. Plus, my good mate and the voice of the Dirty Docker, Paul Van Der Ploeg, will join us for a deep dive into the gravel phenomenon—where it’s been, where it’s going, and what makes it so special.

So, whether you’re gearing up to join us this weekend or just tuning in from afar, this episode is packed with insights and excitement to get you pumped. I’m really excited for this one, guys. 

Give it a listen and get ready for an epic weekend!

Cheers, Mitch

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

Well, I don’t know about you, but here at Life in the Peloton, we are still absolutely buzzing from yesterday’s World Road Race Championships! I think we witnessed one of the greatest performances ever.

I’m delighted to say that we’ve got a hot-off-the-press Communiqué pod for you. Joining me are Jayco Alula rider Luke Durbridge and EF Education EasyPost Sports Director Tom Southam. Together, we dissect the race faster than a group of Spanish commissaries heading to dinner…

We couldn’t wait to dive in and analyze the race, and what a race it was. As always, the Communiqué brings you our unique triple-pronged take on the event. I offer my armchair pundit’s view of the action, which this time came from the commentary box in Australia, giving me a great vantage point.

We’ve also got Durbo’s ‘Pelo Chat’ segment, where Luke explores interesting technical details and hot topics within the peloton, such as the impact of riders racing without radios and what that meant for the race.

And of course, there’s Tom’s ‘Talking Tactics,’ where we hear the DS perspective on the race’s tactical intricacies, especially given the complexity of the national team format and how the peloton dealt with one of the greatest of all time.

Just like a real communiqué wouldn’t be complete without a page of fines, our Life in the Peloton Communiqué wouldn’t be complete without a Communi-quiz. We have a special edition of that too.

Don’t wait for this one—grab your brew, sit back, and give it a listen.

Cheers!

Mitch

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This episode is supported by our friends at The Escape Collective.

Check out Escape Collective's Classifieds section of their website where thousands of used bikes, parts and accessories are being sold every day.

It's free for anyone to use, not just members.

The Dirty Docker is almost here! Dirty Docker is my multi-day event for all things cycling and running in the Macedon Ranges. For the last few weeks of winter, you can get an exclusive discount code by signing up to the Life in the Peloton Newsletter here.

The Life in the Peloton book is OUT NOW! Get your copy now exclusively at maap.cc! Can’t wait for you to read it.

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

This week on Life in the Peloton, we’ve got Lael Wilcox back on the pod. As many of you know, Lael has just become the Guinness World Record holder for cycling around the world. She rode an incredible 29,000 kilometers starting from Chicago, circumnavigating the globe in 108 days, 12 hours, and 12 minutes.

I was so excited to get Lael back on the pod this week. I loved following her journey around the world through her podcasts and videos. Lael is full of energy, and what really drew me into this adventure was how she managed to make something so difficult and challenging sound like so much fun to manage to involve so many people.

In our chat we spoke about what it was like to complete this adventure, to cross the globe, to ride in all these amazing places, and to do so with so many people joining in and following along.

Her record attempt was followed by thousands of people, many of whom took the time to join her on the ride, offering gifts, places to stay, and help along the way, as well as the occasional diversion to improve her route!

I was particularly keen to hear what it had been like riding across Australia, but I love to hear how people see my country and be able to see it through fresh perspectives. Lael actually reached out for a route, and I was really happy to be able to help out - at the last minute! And then to hear what this adventure had been like.  

Lael is so inspiring to talk to, her story and approach to riding her bike is fantastic, and we loved having her back on the pod.

Take a listen to this episode—it’s an amazing trip around the world, not to mention a new world record, and something that’s inspiring for so many cyclists.

Sit back, relax and enjoy.

Mitch

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Listen to my previous chat with Lael - Lael Wilcox - The best of the best in Ultra Endurance Cycling

This episode is also supported by our friends at Wahoo head over to wahoofitness.com to check out their awesome bike computers and trainers.

The Dirty Docker is almost here! Dirty Docker is my multi-day event for all things cycling and running in the Macedon Ranges. For the last few weeks of winter, you can get an exclusive discount code by signing up to the Life in the Peloton Newsletter here.

The Life in the Peloton book is OUT NOW! Get your copy now exclusively at maap.cc! Can’t wait for you to read it.

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

Regulars to the pod might be familiar with the story of Christian Meier the cyclist, the teammate, or the Girona resident and coffee shop owner. But, inspired by organising my first running event - the ‘Pub to Pub’ in Lancefield, this instalment Life in the Peloton is all aboutChristian Meier: the ultra-runner.

After retiring in 2016 and setting up his Girona coffee shops, Christian hasn’t sat still, and instead has found a new athletic passion that has led him to some quite incredible heights!

