Half Wheelin' Podcast

What would it take to go Pro these days? And what’s it like once you’re racing in Europe on the start of your journey?  What’s a typical day like? Harder than being on the tools? Well you asked and we delivered! (Well, Aidan did). He brought in Hugh Harvey, from the World Tour Arkea BnB Hotels development squad. The young Pro from Sydney, Australia, told us about things like:HIs winning start in racing, unique pathway into pro cycling, and eventful first UCI raceHis track record of blowing his equipment to pieces    The differences between a junior European and Conti-World Tour teamsKeys skills for European racing, when raw watts don’t helpAdvice for aspiring pro’s & what you’ve got to be able to cope withA day in the life & maintaining the love amidst the grind The unexpected quality that comes with racing at the top level  And of course we include a few other options on the menu:Aidan has a vent about Strava that actually turns into therapyThe boys discuss their current riding, most brutal training sessions and those annoying riders who keep asking about your bike techSo get it from the horse’s mouth, and giddy up!

So the highly coveted UCI Annual Half-Wheelin Awards* have been run and won, and weren’t we treated to a feast of celebrating the beauty of road cycling!? Approved by the Half Wheelin’ ethics committee, categories were:Biggest Local Bunch MuppetMost "Fuck he’s Better than Bloody Good" Never Thought We’d be Admiring Them! Most Ferocious Shredding of a Race by One Team Best Example of 2024 Racing Tactics by a Rider Not Named PogacarMost Truly Beautiful MomentMost Ridiculous Mic DropWeirdest Advertisement Promo by a SuperstarBiggest Mens Rivalry Hurt FeelingsBiggest Tech PisstakeBest Venn Diagram for Tires for Super Cool PeopleCoupled with some brilliant 2025 tech predictions, and an attempt to ease our anxiety about Julian Alaphillipe’s next phase, it was a huge night on the red carpet! Tune in to find out who won what!  *Awards proudly brought to you but the MAGA-Donald Trump Cycling Foundation 

Ok Half Wheelers, time to get real.  The Slovenian "Year of the Pog" continued at the final monument on the calendar, where Tadej won his fourth Il Lombardia IN A ROW. Predictable, simple and seemingly with unfettered ease, his dominance has moved into a new phase, and reactively, so have his opposition.  It's been the most dominant individual men’s season in history and everyone knows there's PLENTY more left in the tank. Other legends have had more wins than Pog’s 25, but no-one ever did it with so many minutes in hand across all types of races. So what’s to be done about this situation!? Co-host Aidan-the-early-adopter has already had enough, and he's a blue chip litmus test for cycling punter passion. And what of the mindset forming in even the very best of Pogi's competitors? Things are brewing.This includes the UCI and ASO scrapping the Tour's redundant white jersey for the "Pog Prize"- awarded to the 1st loser after Pog crosses the line each race. We flesh out the details. Anointing co-host Ross “UCI God-for-a-week”, we call out opposition team tactics, and challenge them to accept reality. Do they actually see how different they gotta be?Within this new world of men’s road racing, we also discuss one team and rider, who perhaps did stumble on a template for racing with honorable intent, and it might surprise you. The boys cover the ongoing decline of Ineos and it's handling of Pidcock, and while the British outfit famed for marginal gains, desperately need maximal ones, they've seemingly accepted where they're at in the big boys club. It remains to be seen if other teams follow suit, stop playing it safe, and embrace their ultimate job of truly competing.

Well the Worlds in Zurich have come and gone, and weren’t we all left scratching our heads. Of course in this Chinese Year of the Pog, TP did normal TP things, but what about Belgium and The Netherlands? Seemed like they did almost no things. The boys also square up on the race prominent Dutch women’s team for demonstrating their recent reputation of being a team of champions rather than a champion team, and how they not only confused themselves, and everyone watching, but even the winner of the race. And finally, the 2 standout Australian performances get a celebration, where winners are grinners, and we were always with 'em. In case you weren’t sure, the absolute key requirement for Zwift racing is discussed, and it’s lets just say there’s not a lot wriggle room. And in a grand philanthropic gesture of societal generosity and community building, Half Wheelin also outlines local racing, for those considering it for the first time.And what about your beliefs, biases and thinking on "doping suspicious" riders? Do you ever examine yourself? Tune in for a how-to-construct-your-attitude-to-the-inevitable-narrative-that-keeps-on-keeping-on. In a watershed moment, Aidan discloses his recent epiphany, that there’s actually a 5th monument in cycling. Yo! Did ya know that?! It’s only been around for 120 years so you can’t really blame him. Tends to be hidden by leaves anyway… The boys tell you how Pog will and won’t win. Take it from them.Finally, some of the big home bike mechanic stuff ups are covered - from team half wheelers and hosts alike, but the best Scott could offer was a Tom Dumoulin inspired “lightening of the load” climbing scandal. So this is a call! Share with all the Half Wheelers, more of your DIY bike blunders! Extra points for crazy, radical, dangerous and funny.Pull a turn ya dog!