For most ex-pros finishing their career means they wind down and gradually do less sport (or none at all). Christian has broken that mould and found a new love for Ultra-running that in his mind eclipses even his feats as a professional cyclist riding the Tour de France, Giro of Vuelta.

I’ve been loving getting involved with running since I stopped racing, even starting up the Lanny Run Club here in Lancefield. Interestingly in the past few years, we’ve seen more and more professional cyclists turn to running as part of their training and fitness regimen, even during the race season, something that was unthinkable for a pro rider just a few years ago.

Christian was a fascinating guy to talk to on the subject (I ran out of time to get all the tips out of him that I wanted!) but I did get to ask him about what it was like making the transition, what he loves about ultra-running and the similarities and surprising differences between the two endurance sports.

We also went over his incredible win in the TDS, an ultra-running race of 145km that takes in over 9000m of climbing in the Alps. I’ll leave you guys to have a listen to hear what the man himself has to say about that!

Cheers!

Mitch

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The Dirty Docker is almost here! Dirty Docker is my multi-day event for all things cycling and running in the Macedon Ranges. For the last few weeks of winter, you can get an exclusive discount code by signing up to the Life in the Peloton Newsletter here. 

The Life in the Peloton book is OUT NOW! Get your copy now exclusively at maap.cc! Can’t wait for you to read it.

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

Hey everyone, we’re back this week with another Talking Luft Top Six Most Influential! This week I’m joined by one of the most recognisable and talented cycling commentators, Rob Hatch to talk all about our most influential World Championships.

The World Road Race Championships is not only one of the most prestigious races of the year, but it’s also unique in pro racing being the only race of the year where professionals race for their national teams, for that coveted rainbow jersey! 

I was lucky enough to race a couple of worlds for Australia and I can tell you it is a pretty special experience to be able to represent your country in your sport. I loved racing for Australia and I pick out some of my experiences for this pod, including helping Micheal Matthews to the silver medal in 2015, and that rain in Yorkshire! 

My guest Rob Hatch has been covering pro racing for well over a decade and has been following cycling for even longer. His voice has accompanied some of the most epic racing moments in recent years - and many of those non-epic hours that fill our TV screens too! 

Rob has an incredible, and in-depth knowledge of cycling and he’s as passionate as any anyone I know on the subject. We talked about some fantastic Worlds from Chambery to Harrogate via Richmond. The Worlds really does cover so many different places and characters that it was always going to be hard work to get things down to just (over a) handful of editions! 

If, like myself and Rob, you can’t wait for the worlds to roll round (now that the Vuelta is old news!) then have a listen to this one, and get in the mood for the big WC. 

Cheers! 

Mitch

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The Dirty Docker is almost here! Dirty Docker is my multi-day event for all things cycling and running in the Macedon Ranges. For the last few weeks of winter, you can get an exclusive discount code by signing up to the Life in the Peloton Newsletter here. 

The Life in the Peloton book is OUT NOW! Get your copy now exclusively at maap.cc! Can’t wait for you to read it.

Life in the Peloton is proudly brought to you by MAAP

Life in the Peloton has been cooking up something a bit different for you this week, I’ve thrown my press badge back on, and jumped in on the rest day press-conference action, to bring you the very first “Hot Off The Press”, Life in the Peloton’s Virtual Press Room from the Vuelta España. 

With so much action and suspense at the Spanish Grand Tour, which - I keep reminding everyone, was a favourite race of mine, I figured why not get on the phone, dial in to the pelo, and get the freshest possible take on what is going on. 

I was lucky enough to speak to some of the most important characters from this year’s race, including the current red jersey wearer, Ben O’Connor, stage winner Mike Woods, Richard Carapaz’s sports director at EF, Juanma Garate, as well as top domestiques Robert Gesink and Carlos Verona. 

Make no mistake this is a brutal edition of the Vuelta, and our guests fill us in on everything from what it takes to try and win at the race, to what it feels like to try to survive, and everything in between. 

This pod is a new one for us at Life in the Peloton and I’m delighted to be bringing you all these  hot-off-the-press takes as we head into the third week, where we can expect plenty of action from our guests and the rest of the Vuelta peloton. 

Sit back, relax and tune in before it cools off! 

Cheers! 

Mitch

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The Dirty Docker is almost here! Dirty Docker is my multi-day event for all things cycling and running in the Macedon Ranges. For the last few weeks of winter, you can get an exclusive discount code by signing up to the Life in the Peloton Newsletter here. 

The Life in the Peloton book is OUT NOW! Get your copy now exclusively at maap.cc! Can’t wait for you to read it.